3Peatkb24 wrote:Julius Russell wrote:People who don’t like Zo usually think Kuz is a great player in the making. It’s my litmus test for Laker fans
Regarding myself, I like Zo but I do think Kuzma is better as of now. I have my doubts whether or not either will ever be great. This Lakers team just doesn't impress as a whole right now. 4 things that can not be disputed are: Our Chemistry isn't that good, we are a lousy FT shooting team, we are a lousy 3 point shooting team, and our key players have trouble staying healthy. Just facts that can not be disputed at the moment. Also when LeBron doesn't play we are 7-13, so when he doesn't play we are a bad team. With LeBron we are 20-14. Certain players just play better on different teams, like Russell for the Nets. He is having a solid season but fits in there better. Oladipo was considered a bust until Indy traded for him and then he turned into a borderline SuperStar. That is what I mean, our chemistry is out of whack.
I love Kuzma's laid-back swagger, how he's gone on scoring binges and his overall contribution as a teammate, so to me that makes him our Klay. He's not going to be 2nd team all-defense or be aggressive on drives into the paint, or body up on bigger F/C types on the blocks a lot - that's clearly not his game. He needs others to create opportunities for him.
Ingram, on the other hand, has done just about everything we've asked of him on offense and defense, and done it fairly well. Of the three, he's been our most consistently productive player, though he has lots of room for improvement. He's a lot like KD: Quiet, moody, focused amd determined when the ball is in his hands and he's looking to score. He keeps his head up, he looks to pass and he gets to spots where he can score or rebound.
Lonzo has wowed us in flashes with his passing in transition and in half-court sets, and he's tried his best to make up for his weaknesses by playing lockdown defense and crashing the boards, but overall he lacks that fire and vocal presence that a team needs in order to be led in a winning directon. He's looking for a coach (or his dad) to direct him or motivate him, or he feels lost. He's going to have to do some serious self-evaluation over the summer if he wants to be any kind of valued player in this league.
I'd love to keep Kuz if we can afford to have that kind of scorer. I doubt we can afford to wait for Lonzo to become something he clearly may never be. Of the three, I feel that Ingram is the most valuable to us going forward.