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Kyle Kuzma might be the one member of the Los Angeles Lakers who's most hungover from watching Kobe Bryant have his two jerseys retired by the organization.
During the first half of their game against the Houston Rockets, Kuzma displayed a flawless performance to give the Lakers an early advantage over the league's best team — record-wise. The rookie scored 24 points in the first 24 minutes of play all without a single miss or turnover. His streak is perhaps reminiscent of how Bryant used to torch opponents back in his playing days.
Furthermore, Kuzma also displayed the kind of confidence that has shades of Mamba Mentality during the closing stretch of the contest. In speaking with reporters, head coach Luke Walton talked about the rookie forward's willingness to take the responsibility of making the clutch free throws for the Lakers.
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Luke Walton asked who could make a free throw at the end of the game. Kyle Kuzma said, “Me!”
Here’s Luke Walton on the rookie’s big night: pic.twitter.com/kFQsFOUUkA
— Bill Oram (@billoram) December 21, 2017
As cruel irony would have it, Kuzma's initial free throw clanked off the iron. He then made the succeeding freebie, though.
Kyle Kuzma finished the game with 38 points — a career-high, seven rebounds, four assists, and a block to lead the Lakers to a 122-116 upset over the Rockets in Houston. He continues to pace Los Angeles in the scoring department with 17.4 points per game.
