Kyle Kuzma

There weren't a lot of bright spots for the Lakers last year, as Los Angeles missed the playoffs despite adding LeBron James. Injuries and trade rumors proved to be their eventual downfall. However, one of the bright spots was Kuzma, who appeared in 70 games during his second season in the league. He averaged 18.7 points per game and was once again a weapon from behind the arc by averaging 1.8 three-pointers per contest. The problem was he only shot 30.3% on three-pointers, which was down from 36.6% during his rookie season. His rebounding numbers also declined while he provided very few contributions defensively. Still, he's going to remain one of the key offensive weapons on the team, especially after they dealt away much of their depth to acquire Anthony Davis. While the Lakers will still rely on Kuzma to provide spacing, it wouldn't be a surprise to see his scoring numbers and usage rate decline with Davis now in the fold. Rebounds might also be harder for him to come by with so much size on the floor around him.

After a three-season college stint at Utah in which he was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team during his junior campaign, Kuzma was drafted by the Lakers with the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. After averaging 21.9 points with a 63.9 true shooting percentage at summer league, hype about Kuzma’s immediate potential began forming. That potential was realized right out of the gate, and Kuzma went on to post 16.1 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting from the field and 36.6 percent from deep. His 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest also helped him get voted to the All-Rookie First Team. However, given the new presence of LeBron James, plus the signing of Michael Beasley, it may be tough for Kuzma to reach the 31.2 minutes per game he saw last year. Still, it’s likely he'll be one of LA’s primary sources of offense with the second unit, which should keep his usage high.

Much of the discussion regarding the Lakers’ draft this past June understandably centered around their selection of a potential franchise point guard in Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick, but Kuzma -- who was selected 27th overall selection by the Nets before being shipped to the Lakers -- looks like he could be more than a footnote. While Ball earned MVP honors and rave reviews for his elite passing during the Las Vegas Summer League, it was Kuzma who was routinely finishing off Ball’s array of lobs and outlet passes. The forward out of Utah came away with first-team honors in Las Vegas, averaging 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals in seven contests. Summer statistics certainly aren’t a predictor of NBA stardom or even NBA usefulness, but Kuzma’s performance nonetheless improves his odds of cracking the Lakers’ rotation as a rookie. Kuzma is already receiving high marks for his ability to defend both small and power forwards and knock down shots from the outside, which could allow him to push Luol Deng and/or Larry Nance for minutes with the second unit coming out of training camp.