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Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons they will make the playoffs in 2017-18

By Josh Cornelissen

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 10: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on with Head coach Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers during the preseason game against the Utah Jazz on October 10, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 10: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on with Head coach Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers during the preseason game against the Utah Jazz on October 10, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images /

5. Kyle Kuzma is the GOAT

While lottery picks such as Lonzo Ball and Dennis Smith Jr. dominated the headlines during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this past July, the true shocker was the play of Kyle Kuzma. A late first round pick in this summer’s draft, it was Kuzma — and not Summer League MVP Lonzo Ball — who led the team to a victory in the title game as Ball sat out with an injury.

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The crux of Kuzma’s sudden leap from fringe first-rounder to Rookie of the Year contender has been his 3-point shooting. After hitting 30.2 percent of his 3-pointers in college at Utah, Kuzma made 24 3-pointers on 48 percent shooting in Summer League. Across six preseason games he is averaging 17.3 points per contest, in the top-15 league-wide.

A version of Kyle Kuzma who can play stretch-4 and absolutely torch defenses from beyond the arc is a valuable piece for any team, but especially a Los Angeles Lakers team that has faced nothing but questions from the 4 since Pau Gasol shifted to center after their title run.

If Kuzma can rise to the top of the rotation at power forward, he unlocks options for the Lakers. This season it gives them a floor-spacing young player to plug into the rotation, but it also frees the front office to move Luol Deng and Julius Randle if the right deal materializes, freeing up cap space for their summer plans.

The Kuzma who has balled out this summer and preseason is the kind of a player a team wants in its arsenal. The Lakers will be better equipped to make a run to the postseason if they have another, and largely unexpected, key player on their roster. Kyle Kuzma may not be an MVP candidate, but he can be incredibly valuable to the Lakers.

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