Kyle Kuzma embraces doing Lakers’ dirty work

Just spent a few minutes on the radio talking about my Kyle Kuzma piece with @LAIreland and @ramonashelburne. If you heard it and are looking for the *cue radio voice* rest of the story, here it is: https://t.co/DvxGoZmvEh

— Bill Oram (@billoram) February 12, 2021

Kyle Kuzma had a shot to steal the headlines on Wednesday night. Left wide open on the baseline with 28 seconds left in regulation and the Lakers trailing by one, he attempted the potential game-winner from 11 feet out.

In a world that celebrates scoring, all he had to do was make it and he would have been the story of the game.

He missed.

But after the game had ended and the Lakers had won (again) in overtime, Kuzma’s fingerprints were all over the victory in ways that have become familiar in his fourth season.

Kuzma’s individual defense shut down Oklahoma City’s leading scorer for the night, Kenrich Williams. He forced a turnover when he denied Darius Bazley a driving lane and steered the Thunder forward out of bounds. He plucked a deflected pass out of the air to start a fast break that resulted in him scoring the layup with 4:59 remaining to give the Lakers their first lead of the game. Three minutes later, Kuzma muscled his way into the paint for an offensive rebound and putback that broke a tie.

Throughout the first 26 games of the season, the Lakers have demonstrated in ways both big and small that they have the characteristics necessary to repeat as NBA champions — from LeBron James’ determined MVP campaign to the mature, team-first manner in which veterans Markieff Morris and Wesley Matthews recently responded to being benched. But perhaps most notable of all has been the transformation of the 25-year-old Kuzma from a volume scorer to a defensive stopper and determined rebounder. He’s a role player reveling in the kinds of effort plays that define title-worthy basketball.

“I’ve been in the league for four years,” Kuzma said last week in an interview with The Athletic, “and I think the No. 1 thing I’ve learned is adapt to survive.”