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Los Angeles Lakers: Why LA should trade Kyle Kuzma over Lonzo Ball

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: LeBron James #23, Kyle Kuzma #0 and Kyle Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers talk during a 104-96 win over the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center on November 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: LeBron James #23, Kyle Kuzma #0 and Kyle Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers talk during a 104-96 win over the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center on November 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. Lonzo Ball has a higher ceiling and can be the third-best player on a title-winning team

This point goes hand-in-hand with the last point that Lonzo Ball has a more valuable skill set than Kyle Kuzma. Not a lot of people can do what Ball can do, a lot of people can do what Kuzma is currently doing.

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Kuzma is definitely the better scorer of the two and in a vacuum is probably the better player, right now, if we were to look simply at the stat sheets. However, if you watch the way Ball plays it is evident that he has something special that most NBA players do not have. That is why we are selling so high on him.

Because of Ball’s current skill set and his basketball mind, it is safe to say that he has not even begun to stretch the surface of his ceiling in this league. In three years, I think Ball can be averaging over 10 assists per game and around eight to nine rebounds.

All he has to do is get in an offensive scheme that allows him to get to the basket more, get some confidence and score around 12 points per game. We could see similar numbers to prime Rajon Rondo with better rebounding and I am still not giving up on that jump shot.

Ball is going to evolve even more in this league into something that makes him laugh at this current version of himself.

Kuzma, meanwhile, definitely has room to grow and is going to grow in the league as well. However, I think we all kind of already know what Kuzma is going to be and the kind of numbers he is going to put up.

I don’t think this is a case of Kuzma being the better player and thus having the higher ceiling. I just think that Kuzma is much closer to his ceiling right now than Ball’s is, with Ball’s being much, much higher than Kuzma’s.

dark. Next. Potential three-team trade idea with Magic, Pelicans

Having a scoring four come off the bench would be cool and all but he would only be getting around 20-25 minutes per game and would offer what most NBA guys can. Instead, having an elite defensive guard that can do it all as well as help in the scoring department when needed is a much better thing to have.

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