Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma Shines in the Shadows of LeBron, Wade Matchup

Getty Images Kyle Kuzma taking a breather

The biggest story around the NBA on Monday night was undoubtedly LeBron James and Dwyane Wade playing against each other for the final time. As the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Miami Heat on Monday, you couldn’t help but hear about LeBron versus D. Wade. After all, those two do have quite the history as not only teammates but opponents as well. But during the midst of the final matchup, the Lakers got another star effort from their second-year forward, Kyle Kuzma.

The Lakers are a team that is full of off-court personalities. LeBron James may be the best player in the game right now, but he no longer has to prove anything to gain love from his fans. Another big name on the roster is the second-year guard, Lonzo Ball. Although Ball can hand in average-to-below average performances on consecutive nights, he is still going to get his attention from the fans and the media.

When Kyle Kuzma out-performs his team though, it tends to go unnoticed. Quietly, Kuzma has been one of, if not, the best contributor on the Lakers as of late. And Monday night was no different. It’s just unfortunate that his team-high performance in the win over Miami hasn’t quite got the attention that it deserved. It’s understandable, considering the particular circumstances. But it wouldn’t be right to not acknowledge Kuzma’s big game at home on Monday.

Kuzma Is Quietly Putting on a Show

Here’s an interesting stats-filled tweet that came out right after the Monday night victory over the Heat. Kuzma scored the team-high against Miami with 33 points, adding yet, another stellar stat sheet this his impressive five-game stretch. It’s been a hot start to December for Kuzma, and this can only mean great things for the Lakers.

As Los Angeles is finally starting to click and hit their stride, Kuzma is slowly becoming the focal point of the team, as he was entirely living in the shadow’s of LeBron and company before. You would have to figure that LeBron was going to pull in all of the attention in L.A. when he showed up, but now he is paving the way for the young guys, who are finally starting to hit their stride in their role with the team.