The Los Angeles Lakers will play in the marquee matchup of the NBA’s loaded Christmas Day lineup on Wednesday.
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma recently reflected on the NBA’s tradition of Christmas Day games and offered a powerful message about what it means to soon be a part of one.
“I remember growing up watching LeBron [James] and growing up watching Dwight [Howard] and all those players play at 10 a.m.,” Kuzma told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
“Now all those kids have an opportunity to watch me on that day. Putting it in that kind of perspective, it is real humbling to play on this day. I was that kid who used to watch all the games. It’s humbling and exciting playing on Christmas.”
It’s a message that puts things into perspective in terms of what it means to play on Christmas Day for many young NBA players.
Beyond that, it is fantastic to see how positive Kuzma has remained despite a disappointing start to the 2019-20 campaign.
Entering the season, many predicted that he would ultimately become the third scoring option on a Lakers team helmed by James and Anthony Davis.
So far, Kuzma has struggled with a number of injuries that has forced him to miss time. When he has been healthy, he has struggled to find consistency on the court. Kuzma is recording 11.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season. Both are well below his career averages up to this point.
Still, he played well in his first game back from a two-week absence due to injury. In Sunday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, Kuzma recorded 16 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
Hopefully he can build upon those numbers in Wednesday’s game and help the Lakers snap their current three-game losing streak when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the Christmas Day battle for L.A.
