Los Angeles Lakers: All-Star squads built around top players

The team that Kyle Kuzma would build

Personally, I think that Kyle Kuzma is the most talented player on the Los Angeles Lakers right now. I’m looking past hype, and purely at the fact that he’s not playing like someone who was drafted 27th overall and only landing in LA because of a major blockbuster summer deal that changes the direction of the franchise dramatically.

That kind of scenario before being picked can put a lot of pressure on players to perform, and sometimes can confuse their desire to do well with playing poorly because of emotions and anxiety that gets in the way.

In any case, Kuzma has delivered and I believe he’ll be the first out of the young core in Los Angeles to actually reach an All-Star game, let alone be chosen as a potential captain.

Here’s who I think he’d pick in an All-Star draft.

Point Guard – John Wall

A lot of people like to sleep on John Wall because of the fact that he plays for a Wizards team that hasn’t delivered on a conference title or championship game appearance, but that shouldn’t mean you can discount him as a player. Much like Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, John Wall and the Wizards are the grit and grind kind of teams and point guards, respectively. Wall’s persona fits excellent with the mental angle that Kuzma brings and it would be a lot of fun to watch.

Shooting Guard – Damian Lillard

Speaking of Damian Lillard, he would be a phenomenal two guard in this scenario. He scores nearly seven more points per game than John Wall, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem to let Wall run the point for the evening while Lillard tries to get in a groove and go on a scoring rampage. After all, he does average a hair under 26 points per game, and that means something, right? As was the case with Wall, this pick is strongly based on personality and flow.

Small Forward – Kyle Kuzma

He can switch between both forward spots, but small forward is where he’ll shine in an All-Star game, as his pick for power forward will be an x-factor in determining whether or not his squad will come out on top. Kuzma is averaging 15.7 points per game to go with nearly six rebounds per night.

Power Forward – Draymond Green

I told you, personality counts! Draymond Green has that mentality that Wall, Lillard, and Kuzma share but he also brings the fun out of the game at the same time. It’s great that this team would be so serious and locked in on winning, but there’s nothing wrong with Draymond Green loosening things up a little bit. Plus, Green is an excellent defender and they’ll need that in addition to their offense.

Center – Joel Embiid

Embiid is not only the best scoring center in the NBA, he’s also arguably a better personality that Draymond Green. The only major issue with his game is that it comes with the unpredictable injury bug, similar to what’s been going on lately with Blake Griffin. If he can stay healthy, though, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.