The Los Angeles Lakers struck gold when they drafted Kyle Kuzma with the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. During his rookie campaign, Kuzma took the league by storm, leaving most of the NBA regretting that they passed up on him on draft night.
Despite his success last season, Kuzma is determined to continue to wow people in his sophomore campaign. Trainer Clint Parks joined the Lakers Nation Podcast to dish on Kuzma’s summer workouts and talk about what we should expect to see from him now that he will be playing alongside LeBron James.
Parks explained why the defense has been Kuzma’s primary focus this summer as he hopes to prove himself as a two-way player.
In order to do this, he has focused on improving his fitness so that he will have plenty of energy in the fourth quarter when it’s time to dig deep and get stops. His efforts include both a Herculean workload in the weight room and an overhaul of his diet.
Additionally, Parks revealed that Kuzma has been spending time watching film with Rajon Rondo and getting defensive tips, which is a great sign for Lakers fans. Rondo is known around the league as one of the NBA’s most intelligent players and his insight will certainly give Kuzma a boost.
Parks also explained how Kuzma will adapt to playing alongside James and how he’s going to exploit the open looks he’s bound to see with defenses preoccupied with James.
Finally, we break down the Jimmy Butler trade rumors from the Lakers’ perspective. Why didn’t Butler include the Lakers on his list, and how bad is it if he winds up going to the Clippers?
All that and tons more on today’s packed episode; to give it a listen just click on the player above.
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