Los Angeles Lakers: 5 takeaways from 2017 NBA Summer League
4. Kyle Kuzma looks like the steal of the draft
Kyle Kuzma was the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, a pick acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in the trade that sent D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets in exchange for Brook Lopez. The pick was a throw-in, simply ammunition for the Lakers to go after Paul George.
Instead, George stayed a Pacer until after draft night, and the Lakers used the pick on Utah forward Kyle Kuzma. The 6’10” forward was a one-hit wonder, taking the sort of huge developmental leap between his sophomore and junior seasons that often results in players being overdrafted. Of the five players we recommended to the Lakers at the end of the first round, four were still available at 27 — and instead the Lakers went with the unheralded Kuzma.
Kyle Kuzma promptly showed up to Las Vegas and balled out, hitting seemingly every shot he took. He averaged 21.9 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting, a number that goes from good to incredible when you factor in that over 42 percent of his points came from three-point range.
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The Lakers’ forward launched 50 triples in Las Vegas, and drained 24 of them for an insane 48 percent mark from beyond the arc. He wasn’t toeing the line, either — Kuzma was comfortable spotting up from a few feet behind the line, a move on the margins that only helps to space out the floor. In the history of Las Vegas Summer League only Klay Thompson hit more three-pointers per game.
Kuzma also seemed to be feeding off of the energy of Lonzo Ball and his passing, as he launched himself down the court with every change of possession, hoping Ball would hit him with a long-distance pass — something that happened multiple times during the tournament. Kuzma showed himself to be exactly the player that fits into the scheme head coach Luke Walton has in place.
Anytime a player performs well in Las Vegas, the brightness of his future must be weighed down with a realistic grain of salt. That is certainly true with Kuzma as well. But through his first seven games as a Laker, Kyle Kuzma has played well above expectations and is part of the wave of young hype moving through L.A.