At least he showed his growth when he drove and kicked the ball to Wes in the corner after he bricked a corner 3. Would have been a quick 2nd shot not too long ago
Needed a shock collar on him to stop shooting 3s after a certain point last night. BUT who would've thought he'd become such a strong rebounder and weak side defender/shot blocker? He's really growing into that role on this team.
He's also not giving reckless hustle that sacrifices transition D. When Kuz crashes the offensive boards, he seems to either get the ball or at least disrupt the rebound so there's minimal transition opportunities.
Who would have thought two years ago that Kuzma would turn into Tony Allen? Outstanding man and man defense and only Laker consistently making the 3rd or even 4 rotation in a possession Of course on offense, he's bricking everything lol
This is the best Kuzma has looked his entire career. Hustling for rebounds, playing great defense without fouling, getting into position and creating for others... Man, I did not expect this from Kuz. His three point shooting could be better but it's no longer as big of an issue when he misses because he makes up for it in other ways. It seems like Kuz either has a great game defensively coupled with a bad game offensively and vice-versa. If both of them click, he's the Lakers third best player, honestly.
Kyle Kuzma with the highest +/- with 24 tonight. I don't know what's gotten into him lately with those monstrous rebounding numbers especially with FIVE offensive rebounds. You never saw this Kuz at all until this season. He's putting back-to-back-to-back stretches of these games that he would show flashes of for one game and then get back to his old ways for the next ten. New best Lakers line-up: Kuz, AD, LeBron, Caruso, Schroder.
Really feel like he's putting everything together: he's playing great defense, crashing the glass, not taking dumb shots. Unlike guys like Bowen and Allen he's actually got offensive skills. If he continues to reduce the really tough shots he takes, he may actually not be the 3rd "star" but he does what you need to win lots and lots of games
Props to Vogel for transforming Kuz from an inconsistent chucker, to a defensive minded, rebounding glue guy. Whether Kuz releases it or not, the latter has so much more value going forward.
Imagine if Trez could turn his athleticism and length into a defense-focused stopper??? He could be a borderline max player.
Definitely the influence of Wes Mathews and Jared Dudley. Kuzma has turned himself into a valuable role player. The 3 is a little iffy but his defense, rebounding, hustle, energy and effort is there.
It's possible but he doesn't have the high BBIQ like Draymond does. Trez is like Draymond physically but Draymond understands how to position himself and since he's a great passer, he knows what the other team is trying to do most of the times. Trez is just limited there.
Nearly cost us a basket on what looked like offensive basket interference. We'll need this Kuzma against the bigger wings in postseason.
