The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to have a huge turnaround from last season after adding LeBron James to a young and talented core made up of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart.

Of the four youngsters, three made the cut for ESPN's Top 100 players.

Ball and Ingram were expected to be on the list, and both are considered to have All-Star potential.

It is not exactly a shock to see Kuzma on the list, but after not making Sports Illustrated's Top 100, most expected the young forward to either be snubbed again or barely squeeze into the ranking.

However, ESPN ranked him at 71, a higher rating than perhaps everyone but Kuzma and his teammates expected.

There is no denying that “Kuz” is a talented player with a high ceiling. He looks to be the steal of the 2017 draft as he was picked 27th overall last year.

In his rookie season, Kuzma posted averages of 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and an unexpected 37 percent from 3-point distance.

Kuzma immediately impressed NBA fans, showing a variety of offensive moves and a no-plays-off mentality. He comfortably stepped into a scorer's role for a team that badly needed one, with Ball struggling to shoot the rock from distance and Ingram still developing the finer points of his offensive game.

With James now on the team, Kuzma will likely step into a sixth man role, providing energy and buckets off the bench. Lakers fans will certainly be delighted if he can live up to his ESPN ranking.