Los Angeles Lakers: Could Kyle Kuzma upsize to the 5?
Could the Los Angeles Lakers use Kyle Kuzma at the 5 for brief stretches of games?
With Brook Lopez sidelined, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ frontcourt has seen its minute distribution stay relatively the same. Andrew Bogut has taken Lopez’s place in the starting lineup, and is joined by Kyle Kuzma in the frontcourt with the rookie starting for Larry Nance Jr.
Kuzma starting helps ease the scoring void left by Lopez, and allows Nance, who’s formed a nice partnership with Lopez, to get his minutes as a 5 off the bench. These lineup changes have enabled the Lakers to play their fast-paced style and maintain scoring balance with their big man sidelined.
The Lakers are scoring slightly above their season average without Lopez, with Kuzma scoring 10 points above of his season average in this stretch despite taking just three more shots a game. Kuzma remains the Lakers’ top stretch-4 option and is among the best rookie performers of the season.
He continues to pose problems for opposing defenses with his balanced offensive game as a stretch-4, but seeing how he performs a position up could unlock the Lakers’ strongest small-ball lineup and present serious mismatches across the board.
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I wrote about this possibility in the preseason, and still think playing Kuzma at the 5 alongside Brandon Ingram is too powerful of an offense to ignore experimenting with, especially during this time period with Lopez on the shelf for at least two more weeks.
The Lakers’ offense would become a true five-out system with every player capable of shooting, dribbling and passing effectively if coach Walton opted for three-guard sets next to Ingram and Kuzma, making for a strong lineup suitable for the modern NBA.
I could bloviate about the offensive potential of this lineup and how it creates at least one mismatch offensively, and would create maximum drive space with defenders having to honor shooters, but the true questions with playing Kuz at the 5 is interior defense.
The benefit of playing Kuzma at the 5 is the defensive versatility and switchability he would give by playing capable on-ball defenders across the board. But the Lakers struggle to protect the paint, and playing Kuzma, averaging 0.4 blocks per game, is a far cry from the solution.
The best hope for this lineup to prosper could be Ingram developing into the rim protector of the frontcourt given he’s taller, longer and a better leaper compared to Kuzma. His length offsets some of the concerns about his thin build, but Ingram has the most potential to protect the paint.
Rebounding won’t an issue with the Lakers near the top of the NBA in boards per game. They rebound as a team and have six players averaging at least five rebounds per game with Kuzma and Lonzo Ball atop these lists.
Coach Walton has played Kuzma at the 5 for minor stretches a couple times this season, but not enough to present a legit sample size. He did play both small and power forward at the University of Utah, and is not used to orchestrating a defense from the paint, especially in the NBA.
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But given how well he’s been playing offensively and the future benefits of him gaining experience in this role, I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts using him there as the season progresses.