Lakers' Kyle Kuzma Wants to 'Improve My All-Around Game' This Season

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma hopes to build off the improvements he made in the postseason during the 2020-21 regular season.

Kuzma spoke to reporters about his goals for the upcoming campaign on Thursday. 

"I just want to build on what I did in the playoffs from a defensive standpoint ... and improve my all-around game," he said. 

Prior to the start of last season, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made sure that Kuzma knew he was a vital part of the organization's future. 

In April 2019, Bill Oram of The Athletic reported Pelinka told Kuzma he "was key to the Lakers' future and that, unless it was a trade for one of the game’s three best players, he wasn’t trading him."

Even when the Lakers were negotiating with the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis, Kuzma wasn't included in the final trade package. The 25-year-old struggled through the regular season, setting career-lows in scoring average (12.8), rebounds (4.5), assists (1.3) and field-goal percentage (43.6). 

Kuzma was also a poor defender, finishing 73rd out of 99 qualified power forward in ESPN's defensive real plus-minus. 

The Lakers defensive rating with him on the court during the playoffs was 105.2, slightly better than Davis' mark of 106.4. 

Even though no one will argue that Kuzma is a better overall defender than Davis, his improvement in the playoffs is an indication that there's still more room for him to grow as a player heading into his fourth season. 

This is a crucial season for Kuzma, who will be eligible for restricted free agency next offseason if he doesn't sign an extension before the Dec. 21 deadline.