Kyle Kuzma: Steal of the 2017 NBA Draft 

Kyle Kuzma has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 NBA season!

Standing 6'9" with a wingspan of nearly 7', Kuzma is one of the dark horse contenders for the Rookie of the Year award this season. He comes from Flint, Michigan, a city with the among the highest poverty rate as well as listed among most violent cities in America. But, nothing could have stopped Kyle from becoming what he is today.

His first three years of high school were spent at Burton Bentley High. Kuzma then committed to Utah, where he redshirted his first year, and he improved drastically throughout his three-year stint.He attained a bachelor's degree in sociology, before declaring for the NBA draft.

Kuzma has got all the physical attributes to become the modern-day Power Forward and is a great contribution to the present Lakers team. He is fast, can shoot the ball and a good defender. He has averages of 16.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game this season with a field goal percentage of 49.2%.

During this year's draft, all eyes were on Lonzo Ball who was Los Angeles Lakers' 2nd overall pick. He was perceived to be the next poster boy of the Lakers. Also, some attention was taken by D'Angelo Russell's trade which was taking place during that time.When it came to the 27th pick Lakers got Kyle Kuzma.But who would have thought that this pick will put a big impact on the Lakers' team?

“Everybody thought I was going to be on the board much later. I kinda took that on the chin, and said, ‘OK, well, I gotta do it in summer league now.’ Right after that, I took a flight to San Diego to work with my trainer and start getting ready for summer league,” Kuzma said.

The summer league was the first time Kyle got everybody's attention.He was averaging 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.He also earned MVP of the Summer League championship game.He carried on his form in the preseason as well.He had a 51.4 percentage of shooting exhibition and it was clear that the Lakers have found a gem in this late pick.

As the season began, Kyle was an important member off the bench for the Lakers.He averaged 15.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and shot 54.3 percent from the field during the start of the season.Then, after Larry Nance Jr got injured Kyle was given a chance as a starter.His first NBA start came against the team that traded him away on draft night, the Brooklyn Nets.When all the talks were around D'Angelo, Kuzma exploded for 21 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 72.7 percent from the field.

“I don’t really compare rookies because my focus is one, winning, and two, I try to focus on all the top players in the league, because that’s where I want to be, so I don’t feel like rookies are a sticking point for me to try to battle with,”Kuzma said.

“I look at guys like Antetokounmpo and LeBron because eventually, that’s where I want to be,” Kuzma said.

He has been a blessing for the Lakers who should consider themselves fortunate.Kuzma is full of talent and has a long way to go.He is definitely one of the best rookies to look for this season.