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Kyle Kuzma had a miserable series debut against the Houston Rockets, managing just eight points in 29 minutes on Friday as the Los Angeles Lakers lost 112-97.
The only big number Kuzma put up was in the plus-minus department, where he was a game-worst minus-21. Kuzma’s bad night drew a mighty reaction on social media, with his name trending for all the wrong reasons. One critic especially vocal of Kuzma was ESPN NBA analyst and former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins.
“Frank Vogel better play Dion [Waiters] about 25-30 minutes in this series or the Lakers could be in series trouble!!! He’s the only other Laker that can go get a Bucket on his own…because Kuzma ain’t it,” Perkins wrote on Twitter.
Frank Vogel better play Dion about 25-30 minutes in this series or the Lakers could be in series trouble!!! He’s the only other Laker that can go get a Bucket on his own…because Kuzma ain’t it.
Waiters played five minutes in Game 1, going 0-of-3 from the field. Waiters didn’t play a game for the Lakers until they arrived in the bubble and has scored just 10 points in 35 minutes during the playoffs. That being said, Waiters showed he still had it during some of the seeding games, scoring in double-digits in five of the eight games.
Kyle Kuzma Not Looking Like Lakers ‘Third-Best Player’
What made Kuzma’s performance worse is that he recently commented about the pride he takes with his work on the defensive end. That wasn’t evident on Friday night.
“My main job right now is to just come in, bring energy and defend at a high level,” Kuzma told reporters this week. “I’m just taking pride in defense and trying to help this team try to win games. Everybody makes a big deal out of me trying to be the third option and, to me, our team’s not necessarily built like that. And I think that, for me, my way to make that super impact is trying to be the third-best player.”
FS1 analyst Doug Gottlieb also let Kuzma hear it after the down night.
“Can we discuss Kuz? Seriously.. he was untradeable a year ago, now he is just lost,” Gottlieb wrote, who had criticism for most of the other Lakers as well.
On Danny Green: “Danny Green just seems over the hill. Looked that way late last year with the Raptors, hasn’t looked right since first game of the year. It happens, but his contract seems awful now.”
On LeBron James and Anthony Davis: “Lebron was ok, but he seemed to check out of this game. Can someone tell Anthony Davis he isn’t Kevin Durant!”
Lebron was ok, but he seemed to check out of this game. Can someone tell Anthony Davis he isn’t Kevin Durant!
Rajon Rondo Has Disappointing Bubble Debut
Kuzma wasn’t the only Lakers player to disappoint in Game 1. Veteran guard Rajon Rondo made his much anticipated return from injury and it was uneven, at best. He tallied eight points and four assists in 25 minutes off the bench, but also had four turnovers and hit only 3-of-9 shots.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel admitted that fitting a player back into the lineup who hasn’t played since the restart is not an easy task.
“It is a challenge, working in a new player to your rotation at this stage in the playoffs,” Vogel told reporters after the game. “But Rajon is one of the smartest players in the league, and obviously our guys’ IQ raises when he’s on the court. He’s definitely going to help us this series.”
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Analyst Calls Out Kyle Kuzma After Lakers Loss