Kyle Kuzma must have seen the viral videos featuring Los Angeles Lakers teammate LeBron James playing lackadaisical defense and the former is now taking matters into his own hand.

As Kuzma and James collided that left Danilo Gallinari wide open for a long two-pointer, the second-year forward saw his teammate seemingly lost in the midst of the disruption. As such, Kuzma went on to push James as if the latter was a rookie still learning the ropes of the NBA's defense.

https://twitter.com/TheRenderNBA/status/1102813669606522881

It was good recognition from Kuzma, but their reaction was too late as Gallinari was able to launch a shot. Fortunately for the Lakers, the ball just bounced off the rim and they regained possession.

James has been the target of criticisms recently for multiple clips of him coasting on the defensive end. It didn't help that he was also throwing veiled criticisms at his teammates, instead, attracting more ire his way.

The four-time Most Valuable Player has been notorious for playing passively on defense and that's not how Kuzma operates. The versatile forward is only in his sophomore season but has already received plenty of praise for his motor and work ethic.

The Lakers went on to lose this contest, 113-105. To make matters worse, the team also lost Kuzma due to an ankle injury.