NBA Playoffs: Kyle Kuzma wants to make his mark on the Lakers defense

In the first round, Kyle Kuzma averaged 10.8 points per game on 36% from field goals, the latter of which ranks among the worst field goal percentages of anyone who has attempted 50 field goals in the playoffs. Only Paul George (35.8%), Josh Richardson (35.7%), Evan Fournier (35.1%) and Timothe Luwawau-Cabbarot have shot worse from the field in 50 or more attempts from the field.

And yet Kuzma has been a net positive for the Los Angeles Lakers because of how well he has played on the defensive end. Throughout the first five postseason games of his career, Kuzma has posted a 94.2 defensive rating, which is the team’s second-highest defensive rating behind Alex Caruso (90.2).

All of this came against the team that had the best offensive rating in seeded games and the third best offense of any team in the league during the regular season. Kuzma was not only impressive by his standards; it was just awesome, period. He’s also confident that he can continue to make an impact on the defensive end in the second round due to the challenges he faced in the first.

“I think, from an individual point of view, that each series is an opportunity to improve,” said Kuzma. “My main job right now is just to get in, bring energy and defend at a high level. And being able to mark the great guards that Portland has will only help me protect the great guards that Houston has, or get in the game against whoever we play. Never mind. Everything is a springboard for improvement, especially for us. It was huge.

“A lot of people said that we couldn’t defend the 3 and that we really didn’t have a dynamic perimeter defense, and we showed people that we did. Obviously, in bubble play, (Portland) averaged 121 points and probably averaged around 100 in the last series (Editor’s note: It was actually 126 and 106.6, respectively.). Help.”

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images

Ironically, one of Kuzma’s first standout games on the defensive end was against the Houston Rockets. In the Lakers’ first meeting with the Rockets in January, they struggled to contain Russell Westbrook with their guards, so Frank Vogel made the bold decision to have Kuzma as Westbrook guard.

What Kuzma showed in that game is similar to what he showed in the playoffs, which is the ability to use his standing length and speed to slow down players. The difference now is that Kuzma sees himself as a defensive specialist, and has made an effort to clean up his mistakes on that end as a result.

“I take pride in defense and try to help this team try to win games,” Kuzma said. “Everybody places a lot of importance on me trying to be the third option and, for me, our team is not necessarily built that way. And I think that, for me, my way of making that big impact is trying to be the third best player.

“That’s from the point of view of trying to lock up the guys, play with energy because that’s my strength, and try to give myself to the team and play hard,” Kuzma continued. “I’ve come to realize that I’m just trying to do that, it’s really allowed me to prosper. Get robberies, get blocks, accept the challenge to protect, CJ, Dame, Melo, Nurkic … just protect everyone. “

Kuzma’s jump on the defensive side can be attributed to a few things: Vogel’s confidence that Kuzma took on those defensive assignments, the quality of the veterans who surrounded him this season, his new role, his health, and the natural progression to come. with a player in his third year. However, the biggest difference for Kuzma was mentally.

“I think before, I’d be a bit anxious on defense, worrying if the guy scores me,” Kuzma said. But now, it’s not necessarily that. I really do not care. I don’t care if they sign me up. I’ll keep coming, attacking and trying to stop myself. And I think having that mentality has really helped me grow as a player this year, especially on the defensive side.

“I just take it personally. I get pissed off when they sign me up. I don’t want to be signed up. That’s just my way of thinking – just trying to be a dog and stop the guys so that when we have a break and come home, (I can) have a glass of wine with a win. “

If Kuzma continues to play the level of defense that he has shown in the bubble, he may have to send some new bottles to Orlando.

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