When you take a look at Kyle Kuzma’s pre-NBA career, none of the signs pointed towards professional stardom. In his final and best statistical college season, Kuzma posted a 50-32-66 shooting split, not the kind of numbers you write home to mom about.
After a relatively average Junior season at Utah, Kuzma declared for the draft and was understandably taken 27th overall by the Brooklyn Nets. Within minutes of being selected at the back end of the first round, Kuzma was shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers along with Brook Lopez in a draft day trade that included Timofey Mozgov and D’Angelo Russell.
Now, following a stellar Summer League showing that carried over to the preseason, front offices across the league are wondering where they went wrong in scouting the 6-foot 9-inch combo forward.
He didn’t run faster, jump higher or even out shoot his draft class by any significant measures. So why is he outright outplaying the other 59 prospects taken alongside him?
For many fans, Summer League and Preseason games are nothing but meaningless minutes meant for fringe NBA players to showcase their talents. And while it's fair to point out that Summer League and preseason competition isn’t as strong as what the rook must face in the regular season, you can’t discount what Kuzma has done with his time on court.
Through 12 combined Summer League and preseason games, Los Angeles' rookie forward has scored 20.7 points a night on 53.4 percent shooting in just 30.2 minutes of action a game. Although his per game numbers pass with flying colors, what's more impressive is how advanced his game looks for such a young player.
Saying Kuzma’s been on a roll is an understatement. The point forward has completely torn apart and outsmarted his competition. With an array of spin moves, crafty finishes and savvy handles like the one highlighted above, the 22-year-old looks more like a seasoned vet than a first-year player.
Rookies picked this late in the first round aren’t supposed to play with this much poise and confidence. While his peers are still adjusting to the speed of NBA basketball, Kyle Kuzma has committed few turnovers and shown a knack for dropping buckets in a hurry with or without the ball in his hands.
Quite honestly, he’s looked like everything and more the Lakers were promised when they drafted Brandon Ingram with the second overall pick in last year’s draft. Ingram struggled mightily in his freshman campaign with Los Angeles, but lucked his way onto the NBA All-Rookie Second Team simply by being a part of one of the weakest draft classes in recent memory.
Ingram is only 19-year-old and far from a finished product. With that said, he'll have to fight off Kuzma for minutes if he wants to see the floor as much as he did last season.
Kyle Kuzma isn’t just the breakout star of the preseason and steal of the 2017 draft, he’s a legitimate starter in this league and a dark horse candidate to run away with Rookie of the Year. It may seem a bit premature to hand out the accolades, but we’ve yet to see the best from Kyle Kuzma.
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