Lakers, Kuzma is a controversial champion but that special relationship with LeBron ...

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How did he play? If there was a Kyle Kuzma hype train chugging along last summer, I was the conductor. While I never went as far as to say Kuzmacould be the Lakers’ third star, I thought his role alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis was pretty clear: play off of the ball when they’re on the floor, and be the focal point of the offense when they’re on the bench. Kuzma didn’t live up to those expectations this past season, for both reasons in and out of his control, but that doesn’t mean the hype train isn’t still rolling along; it’s just changed tracks. In his third season with the Lakers, the 25-year-old forward had the worst offensive season of his young NBA career, averaging 12.8 points per game on 43.6% shooting from the field in the regular season. He wasn’t much better in the postseason, where he averaged 10 points per game on 40% shooting from the field. The drop in Kuzma’s points per game average could have been predicted with Davis getting the lion’s share of his touches from last season, but his efficiency from the field was a bit of a letdown, especially after he worked out with Lethal Shooter, Phil Handy and Team USA in the summer. Kuzma’s third year with the Lakers wasn’t a total disappointment, though. In fact, there were a lot of positives — chief among them is the way he responded to his role drastically changing. As a third-year player with a lot to prove before he becomes eligible for a contract extension, Kuzma could have pouted about not getting enough touches — an attitude would have been detrimental to a Lakers locker room that bought into a team-first mentality almost immediately. Instead, Kuzma put his head down and did what he had to help his team win, starting with the defensive end of the floor. When the Lakers returned from their four-month hiatus in June, Kuzma was visibly more active on the defensive end, which isn’t always conducive to improvement, but in Kuzma’s case it was infinitely better than anything he had showed before. Whether that was a result of him being fully healthy or just a product of his natural development, it helped Los Angeles in a big way in the postseason. In the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, Kuzma posted the second-best defensive rating on the team (90.9) behind Alex Caruso (94.2). With Kuzma on the bend, the Lakers’ defensive rating cratered to 110.6, a 16.4-point difference. That’s because Kuzma took on the challenge of guarding all five positions, something he’s capable of because of his size and mobility. Kuzma is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract. He’s set to make $3.56 million in the 2020-21 season. The Lakers can offer him an extension, or more likely, following the upcoming campaign, they can extend a $5.2 million qualifying offer to Kuzma, which would make him a restricted free agent in 2021. Additionally, selling high on Kuzma would give the Lakers an opportunity to maximize the talent they have in this win-now window they’re in. Is a trade package built around Kuzma enough to get Bradley Beal out of Washington? It’s highly unlikely, but it might be enough to get a certain disgruntled All-Star out of Indiana, especially since his contract expires in 2021. Yes, I’m looking directly at you, Victor Oladipo. It wouldn’t be the worst thing if Kuzma was on the Lakers’ opening night roster. It wouldn’t even be the worst thing if they extended him this fall. But, at the very least, the front office needs to see what his market is, something that they haven’t done in previous seasons. The days of Kuzma being untouchable should be over.