OFFICIAL KYLE got traded for westbrook KUZMA THREAD
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The God Particle
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:08 pm    Post subject:

PayasoLoco wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
The context people are missing, is that Kuzma’s primary asset is scoring, is struggling to do so to a degree not many expected, and is still #2 in the league in scoring in the same or fewer minutes and joins Lebron as the only common players in all 3 of our top 3 lineups in net rating.

One of the least efficient shots in his arsenal is the 2pt dribble pull up, and the shares of shots he takes that are of that type has doubled.

He’s being misused.

So he’s only useful when he has a green light to chuck? Doesn’t sound like a championship caliber player and more like a Sacramento king type of player.


That's the problem. He always has the green light to chuck.

He's 2nd in scoring for players that average equal of less minutes than him not because of efficiency, but because of chucking. He's a chucker in the starting lineup and one coming off the bench too.


The argument some are making is that he needs Harden and Giannis type usage rate to be able to get into a "rhythm".


Only problem is.... he's not Harden or Giannis. lol
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:42 pm    Post subject:

The God Particle wrote:
PayasoLoco wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
The context people are missing, is that Kuzma’s primary asset is scoring, is struggling to do so to a degree not many expected, and is still #2 in the league in scoring in the same or fewer minutes and joins Lebron as the only common players in all 3 of our top 3 lineups in net rating.

One of the least efficient shots in his arsenal is the 2pt dribble pull up, and the shares of shots he takes that are of that type has doubled.

He’s being misused.

So he’s only useful when he has a green light to chuck? Doesn’t sound like a championship caliber player and more like a Sacramento king type of player.


That's the problem. He always has the green light to chuck.

He's 2nd in scoring for players that average equal of less minutes than him not because of efficiency, but because of chucking. He's a chucker in the starting lineup and one coming off the bench too.


The argument some are making is that he needs Harden and Giannis type usage rate to be able to get into a "rhythm".


Only problem is.... he's not Harden or Giannis. lol


Nobody is arguing he needs a higher usage rate.

I would highly doubt his usage rate is much different than it’s been.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:57 pm    Post subject:

GTL wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
GTL wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
PayasoLoco wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
The context people are missing, is that Kuzma’s primary asset is scoring, is struggling to do so to a degree not many expected, and is still #2 in the league in scoring in the same or fewer minutes and joins Lebron as the only common players in all 3 of our top 3 lineups in net rating.

One of the least efficient shots in his arsenal is the 2pt dribble pull up, and the shares of shots he takes that are of that type has doubled.

He’s being misused.

So he’s only useful when he has a green light to chuck? Doesn’t sound like a championship caliber player and more like a Sacramento king type of player.


No. We gotta get out of this binary thinking.

Let me try a different way. There is a player who is available to the Lakers, and he shoots 52% from the 3pt corners, and finishes at the basket at a rate of 70% which is halfway between Lebron and AD.

However, on dribble pull ups, this player only shoots 34%.

Would you give THIS player the green light to chuck for us?


Overall he shoots 43% from the field, 33% from 3, averaging 12 points in 24 minutes of play.

Kareem Rush had similar numbers in his career.

Why is this that impressive to you guys that he's suddenly untouchable?

He's never been as talented as Brandon Ingram or Julius Randle.

I just don't see it. Maybe I'm wrong. I have no problem admitting to that if I am.


Do you think if we made Danny Green our primary ball handler, and he ended up sucking at it, that posting his numbers as a primary ball handler would be an accurate reflection of how he could optimally contribute for this team?


Fair enough point. On a broader scale, I personally see Kuzma as an overhyped role player. One of the main reasons why he's hyped up is because of the success of Ingram and Randle away from LA, mainly Ingram since the discussion of who we should keep amongst the two was ramped just last season.


You’re probably right that he is overhyped. But that is on the overhypers, whoever those folks may be.

If you thought Danny Green was going to put up 10 threes a night, that’s on you, not him.

