Los Angeles Lakers: Players with the most to prove in 2019

Kyle Kuzma

Prior to this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers had a young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma to build around (Josh Hart could also be thrown into the mix, but he was never considered a foundational piece like the other three).

We all knew that the Lakers were going to have to give up at least two of the three and some serious draft capital in order to get Davis. It was also reasonable to expect the Lakers to throw in more draft capital as they should have wanted to keep one of the three.

It was the person that they decided to keep, Kyle Kuzma, that was a bit surprising. If you asked people before, most probably would have said Lonzo Ball, as he fit the roster more just simply for being a point guard.

It was not that the Lakers were just left with Kuzma, they wanted to keep Kuzma, despite both LeBron and Davis being forwards. That is a statement about how they feel about Kuzma and how they think he can contribute moving forward.

Now, the third-year forward has the pressure of being the third-best player on a title-contending team. Kuzma is great, but it is still unclear if he is ready to fill those shoes.

We definitely will figure out whether or not he is this season. Either way, he has a lot to prove in 2019.