There’s been plenty of ink spilled, including here on this website, about Kyle Kuzma needing to step up for the Los Angeles Lakers and be their third scoring option, someone who can get 20 points in a big moment. The Lakers may still get that from Kuzma, but they didn’t need it from him in the first round of the playoffs, as they won in five games. Kuzma may have made a bigger impact on the game with his defense.
The Lakers were 10 points better on the defensive end when Kuzma played against the Blazers in Round 1, according to stats from NBA.com. Part of that can be attributed to going against units with more bench scoring, but some credit should be given to Kuzma. When asked about his defense, Kuzma said it’s something he’s priding himself on more than anything, in hopes of helping the Lakers accomplish their goals.
Here’s what Kuzma said about his defense, according to Christian Rivas of SB Nation.
“I’m just taking pride in defense and trying to help this team try to win games,” Kuzma said. “Everybody makes a big deal out of me trying to be the third option and, to me, our team’s not necessarily built like that. And I think that, for me, my way to make that super impact is trying to be the third-best player.
“That’s from the standpoint of trying to lock guys up, playing with energy because that’s my strength, and just trying to give myself to the team and just trying to play hard,” Kuzma continued. “I’ve noticed just trying to do that, it’s really allowed me to flourish. Getting steals, getting blocks, taking the challenge of guarding, CJ, Dame, Melo, Nurkic … just guarding everyone.”
The Lakers won with their defense and the excellence of their stars in Round 1. Whomever they play in Round 2, the Rockets or the Thunder, will present different challenges and the playoffs themselves are an exercise in changing identities throughout a run. Kuzma’s mindset, for where the Lakers want to go, is a good place to start what they hope will be a lengthy playoff run.
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