I don’t think it’s a coincidence, whenever I watch the Lakers play, Kyle Kuzma misses multiple uncontested wide-open threes. It’s irritating and frustrating to see. It always seems to be the case whether LA has a steady lead or when a clutch shot is necessary. His supporting act of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Dennis Schroeder, and Montrezl Harrell seem to just accept his mediocrity.
This mediocrity has always been there, staring the league in the face, but only Laker fans were aware of it. He was a first-round pick back in 2017 and gave optimism to a dismal Lakers team fronted by Lonzo Ball. The power forward actually did somewhat well averaging 18.7 points per game in the 2018-19 season. Unfortunately, this wasn’t good enough for the Lakers’ direction, as the team improved from the previous season, but failed to make the playoffs. Kuzma was a good player but nothing that warrants eight million dollars per season. The Lakers splurged and got Davis from New Orleans who was the team’s missing piece. The Lakers won it all.
Yet, Kuzma still remains, missing wide-open threes, earning all that money undeservedly. He is only averaging a little more than ten points per game, a slight departure from 12 the previous season. At least it’s not as bad as what Danny Green put the Lakers through with his atrocious 8 points per game. Kuzma’s field goal percentage currently sits at .437.
Kyle Kuzma was once the hope of a pre-Lebron struggling franchise with Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle. Those players have since moved on from LA, and have shone in the spotlight for their respected teams. Kyle Kuzma still hasn’t taken off after three seasons but the Lakers still have faith in him, signing a three-year, $40 million contract back in December.
