Kyle Kuzma’s sublime performance should have Lakers fans excited

Kuzma is the real deal.

Lonzo Ball might be the Lakers’ most important rookie, but there’s no doubt Kyle Kuzma’s their best. If there was any doubt, Kuzma removed it Wednesday night against the Rockets.

Despite playing one of the NBA’s top defenses, Kuzma was still able to go off. He scored a career-high 38 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, and one block. The Rockets didn’t respect his offense early on in the game and, by the end, he made them pay.

He shot 12-17 from the field and 7-10 from deep. That included a perfect first half where he made all nine of his shots.

Tonight, he ended the Rockets’ 14-game winning streak. Here’s how he did it.

He did it with his shooting from deep

Kuzma is a 38 percent three-point shooter, so leaving him open isn’t a great choice. However, no one expects him to go 7-10 from deep — especially when they’re not all easy.

A number of them were wide open, but he still hit pull up threes like this.

And he did it with P.J. Tucker’s hands in his face, too.

Teams will live with these plays, but tonight he made the Rockets pay. Sometimes you can only tip your cap. Those are just incredible plays from a rookie playing far beyond his years.

But it wasn’t just the deep ball

He also used his skill and athleticism to find his way around the defense. Here he was able to slip past the defense and use his athleticism to finish a play.

And he’s also just a bright player. Watch him sprint out ahead of the defense here and perfectly fill this lane for Brandon Ingram in transition.

Kuzma is the type of player who’s just always in the right place at the right time. That basket staved off the Rockets, who were getting closer and closer to retaking the lead.

He’s 23 years old, and he’s only going to get better

So what if Kuzma is old for a rookie? He’s still got lots of room to improve, and he can. He’s already a solid player with lots of important skills in today’s NBA.

Kuzma’s able to spot up and shoot like he did tonight, but he can also make plays in the post. He can operate in the halfcourt or in transition. He has enough athleticism to run by you or bull through you — you just have to pick your poison.

The best part about his performance tonight is that he expects this from himself even when no one else does.

That’s the mentality of a player who is willing to work and improve at every turn. That’s exactly what he’s going to do. The Lakers got themselves a gem here. We should be excited to watch him shine.