Following a stellar sophomore campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, big things are expected from 6-foot-9 power forward Kyle Kuzma in the coming season. However, it's not confirmed yet whether Kuzma will start or come off the bench.
The natural assumption is Kuzma will start, but new Lakers head coach Frank Vogel could decide otherwise. Kuzma acknowledged this possibility — with newcomer Anthony Davis expected to start at the 4 — and said it doesn't really matter whether he starts or not:
“Bench, whatever, I’m still going to get my game off regardless,” Kuzma told Shams Charania of The Athletic. “My past two years, I’ve come off the bench every single year. I just proved myself and made it known that I’m a player. A coach’s job is always to put the best players on the court, and that’s what I’ve showed the past two years.
According to Kuzma, playing with the second unit is nothing new to him, and he believes he would still be able to contribute significantly to his team regardless of his status:
“I’ve started the year coming off the bench, and just prove myself,” Kuzma added.”I’m always going to find my way no matter who’s on the court. I think every time I step on the court, I’m one of the better players on the floor. For me that’s always been my mentality. I’m never worried about things that I can’t control.
“My mindset develops every single day being around guys, having a relationship with LeBron. The gives me more confidence, the wisdom that he gives. Being around Magic Johnson and Kobe. Everybody. It grows and grows, matures and creates that mindset that defines you.”
Kyle Kuzma was L.A.'s No. 2 scorer behind LeBron James last season, as the former 27th overall pick put up 18.7 points per contest on 45.6 percent shooting from the field.
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