Kyle Kuzma was touted as a superstar in the making upon his entry to the NBA. That same image appeared to be what Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has been seeing lately. Vogel said Kuzma has been phenomenal since arriving in Orlando for the NBA restart.
The rough edges are still there but Kuzma for the most part has impressed his coach. The 24-year-old showcased a performance that Vogel described as "dominating" in the Lakers scrimmages in the bubble city.
"Kuz has been one of our best players since this restart in these practices ... He's had a couple of stretches where he just dominated the floor and it has been really encouraging to see," Fadeaway World reported Los Angeles' chief tactician as saying.
Still, Vogel was quick to note that Kuzma remains hampered by traces of inconsistency, which is the weakness readily attributed to the power forward. But the coach was quick to blame his player's past struggles with a series of injuries.
Overall, what Kuzma has been displaying in Orlando is a high-level game that is rocking some form of excitement on the Lakers' coaching staff. If the Michigan native can play with improved steadiness, it is not remote that Kuzma will gain more trust and pick up a more prominent role in the Lakers gameplay.
Vogel appeared to hint that a consistent Kuzma will get "an increase role" in the team's quest to reach the NBA Finals and win the title. Although that will depend on how things will shape up for the Lakers when the games are finally resumed later this July.
The Lakers coach admitted he is on the lookout for the Lakers star that will boost the team's mission of dominating the league. And he pointed to the forward as a shoo-in candidate, possibly the team's third star to complement the tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Kuzma shining in the Orlando bubble is quite a possibility. The Lakers will slug it out in the playoffs minus Rajon Rondo, described by Silver Screen & Roll as a dominant ball-handler on the floor. With Rondo out of action, Kuzma is expected to create situations where he will thrive the most.
The forward is known to operate more efficiently on his own and having Rondo around will only serve to limit his potentials. But with the guard on the injury bay, the chance is high Kuzma will live to Vogel's expectations.
Before the season was suspended, Kuzma was shooting at 43.2% and sinking 12.5 points per game. Vogel claimed Kuzma's confidence is shooting up in Orlando so the player only needs to sustain the gains he displayed in the scrimmages and have them reflected in the games to come.
