Following their 2020 NBA title win, the Los Angeles Lakers look like they’re losing multiple players from their championship team. Avery Bradley, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Rajon Rondo have rejected player options, while Danny Green has been traded away. The team will want to keep the rest of the core together now.

There have been many rumors about the Lakers trading away Kyle Kuzma, but GM Rob Pelinka has assured that Kuzma is here to stay. Pelinka spoke about how losing Green just makes them value Kuzma even more. He will also have a more advanced role than just being a forward.

Pelinka said, “When you lose a defender and a wing player like Danny Green, I think Kyle, we’re going to count on him to step in and play some of that wing role as well, but he has the versatility to do it. He’s been a great player for us. I expect that he’ll continue to grow next season.”

Can Kuzma prove his worth in his fourth season with the Lakers?

After being selected with the #27 overall pick in 2016, Kuzma has performed beyond expectations for such a late pick. But he has still faced a lot of criticism from fans because he has the talent to do better. His inconsistency has been his Achilles’ heel so far.

When the Lakers started their seeding games campaign, Kuzma was the sole good performer. But when the playoffs arrived and the games actually mattered, he disappeared. Some days, he looks like he can be part of a Big 3 with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but on other days, he feels like just another rotational player.

Despite all the poor performances, Kuzma seems to be criticized more than he deserves. When the Lakers won the title, fans made a petition to not give Kuzma a ring. Recently, fans kept trolling him on Twitter, saying that the Lakers would trade him, which forced him to deactivate his Twitter account. Lakers fans are infamous for being the harshest.

If Kuzma can work hard this season and step up as a solid third option, not only can he shut his critics up but also earn a long-term extension when his rookie contract expires. This could be a big season for him.

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