Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma a preseason standout

Though not the most notable Los Angeles Lakers standout this preseason, Kyle Kuzma looks to have taken another step in his development.

The spotlight hovering over the Los Angeles Lakers this preseason doesn’t belong to LeBron James or Anthony Davis. It’s not even on any of LA’s offseason additions.

Talen Horton-Tucker, a 2019 mid-second-round pick, scored 19 and 33 points in consecutive preseason matchups against the LA Clippers, both victories. The incoming sophomore who earned just 81 total minutes a season ago might have just given Frank Vogel even more options for what’s projected to be a loaded rotation.

Nobody is blamed for being enamored with the unexpected production of THT. Just know that right alongside him has been another young Laker taking significant steps of his own.

Through two preseason games, Kyle Kuzma has compiled 43 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. He’s shot 7-of-17 on twos, 6-of-13 beyond the arc and earned 17 free-throw attempts, converting 11 of them. He was a plus-30 in 77 minutes.

It won’t be often for Kuzma to shine as he did, not when James and Davis eventually take the floor and the new additions settle into their roles. But sprinkled throughout these two contests sit prime examples of how the fourth-year forward should function alongside a cast of teammates both old and new.

Marc Gasol adds a completely new dimension to LA’s offense. Though not as physically imposing as JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard near the rim, he gives the Lakers another initiator as someone who can fling all types of passes from the top of the key.

The challenge for Vogel then lies in creating targets for Gasol to hit and for his players to do their part to get open. In the clip below, Kuzma does a fine job running Kawhi Leonard through a Quinn Cook down screen. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope keeps Nicola Batum from rotating off the weakside corner. Paul George’s back is turned to a wide-open middle of the court, creating an easier passing lane Gasol promptly hits for an easy Kuzma layup.

Notice the angle Kuzma takes on his cut. It’s sharp, more like an L than an O, allowing him to easily get past Luke Kennard for the rim finish without ever putting the ball on the floor.

Playing alongside superstars who command as much attention as LeBron and AD opens up so much of the floor for the three players they share the court with.

It doesn’t matter who’s on the receiving end. James’ mindset is programmed to hit the open man. From there, it’s on the recipient to make a play. Many of his teammates tend to let it fly from three with plenty of room to fire. Kuzma did shoot 41.5 percent on triples off passes from LeBron, but the ramifications of sending a second defender to the King offer power plays that have the potential to bear more fruit.

Kuzma is a fearless if not irrationally confident attacker of the basket. Sometimes, it works in his favor, like early in the fourth quarter of his second game when he managed to use his off-hand to ward off the vertical Serge Ibaka and finish with a nifty scoop layup.

Other times his tunnel vision results in a missed shot or a turnover, which happened when Amir Coffey stripped him from behind, knocking the ball of Kuz’s knee out of bounds to get the Clippers possession.

There are two mistakes by Kuzma in the play above. By swinging the ball down to his lower left hip, he’s putting the ball in the only spot Coffey can snatch it. Additionally, having drawn the attention of Clipper big Mfiondu Kabengele, a simple dump off to Kostas Antetokounmpo would’ve almost certainly yielded a dunk.

Of players to register more than 250 drives last season, Kuzma made the fifth-fewest passes. If he is to make plays out of the opportunities created by LA’s All-Star duo, present must be the simplistic mindset of hitting the open man.

That playmaking touch existed on multiple drives during the preseason, where Kuz filled the space in front of him, drew a rotating defender and made the pass that produced an open look.

One last interesting wrinkle to Kuzma’s game came via his work in the post. He’s struggled in that domain the last two seasons ranking in a percentile not higher than 51. As a rookie, however, he generated 1.01 points per post up, a number that put him in the 85th percentile.

Kuzma knocked down two turnaround jumpers from the left block over the course of the two games. A lanky 6’8”, he’ll certainly have his share of smaller defenders matched up against him as opponents try to deal with LA’s interior mass. It’s in those situations where the post up could be a reliable bail-out option Vogels opts for late in the shot clock or uses to simply punish those who try to get away with stashing a smaller defender on Kuz.

Kuzma had to sit through the entire offseason while four of his fellow 2017 Draft classmates inked nine-figure extensions. As the extension deadline looms closer, it’s hard for Kuzma to justify a similar deal considering the absence of high-usage production at either end. Though he holds bragging rights as the only champion among them.

He may never shoulder the load guys like Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell carry. He might never make an All-Star team because of it. But as one of the few members of LA’s projected rotation with room to grow at 25 years of age, any additional steps take by Kuzma will only strengthen the Lakers’ chances to repeat as champions.