There are aspects to Kuz’s game that I would like the team to exploit because he’s very good at them but instead we have him doing things he isn’t good at, much like having Danny Green play point guard.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 6:03 pm    Post subject:

ringfinger wrote:
GTL wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
GTL wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
PayasoLoco wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
The context people are missing, is that Kuzma’s primary asset is scoring, is struggling to do so to a degree not many expected, and is still #2 in the league in scoring in the same or fewer minutes and joins Lebron as the only common players in all 3 of our top 3 lineups in net rating.

One of the least efficient shots in his arsenal is the 2pt dribble pull up, and the shares of shots he takes that are of that type has doubled.

He’s being misused.

So he’s only useful when he has a green light to chuck? Doesn’t sound like a championship caliber player and more like a Sacramento king type of player.


No. We gotta get out of this binary thinking.

Let me try a different way. There is a player who is available to the Lakers, and he shoots 52% from the 3pt corners, and finishes at the basket at a rate of 70% which is halfway between Lebron and AD.

However, on dribble pull ups, this player only shoots 34%.

Would you give THIS player the green light to chuck for us?


Overall he shoots 43% from the field, 33% from 3, averaging 12 points in 24 minutes of play.

Kareem Rush had similar numbers in his career.

Why is this that impressive to you guys that he's suddenly untouchable?

He's never been as talented as Brandon Ingram or Julius Randle.

I just don't see it. Maybe I'm wrong. I have no problem admitting to that if I am.


Do you think if we made Danny Green our primary ball handler, and he ended up sucking at it, that posting his numbers as a primary ball handler would be an accurate reflection of how he could optimally contribute for this team?


Fair enough point. On a broader scale, I personally see Kuzma as an overhyped role player. One of the main reasons why he's hyped up is because of the success of Ingram and Randle away from LA, mainly Ingram since the discussion of who we should keep amongst the two was ramped just last season.


You’re probably right that he is overhyped. But that is on the overhypers, whoever those folks may be.

If you thought Danny Green was going to put up 10 threes a night, that’s on you, not him.

There are aspects to Kuz’s game that I would like the team to exploit because he’s very good at them but instead we have him doing things he isn’t good at, much like having Danny Green play point guard.

tOo MuCH LoGiC
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 6:49 pm    Post subject:

Right, so the ideal scenario for us, the Lakers, is:
* have Kuzma perform as well as he possibly can so he has max value for:
* trade him the soonest we can for the best value we can get (assuming we don't want to keep him for the myriad of reasons outlined in this thread)

venturalakersfan wrote:
ThePageDude wrote:
He's a Laker until at least the off-season so I will only wish him the very best. Interestingly, if he does well, we not only win games now, we also win if/when we trade him by virtue of his increased value.


His value will likely decrease because whoever trades for him will have to decide if they want to pay him after one season.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 5:51 am    Post subject:

ringfinger is bringing up good points, but I think the Lakers are also hoping Kuzma develops. If they only bottle him into what he does best, then he basically becomes a quality role player. Sure, that is maybe all Kuzma is, a role player who can get really hot from certain spots in the court. A 13-15 ppg guy. It is possible that is his career arc.

However I think with Kuz, there is a temptation by him and the team that he will get better and be able to become an all-star level player in the league. Up until last season, this was not totally out of the question, that he could become a 20-22 ppg player in the league. He was one of the best players that stood out in last years rising stars AS game. I remember it well, he looked like belonged with that group of elite young players and was one of the best scorers. So what you see is a guy that wants to create more, who wants to be a star, but is not really able to justify it at the moment, and is having a hard time getting the touches and rhythm. Kuz is a volume shooting guy.

I am sure we all wished he just played like Robert Covington, but Kuzma has been developed in his first 2 seasons as someone who should look for his shot and be a scorer. A volume shooting guy.

I totally agree he should pass up on that dribble a few steps and pull up shot he takes. That is not something I believe the coaching staff tells him to do, I believe he thinks that is something he is good at. It is probably on the coaching staff to show him where his strong spots on the court are. I feel that the Lakers FO and Lakers coaching staff are trying to develop Kuzma into more than a role player. Thus far it is not working, but he is in his 3rd year in the league. There have been moments this year where Kuzma did exactly what ringfinger says he should not be doing and went off. The Clippers game on Xmas. The first few games that AD went down with the back injury, and Kuzma was starting as a 2nd or 1st option.

