Los Angeles Lakers: Three bold predictions for Kyle Kuzma next season
By Jason Reed
1. Kyle Kuzma will shoot 50 percent or better from the field
Kyle Kuzma showed intense signs of scoring efficiency in his first season in the NBA that really made him stand out from the rest of the young talents on the roster. Kuzma had no problem going off on any given night and looking like the best scorer on the court.
While that tended to decrease over time, especially as Lonzo Ball missed time with injury, Kuzma was still a very good scorer and made it work from all areas of the court. Overall, Kuzma shot 45 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. Not too bad for a rookie forward.
As previously alluded, Kuzma played better when Ball was in the lineup and running the offense, as did the rest of the Lakers. Having a smart playmaker run the offense is huge for the other players in terms of scoring and the Lakers are only going to have more of that next season.
Los Angeles has added LeBron James as well as Rajon Rondo alongside Ball to give the Lakers three elite-minded players. While this may mean Kuzma plays much more off-ball, his scoring efficiency is going to take a huge leap because of it.
Chances are that Kuzma will have similar overall scoring numbers as last season and won’t see a huge jump in that regard. However, he is going to make over half of the shots that he does take.