3. Kyle Kuzma is who he is at this point and he doesn’t add anything new to the Los Angeles Lakers
The discussions of whether or not Kyle Kuzma will take a step up should end. While he could eventually improve in the league, it is not going to happen with the Los Angeles Lakers. We have tow full seasons of exactly the same play and Kuzma is not as young as you think.
Kuzma was a four-year college player and typically those players are closer to their ceilings when they come into the league than one-and-done players. That is why Kuzma played better than those in his draft class, such as Jayson Tatum, in year one even though Tatum has since FAR surpassed him.
Kuzma is entering his age 26 season. He is less than three years younger than Anthony Davis. He is six years older than Talen Horton-Tucker. He is not this raw player with potential that he used to be. He is who he is, at least on this team.
Kuzma does not add anything new that the Lakers cannot get out of any veteran wing player. In fact, the Lakers could probably find a better fit if they get someone who can more consistently hit shots and play better defense. This has been true the last two years but the reason why they did not pull the trigger was that perceived potential.
Kuzma’s best bet is to land on a rebuilding team where he is allowed to go out and play 35 minutes a game and put shots up and look to improve his shooting stroke. We saw how much he could score on a bad team in his first two years in the league. On a title team, he is no better than the eighth or ninth-best player.
The Los Angeles Lakers would be wise to cash in on any potential value that Kuzma still has.