NBA Rumors: Kyle Kuzma, LeBron James Thinks L.A. Lakers Are Being Underestimated
Despite the successful acquisition of LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers are still not considered a legitimate title contender in the 2018-19 NBA season. With the emergence of numerous “Super Teams” in the league, most people believe that having the best player in the planet is not enough to bring the Lakers back to their former glory. Unlike his previous stints with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers where he played alongside other NBA superstars like Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, James is currently the Lakers’ lone superstar being surrounded by young talents without playoff experience and role players.
One of the Lakers’ young core, Kyle Kuzma, recently had a work out with LeBron James and revealed that both of them are excited with the current roster they have, especially with other free agency signings like Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Michael Beasley. Kuzma and James are aware that lots of people are underestimating the Lakers heading into the 2018-19 NBA season with chemistry as one of the major concerns.
However, Kyle Kuzma believes that they are not the only team who will be facing the problem. Kuzma is very optimistic that Lakers Head Coach Luke Walton will find a way to maximize the effectiveness of all the players on their roster.
With LeBron James on board, Kyle Kuzma sees no reason for young Lakers to be 'so patient' about winning. https://t.co/7Xlm6NaZKY
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 15, 2018
With their failure to acquire other superstars like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard this offseason, some people believe that LeBron James will be needing to wait for another year for the Lakers to become a legitimate title contender. However, Kyle Kuzma believes people shouldn’t count them out because they are young.
“I don’t know why people kind of just rule us out because we are young,” said Kuzma, who was a first-team All-Rookie performer after averaging 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds last season, via ESPN. “We are hungry. We are competitive. Anybody that watched us play last year, we were in a lot of games. Having one of the greatest players of all time is going to raise what we do, raise our level of focus and the team to a higher level. I don’t really see why [there is a need to be] so patient.”
Despite having only one superstar, Kuzma believes that players like him, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Lonzo Ball are all capable of helping the Lakers make a huge impact next season. Kuzma added that the arrival of James in Los Angeles will further encourage them to improve their game and speed up their development to become a superstar in the league.