Kuzma to me, is a guy that needs a lot of shots and a lot of rhythm. He neither gets it with AD-Lebron, but he also does not really get it with the 2nd unit. I believe the best sort of situation for Kuzma is playing in a pace and space offense where he is a stretch 4 with free reign. He will get you 20-22 ppg a game. Your team just will not win much though. He would be doing very well with the Pelicans, IMO. The Rockets with DAntoni. Those sort of offenses and situation are where I can see Kuzma thrive. We run a very Lebron-AD centric offense, where if you do not hit 3s or get to the basket off the ball, you are likely not going to get a lot of chances. In fact, I would say playing with AD and Lebron the reason Kuzma has good team numbers with them (lineups) is because with them he is forced NOT to create and plays like a role player, thus all he has are 3 pointers and open opportunities to the basket as D is geared in on AD and Lebron.

For us, if we keep him longterm, and we keep AD which looks likely, then what we need Kuz to do is develop into a much higher IQ player, who has a better feel for his own game. Kuzma does not know how to figure out his game is off and make the higher IQ play. It may be a career long thing, but some guys to get a lot better that this in their mid-careers. Kuzma could improve in his 4th-5th season in this regard. It would also help if he keeps it more 3 pointers or layups, because his mid-range game is not that strong. But I do not want a guy 3rd year into his career, who has shown potential as a big time scorer, someone that can get hot and really go off on you for 30+, 40 points really. To just become purely a role player. I feel he should be that player for this team, but longterm he should be looking to keep improving his skills and shot making. He is a lot more talented than Danny Green, as a shot creator. It is not even close really.
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h2omike
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 5:58 am    Post subject:

Unless we get an offer to significantly improve, and I think that means a solid 15 ppg player coming back, we are holding on to Kuzma through the end of then 2021 season.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 10:31 am    Post subject:

One doesn’t develop IQ, one has it or one doesn’t. I think that Kuz will settle in to becoming a 8th-10th guy off the bench on a real good team, maybe a starter on a real bad team.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 11:13 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
One doesn’t develop IQ, one has it or one doesn’t. I think that Kuz will settle in to becoming a 8th-10th guy off the bench on a real good team, maybe a starter on a real bad team.


Yeah, guys that have the feel for the game and high iq potential at least show flashes by 25 at the very minimum. Anyone hoping Kuz becomes a high iq player at this point is setting themselves up for major disappointment imo.

With the Danny Green comparison a lot of what makes him so valuable to the teams he has been on outside of his shooting obviously is his high iq and ability to fit in with whoever you put him out there with while trusting he will make minimal mistakes on both ends. There's always been tons of players that were simply more talented then him that are much less regarded because of that difference. I will agree DG has been underwhelming thus far but I can't really grade him fully until the second half of the season and into the Playoffs which is the main reason they brought him in. He's getting older and has been on a lot of winning teams so I wouldn't be surprised if you see him turn it up a bit when we get closer to the Playoffs (Hopefully!).

I agree completely with wolf that Kuz could easily be a 20ppg scorer on a uptempo free reigns offense if he was a top option but that would also show more of his flaws as well and that team would be in the lottery almost for sure.

I also agree with some other people in here saying we should look to help him get going early in games and maybe run a play or two too get him some easy looks because there's no doubt he plays much better when he starts off well. It's been nice seeing him drop those shots in the paint recently without picking up offensive fouls which he's obviously been working and improving on this season. He's also become kind of a 3 point specialist in the corners.

