Kyle Kuzma has shown that his skill set can help the Lakers offensively. The addition of Anthony Davis will move Kuzma to the third option on offense. Last season Kuzma averaged 18.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, per basketball-reference.com.
The numbers will probably be around the same because of the dominance of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The old saying is still among the NBA “Defense wins championships”. The reigning champion, Toronto Raptors had the best defensive rating in the playoffs.
Kyle Kuzma’s defense has improved from 2017 to 2018 as he has focused more on help defense. Next season he will have one of the best rim protectors in the league behind him so that will help mentally. Kuzma needs to focus more on defense than offense in order to help the Lakers championship hopes. Kuzma is in a unique position to play for the Lakers and play with two top 5 players. He has a chance to be a part of something special and be a factor in the Lakers success.
The Lakers defense was pretty good at the beginning of the year and ranked 7th in defense during LeBron’s injury. The Lakers need a top 7 defense in the league in order to win the championship. Offensively, the Lakers should be top 5 in the league with all the shooting and scoring inside and the perimeter.
Kuzma must buy into defending at a high level for 82 games and the playoffs. Kuzma’s role as the third guy should be exciting because of the opportunities that LeBron and AD can open up for him.
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