LOS ANGELES_Kyle Kuzma and JaVale McGee have a history, both having grown up in Flint, Mich.
But there was one thing Kuzma didn't know about McGee.
"He's actually a student of the game," Kuzma said. "You see the Shaqtin' A Fool, you see everything like that, but he actually knows basketball and he's always watching film. You talk to him on the court and you can just tell how he talks and how he screens you that he knows what he's doing and he's really smart."
McGee, 31, is entering his 11th season after winning two championships with the Golden State Warriors. He will be the Lakers' starting center this season and is expected to receive more playing time than in most of his previous seasons in the NBA.
More now than in the last two years, the Lakers' young players are surrounded by smart veterans who are willing mentors. Kuzma does rely on LeBron James and Rajon Rondo, the most obvious mentors. But as he's tried his hand at some small-ball center, he's come to appreciate McGee's experience.
"You just don't see that," Kuzma said of fans missing that about McGee's personality. "You just see what you want to see and what fans want to see but you know he's very smart on the basketball IQ side."
