Kyle Kuzma has had a few big finishes for the Los Angeles Lakers this season and although he may not play in Sunday afternoon’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Kuzma is still adjusting to a role of coming off the bench after finishing the last two seasons as a starter.
The subject of Kuzma in a new role was the focus of a new column from Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, where they discussed Kuzma adjusting to being a role player on a team with championship aspirations. During the interview, Kuzma credited the team he is on and the teammates he has for helping him catch himself when he gets frustrated about not being featured more.
“That’s just part of sacrifice and trying to be on a winning team,” he said. “Obviously, it’s hard sometimes when you’re a young player wanting to continue to establish yourself and see you measure up across the league. In certain situations, you have the opportunities to just play. It’s hard sometimes — naturally.
“But I’ve got good vets around me, keep things in perspective. I have an opportunity to win a ring in my third year. Sometimes, I just have to catch myself, realize.”
Kuzma has had a few big breakout moments throughout the season like his first big game against Chicago with 11 fourth quarter points or his big shots against the Pelicans on Wednesday to help the Lakers comeback.
Kuzma has eclipsed 20 points only twice this season and he hasn’t reached that mark for over two weeks. Still, that’s not as important as him accepting a role with fewer field goal attempts and focusing on becoming a better defender to be able to play in big moments alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If he’s able to do those little things, the opportunities for big shots will continue to come.
