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Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma should not start in 2019

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts from the bench during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on April 05, 2019 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 Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts from the bench during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on April 05, 2019 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 Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers have filled out the roster fairly quickly and now can confidently have Kyle Kuzma come off the bench for the team.

The Los Angeles Lakers had an extremely thin roster while the team was waiting around for Kawhi Leonard‘s free agent decision. After Leonard chose the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers went to work and have built a somewhat deep rotation.

Including rookie Talen Horton-Tucker, the Lakers currently have 13 players to turn to for a regular season rotation in 2019. And for the most part, the roster is fairly balanced as the front office has done a nice job of adding pieces evenly.

They might not have gotten the biggest role players in free agency but the front office has done a better job than expected. If the rest of the roster plays up to expectations then the Lakers will be battling for the one seed in the West, especially if DeMarcus Cousins can be even 80 percent of what he was pre-injury.

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We are still a long way away from the start of the regular season but fans and analysts are still trying to figure out who the team should start and the kind of rotation that Frank Vogel is going to implement.

For many (including ESPN’s depth chart, although it is not official) the starting five is going to be LeBron James, Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins with LeBron at the point.

Now that might be the final five that are on the floor during crunch time but it absolutely should not be the starting five that Vogel calls on. With three other point guards on the roster, the team does not need LeBron to start at point, thus moving Kyle Kuzma to the bench.

And Kuzma should be the team’s sixth man as it would best utilize his skill set on this roster. It might not seem wise to bench the guy that you insisted on keeping, but every good title-contending team has a great bench player and Kuzma can be just that.

He will still get ample playing time off the bench and can thrive more in a sixth man role where he is the leading scorer with LeBron and Davis on the bench. Thrusting him into the starting lineup is going to make him the third or even fourth scoring option, which is going to hinder his scoring.

Plus, while he can play the position, Kuzma is fitting much better for power forward and gives the team a good second power forward instead of calling on Jared Dudley to eat a bulk of minutes.

Having Kuzma on the bench will give the Lakers two forward pieces off the bench alongside Dudley. Because as it stands right now, at least in ESPN’s eyes, Avery Bradley would be the back-up small forward. Six-foot-two Avery Bradley is not a small forward.

Kuzma can score 15-20 a game off the bench and is a much better option to fill that role than the other bench options. If you start Kuzma, the team’s best scoring bench player is going to be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Avery Bradley, which is not the best outlook compared to their peers.

He will get more touches, more chances and the Lakers can actually run a proper starting five instead of trying James at point. Yes, he is a point-forward, but his point guard experiment in Cleveland two years ago did not go as planned.

Next. Why Caruso should start at point guard. dark

The best starting five would be Rajon Rondo/Alex Caruso (we prefer Caruso), Green, LeBron, Davis and Cousins with Kuzma as the sixth man and the array of other bench pieces swapping in and out. The Los Angeles Lakers do not have to reinvent the wheel on this one.

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