Los Angeles Lakers: Early predictions for the 2018-19 starting lineup

Power Forward: Kyle Kuzma

It’s not every day a No. 27 overall pick turns out to be a rising star who has an uncanny knack for tickling the twine. That, however, is exactly what the Lakers got with Kyle Kuzma during his 2017-18 rookie campaign.

Now I know a lot of folks point to his lack of refined defensive skills as a serious concern moving forward. My rebuttal would be that, for a rookie, Kuzma more than makes up for his defensive deficiencies on the offensive end. The efficiency, confidence and swagger he played with was a huge boost to the Lakers’ lineup, whether he was starting or coming off the bench.

When looking back at the numbers, though, it seems as though Kuzma needs to be starting. When he was a starter, these were his per-game averages: 18.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He shot 44.6 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from deep for a true shooting percentage of 55.7.

When he was in a bench role, he averaged 13.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from deep for a true shooting percentage of 54.

Seems to me like he belongs in the starting lineup. Now I think that also comes with the caveat that his defense must improve, and I’d love to see him share the ball better. However, if he can keep using his wide array of moves to create scoring opportunities, Kuzma is more than deserving of a starting gig.