Kyle Kuzma Ruled Out vs. Thunder After Back Injury Diagnosed As Contusion

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma suffered a lower back contusion against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday and was later ruled out, per team reporter Mike Trudell.

According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, Kuzma will undergo an MRI on Thursday.

The Lakers could now be without Kuzma and LeBron James, who sat his fourth straight game on Wednesday with a strained groin. The duo have combined for 46.0 points per game.

Kuzma managed to stay in good health for most of his rookie season, but he was sidelined for the final three contests due to a sprained left ankle. Having made 77 appearances in 2017-18, he made it through his first grind of an 82-game season in good shape.

After being taken out of Utah with the 27th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Kuzma quickly showed he could play against NBA competition. He averaged 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds for a Lakers team that saw a nine-win improvement.

While the growth and development of the young core seemed to be heading in a promising direction, everything changed in L.A. when James signed with the team during the offseason. Expectations surrounding the team were heightened, and the young players have been asked to be carry their weight in support of the four-time NBA MVP.

Especially Kuzma. The Lakers are so high on Kuzma that the second-year forward was "off-limits" in Kawhi Leonard trade talks, according to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

Early on this season, Kuzma showed he would have little trouble playing alongside James. And his coach was quick to take notice.

"He's a second-year player," Los Angeles coach Luke Walton pointed out in late October, per the Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner. "These are big stakes and he's proven he can score 37 on a given night [at San Antonio] and we're asking him, 'Yeah, that's great, but play within the team structure. And make the right read and make the right pass and defend multiple people.' There's a lot going on and he's constantly trying to become that type of player for us."

Entering Wednesday, Kuzma was averaging 18.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season.

His versatility could wind up being the key to the Lakers' success. Los Angeles has experimented with playing him at the 5, with the hopes of pushing the tempo on offense.

"Offensively, it would be great for us if Kuz could handle that. We could get out and fly and run and space the floor," Walton said in October, per NBA.com's Joey Ramirez. "... He wants the challenge again, and we're gonna give it to him again."

The Lakers will only go as far as James takes them. But if they hope to be legitimate title contenders, having him and Kuzma on the floor is important.