In the eyes of many for the Los Angeles Lakers, their biggest x-factor for the 2019-20 NBA season will be Kyle Kuzma‘s development.
For a team that had hopes of having three All-Star players, Kuzma offers them the best chance of doing that if he continues to develop his game.
Things aren’t off to the best start for Kuzma as a stress reaction in his left foot suffered while playing with Team USA will keep him out of the first couple weeks of 2019 NBA training camp. It is an unfortunate setback for the 24-year-old, but not one that is changing his focus for the upcoming season.
Kuzma has never been shy about what he wants to accomplish and he was very forthcoming about his individual goals for his third season.
“I want to get better, I want to get better. That’s the biggest thing,” Kuzma said at 2019 Lakers Media Day. “I worked hard the past two years and I think I have a lot of capabilities. For me, I want to be an All-Star. I’d probably say that’s one of my goals — something I gotta work at and I don’t see why not.”
Kuzma certainly has the talent and work ethic to reach that goal. He can score almost as well as anyone in this league and playing for the league’s glamour franchise in the Lakers won’t hurt his case at all. The difficult part for Kuzma will be doing so in the Western Conference that is so deep.
Even on his own team, Kuzma has Anthony Davis and LeBron James who will surely nab two of the frontcourt spots. Add in Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic, Draymond Green, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kristaps Porzingis, and Karl-Anthony Towns and the frontcourt is already jam-packed.
And this is before bringing up other young players looking for their first All-Star appearances such as Luka Doncic, Rudy Gobert, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Marvin Bagley.
Needless to say, Kuzma has his work cut out for him if he plans on cracking the 2020 NBA All-Star Team.
The most important thing for Kuzma right now is getting healthy and back on the court. If Kuzma’s helping the Lakers to one of the best records in the league, it will help his cause even more as winning teams tend to be rewarded with numerous All-Star players.
Nonetheless, Kuzma setting this goal in his third season makes sense as he continues to grow. Whether or not Kuzma accomplishes it remains to be seen, but he’ll surely put forth the work and effort necessary.