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As the 2018-2019 NBA season kicks off this week, one of the most interesting scenarios to consider will be the performance of the Los Angeles Lakers, who signed LeBron James during the summer .
In addition to adding veterans like Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Lance Stephenson, the Lakers have retained their young core of players at Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma, 23, who explains the whirlwind of change that surrounds the team. was a welcome.
"It's great to have new guys among us – change is always a good thing for me," Kuzma – who recently participated in the new Postmates series, "The Receipt," and has revealed that his guilty pleasure since his arrival in Los Angeles devoured those of Roscoe Chicken and Waffles – told people.
Kuzma continues, "It's very exciting to be around these new guys, learn from them every day and build chemistry. It's great fun, it's a good experience. "
James, 33, begins his 16th season in the league and has become a kind of mentor for the youngest members of the team. Kuzma says he has already learned some things from the triple NBA champion and new veterans.
"A bit of everything, like the movie aspect, these guys are always watching a movie," he says. "These guys are sports students and have known him for a lot more years than we are young. [We’ve been] pick up the nuances of the game [from them]. "
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Any major change to a franchise raises questions of chemistry – and many analysts have questioned the fact that the Lakers would be able to gel themselves fast enough to make an impact this season. But the team showed promise in its six pre-season games and was able to defeat the Golden State Warriors – the consecutive defending champions – twice in their two games.
"Yeah, [there were] many improvements, "says Kuzma on how the team has learned to work together. "The most important thing is only the chemistry aspect, learning each other's games. From game one to game six, I saw their growth defend themselves, as well as the camaraderie we created. "
James faced Stephen Curry and the Warriors four times in a row for the NBA Championship, each while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Whether the new Lakers team can defeat Golden State in the regular season, Kuzma remains confident about the team's potential accomplishments in their first game against the Portland Trailblazers on Thursday.
"We have a lot of veterans, we have a lot of kids who are always a good mix to cause a little problem. So for us, it's going to be really good, "he says. "Playing with veterans who can teach us the game and those extra skills while we're still young, and we have young legs to carry us as well. It's a very good kernel. "
And sometimes, getting ready for the future means turning to the past. This is exactly what Kuzma did when he trained with former legendary Laker Kobe Bryant during the summer.
"Basically, it was just a footwork, learning to hit the spots and scoring," he says. "Learn how defenses react to certain things and choose your brain like that."
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While Kuzma has been recognized by other players for his highly productive rookie season – Draymond Green of the Warriors even said he thought Kuzma would be the "second star" alongside James – he did not let the praise himself come.
"It's a great feeling that people recognize you, but at the same time, you have to take it with a grain of salt, keep working so that you get better, because people can change, thoughts can change," he said. "But it's good to see that hard work is paying off."
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