When the Los Angeles Lakers drafted point guard Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in 2017, it enabled to Lakers to play an up-tempo style of play that head coach Luke Walton is very familiar with from when he was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors.
With Ball’s gifted passing ability, he needs to be surrounded with guys that can knock down open shots if the team wants to be successful. Because of that the Lakers selected Utah forward Kyle Kuzma with the 27th overall pick in 2017, as Kuzma has a shooting ability that not many players his size possess.
Kuzma shot 32.1 percent from three-point range in his last year at Utah, but that is not satisfying enough for him as he recently said that shooting is something he has worked on the most since his last college game, via Mark Medina of the Southern California News Group:
“I’ve been working since the end of the season to improve my shooting ability,” Kuzma said. “It’s all about getting reps and being in the gym.”
Kuzma added that he really needs to focus on using his legs when he shoots because of how much deeper the NBA three is compared to college:
“I have to get my legs into it,” Kuzma said. “The college 3, you can shoot like it’s a free throw. But it being that deep, I have to really focus on getting my legs into it and the mechanics in my shot. By doing so, I’m more efficient and effective.”
Lakers fans were able to see what Kuzma is capable of on Saturday in the Lakers second Summer League game against the Boston Celtics, as he scored 31 points on 12-of-26 shooting, knocking down five of his 10 three-point attempts.
He has also proven to be a two-way player so far this summer, impressing not only on the offensive side of the floor, but also on defense. If Kuzma continues to play the way he has then he could end up being one of the steals of the 2017 draft.