Much of the talk about the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason has revolved around the apparent local savior of the franchise in Lonzo Ball. Even leading up to the conclusion of the Summer League campaign, Ball's groin injury was the talk of the town that many perceived would inevitably lead to the Lakers' demise in the championship game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
But as it turned out, the Lakers didn't even need Lonzo on the court to convincingly emerge victorious over the Blazers this Monday with a final score of 110-98. Alas, it was 27th overall pick, Kyle Kuzma, who ran the Lakeshow to a tee.
Kuzma finished the game with a sweet double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds, all the while connecting on six of his 10 shots from three-point range. And with that stellar performance, the former All-Pac-12 First Team selection out of Utah rightfully won the championship game's MVP honors.
.@kylekuzma named #NBASummer Championship Game MVP! pic.twitter.com/Z4c2cybEdh
— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 18, 2017
The Lakers' rookie backcourt of Ball and Villanova's Josh Hart are the team's two newcomers that were expected to make waves in Summer League play. However, nobody really saw the 21-year-old Kuzma to exceed expectations this early. The six-foot-nine forward finished the Summer League tournament as one of only 10 players to average over 20 points per game on 51.4 percent field-goal shooting, and he's also the only player from that group to average more than six boards per contest.
The Lakers have been irrelevant for about half a decade now. On the other hand, their up-and-comers in Ball, Hart, second-year player Brandon Ingram, and now Kuzma, make for a fresh and potential-filled core of players that should speed up the team's long-running rebuilding process. And given how Los Angeles excelled in the Summer League, perhaps a playoff berth this upcoming season will be more than just a pipe dream.
Follow Us
Subscribe