Los Angeles Lakers: Hot takes on futures of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma
The Hot Take:
Kyle Kuzma has already hit his ceiling as an offensive force with limited upside in most other aspects of the game.
The Reasoning:
I know so many Lakers fans are going to hate this. I’m sorry, but hot takes aren’t meant to make friends. They’re meant to call out an unpopular/extreme opinion and incite conversation. So here we go.
Kyle Kuzma was an absolute steal as the No. 27 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. While I’m not saying the Lakers didn’t find a diamond in the rough, there’s got to be a reason Kuzma fell so far. He was obviously a big-time scoring threat in college. What worried scouts about his pro potential?
Well, maybe it’s his ceiling — or the lack of space between him and it.
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Kuzma was lightyears ahead of where rookies should be in the scoring department. Chances are that’s a result of having three college seasons to hone his skills, mixed with some clear natural talent and a little old-school mojo on that end of the floor. However, despite his upperclassman status, the rest of his game is a major work in progress.
Sure, he rebounded well at times as a rookie. His passing, however, was subpar at best and his defense was abysmal. He’ll spend this offseason working on those things, and may improve a bit. Based on what we’ve seen, though, it seems clear he’s at (or least very near) his developmental ceiling. Could that be what allowed him to fall to Los Angeles at the end of the first round?
Kuzma will always be a terrific scoring threat for the Lakers. The rest of his game will never come together, though, eventually leading him to settle in as an offensive-minded bench contributor.