The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the best and most promising young cores in all of the NBA. Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart all bring something different to the table and have fans excited for the upcoming season.
The one who really burst on the scene last year was undoubtedly Kuzma. While Ball had all of the attention, and Ingram was expected to take a leap in his second season, no one knew what to expect from Kuzma as a rookie.
Of course, he would go on to have an outstanding rookie year and quickly become a fan favorite. Another big fan of his is veteran Channing Frye, who joined the Lakers at the trade deadline.
Frye explained just why on a recent episode of his podcast, “Road Trippin: Richard vs. Channing:”
“I’m not going to lie, and I think all of them are good, but I have a special place in my heart for Kuz. I think his internal fire comes from a different place than anybody else. He was never the best. Maybe I associate with that more. I was never the best, that’s OK. I like him because he’s aggressive, he’s everything you need to be a superstar, but he’s also humble. He’ll text, ‘Yo, honest opinion, what do you think I need to work on? What do you think I need to watch film on. Or what do you think I didn’t do?’ I would be honest, like, ‘You’ve got to work every day. More. You’ve got to do more. If you want to be more, you have to work harder.”
This has been a consistent comment made about Kuzma from the beginning. His work ethic and drive to get better is unmatched and he has always been willing to ask anyone for help. He was even able to meet with Kobe Bryant during the season to pick his brain.
Whether or not he ends up as the best of these young players, there is very little doubt that Kuzma will do everything possible to reach his potential. Frye has witnessed this first hand, which is why he is so high on the second-year forward.
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