Getty Kyle Kuzma against Suns
Earlier this week during ESPN’s broadcast of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers matchup, Kyle Kuzma was interviewed and asked what it was like playing with this team’s new-look core.
“It’s just super cool, especially for me as the basketball fan. I’m playing with arguably four Hall of Famers if you think about Dwight [Howard],[Rajon] Rondo in there, AD [Anthony Davis] probably a future Hall of Famer, and obviously, you have LeBron [James]. It’s super cool just to learn, sit back, watch, but also compete against these guys. That is something that I want to do, so to be around those guys and be in the foxhole with those guys is pretty incredible.” Kuzma stated.
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Former Warriors Coach Mark Jackson on Kuzma’s Comments
After Kuzma was done sharing his thoughts, NBA analyst and former Warriors coach Mark Jackson stated Kuzma could learn some tremendous lessons from those four individuals.
“You are coming to work every day going to battle during games; it is a great time. Not only to watch about the way they go about their business on the court but the professional way in which they carry themselves great lessons can be learned,” said Jackson.
As far as the Hall of Fame futures of the Lakers’ current core, it’s safe to say that a few are likely set in stone, but it’s still a strong statement from Kuzma.
Anthony Davis & LeBron James Praise Kuzma After Lakers’ Victory Over Suns
After Kuzma’s 23-point outing against the Phoenix Suns which included a clutch three-pointer late to seal the game, praise came from all different directions. Specifically, Anthony Davis and LeBron James sounded off on the third-year veteran out of the University of Utah.
Kyle Kuzma’s back-to-back threes iced the win for the Lakers 🔥
(via @NBA)
“I just told him, ‘Welcome back,’” Davis told Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times. “He came up huge for us, made some big shots, time after time. We were so happy for him.”
“Only a matter of time and it came at the right time,” James said to Ganguli. “It was great to have the Kuz that we know he’s capable of.”
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was also impressed with what he saw from Kuzma in his performance against the Suns.
“He’s a heck of a scorer,” coach Frank Vogel said. “It adds a lot of firepower that we didn’t have in the lineup when we first started.”
He also added that you don’t want to overreact to the ups and downs Kuzma is having coming off the injured list.
“You don’t want to overreact to his ups and downs; that’s to be expected,” Vogel said. “I did talk to him maybe before yesterday’s practice, just about letting the game come and being patient.”
Kyle Kuzma talked about his timing slowing coming back with every single game played, per the Los Angeles Times.
“Every single game I felt rhythm and timing getting more and more back. I think tonight just felt like how I usually play.”
The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to continue rolling after their 10-2 start to the year, a mark which is the best in the Western Conference.
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