When I said we should look to trade him that's only if we get better offers then we got at the deadline otherwise we should absolutely keep him and hope for the best. He's still a nice piece to have in the rotation with a bit more upside possibility left, I just personally don't think he will ever be a star or top option on a good team. The scary thing is that he has had a lot of his best performances on national televised games which has helped his reputation grow greatly and I get the feeling he could get a nice payday from several other teams that have a lot of cap space who missed out on Giannis and whoever else is possibly still available next off season. This is the biggest reason i'd look at possible trades in the off season especially, might as well try and move him for a better fit before that payday if a solid deal presents itself.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 11:45 am    Post subject:

He was older than everybody else at an all star rising game that nobody cares to play defense in. Those games always turn into impromptu slam dunk and 3 point shooting contests lol. Those types of exhibition games are not good reference clips to point to as a showcase of determining how good a player is going to be, bad example argh!!!!

He needs lots of touches to score lots of points, and you think he would be doing that on the Pelicans lol no he wouldn’t because he is NOT an efficient scorer, not a good playmaker and he is terrible defensively. Go look at the Pelicans lineups you need to be able to do either one of these things to crack their lineup. Don’t let their record and injury riddled season fool you. Kuzma would not look any different to anyone that actually pays attention to his game.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 3:30 pm    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
One doesn’t develop IQ, one has it or one doesn’t.


LOL
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 10:52 am    Post subject:

Just deleted last years Rising Stars game off my dvr where Kuzma won MVP.
As he clearly outplayed Simmons, Tatum, Mitchell ext. back then.

He averaged 19 ppg last season and I don’t want to hear he had to take a back seat because of AD’s arrival. The great ones rise there game up to another level with more talent around them.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 12:27 pm    Post subject:

SD2Hollyweird wrote:
venturalakersfan wrote:
One doesn’t develop IQ, one has it or one doesn’t.


LOL


Stupid is as stupid does
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 12:36 pm    Post subject:

IMO, he's struggling for the same reasons BI, DLo, Ju and Zo struggled here, and two of those talents made the all-star team (BI on his 1st season away from here, and DLo on his 2nd). Watch him go to another team and average 20+ points. For various reasons, LA and young players don't mix anymore, even though we draft exceptionally well. The expectations are always sky high, and the media/fans are absolutely relentless and toxic on social media. It is nice seeing the BI hate at an all-time low on social media because he plays for a relatively obscure team now (though Zion has boosted their popularity significantly). When Kobe was drafted, he had the enormous benefit of not having social media, and I'd argue that it helped him in more ways than one, even though he was always destined to be great. It's a different world today for young players, and LA is probably the last place a young player thrives.

Playing next to Lebron isn't easy and just about everyone (other than generational talents like AD) has to adjust their play style to suit him. I think he needs an offense that gives him more freedom to do other things, like bringing the ball up, initiating, etc.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 12:56 pm    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
One doesn’t develop IQ, one has it or one doesn’t. I think that Kuz will settle in to becoming a 8th-10th guy off the bench on a real good team, maybe a starter on a real bad team.


Basketball IQ is different than actual IQ.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 12:57 pm    Post subject:

KindCrippler2000 wrote:
IMO, he's struggling for the same reasons BI, DLo, Ju and Zo struggled here, and two of those talents made the all-star team (BI on his 1st season away from here, and DLo on his 2nd). Watch him go to another team and average 20+ points. For various reasons, LA and young players don't mix anymore, even though we draft exceptionally well. The expectations are always sky high, and the media/fans are absolutely relentless and toxic on social media. It is nice seeing the BI hate at an all-time low on social media because he plays for a relatively obscure team now (though Zion has boosted their popularity significantly). When Kobe was drafted, he had the enormous benefit of not having social media, and I'd argue that it helped him in more ways than one, even though he was always destined to be great. It's a different world today for young players, and LA is probably the last place a young player thrives.

Playing next to Lebron isn't easy and just about everyone (other than generational talents like AD) has to adjust their play style to suit him. I think he needs an offense that gives him more freedom to do other things, like bringing the ball up, initiating, etc.


