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With Anthony Davis and LeBron James on the list, the floor of the Los Angeles Lakers is as high as it has been in years. However, their ceiling depends on the development of some key members of their cast, especially Kyle Kuzma.
Kuzma has just finished a successful second-year season with the Lakers, where he has averaged 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Most nights he was their second choice in attack.
In defense, he again left much to be desired, despite his deliberate efforts to improve this goal during the off season. In fact, the numbers suggest that he has digressed on the defensive last season.
From his rookie season to his second year, Kuzma went from a defensive rating of 107.5 to 109.7. His plus-minus defense box (DBPM) also went from -1 to -1.3.
Kuzma could benefit from a defensive rebound season and at Anthony Davis' press conference on Sunday, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said he would push Kuzma to become a better defender. season.
"I could not be more impressed by Kuz in all its aspects. All he can do on the basketball court, I will push him to really reach his potential defense. We know he can refuel and score in any way imaginable, and he showed me early that he was very coachable, "said Vogel.
"His attitude is one in ten, he is first in the team, and he is going to be a major factor for us and will play a major role for us."
It may sound like the good thing Vogel is saying about Kuzma, and that might very well be the case, but there is good reason to believe that Vogel can really make Kuzma a useful defender.
Vogel is more than just a few years away from training a defensive elite team in the Indiana Pacers and, during his tenure as head coach, he made the most of each player in the defensive team. For example, Lance Stephenson recorded a positive DBPM three out of four years during which he was Indiana. Since then, he has not been able to make a positive impact in this regard.
Kuzma may not have the physical gifts that allowed Stephenson to be a parasite on the defensive side, but he has the work ethic that allows his coach and his fans to hope he will be able to less improve.
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