Kyle Kuzma: Better than Kobe Bryant? One statistic says so. The Los Angeles Lakers forward won MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night, leading the USA to a 161-144 victory over the World – and breaking Bryant's longstanding Lakers scoring record for the event while doing it.

See? Kuzma is definitely better than Bryant.

The second-year man has been a bright spot for the Lakers in an otherwise topsy-turvy season. Expected by some to regress in 2018-19 after an unexpectedly strong rookie campaign, Kuzma has instead cemented himself as an important part of Los Angeles' future – whether wearing purple and gold, or another uniform following a trade for a superstar. Kuzma is averaging 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 46.7 percent overall and a somewhat disappointing 31.9 percent from beyond the arc. Still, he's pulled off the difficult feat of raising his usage this season while simultaneously bumping his true shooting percentage up from 54.9 to 56.0. Kuzma, though overstretched defensively, has also fared admirably on that side of the ball while guarding ball handlers, wings, and big men on a night-to-night basis.

The Lakers limped into the All-Star break by losing two straight games to the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks. At 28-29, they're in tenth place in the Western Conference, three games behind the cross-arena rival Los Angeles Clippers for eighth place.

Kuzma, of course, isn't actually better than Bryant. Los Angeles would be far higher up the Western Conference standings if that were the case. As is, though, he might be the most prized player among the Lakers' talented youngsters.