Kuzma does not have the same talent as DLo or BI.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 1:01 pm    Post subject:

LakerLogic wrote:
KindCrippler2000 wrote:
IMO, he's struggling for the same reasons BI, DLo, Ju and Zo struggled here, and two of those talents made the all-star team (BI on his 1st season away from here, and DLo on his 2nd). Watch him go to another team and average 20+ points. For various reasons, LA and young players don't mix anymore, even though we draft exceptionally well. The expectations are always sky high, and the media/fans are absolutely relentless and toxic on social media. It is nice seeing the BI hate at an all-time low on social media because he plays for a relatively obscure team now (though Zion has boosted their popularity significantly). When Kobe was drafted, he had the enormous benefit of not having social media, and I'd argue that it helped him in more ways than one, even though he was always destined to be great. It's a different world today for young players, and LA is probably the last place a young player thrives.

Playing next to Lebron isn't easy and just about everyone (other than generational talents like AD) has to adjust their play style to suit him. I think he needs an offense that gives him more freedom to do other things, like bringing the ball up, initiating, etc.


Kuzma does not have the same talent as DLo or BI.


Oh man. This forum has now come full circle on DLo.

Amazing.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 2:22 pm    Post subject:

ringfinger wrote:
venturalakersfan wrote:
One doesn’t develop IQ, one has it or one doesn’t. I think that Kuz will settle in to becoming a 8th-10th guy off the bench on a real good team, maybe a starter on a real bad team.


Basketball IQ is different than actual IQ.


But relatable
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 4:19 am    Post subject:

ringfinger wrote:
LakerLogic wrote:
KindCrippler2000 wrote:
IMO, he's struggling for the same reasons BI, DLo, Ju and Zo struggled here, and two of those talents made the all-star team (BI on his 1st season away from here, and DLo on his 2nd). Watch him go to another team and average 20+ points. For various reasons, LA and young players don't mix anymore, even though we draft exceptionally well. The expectations are always sky high, and the media/fans are absolutely relentless and toxic on social media. It is nice seeing the BI hate at an all-time low on social media because he plays for a relatively obscure team now (though Zion has boosted their popularity significantly). When Kobe was drafted, he had the enormous benefit of not having social media, and I'd argue that it helped him in more ways than one, even though he was always destined to be great. It's a different world today for young players, and LA is probably the last place a young player thrives.

Playing next to Lebron isn't easy and just about everyone (other than generational talents like AD) has to adjust their play style to suit him. I think he needs an offense that gives him more freedom to do other things, like bringing the ball up, initiating, etc.


Kuzma does not have the same talent as DLo or BI.


Oh man. This forum has now come full circle on DLo.

Amazing.


And BI.

Especially when there was no reason to hate him, he had no off court issues and was a hard worker, always humble and did whatever the coaching staff asked him to do.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:52 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
venturalakersfan wrote:
One doesn’t develop IQ, one has it or one doesn’t. I think that Kuz will settle in to becoming a 8th-10th guy off the bench on a real good team, maybe a starter on a real bad team.


Basketball IQ is different than actual IQ.


But relatable


Agreed, VLF. He can make small, incremental improvements, but Kuz will never be known as a cerebral player.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:06 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
venturalakersfan wrote:
One doesn’t develop IQ, one has it or one doesn’t. I think that Kuz will settle in to becoming a 8th-10th guy off the bench on a real good team, maybe a starter on a real bad team.


Basketball IQ is different than actual IQ.


But relatable


Sure though I'm just not sure if a player's third season is always where someone's basketball IQ is set in stone.

Chauncey Billups wasn't considered a cerebral player in his third season. He was playing on this third team by that time.

That said, I do agree that Kuz isn't going to be a high IQ type of player. I'm just not certain that he'd necessarily be a low IQ player.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:44 am    Post subject:

I wish he had rookie Kuz on this team. Remember that game he had two behind the back passes? One of them was to Nance for the dunk? The other might have been to Nance as well.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:58 am    Post subject:

Here’s an idea. Let’s hold Kuz to the sane standard we hold Rondo, KCP and Green, Bradley. I’ve seen plenty of games that those vets haven’t given us much. Kuz is a scorer and chucker. Once he gets rolling everything else falls in line. How hard is that to see. Let him get on the floor and green light him. He’s also very good at flashing in the lane and then resetting in the corner for a Lebron pass in the corner. We aren’t taking a huge problem. He can play
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 9:02 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
ringfinger is bringing up good points, but I think the Lakers are also hoping Kuzma develops. If they only bottle him into what he does best, then he basically becomes a quality role player. Sure, that is maybe all Kuzma is, a role player who can get really hot from certain spots in the court. A 13-15 ppg guy. It is possible that is his career arc.

