Los Angeles Lakers: Revisiting Kyle Kuzma’s upside and trade value

Revisiting Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma’s upside and trade value

When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired the rights to Kyle Kuzma in the 2017 NBA Draft, no one knew what to make of him as the player. The 22-year-old rookie from Utah seemed to be a questionable fit for the NBA due to his “tweener” status but quickly proved doubters wrong to become the steal of the draft.

Kuzma’s rookie year saw the combo-forward put up 16 points and six rebounds per game while shooting 37 percent from 3-point range, it looked like the Lakers found the steal of the draft and potential scoring wing for the future.

Since then, Kuzma has begun to show regression, while putting up 18.7 points per game last season, Kuzma’s efficiency numbers plummeted from his rookie season and 3-point percentage dropped to a subpar 30 percent. With the addition of LeBron James, many thought Kuzma would continue to flourish but instead, he showed flaws and inconsistency.

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With the addition of Anthony Davis, Kuzma’s play has gone down even more. An awkward fit when both James and Davis are on the floor, Kuzma’s scoring dropped to a mere 12 points per game in a new bench role and his shooting dropped even further to abysmal 29 percent from distance.

The player who the Lakers were glad they didn’t have to give up in the Antony Davis trade now looks to be their top trade chip as they try to maximize the time they have with the James-Davis duo. As Kuzma is showing regression to the point where teams question whether or not the upside many believed he had in his rookie season is still there, is this the time for young teams to buy low on Kyle Kuzma? I think that may be the case.

A deeper look at Kyle Kuzma

Yes, Kyle Kuzma’s weaknesses are easier to pick apart because of how obvious they are, there are still strengths that the 24-year-old posses that bode well for him to be a valuable piece to a team in the future.

Let’s start by giving Kuzma the benefit of the doubt that he was struggling with injuries during parts of this season before the suspension that may have limited him and attributed to some of his downfalls from his first two years in the league. It’s safe to say that a healthy Kyle Kuzma can be much more of an NBA player.

That being said, while Kyle Kuzma has looked terrible on the offensive end this season, there’s actually been some hope for Kuzma’s defense after this season under Frank Vogel. Though he still isn’t an otherworldly defender, Kuzma has flashed the ability to play well in team defensive concepts having a better understanding of where to be on the defensive end of the court and how to slow down opposing wings.

A big example of this and how it bodes well for Kuzma’s future is just how tough he was able to play Boston Celtics wing, Jayson Tatum, in February. During a month where Tatum was looking like a top-15 player in the league, Kyle Kuzma came in and held his own against Tatum for stretches in the second half which was a big part to the Lakers winning that game.

Back to the offensive end of the floor, Kuzma has shown that at his best he can be a lethal scorer within the flow of the offense. Yes, there are mechanical issues with Kyle Kuzma’s jump shot, but a lot of his worst shooting is attributed to some poor shot selection and by being the focal point of an offense.

Kyle Kuzma is at his worst when he’s being a go-to scorer running isolation or post-up plays, taking bad pull-up 3’s, inefficient mid-range shots, and post fadeaways. If used in a system that eliminates these types of plays, Kuzma could actually improve with simplification.

For Kuzma’s career, he’s a 40 percent 3-point shooter from the corners including shooting an outstanding 52 percent on corner 3’s this season. Those looks are often created from playing within a team offense where Kuzma is asked to be a catch and shoot scorer rather than a primary option scorer.

In addition to corner 3-point looks, Kuzma is arguably at his best when he gets into the paint. With Anthony Davis on the roster right now it’s something Kuzma isn’t asked to do much but for his career, Kuzma is a 68 percent scorer from within the paint.

This means that Kuzma’s best role might be as a lower usage combo-forward that plays with an emphasis on 3-and-D while also being a transition threat, and someone who could be used as either a roller or a popper in pick plays with a primary ball-handler.

Should teams target Kuzma?

When looking at Kuzma from that perspective it’s clear that Kuzma probably should be a player that teams actually may want from the Lakers. After a terrific first season with the Lakers, the team wrongly viewed Kuzma as someone who could be a go-to option like what Boston got in Jayson Tatum.

That’s just not Kuzma’s role though, there’s a reason why Tatum was the third pick in the 2017 draft and Kuzma was the 27th. That’s because Kuzma would be best served as a secondary or third option away from the Lakers where he would have the ability to operate in his best spots.

Teams that come to mind would be the Sacramento Kings with his former head coach Luke Walton where Kuzma could play off of lead guard De’Aaron Fox and replicate the success he had with Lonzo Ball in an uptempo offense. A trade could net the Lakers back someone like Nemanja Bjelica or Richaun Holmes who would better fit the Lakers offense.

Then a team like the Phoenix Suns who run the “point-5 offense” under Monty Williams could look to acquire Kuzma as a guy to be a third option next to Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. With the Suns, Kuzma would also become a better passer and grow by playing in a team offense. The Lakers could then add to their needs with players like Frank Kaminsky and Jevon Carter.

Lastly, the Detroit Pistons who seem destined to acquire a top point guard in this year’s draft could look to add Kuzma as a running mate for him as the team is desperate for young talent. Under head coach Dwane Casey, Kyle Kuzma could continue his defensive strides and be a much better wing for the team than someone like Tony Snell has been. In return, the Lakers could acquire recently revived Derrick Rose.

Kyle Kuzma’s future may or may not be with the Los Angeles Lakers but there’s still time for him to develop into a highly productive NBA player, someone that teams across the league should have their eyes on.