One of the things that has made Los Angeles Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma stand out this season is his confidence and fearlessness. Regardless of the stage or situation, Kuzma never seemed overwhelmed or been afraid of taking any shot.
Additionally, despite being the 27th overall pick in the Draft, Kuzma never sounds impressed by his performances. While others may not have expected him to be this good, Kuzma himself believes this is par for the course.
This mindset is something that has been noticeable by all of his teammates and in a piece by Jack Jenson of SLAM Magazine, fellow rookie Lonzo Ball raved about Kuzma’s confidence and believes it helps him:
“He wants to be the best. Anytime he steps on the floor, he thinks he is the best. That’s how he plays, a lot of confidence,” says Lonzo Ball, Kuz’s fellow Lakers rookie and best friend on the team. “I think it helps him, just the way he plays and his mindset. I love it.”
In response, Kuzma had a very simple explanation as to why he is so confident:
“I feel like when you work hard, you’re prepared. And when you’re prepared, you should be confident.”
Kuzma definitely works hard on his game and that is one of the reasons he has grown so much from his college days to his time with the Lakers, but sometimes the most talented players can suffer due to a lack of confidence. That is not a problem for Kuzma.
He currently leads the Lakers in scoring at 16.2 points per game, good for third among all rookies. He is also averaging 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists as he has taken the coaching staff’s advice to become a more well-rounded player.
It isn’t often that you get a potential franchise cornerstone late in the the draft, but thanks to that confidence and work ethic, Kuzma is exactly that for the Lakers.
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