Subscribe
Follow Us
The Los Angeles Lakers had to go head-to-head with the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night in San Francisco without superstar LeBron James. The perennial All-Star was surprisingly ruled out with groin soreness ahead of the matchup to get their three-game road trip underway.
With LeBron leaving a significant void left to be filled, Kyle Kuzma's number was called by head coach Frank Vogel. The young forward didn't crack the starting lineup on Thursday, but he made an impact off the bench and talked about stepping up when he's asked to play a more prominent role, via Spectrum SportsNet.
"We just locked in." 🔒@LakersReporter talks postgame with @kylekuzma about the difference between the first and second half. pic.twitter.com/BjCdr5Tdzp
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 28, 2020
“Any time I get asked to do a bigger role, I tend to try to be myself,” Kuzma said. “Obviously, this year is all about sacrifice. Just trying to fit in and trying to win. Just trying to do what's best for the team and that's what I'm trying to do–Play my role, but when guys are out, I'm asked to kind of do anything I can do and try to do it.”
This season has been a difficult one for Kuzma as his role has drastically changed. The promising young forward has gone from a starter that's the team's best scorer behind LeBron to the second unit and trying to figure out where he fits now that Anthony Davis is in the mix.
Although it has been a struggle at times and enough to see his name mentioned in trade rumors, the Detroit native has shown flashes of his potential to be that third scorer and a potential star on the rise.
Kuzma finished with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the win over the Warriors. Vogel will likely look for more production out of Kuzma in the final stretch of the season if the Lakers intend to rest Davis and James for what could be a long playoff run.
