7 years agoLos Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has had a relatively exceptional inaugural campaign thus far. Kuzma ranks third in rookie scoring with 15.7 points per game, behind only Sixers guard/forward Ben Simmons and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. After taking over a bulk of the duties at the four spot earlier in the year when forward Larry Nance Jr. went down with a broken left hand, Kuzma saw his productivity rise tremendously, averaging 18.2 points in November and an impressive 19.5 points in December. However, upon the return of Nance, the rookie saw his numbers dwindle significantly, averaging only 12.5 points in January. With Nance now out of the equation after being shipped to Cleveland, the door has once again opened up for Kuzma to reinsert himself back into the Rookie of the Year conversation. Though he may come off the bench behind forward Julius Randle, Kuzma will still see plenty of minutes at both the three and four spots moving forward. With the Lakers possessing one of the easier schedules in the league for the second-half of the season, he could find himself seeing the same type of production that he had in the Fall, much to the chagrin of the owners who bailed on him.--Dennis Clausen - RotoBaller
Source: ESPN