- Report: Lakers have maintained that they have no interest in Kyrie Irving
- Report: Kyrie Irving has been recruiting LeBron James to Dallas Mavericks in hopes of forming Big 3 with Luka Doncic
- Magic Johnson explains how he led Lakers in same way Jimmy Butler currently leads Heat
- Rich Paul offers cryptic response when asked whether he expects LeBron James to return next season
- Report: Kentucky big man among promising draft prospects Lakers worked out on Friday
- Lakers insider speculates Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley won’t be back with Lakers
- Report: Lakers likely to keep No. 17 pick in 2023 NBA Draft
- Lakers insider labels Phil Handy as name to watch for Frank Vogel’s staff on Suns
- Report: Spurs could be dark-horse team that will try to poach Austin Reaves from Lakers
- Report: Lakers plan to match $100M offer sheets on Austin Reaves
Frank Vogel expresses belief that Kyle Kuzma is ‘at peace’ with role on Lakers
- Updated: February 5, 2021
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
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.
Related Posts
About Ryan Ward
