7/1/2023 0 Comments Kyle kuzma stats vs clippers![]() ![]() Kuzma has had plenty of critics discuss his defense, and rightfully so. His energy on the glass was great to see, but what was really impressive was how hard he tried on the defensive end of the court.Īgainst the Clippers, he also registered two blocks and one steal, as he brought it on that end of the court despite his shot not falling on offense. Kuzma pulled down 18 rebounds in the two games, including a team-high 10 against the Clippers. Despite shooting 6-of-19 overall, 1-of-10 from the 3-point line, Kuzma was an integral part of them winning both games. They played against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night before facing off with the LA Clippers in a Sunday matinee. The Lakers just finished up the toughest weekend an NBA team could play. While the shooting isn’t at the level he or the team had hoped, Kuzma looks to finally be finding his role off the bench and helping the team out in other ways. If he pushed his shooting numbers this season toward his career averages, his per 36-minute stats would actually be some of the best of his career. While his shooting percentages are at career-low levels, his per-36 minute stats this season are not that far off from his previous two seasons, when he was playing between 6-8.5 minutes more per game. However, when taking a deeper look, Kuzma’s production is closer to his career norms than you would think and he looks to be finding his niche with the team. The result? Career lows across the board in points, rebounds and assists. He was also poked in the eye, causing him to wear goggles for a period of time. Right when he got going, he suffered an ankle injury. But, Kuzma has struggled with injuries from the get-go.Ī stress reaction suffered in August during his time in training camp with Team USA put him behind the eight-ball for the regular season. ![]() There just wouldn’t be as many opportunities to rack up stats. Kuzma’s stats were going to take a hit with Davis in town. However, this season has not gone as planned. The organization thought highly of him, as he was the only player in their young core to not be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Anthony Davis blockbuster. Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has received a lot of criticism throughout his third season in the NBA. “In particular when he was switched onto Kawhi, he had some really good possessions that helped us get stops.By Kenneth Teape 3 years ago Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has faced his fair share of critics this season, but he looks to finally be finding his niche on the team. He’s had some other strong moments this year, so I don’t know if it was the best, but it’s right up there with one of those,” Vogel said. His effort and tenacity on that end of the floor left Lakers head coach Frank Vogel impressed. It’s not the first time he’s been excellent on that end this year - his game against Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics is one that quickly comes to mind as another instance of it - but it’s not a reputation that’s stuck with him.īut in the Lakers’ first game of the NBA restart and on a nationally televised stage, Kuzma showed everyone tuning in for the first time in months just how solid he can be on that end of the floor while helping the Lakers get a 103-101 win against the LA Clippers on a night they played far from their best basketball. That last part especially proved true for Kuzma’s defense against the Clippers. This is like a restart,” Kuzma said on his postgame Zoom call with the media on Thursday night. “Once we got here, we don’t think about what happened in the past. Los Angeles has actually only been slightly worse defensively with Kuzma on the floor this season (by 0.3 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com) and he’s clearly been trying harder, but his reputation as a guy who is too often upright and prone to blow-bys has been hard to shake, and exacerbated by the fact that for most of the year, he wasn’t doing enough offensively to distract from his issues on the other end.īut while that’s a reputation Kuzma has, it’s not one he’s worried about. It’s fair to say that Kyle Kuzma has not exactly been known for his defense during his first three seasons with the Lakers. ![]()
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