From the time they first stepped on the court together at Las Vegas Summer League, it was clear that rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma had excellent chemistry. As the season went gone on, that chemistry both on and off the court has only become more apparent.
What’s interesting is that they come from completely different backgrounds. Ball grew up in Chino Hills, Calif., and was one of the top recruits in the country before entering the draft after one year. Kuzma, meanwhile, was barely recruited out of Flint, Mich., and spent three seasons at Utah before declaring for the 2017 NBA draft.
Nonetheless, Ball and Kuzma have been on the same page since day one. Ball spoke with Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, saying that he and Kuzma realized they shared similar goals when they first spoke. He would ultimately elaborate on those goals:
Just getting championships. That’s what it’s always been about for me, winning, and him as well. He wants to be MVP, like anybody would want to be MVP, but our common goal is to win a championship. We know we gotta put in work and stay together to do that. So, that’s how everything started.
Those are definitely the goals that you would expect young players coming into the league to have, but the fact that Lonzo and Kuzma just seemed to be on the same page from the beginning is a great sign.
Those two, along with Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and Josh Hart give the Lakers an outstanding young core and for the most part, they are around the same age range. This allows them all to grow together and develop a trust on and off the court.
Lonzo and Kuzma, in particular, just seem to have such a connection that the two eventually having their own reality show together seems like a necessity. But both have the desire and drive to be great, and that is what will hopefully lead the Lakers back to the promised land.
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