However I think with Kuz, there is a temptation by him and the team that he will get better and be able to become an all-star level player in the league. Up until last season, this was not totally out of the question, that he could become a 20-22 ppg player in the league. He was one of the best players that stood out in last years rising stars AS game. I remember it well, he looked like belonged with that group of elite young players and was one of the best scorers. So what you see is a guy that wants to create more, who wants to be a star, but is not really able to justify it at the moment, and is having a hard time getting the touches and rhythm. Kuz is a volume shooting guy.

I am sure we all wished he just played like Robert Covington, but Kuzma has been developed in his first 2 seasons as someone who should look for his shot and be a scorer. A volume shooting guy.

I totally agree he should pass up on that dribble a few steps and pull up shot he takes. That is not something I believe the coaching staff tells him to do, I believe he thinks that is something he is good at. It is probably on the coaching staff to show him where his strong spots on the court are. I feel that the Lakers FO and Lakers coaching staff are trying to develop Kuzma into more than a role player. Thus far it is not working, but he is in his 3rd year in the league. There have been moments this year where Kuzma did exactly what ringfinger says he should not be doing and went off. The Clippers game on Xmas. The first few games that AD went down with the back injury, and Kuzma was starting as a 2nd or 1st option.

Kuzma to me, is a guy that needs a lot of shots and a lot of rhythm. He neither gets it with AD-Lebron, but he also does not really get it with the 2nd unit. I believe the best sort of situation for Kuzma is playing in a pace and space offense where he is a stretch 4 with free reign. He will get you 20-22 ppg a game. Your team just will not win much though. He would be doing very well with the Pelicans, IMO. The Rockets with DAntoni. Those sort of offenses and situation are where I can see Kuzma thrive. We run a very Lebron-AD centric offense, where if you do not hit 3s or get to the basket off the ball, you are likely not going to get a lot of chances. In fact, I would say playing with AD and Lebron the reason Kuzma has good team numbers with them (lineups) is because with them he is forced NOT to create and plays like a role player, thus all he has are 3 pointers and open opportunities to the basket as D is geared in on AD and Lebron.

For us, if we keep him longterm, and we keep AD which looks likely, then what we need Kuz to do is develop into a much higher IQ player, who has a better feel for his own game. Kuzma does not know how to figure out his game is off and make the higher IQ play. It may be a career long thing, but some guys to get a lot better that this in their mid-careers. Kuzma could improve in his 4th-5th season in this regard. It would also help if he keeps it more 3 pointers or layups, because his mid-range game is not that strong. But I do not want a guy 3rd year into his career, who has shown potential as a big time scorer, someone that can get hot and really go off on you for 30+, 40 points really. To just become purely a role player. I feel he should be that player for this team, but longterm he should be looking to keep improving his skills and shot making. He is a lot more talented than Danny Green, as a shot creator. It is not even close really.


Solid points, the issue with not getting looks on the 2nd unit is Rondo. A win/win would be more LBJ/AD minutes together with the lineups we saw more in Denver. Vogel needs to grab Rondo by the facemask if he's hellbent on actually playing him.

Let the bench run thru Kuzma ISO and if the defense converges then Rondo can do his freelance/ballpound/vision act as a fallback if the play falls apart. Kuzma still gets 8-10 minutes with the AD/James lineups as a bigger option depending on matchup. Kuzma's play with the 2 stars is frustrating, but if we can get him to help pace the bench that could mean the difference in winning it all.
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ringfinger
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 9:17 am    Post subject:

fansincemagic wrote:
wolfpaclaker wrote:
ringfinger is bringing up good points, but I think the Lakers are also hoping Kuzma develops. If they only bottle him into what he does best, then he basically becomes a quality role player. Sure, that is maybe all Kuzma is, a role player who can get really hot from certain spots in the court. A 13-15 ppg guy. It is possible that is his career arc.

