At the 2017 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Kyle Kuzma with the 27th overall pick. Since then, Kuzma has made headlines as the steal of the draft with his Las Vegas Summer League and preseason performances.
While it was unclear if Kuzma would be a part of head coach Luke Walton's rotation for the 2017-18 NBA season, the Lakers have a good problem trying to find minutes for him. According to Bill Oram of Orange County Register, Walton says there is a 10 percent chance the rookie starts at power forward:
Walton said there is a 10 percent chance Kyle Kuzma starts at power forward on opening night. Very much a Nance/Randle battle.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) October 13, 2017
Although the starting power forward position will come down to Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr., it appears Kuzma has an opportunity to become Brandon Ingram's backup at the small forward position. With his shooting touch, he should get the nod over Luol Deng and Corey Brewer.
As the Lakers face the Los Angele Clippers in the preseason finale, they will need to show consistent defensive effort if they want to create fastbreak opportunities. With Kuzma wanting to be a two-way player in this league, it appears Walton will give him the opportunity to start as early as his rookie season.
Kuzma is averaging 19.2 points and 4.0 rebounds through five preseason games.
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