Prior to the 2017 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Brook Lopez and the No. 27 overall pick in anticipation for next year's free agency. With the additional draft pick, Los Angeles selected Kyle Kuzma, who shined at the Las Vegas Summer League.

With Kuzma already considered the steal of the draft after averaging 21.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in Summer League, some are wondering how teams passed on him. According to Director of Scouting/Assistant GM Jesse Buss, Kuzma is still working on his shooting despite his efficient performances according to Mike Trudell of Lakers:

When he came here to work out for us (at the Toyota Sports Center, before L.A. moved into the UCLA Health Training Center), it was more of the same. We were pretty confident in the way his stroke looked and how he was hitting shots at his workout that he was going to project to be a pretty good shooter. Hopefully he’s able to keep that up. It’s a crazy number to shoot 48 percent (in Vegas), but he’s a hard worker, a good kid and he embodies what we’re trying to build here culture wise. He’s an unselfish guy, he works well with others and is versatile on both ends of the court.

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Since beginning the rebuilding process, the Lakers have drafted well especially in the late first to early second rounds. Along with Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson (No. 46), Larry Nance Jr. (No. 27), and Ivica Zubac (No. 32) are all part of the team's rotation under head coach Luke Walton.

Heading into the new season, it will be interesting to see if Kuzma can be a rotational player considering the depth in the frontcourt. With Lopez, Nance Jr., Zubac, and Julius Randle all expected to play major minutes, Kuzma's shooting abilities could create an interesting battle at the power forward position.