It’s very easy to forget that during last year’s preseason, Kyle Kuzma was unable to play and unable to practice with his new teammates after suffering what the Lakers called a “stress reaction” in his ankle, which he suffered while playing for USA Basketball. 14 months, a pandemic and a championship later, Kuzma is healthy and got the start in last night’s preseason game as the Lakers elected to go with a bigger starting lineup, putting Kuzma in place of Wesley Matthews and going without a traditional shooting guard.
While Dennis Schröder has publicly stated his desire to start, the decision to go with the current lineup also likely has to do with Kuzma, who according to Anthony Davis, is a different player from the one who was unable to play last training camp. AD believes the game is slowing down for Kuz in his 4th year.
AD said “you can tell the difference” between Kuz from last year and this year, even if that’s just a 2-month difference.
“The way he’s playing right now, the game is slowing down (for him … he’s going to be a big piece for us.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 17, 2020
Kuzma’s stats took a major dip from his previous two seasons, where he played more minutes and was asked to have a bigger role offensively. Last season he adjusted to being on a championship team, becoming a better defender, and getting used to having less freedom on offense. However, it seems that experience has helped Kuzma and the Lakers are at least experimenting with the idea of starting him, rather than bringing him off the bench.
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