According to a former NBA general manager, Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers is the team's biggest asset among its young core group.
The former GM pointed to Kuzma's offensive talent, noting that he fits today's basketball standards. Among the Lakers' young core, which comprises Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, the general manager believes that the former University of Utah standout has the highest value.
“He's a legitimate scorer that fits the modern NBA perfectly,” a former general manager told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. “Kuzma has the highest value of the [Lakers' young prospects]. He's the most proven.”
Kuzma is averaging 19.3 points per game, second in the team behind LeBron James. He is also averaging 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. From a relatively unknown prospect, Kuzma quickly rose through the ranks as a mature player who's more than ready to play ball with the pros.
With the absence of James, Kuzma's value seemingly received an uptick. Through 10 games without their best player Kuzma has averaged 24.9 points. It has helped the purple and gold weather the storm and keep their playoff hopes alive.
However, the former general manager acknowledged that there's a lot of things that Kuzma should improve. One of which is his defense.
“Kuzma is not a good defender, but [he's] not as much of a liability as [Brandon] Ingram. Part of that may be positional.
At the end of the day, Kuzma's still young and will continue to develop as he gains more experience. The Lakers will only get better.
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