A player’s mental conditioning is deemed important as much during the training as during the match. The difference being that expert coaches work with players during the preparation, but it is the fellow players who have this job after the tip-off. Luckily for Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers, he had LeBron James and Jared Dudley to condition him.
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In the game against the Denver Nuggets, Lakers pulled the last-moment magical victory, thanks to Kyle Kuzma’s bucket from down the line. It was a make-or-break moment and Kyle could topple his doubts to finish the game. Let us break into the tiny details of that memorable victory move.
When the Los Angeles Lakers showed complete trust in a young Kuzma
With just 6 seconds remaining in the game, Lakers were leading 121-120 against the Nuggets. There was just no scope for error when one happened. LeBron James missed a crucial three-pointer attempt and P.J. Dozier grabbed the rebound. P.J. was playing the offense when he found Kyle Kuzma standing like a wall who would not allow P.J. to enter the paint and complete a dunk. Kyle fouled and awarded Nuggets two free throws. Fortunately for the Lakers, Nuggets could only make the score level.
But something happened in the hindsight. Jared Dudley and LeBron gave beautiful pieces of advice to the young man. It said, “Just jump vertical with your hands straight up..It wil[l] slow down the ball handler to make a shot. Bron and the biga are trailing for the chase down block. Take the whistle away from ref”.
Told him don’t take that charge in that situation.. He’s 6’9 with a long wing span, Just jump vertical with your hands straight up..It wil slow down the ball handler to make a tough shot. Bron and the biga are trailing for the chase down block. Take the whistle away from ref https://t.co/F8S6SCukG4
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) August 11, 2020
That is called true leadership. Such words of knowledge and trust in a tense situation must have given Kyle enough mental kick to play like a champion.
Kyle Kuzma worked like a good student!
The piece of advice he received had nothing much to do with what was coming to him in the next 3 seconds. But he knew his team trusts in him, and that’s more than enough to perform under pressure. A pass from LeBron to Anthony Davis and then picked by Kuzma ended up in the bucket, and the Lakers won.
Even the head coach Frank Vogel has accepted that the folks in the team now trust in Kriss Kross’s skills more from the three-point line. Kuzma is scoring at 15.5 points per game in the Orlando Bubble, and his form will benefit the Lakers in the playoffs.
The Lakers will play the Sacramento Kings in the last seeding game on August 13th, at 1:30 PM ET.
