Key #2 Contain Kyle Kuzma
It may be hard for some to believe, but the Lakers’ leading scorer during the preseason so far hasn’t been the highly touted rookie Lonzo Ball, it hasn’t been supposed rising star Brandon Ingram and it hasn’t been veteran Brook Lopez. In fact, none of those guys have even come close.
No, instead, much to the delight of Ute fans everywhere, LA’s most impressive preseason player and leading scorer thus far has been former University of Utah standout Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma has absolutely taken the league by storm in this early-going as he’s led his Lakers squad with 19.5 points per game on an outrageous 62 percent shooting from the field. His versatility on offense has quickly turned him into the Lakers’ most dangerous weapon thus far.
Kyle Kuzma is top-five in scoring this preseason. Where the hell did he come from? https://t.co/XQG9O6bAGT pic.twitter.com/ownuAw4x0Y
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 5, 2017
Is that highly efficient shooting maintainable? Probably not. But either way, he’s provided an exceptional, and in some ways unexpected, spark for this Lakers team and the Jazz will need to show that they can slow down a guy who undoubtedly has been on a hot streak.
While Kuzma has been solid from the floor, he’s struggled somewhat from deep where he’s shot just 30 percent on 20 attempts. His ability to stretch the floor is certainly there, but if the Jazz can force him into settling for shots from long distance, they may very well be able to slow him down overall.
They did a solid job on both of Phoenix’s leading scorers from last year – Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker – in their two most recent contests, so seeing how they handle a guy like Kuzma who’s been electrifying so far will be intriguing to watch. And if they’re able to neutralize him tonight, given that he’s been such a big part of the Laker offense, it should allow the Jazz to come away with a win.