LaVar Ball is back at it, crediting his son for others' successes. According to him, his son Lonzo Ball made Kyle Kuzma into the player that he was during their rookie season.
As reported by TV's Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen & Roll, the elder Ball said:
“Look what he did with the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma went to the Utah, you never heard of him. Now Rookie of the Year”
There is some truth to LaVar's statements. No one really knew of Kuzma's name when he was picked 27th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. He earned First-team All-Pac-12 as a junior in Utah, but NBA scouts never really felt that he had star quality.
When he arrived in the NBA, all eyes were on Lonzo — being the second overall pick in the draft. The Lakers fans were nothing but giddy in their anticipation of the next superstar after Kobe Bryant retired.
Article Continues BelowBut in a seeming turn of events, while Lonzo did show latent potential, it was Kuzma who showed up night after night with veteran-like consistency.
Kuzma and Ball didn't have any form of a rift. In fact, the two showed great chemistry together. Ball took on the playmaking role while Kuzma displayed his knowledge of the game on offense.
Ball finished the season with 10.2 points per game, 7.2 assists, and 6.9 rebounds. Kuzma, meanwhile, logged in 16.1 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
Given these facts, one cannot discount Ball's impact on Kuzma's play. But to give full credit to Ball is simply unfair to Kuzma. What's safe to conclude is that the Lakers will definitely be one of the teams to look out for.