Wanted Big Cuz at the deadline...but this guy will do just fine. Forget his stretch 4 ability on O...our D will be lit with his, Ingram, KCP and Ball's active hands. #YouKnoooow
Just watch or listen to the guy during an interview, and trust me, you'll know (haha) what I'm talking about. Btw, Jesse Buss and our scouting team have been killing it of late. But out of all of them, Nance and Kuz have been my favs. Still too early, but Kuz has the potential to be a dependable starter in the near future. I do want to point out though, he is putting on a clinic as to how one should capitalize off of playing with a PG like Zo.
Technically IMO you can argue Bryant can Ben counted as part of the Moz trade. If we didn't have their pick we would've selected Kuz with our pick assuming whoever selected at 27 didn't take him. By having the extra first we were able to trade down for Hart and roll the dice on Bryant with the extra pick.
I like Kuzma, but let's all pump the breaks a little. He's going to challenge for minutes, but he's still not as talented as Randle and he doesn't have Nance's athleticism. I think he'll challenge and push those guys, but if you like what you're seeing from Kuzma, Randle is going to look like an All-Star next to Lonzo. Nance (according to Luke) has already said he's going to get out on the break as much and as fast as possible. I'm still waiting for him to show what he looks like against NBA guys. One of the things that Kuzma struggled with is hitting contested jumpers and taking jumpers off the bounce. He's looked better in Summer League and I hope that continues. Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% eating crow because Kuzma is an NBA player no doubt. I don't know what capacity yet and finding him minutes is going to be a challenge, but I am on the bandwagon now as this kid being a steal late in the 1st. I just am not ready to start handing him minutes just yet. Nance's athleticism stretches the game vertically, he's a better passer than people tend to think, and he's a damn smart player. Randle's athleticism is ridiculous for his size, he's going to start showing that passing ability a hell of a lot more with the way we're going to run this offense, and I'm eager to see what his newfound conditioning does for him.
I like your assessesment Real but I think you forgot one thing. Both Nance and Randle can't stretch the floor the way Kuzma can. Until Nance an Randle can hit the 3s and and 15ft jump shot consistently then you can say otherwise. Not only that, Kuzma has shown so far this summer league that he can pretty much guard 1-4 positions, so I can see him get regular mins if Nance and Randle have not improved.
The shooting is what will earn him minutes, but he doesn't do anything else better than Randle as far as I can tell. The defense is versatile, but Randle has shown the ability to defend that way he just... doesn't. So in that aspect, sure Randle needs to have an eye behind him, but keep in mind it's a Randle contract year. He's coming into the season in the best shape of his life. I'm not trying to sell Kuzma short, I think he's going to force minutes coming into the year if he continues doing what he's doing, I just don't think he's going to supplant Randle so easily. I think his minutes are coming out of Nance's pocket, but if Nance plays a small-ball five then there's still minutes available.
IMO, this is Nance's last year. Lakers want to spend that money elsewhere. Nance wants to get paid. Someone will pay him. And I think he'll have a fantastic year. We might have to unload him at the trade deadline to get something in return. Hoping we can package him with Deng for a half gallon of expired milk, but that's being optimistic. Having Nance and Kuzma to take his place makes me comfortable with trading him in the middle of the season.
When our resident optimist tells us to pump the brakes, it means we are driving 93 mph in a school zone.
I'm just saying I'm not ready to talk about him as a starter for us. I'm not ready to put him up there with Lonzo just yet.
Kuzma looks great! Right now I think it's more like Nance may be the guy going at the trade deadline. I love Nance's energy and hustle but Kuz has that as well as the shot. Nance not being able/willing to shoot outside really hurts his value for us going forward with this team, IMO. Yes, Randle could go instead, but I think a lot depends on what he shows this season. He does different things than Nance and Kuzma who are more alike to me. Randle could break out if he can develop a decent jumper. We'll see. He has more upside than Nance who is what he is at this point.
Damn. Yeah, Julius' last year. Lakers love Nance and seeing him with the fans, I can see why. Other players around the league love him too.
I don't think he's a starter just yet but he will earn his mins and they will come from Randle and Nance.
Yeah I mean I think Julius is extremely talented, but has just not developed his skills. Similar to Russell, it's debatable if that's his fault or the organization's, but it doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, if Randle doesn't show All-Star caliber play this upcoming season, there's no way he's a Laker next year and even then it's not guaranteed by any means.
