There are plenty of reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers are currently the favorite to win the franchise's 17th NBA championship when the season resumes in Orlando on July 31.
For one, they boast arguably the best duo of superstars in the league in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who combined to propel the Lakers (49-14) to the top seed in the Western Conference before the coronavirus pandemic halted the 2019-20 season on March 11.
During an Instagram Live chat with The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears on Tuesday afternoon, a third key Lakers contributor, Kyle Kuzma, gave another specific reason why he believes his squad will raise another banner:
Marc asked Kyle why the Lakers will be the champs. Kuzma: "Our leadership." https://t.co/19e3NDsHDv
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 9, 2020
Of course, in addition to his stellar play and all-around influence on the court, James (and to a lesser extent, Davis) provides invaluable leadership as well — on and off the hardwood. The Lakers also boast veterans like Rajon Rondo and all-time chemistry guy Jared Dudley, plus a stellar head coach in Frank Vogel.
In his third season, Kuzma's role on the Lakers has slightly diminished as the team's talent elevated around him, relegating him to mainly a bench role. Still, he will undoubtedly be relied upon as another scoring option if L.A. is going to achieve their ultimate goal.
After averaging 18.7 points in 33.1 minutes per game in 2018-19, the former Utah Ute was putting up 12.5 points in 24.6 minutes per game this season before the suspension — and taking nearly five fewer shots per game.
Kuzma also shared his thoughts on George Floyd's death and the ensuing nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality, his life during COVID-19, and more topics.
You can check out Kuzma's full conversation with Spears below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOiUKFAaaM/
It's definitely worth a watch.
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