It may not be the big one, but the Los Angeles Lakers are champions once again. Without Summer League MVP Lonzo Ball the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 110-98, to bring home the Summer League championship, and they did so in large part thanks to the play of Kyle Kuzma.
The 27th overall pick in this draft, Kuzma led the Lakers in scoring and ranked fifth in summer league overall. He saved his best for the title game as he dropped 30 points and 10 rebounds. He would be named Summer League Championship MVP and he showed off his trophies on his Twitter page:
— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 18, 2017
Kuzma was on fire tonight, hitting 11-of-16 from the field and 6-of-10 from three-point range. He was named to the Summer League Second Team, but on this night he made an argument that he was robbed of a First Team spot.
No one was quite sure what to expect from Kuzma when the Lakers drafted him, but he has shown a wide array of skills in an impressive Summer League performance. Whether it was his shooting, attacking the basket, rebounding or defense, Kuzma simply did everything for the Lakers, and the championship MVP was well deserved.
He certainly had some competition for the MVP as unheralded Matt Thomas couldn’t miss. Thomas made eight of his nine shots including all five from deep en route to 23 points. Additionally Vander Blue finished with 20 points, five rebounds, and six assists while Alex Caruso filled in for the injured Ball with 15 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
Many players contributed to the Lakers winning the Summer League Championship, but with his performance tonight and through the entire summer, Kuzma was the man hoisting up two trophies at the end of the night.
