Kyle Kuzma's Offensive Role

Why It Should Be Better This Season

Discussing Kyle Kuzma among Laker fans is like discussing politics at Thanksgiving. Half of the fanbase wants him traded and the other half thinks he’s the potential third star next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

We can all agree Kuz had a disappointing offensive output last season averaging career lows in points (12.8), effective field goal percentage (50%), true shooting percentage (53.1%), starts (9), and minutes (25.0).

However, I would argue Kuz is coming off his best season. The player he was his first two seasons would have been played off the floor in the playoffs. His offensive production used to be better, but it was still inconsistent and his defense was quite poor. Kuzma’s on-ball defense saw a huge uptick last season earning him key playoff minutes. While he was not the third option like we hoped, he was still a solid bench player.

This will be a fascinating season for Kyle Kuzma. With the additions of Dennis Schroder, Wes Matthews, Montrezl Harrell, and Marc Gasol, there are plenty of mouths to feed with just one basketball and 48 minutes to allocate at each position. With that said, I am optimistic about Kuzma’s offensive fit this season. I think his output will mimic that of his first two years.

Jumpshot

Kyle Kuzma’s efficiency from 3 tailed off after putting up 36.6% in his rookie season and just 30.8% the last two seasons. In the three preseason games so far, he is shooting 10/21 (47.6%) from 3. Obviously, this is an incredibly small sample and Kuz will not shoot close to this over the course of the season. But he might be showing he can become a passable (34-36%) shooter for this first time since his rookie year.

Despite the hot shooting, Kuz still has two old bad habits: low release point and poor balance. Watch how he shoots the ball right in front of his eyes and leans back like Fat Joe.

These two issues have plagued Kuz his whole career. No shooter is going to make the majority of his/her jumpers. Everyone has bad habits. The key is minimizing them and Kuz has not done that to the degree he needs.

With that said, Kuz does have some good habits. I love how he starts the right-to-left sidestep gather before he catches the ball. This is a Phil Handy staple. It allows Kuz to get his feet set and on balance. Notice how he does not lean back.

This is a little encouraging because Kuzma’s shooting form usually gets rushed by a strong closeout. Last season with the nearest defender 6 feet or closer on 3s, Kuz shot an abhorrent 26.7% on 157 attempts.

However, he did shoot a respectable 38.3% on 115 3-point attempts with his nearest defender 6+ feet away. Obviously, the closer the defender is the worse you usually shoot. But the wide open 3P% is encouraging. Kuz has the tools to be a passable shooter. He just needs to iron out the bad habits when a defender is semi close to him.

Kuzma becoming a respectable shooter allows him to use one his best skills: attacking closeouts. Defenders only closeout on shooters they respect. This is where Kuz’s game can go to another level.

Off-Ball Movement

After Wednesday’s game, Kuzma had an interesting quote with regards to his shooting:

“I’m just trying to figure out my role, and one thing I can add that Frank said in my exit meeting was being able to shoot off the move.”

While I would prefer Kuz to perfect his standstill shooting first, becoming a better movement shooter would be a great development for both him and the team. The Lakers have not had a shooter that specializes coming around screens in some time. That type of player (Joe Harris and JJ Redick, for example) completely opens up the offense because it garners defensive attention off-ball.

Even though Kuzma’s movement shooting sample in the preseason is small, he did look decently comfortable as seen below. He starts by running from the left wing down into the paint. Then he makes a sharp cut to skid by a Montrezl Harrell screen and gets the fundamental right-to-left sidestep gather to create balance for the shot.

Considering the lack of sample and his career percentages, it is tough to expect Kuzma to become a consistent movement shooter for next season. But it is nice to see a player continuing to grow his game.

Although, one thing we can expect from Kuzma is his phenomenal cutting.

This is where he will make a bigger impact this season. With the additions of Harrell, Schroder, and especially Gasol, Kuz should get more cutting opportunities. The playmaking last season hinged a lot on LeBron and occasionally Rajon Rondo. The Lakers adding more playmakers means Kuz should get more looks cutting towards the rim.

Let’s focus on Gasol, one of the best passing bigs in NBA history. He will optimize Kuz’s cutting as well as anyone. Watch below how Quinn Cook sets the wide pin down screen for Kuz who cuts right off it. 7-foot Gasol surveys like a quarterback and hits the open receiver.

These types of plays are energizing and will make Kuzma work even harder off-ball because Gasol will find him.

Below, KCP hands the ball off to Marc and rubs around him to cut to the basket. Gasol finds him for the easy layup. But Kuz also cuts hard across Kawhi Leonard’s face. He becomes a second option in case KCP is not open or can grab the potential offensive rebound.

Despite not receiving the pass, Kuzma watching KCP getting rewarded for his cutting means he will get easy shots if he does the same. Gasol will do wonders for Kuz because he will keep him constantly engaged and active keeping the offense fluid.

Summary

Kyle Kuzma has had a sporadic NBA career, but this team should optimize him the best offensively yet. He may not have impressive counting stats due to the roster’s depth, but his effectiveness should improve. Kuz’s low free throw rate (career 2.9 FTAs per game) and middling perimeter shooting should continue to cap his efficiency. But his off-ball work should complement the playmakers around him. Let’s also not forget his defense which also could get even better.

Kyle Kuzma is not a star and probably will never be one. I doubt he even starts when everyone is healthy, although it’s possible. I expect him to be a solid bench player which is okay! He’ll have good games and bad games. He will probably always be streaky. Kuz just needs to keep putting in the work and find some consistency. As Jared Dudley would say, he just needs to star in his role.