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SALT LAKE CITY — With his rookie season coming to an end, former Ute Kyle Kuzma, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, didn’t want to grade his first year in the league just yet.
“I’ll let you know after four more games. Still a lot more games to go,” Kuzma said. “Could play terrible, there’s still more basketball to play.”
Unless Kuzma’s game completely falls off a cliff in the next eight days, he should feel very pleased with how his season unfolded. He was the rookie of the month for the combined months of October and November, where he displayed his ability to score at different places on the court.
Most noticeable was Kuzma’s improved 3-point shooting from his college days. When Kuzma was at the University of Utah, he wasn’t as polished as a 3-point shooter. His former coach, Larry Krystkowiak, told KSL.com in December he felt that Kuzma’s improved shooting came from a deeper 3-point line.
“Watching him with having the green light shooting from deep, it fits his body. The stroke is better, his mechanics are awesome,” Krystkowiak said in December. “The rim is big right now for him. Confidence is a big part of it.”
When asked what improvements he has made to his game over the course of his year, Kuzma pointed out that he’s playing a position that he hasn’t ever really played: small forward.
“This is really the first time, being out on the perimeter more, playing the small forward position," Kuzma said. "Coach (Luke) Walton gives me a lot of freedom to play my game and puts me in different spots. I think that’s the biggest thing, development-wise, in my game because I never really played it until these past couple of months."
In Kuzma’s sixth NBA game, he was back in Utah for the first time since being drafted. He only had nine points in a 15-point Lakers’ loss. But on Tuesday against the Jazz, Kuzma wanted to perform well for the shorthanded Lakers. He finished with 26 points — his 24th game with 20+ points — and was scorching hot for most of the game. The Lakers still lost, 117-110, but optimism surrounds Kuzma going forward.
“I’m excited because of the way that he works,” Walton said. “When we first got him, we tried him at small forward a couple times early in the season and it wasn’t working, now he’s our starting small forward. That comes from having belief in yourself and wanting to get better, and he’s proven every time that he’s been challenged that he’s up for that.
"He’s been a guy that whether he’s banged up or not — I think he’s only missed one game all year — he plays hard every single night," Walton said. "For a rookie to be able to do that already is exciting because you love that type of mindset on your team.”
Kuzma may be in the purple and gold, but he’s still a Ute at heart. He was cheering on the Utes as they made their way through the National Invitation Tournament all the way to the championship game. Although the Utes came up short in the final, they did a much better job in the postseason than the rest of the Pac-12. Kuzma hopes to see more next season from his alma mater.
“It’s real cool. The last basketball team to be standing from the (Pac-12). It’s just good for their development," he said. "Going all the way to the NIT championship is pretty big for them. Hopefully, they can capitalize, have a good recruiting class next year coming in, and get to the tournament.”
For the Lakers, developing their young talent is a monumental goal they have going forward and beyond. Kuzma has the tools and the willingness to work hard and become one of the Lakers’ brightest young stars in recent history. Krystkowiak said he saw Kuzma develop yearly at Utah, and there’s no evidence that Kuzma can’t do the same in Los Angeles.
“He’s got a ceiling that’s quite high.”
