It was a season of disappointment and injury for the Los Angeles Lakers that saw them exit in the first round of the NBA playoffs via the Phoenix Suns. The season for Kyle Kuzma individually was a roller coaster ride on the court that saw some high spots and plenty of deflating performances.
With his future in LA uncertain and the Lakers potentially looking to make moves in the offseason that could send Kuzma elsewhere, one wild comparison has been floated out via “The Lakerside Chats” podcast. The comparison is one that Kuzma may have made himself.
“I think that Kyle Kuzma perceives himself as someone like Jayson Tatum,” said Eric Pincus on a recent episode of the Lakerside Chats podcast. “I think that’s how he views himself. And that’s great. You should view yourself as one of the best young players in the league.”
While it's true that it's good to aim high and compare yourself to greats, this one from the Lakers forward seems just a tad off.
Let's start with the Jayson Tatum side of things. Tatum is a two-time NBA All-Star, made the all-pro third team this past year and is representing Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics.
Kuzma's best accolade outside of the title the Lakers won was when he made the 2018 NBA All-Rookie Team. He has not all-star appearances, no all-NBA recognition and he is a secondary contributor for LA. Tatum is the main guy in Boston for the Celtics.
To take it one step further, Kuzma averaged 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this past season for the Lakers. Tatum averaged 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison.
Follow Us
Subscribe