Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma blossoming into a star

With so much young talent on the roster, it’s looking like Kyle Kuzma is rising above the rest to become the second star for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, there was much for the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans to be excited about, even excluding the arrival of one LeBron James.

The front office had consecutive No. 2 overall picks that equated to Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball and, due to some terrific scouting, L.A. also found diamonds in the rough in the form of Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma.

All had flashed immense potential in their short careers, but with James’ arrival in the City of Angels, most if not all would have to take a gargantuan leap forward to get the Lakers back to their accustomed championship-contending status.

There was also the issue of a co-star for LeBron. Despite his all-worldly talent, rarely has a team won without multiple All-Star level players, especially not in the era of superteams where the Golden State Warriors now possess five such talents on their roster.

Ingram seemed like the natural selection for this role.

Entering his third campaign — the one during which potential is supposed to combine with hard work to create tangible results — the former Blue Devil was expected to build off what was a solid sophomore run and blossom next to the best player in the world.

Injuries and suspensions have played a part. So has the expected growing pains that comes with integrating new pieces. But Ingram hasn’t taken the next step as so many had expected from him, actually regressing in categories such as points and both 3-point and field goal percentage.

Into that void has emerged Kuzma, the lightly sought after late first-round pick back in 2017.

Kuzma always appeared better suited to play off LeBron. He’s never needed the ball in his hands to thrive and at 6’9”, he possesses the length needed to switch multiple screens, but isn’t physically overwhelmed by bigger guys at 220 pounds.

His outside shooting has taken a step back from last season, but recently it looks as though the former University of Utah product has figured out the entirety of his game, averaging 24.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in six games this month.

During this stretch, Los Angeles is a plus-14.2 with Kuzma on the court, which is likely due to his increased efficiency in the form of .518/.364/.864.

He’s been attacking big men off the dribble and posting up smaller guards near the rim. It’s that incredible versatility that has made Lakers fans excited about his future, but it seems as though Kuzma’s best might be arriving a bit ahead of schedule.

The narrative surrounding the Lakers has always been about which superstar the team will bring in to run alongside James for the next few years. From Kawhi Leonard to Anthony Davis, the assumption is that someone will come help restore L.A. to its former basketball glory.

It may very well happen, but there are no guarantees. As of right now, Los Angeles has been trying to find its No. 2 option. With the way he’s been playing recently, Kuzma seems to be that guy right now, and given his young age, there’s no reason he can’t continue that trend moving forward.