Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty ImagesĪcross the board, Kuzma’s having the best defensive season of his career, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s been good on that end - he hasn’t. If Kuzma doesn’t want to get lost in the Lakers’ revamped roster, he needs to excel in two areas that he’s not very strong in: 3-point shooting and defense. Kuzma has shown he can be effective with the ball in his hands, but both Waiters and Smith are more proven, albeit at a different position. The Lakers also added two players that can create their own offense in Dion Waiters and J.R. With Morris and Jared Dudley on the roster, the Lakers have two true “stretch fours,” something Kuzma has struggled to be for the team, with the exception of his standout rookie season.

The latter was true even before Markieff Morris signed with the Lakers in February. This season, Kuzma has barely looked like an NBA player.Ī lot has been made about the “little things” Kuzma has done to be a complementary piece to LeBron James and Anthony Davis this season - from his effort on the glass and willingness to defend - but he doesn’t do those little things well enough to make an impact on the team consistently, nor does he do them better than his veteran teammates. He followed that promising rookie campaign with a productive sophomore season, upping his average to 18.7 points per game on a higher field goal percentage (45.6%). In his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he averaged 16.1 points per game on 45% shooting from the field, including 36.6% shooting from behind the arc.

Two season ago, Kyle Kuzma looked like a star on the rise.

Kyle kuzma stats last 10 games