Without their stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers and their understudy group of players were put in a familiar position. All season, even though the Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference at 31-8, their supporting cast has been derided as not enough.
Recently, the player who has been the focus of that criticism was Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma delivered in a major way in Saturday night’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-high 36 points, but the Lakers also got a host of major contributions from up and down the roster. And it’s the entire roster that feels like they have something to prove, according to Kuz.
Prior to the season, few expected Dwight Howard to contribute the way he did. But he has been an instrumental part of their success this season and now Kuzma seems to be finding his stride as well. The Lakers have a big chip on their shoulder and no matter how high they climb in the standings, that motivation will remain for this group until they accomplish their goals.
