The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers are led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Every other player on the squad has a distinct role that needs to be played, and Kyle Kuzma seems to have found his stride in his role on the team.
Kuzma came into the 2020-21 NBA season with many questions about his future and the role he’d play on this team with the influx of talent across the board. Although he has struggled at times, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel thinks Kuzma is finally at peace with his role.
“I feel like he’s at peace with what is being asked of him and he’s going out there and killing it,” Vogel said. “He’s being a star in his role. Coming in and knocking down threes and making the right play offensively.”
Kuzma’s role on the team has changed on an annual basis since the Lakers drafted him back in 2017. He’s gone from leading scorer to James’ right-hand man to now crashing the boards and doing everything he can with and without the basketball.
Vogel has been impressed with Kuzma’s effort this season and the fact that he doesn’t have to motivate him to play hard on a nightly basis.
“Guys don’t always have that ability to play hard like that naturally,” Vogel said. “Sometimes you have to pull it out of people, but you don’t have to pull it out of Kuz. That’s just the way he plays.”
Teams like the Lakers can’t win championships without players like Kuzma. Though he could surely post more impressive numbers on another team, he seems happy serving as a role player on one of the best teams in the NBA.
Kuzma has fully embraced the position he’s in and is receiving rave reviews from his coach as a result.
