Kyle Kuzma continues to search for his fit on this year’s Lakers, as Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes.
“It’s tough sometimes, but you just have to be positive, have an even-keeled mindset. But that’s easier said than done,” Kuzma said. “It’s something I’ve got to kind of figure out. But it isn’t anything I can’t handle.”
Kuzma has scored 10 or fewer points in half of the 14 games he’s played this season. In 70 games last season, he scored 10 or fewer just seven times as well.
Here’s more from Los Angeles:
- Brandon Ingram spoke with Mark Medina of USA Today about the environment in Los Angeles last season. “The team was a little rattled. Coming in every day, it wasn’t always good,” Ingram said. “It wasn’t always good energy.” The former No. 2 overall pick was sent to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis deal.
- The trade talks surrounding half the players on the Lakers became public last season and while it would have been better to keep the discussions out of the spotlight, Ingram says he isn’t too bothered by how everything went down. “I’ve never been in a position of GM. I don’t know how it could’ve been handled,” Ingram said (via Medina’s piece). “I know it’s hard decisions to be made. I know these decisions had to be made to make them a better team, and they’re obviously a better team this year. So I don’t know how I would’ve handled it. They had to handle it how they handled it, and it worked out great.”
- Davis, who has been reunited with DeMarcus Cousins in Los Angeles, believes the duo could have done great things in New Orleans if they would have been given more time together, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register relays. The Pelicans allowed Cousins to leave in free agency in 2018.
Demps killed the team by not keeping DMC which it snowballed by AD wanting out too, the damage a useless GM can do is unbelievable!
Riiiiight,
I believe it’ll take Kuzma at least half the season to really figure things out but I expect after the all start break for him to be in a grove. It’s hard to go from being the number one or number two offensive guy to coming off the bench and being the 3rd guy sometimes the 4th, I’d imagine. I noticed he was ok off the bench in the past then when he started he played much better.
They have no use for Kuzma so long as Davis and LeBron are healthy. He’s not going to get enough minutes to produce, and he has trade value. He’s a goner for sure.
When the FO chose to keep Kuzma over Ingram or draft picks, they chose wrong based on talent. It may have been a decision to placate fans, or financially, because Ingram is a FA the same year as Davis, 2020. (Kuzma, 2021)
Ingram had to go the other way for cap reasons
Green grove?
As long as Rondo keeps ignoring Kuzma it will be hard for him to really ”figure it out”. Rondo seems to ignore him like Kuz hasn’t earned the right yet to excel….Hopefully Vogel will drop his minutes when AB returns…..