The Los Angeles Lakers went into the All-Star break with the Western Conference’s top record, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis both playing at an MVP-caliber level.
James and Davis have led the Lakers in being one of the NBA’s top teams, but their squad still has room to grow as the regular season enters its last stretch.
With 29 games left, the Lakers have an opportunity to take their play to another level and refine the facets of their style that have helped them be successful. The Lakers will open the last portion of the regular season Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies in Los Angeles.
Kyle Kuzma must be more consistent scoring the ball
One of the Lakers’ glaring issues is their lack of scorers aside from James and Davis. Heading into the season, Kyle Kuzma was slated to be that third option, the player who could get buckets and add another wrinkle to the offense.
Kuzma hasn’t been the effective, consistent third scorer, though. Part of that is because of injuries. He missed the first four games of the season because of a foot injury he suffered before the season. Kuzma also missed five straight games in December because of an ankle injury.
This season Kuzma adjusting to coming off the bench has also affected his scoring output. He’s currently playing a career-low 24.7 minutes per game and scoring a career-low 12.6 points per game on 43.7% shooting from the field.
Despite his up-and-down season, Kuzma remains as the only player besides James and Davis averaging double figures in scoring. The Lakers rank 11th in bench scoring, per NBA.com.
Kyle Kuzma dropped a season-high 36 Points last night🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/qYCCpew2mT
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 12, 2020
As the Lakers play the rest of the regular season, they’ll need Kuzma to arise as a legitimate bucket-getter off the bench.
Kuzma’s scoring ability isn’t necessarily in question — he’s averaging 20.3 points in the six games he’s started this season. Consistency is what the Lakers need from the third-year forward.
When the Lakers gain quality scoring from Kuzma, they’re usually successful. According to Basketball Reference, the Lakers are 14-4 when Kuzma scores 15 or more points.