Slowly but surely, Los Angeles Lakers swingman Kyle Kuzma is making progress from his injury.

Kuzma is still recovering from a left foot stress reaction. He played four-on-four with Lakers assistants, the most he's done since getting hurt:

The Lakers fell to the LA Clippers on Tuesday in the season opener. The Purple and Gold lacked shot creators outside of stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, particularly in the fourth quarter.

That’s where the Lakers really missed Kuzma, who is a gifted young scorer.

Last season for the Lakers, Kuzma averaged 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 30.3 percent from beyond the arc and 75.2 percent from the free-throw line.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
kareem abdul-jabbar's net worth

Nihad Zunic ·

When he’s ready to play, Kuzma could join James, Danny Green, Davis and JaVale McGee in LA’s starting lineup, although nothing is set in stone and head coach Frank Vogel has hinted that Rajon Rondo could replace Bradley.

One thing we do know is that the Lakers really value Kuzma. After all, he was the only youngster from last year’s team to not get traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Davis deal. Kuzma’s pals Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram were sent to New Orleans for Davis this summer.

It sounds like Kuzma is going to miss all of October. Because there are 82 games in the regular season, the Lakers want to make sure Kuzma is fresh and healthy for the long-haul.