No worries, we can go savage on grapes together then. But, I hear they put up a good fight. My bad.... Alright getting back to Kuzma, if not for the thots on your ‘gram, do it for the spots towards your bran’...goddamn.
Haaa damn! Puma ruthless. Hopefully this is a sign that Kuz told Puma he made a big mistake and got to go with Nike.
Pretty sure that ad was already down when I was in LA a few weeks ago. It’s not a reaction to a few poor games. That’s prime ad space. Doesn’t make sense to keep it there indefinitely even if Kuzma was tearing it up.
Kuzma will get a test of character this season as he will be struggling for the first time in his career. His game is more suited to play 30+ mpg (like most great scorers) and be a target on offense. Its tough for him to come in from the bench and immidiately shoot spot up 3s. But if he wants to be great or even very good, he has to find a way. Its simple as that. Lou Williams has found a way for example, as has Montrezl Harrell, Jamal Crawford etc.
Good post . Will he be ready to contribute ( impact wise) against the best teams in the playoffs and to not be targeted on defense by the opponents ? The clock is ticking and it doesn't look good right now . If there is no major improvement by Feb , he should be traded for a role player who is ready to contribute in this year playoffs
Kuzma's way will have to be hitting shots and BBIQ. Those two are keys. Hustle and flow of the game need to be instinct.
I like Kuz, everyone knows this. But right now, this is not what we need from him. We need him to be the clear 3rd scorer, someone who can come in and scorch teams. He's not doing this, at least not consistently. Technically he is our 3rd best scorer, but at 11PPG and a PER of 10... nah. If he was a monster defender or playmaker, sure, but this is just not cutting it right now.
Given the haircut, if my theory about the braids is true, then he is on the upswing going forward. I expect him to have a good game tomorrow. Lets go Kuz!
He’s mentally not showing up. That swagger and confidence isn’t there the first few games he was bouncing back. He also looks very slow, could be conditioning hitting him as he’s still getting back into game playing shape.
1) Not looking for his shots. 2) Trying to create plays for others when this is one of the weakest parts of his game. 3) Sleeps on defense though he did very well rebounding the ball vs the Nuggets. But it's not just Kuzma. It has to be the Lakers responsibility overall to make sure Kuzma, as a scorer, is getting the ball EARLY. At this point, I wouldn't be opposed to let Kuzma play some games as a starter to gain some confidence. He just seems to defer to the veterans and though that's fine, we really need him to be aggressive. It's tough to find a groove when you're not getting enough shots out there. Lakers gotta find a way to get Kuzma 12-14 shots per game.
He’s best when he’s cutting off ball and being found by pass on the move. Rondo ignores him, Lebron ISO’s too much, and not much time with Caruso. hopefully coach finds a way to get him going soon. Without him as a legit threat on offense, we’ll be too easy to shut down in the playoffs.
IMO Kuzma is more valuable...especially since Covington makes 5-6 times as much money and isn't a great shooter either. Kuzma also has a higher ceiling.
yeah, i'm not really seeing the same things as everyone else. his shot was back until he tweaked his ankle, and as bang said, he's getting used to being a lower usage guy (ingram would be struggling with this right now, too, as he's getting the opposite). i think his effort on defense is so much better than last year. cut off a few drives by keeping his chest in front of the ballhandler, forcing misses without fouling. he's trying to be part of the team's new (and MUCH better) identity, and the stuff we liked about him from before is lagging behind. i think it will return. but he's not going to be a "third star". i never saw that happening, though, so i'm not disappointed. he's a quality 25mpg player on a winning team.
yeah, there are other factors to consider, for sure. right now, we may be slightly better off with covington. he hasn't been an iron man, though, and he's still not a reliable shooter. if it's a third scorer we want, he's certainly not it. which brings me to this. normally, i agree with bj on almost everything, but i wonder upon what he's basing this theory. the shaq/kobe lakers never really found a "third scorer", for example. if you're a great defensive team, have two bona fide perennial all nba guys and folks who know their small roles and perform, you can win.
Kuzma's in game reaction is a half a step slow. If it weren't that, I would be ok with him not scoring as much. That shouldn't be happening. That's lack of focus. Too much good spurts and bad spurts. At least make passes that make sense and pay attention on screens and passing lanes. Too many turnovers where they shouldn't be and too many not paying attention plays.
