The Los Angeles Lakers have shown glimpses of their potential through their first two games this season. The Anthony Davis-LeBron James model has all the makings to be potent, especially with tactical moves such as James at point guard, and Davis ending the game at center. Those two alone will propel any team to the playoffs.

But a supporting cast is just as important, ask the Toronto Raptors about the importance of Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakum as they supported Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry to an NBA title. For the Lakers, their main source of support will come from Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma suffered a stress reaction to his left foot while participating in Team USA this past August. Lately, Kuzma has been ramping up his activity, performing in 4-on-4 contests at practice.

The young forward appears to be ready to contribute to the Lakers, as he believes he is what they are missing to be elite.

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What this team needs is exactly what I worked on this summer. Gonna surprise a lot of people,” he said. Worked on being more of an on-ball playmaker, something he hasn’t been asked to do since high school.

A defensive stopper on the perimeter will be a big plus for the Lakers. If Kuzma worked on his on-ball playmaking, then it will give the Lakers another playmaker in transition and in halfcourt sets. Kuzma will also give the Lakers flexibility to play small, with Davis at center and Kuzma at power forward. This gives James another scorer on offense and a flexible body on defense who can turn defensive stops to transitions scores.

But, we shall see if Kuzma is truly what the Lakers need in the near future.