However I think with Kuz, there is a temptation by him and the team that he will get better and be able to become an all-star level player in the league. Up until last season, this was not totally out of the question, that he could become a 20-22 ppg player in the league. He was one of the best players that stood out in last years rising stars AS game. I remember it well, he looked like belonged with that group of elite young players and was one of the best scorers. So what you see is a guy that wants to create more, who wants to be a star, but is not really able to justify it at the moment, and is having a hard time getting the touches and rhythm. Kuz is a volume shooting guy.

I am sure we all wished he just played like Robert Covington, but Kuzma has been developed in his first 2 seasons as someone who should look for his shot and be a scorer. A volume shooting guy.

I totally agree he should pass up on that dribble a few steps and pull up shot he takes. That is not something I believe the coaching staff tells him to do, I believe he thinks that is something he is good at. It is probably on the coaching staff to show him where his strong spots on the court are. I feel that the Lakers FO and Lakers coaching staff are trying to develop Kuzma into more than a role player. Thus far it is not working, but he is in his 3rd year in the league. There have been moments this year where Kuzma did exactly what ringfinger says he should not be doing and went off. The Clippers game on Xmas. The first few games that AD went down with the back injury, and Kuzma was starting as a 2nd or 1st option.

Kuzma to me, is a guy that needs a lot of shots and a lot of rhythm. He neither gets it with AD-Lebron, but he also does not really get it with the 2nd unit. I believe the best sort of situation for Kuzma is playing in a pace and space offense where he is a stretch 4 with free reign. He will get you 20-22 ppg a game. Your team just will not win much though. He would be doing very well with the Pelicans, IMO. The Rockets with DAntoni. Those sort of offenses and situation are where I can see Kuzma thrive. We run a very Lebron-AD centric offense, where if you do not hit 3s or get to the basket off the ball, you are likely not going to get a lot of chances. In fact, I would say playing with AD and Lebron the reason Kuzma has good team numbers with them (lineups) is because with them he is forced NOT to create and plays like a role player, thus all he has are 3 pointers and open opportunities to the basket as D is geared in on AD and Lebron.

For us, if we keep him longterm, and we keep AD which looks likely, then what we need Kuz to do is develop into a much higher IQ player, who has a better feel for his own game. Kuzma does not know how to figure out his game is off and make the higher IQ play. It may be a career long thing, but some guys to get a lot better that this in their mid-careers. Kuzma could improve in his 4th-5th season in this regard. It would also help if he keeps it more 3 pointers or layups, because his mid-range game is not that strong. But I do not want a guy 3rd year into his career, who has shown potential as a big time scorer, someone that can get hot and really go off on you for 30+, 40 points really. To just become purely a role player. I feel he should be that player for this team, but longterm he should be looking to keep improving his skills and shot making. He is a lot more talented than Danny Green, as a shot creator. It is not even close really.


Solid points, the issue with not getting looks on the 2nd unit is Rondo. A win/win would be more LBJ/AD minutes together with the lineups we saw more in Denver. Vogel needs to grab Rondo by the facemask if he's hellbent on actually playing him.

Let the bench run thru Kuzma ISO and if the defense converges then Rondo can do his freelance/ballpound/vision act as a fallback if the play falls apart. Kuzma still gets 8-10 minutes with the AD/James lineups as a bigger option depending on matchup. Kuzma's play with the 2 stars is frustrating, but if we can get him to help pace the bench that could mean the difference in winning it all.


Kuzma should not be running ISO. He isn't good at it. 0.74 PPP on ISO is very bad. When Kuzma is in with the bench, they should be running plays for him that get him the high percentage looks that he is good at it.

Then if he is off, then you let Rondo freestyle a bit.

Kuzma is borderline elite at finishing at the basket on his flashes and shooting from the corners. That's how you start to get him going.
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