“He Has to be Our Third Best Player”: LeBron Ushers Huge Responsibility to Lakers’ Youngster Kyle Kuzma

Some level of confidence in Lakers was regained by the 124-121 victory over the Denver Nuggets. It all came down to Kyle Kuzma’s game-winning shot from deep with a mere 0.4 seconds left.

With three out of seven wins in the bubble, Lakers witnessed a downfall in their game despite clinching the first seed. This win was a complete performance by LeBron James-led army.

The show was completely taken away by Kyle Kuzma against Nuggets

Kuzma added a unique spark to the game. After being criticized for not being a confident pressure-situation player, Kuzma proved that he can lead the team to victory.

With a fraction of a second left for the buzzer and the two teams tied at 121, Frank Vogel took a timeout. When most would expect LeBron James or Anthony Davis to take the lead, the stage was set for Kuzma to shine. And he surely did. Moreover, the tall 7’2″ rookie, Bol Bol, was on the defensive end, but Kuz made that bucket count right across his face.

Kuzma’s answer to that shot post the game was, “I think Jesus could be in front of me and I’d probably still shoot.”

LeBron contributed to the win with 29 points and 12 assists. The highlight point was how the Lakers made a team effort to cross the winning line, unlike other games in Orlando. Starters were full powered up in this match. Seemed like they wanted to prove themselves after a tough fight in there.

Lakers star LeBron James is impressed with the young man

Well, the 25-year-old is being talked about by most, but when LeBron himself adds to the appreciation, it is different. As the most experienced player out there, LeBron has shown great confidence in the young man.

“Kuz is a confident kid, a confident young man. And I’m happy to have him on our side… He goes on and just plays. He’s worked a lot like I said. He’s still young, and it’s crazy he’s only in his third year,” LeBron said in the post-game conference. “But you know he’s gotten better, his game is starting to slow down, he’s starting to see the game at a pace which works not only for himself but works for our team… You got to have confidence to be able to take a shot like that.” 

Also, according to him, Kuzma is supposed to be their third best player on the team to win a championship. That’s a highlight statement to make for sure. And it is a huge responsibility to be taken care of by the youngster.

“In order to win a championship, he has to be our third best player. If I’m struggling or AD is struggling, he has to be our second best player…We can’t win a championship if Kuz doesn’t play well.”

Moreover, now that we see some change in team dynamics, the hope builds up for Lakers fans yet again. Also, they may improvise to get forward in the upcoming playoffs.

The Lakers will take over the Sacramento Kings in their next match on 13th August.

Source: YouTube – First Take