NBA 2018-19: 3 reasons why the Lakers need to trade away Kyle Kuzma

Back in 2017, Kyle Kuzma declared for the NBA draft after playing three years of college basketball with the Utah Runnin' Utes. In the days building up to the draft, Kuzma was projected as a late second-round pick, although he was ultimately selected with the 27th overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets.

Kuzma was quickly traded to the Lakers as part of the deal that took D'Angelo Russell to Brooklyn. And after impressing during the Summer League, Kuzma quickly found himself in the Lakers rotation.

During his debut season, Kuzma was the best performing member of the team's much talked about young core, finishing his rookie year averaging 16.1 points per game. Due to his rapid impact, Kuzma was expected to become a vital player alongside LeBron James, although he has failed to build on his excellent first season.

Due to this, Kuzma's future with the franchise is in doubt. Here, we examine three reasons why the Lakers should trade away the 23-year-old this summer.

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#3 Defensive limitations

Kuzma has continued to struggle defensively

While Kuzma's lack of defensive skills was evident during his rookie season, the Lakers hoped that he would improve as he gained more experience. However, despite nearing 150 NBA appearances, Kuzma remains a major liability to the Lakers' defense, and he has yet to show any potential that he can develop into a capable two-way player.

Thanks to his frame, Kuzma remains a strong rebounder (5.5 per game), but he is frequently singled out by opposition teams as LA's defensive weak link. At 34, LeBron can no longer play with the same defensive intensity as he did a decade ago, and the Lakers simply leak too many points with the forward pairing of him and Kuzma.

#2 Lack of improvement over his rookie season

Los Angeles Lakers v Dallas Mavericks

Considering he was one of the best performing rookies of the 2017-18 season, the Lakers were understandably eager to see their young forward develop further during his second year in the league. However, despite starting 68 times this season, Kuzma's stats have shown little growth.

Despite an increase in minutes, Kuzma's points per game average has only slightly increased from 16.1 to 18.7, whereas his field goal percentage has remained at a disappointing 45%. As established earlier, his defense remains a major weakness, whereas his ball handling skills could also use some work.

Kuzma's lack of development is especially concerning since, despite a disappointing season, both Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram have managed to show signs of improvement. The fact that Kuzma didn't make his NBA debut until he had turned 22 may be a contributing factor, and it is possible that Kuzma is already near his ceiling.

#1 No threat from beyond the arc

Kuzma's three-point accuracy has plummeted to 30%

Kyle Kuzma has quickly become known for his scoring ability, but the forward has yet to develop any sort of consistency from beyond the arc. During his rookie year, Kuzma knocked down a respectable 36% of his three attempts, although this tally has plummeted to just 30% for the current campaign.

To put this figure into perspective, Kuzma has attempted 422 threes, knocking down just 128 of them. This sets Kuzma's accuracy only slightly above Russell Westbrook, and Kuzma's shooting problems will be an issue for the Lakers going forward.

LeBron James has always functioned best when surrounded by shooters, and Kuzma looks unlikely to thrive in a catch and shoot role. The Lakers also have the second worst three-point percentage of the 2018-19 season, and with all things considered, the Lakers should consider moving Kuzma on this summer.