Lakers News: Latest Reports on Kyle Kuzma, LeBron James and More

The 2018-19 Los Angeles Lakers are, without question, as interesting a 2-5 team as you're ever going to find.

That's mostly a byproduct of LeBron James' decision to sign with them this summer, pairing the Association's best player with its marquee franchise.

But the interesting angles don't stop at the top, as the storylines run the gamut from player development and chemistry creation to head coach Luke Walton's new challenge and the team's attempt to jump from the lottery into title contention.

The following three news items just add to the list of intriguing subplots.

Kyle Kuzma Wants To Start

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Kyle Kuzma has been a lot of different things in his one-plus-year NBA career: second-team spark, 30-point scorer, All-Rookie first-teamer, roaster extraordinaire.

Prior to Sunday night, though, one thing he hadn't been was a preferred starter. Sure, he had filled in when injuries or suspensions created a void, but the opening gig had never belonged to him.

It's possible that tide is turning. Kuzma started that contest alongside Brandon Ingram, the player Kuzma had replaced while Ingram was serving a four-game suspension. While the Lakers wound up on the wrong side of a Minnesota Timberwolves' 124-120 win, Kuzma did his part with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and zero turnovers in 32 minutes.

Maybe that gets Kuzma another look with the first unit. That's where he feels he belongs, after all.

"Of course, everybody wants to be a starter and I feel like I'm a starter in this league, but I can't necessarily control that," Kuzma said, per The Athletic's Bill Oram. "I'm just a player. But we'll see what happens."

This could prove a delicate situation for Walton to handle. On the one hand, Kuzma is the team's second-most potent scorer at 19.4 points per game. On the other, L.A.'s defensive rating has been 12.7 points worse per 100 possessions with him than without.

Maybe that means Kuzma's skills are best suited in a spark-plug role. But since he thinks differently, he may need to mold his approach to bulk up the non-scoring parts of his game.

Dirk Thinks LeBron Can Pass Kareem

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James' legendary career put two more NBA legends in his rearview over the past week.

During the club's 110-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, James moved in front of Dirk Nowitzki for sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list (31,231 points) and ahead of Shaquille O'Neal for the sixth-most field goals in NBA history (11,350).

Nowitzki thinks James has a chance to keep scoring his way to the top.

"If he stays healthy, the way he's looking and moving, he has a chance at Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]," Nowitzki told ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "His numbers have been unbelievable. He doesn't seem to slow down. The stuff he was doing last year in Year 15 was incredible. If he keeps this up, he can pass Kareem."

Abdul-Jabbar is the clubhouse leader with 38,387 points, a total accumulated over 20 NBA seasons.

James just started his 16th NBA season, although he inked a four-year pact with L.A. this summer (player option for the final year). Abdul-Jabbar finished his 16th season at 33,262 points. If James matches the production he compiled last season (league-best 2,251 points), he'd be just ahead of Abudl-Jabbar's pace with 33,289 points.

And don't forget, Abdul-Jabbar was 37 by the time his 16th season came around. James' head start as a preps-to-pros leaper could be the ultimate leg up in this historic race.

Given the pace James is on, it seems possible he could cruise right to the top rung. Right now, the 33-year-old is averaging 27-plus points for the second straight season. Abdul-Jabbar didn't top that average after his age-28 campaign.

Early-Season Stumbles Are Taking a Toll

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Given the wealth of offseason changes to this roster, the chances of this group making a smooth start were never great.

But that doesn't make the process any easier to stomach.

It's not just that the team is 2-5, it's that three of those losses have been decided by four points or less. And in two of those tilts, the Lakers lost both the turnover and foul battles.

"There's obviously frustration that comes with it," Walton told reporters after the latest loss. "But like I told our guys, nobody feels sorry for us. It's up to us to figure it out and start winning some of these close games."

And while James can appreciate the growing process needed on his third NBA team, he's also anxious to see that growth take place.

"We talk about patience, but we can't have [a] reoccurrence of the same thing," he said. "Doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting a different result, you know, that's insanity. So we have to get better. We can't just have the same mistakes over and over again."

A lot of this must take place organically.

The Lakers have a ton of new faces, and the collective is still taking shape. They've already started four different groups through the early going.

But the clock is ticking. For as much time as you'd think this team has considering it's still October, every win—and every loss—will count in what's sure to be a tightly contested playoff field out West.

Statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.