Can Kuzma play the 3 at the next level?

[aaron_gray]

Originally wrote as a response to Clippers game, thought it might be worth a repost after the Cs game.

3. Thomas Byrant looks really smooth really early. Much like what I saw with him.

Idk if smooth is the right word - it was honestly more energy and testosterone than anything. Hustle is important, especially for more physical positions like C but at the end of the day his career will be defined by his ability to protect the rim and shoot 3s on offense.

The focus was on Bryant, but I feel like the more intriguing development this game was Kuzma flashing his skill set and lateral agility. This probably will wholly depend on whether or not he can shoot reliably from NBA distance, but it looks like Kuzma might be able to play the 3 at the next level. The transition from non-shooter 4 in college to 3 point sniper in the NBA has happened before, though it most often occurs on teams where the coach is a regular COY candidate. For a wing, Kuzma would have elite length to make up for any speed deficiencies on defense.

If the coaching staff somehow pulled it off and Kuzma manages to shoot like 36% from deep as a rookie while logging half his minutes at the wing, then Kyle would become the Laker's most valuable late round snag - more so than any of JC, Nance, Zubac, Bryant or whoever. Hell, he'd probably have more trade value than Randle. It's like Zach Lowe keeps saying; in the end, two-way players rule at the wing. It's why Taurean Prince is mentioned so much with the Hawks rebuild. It's why Jae Crowder is worth more than Steph Curry, Lebron James and Anthony Davis combined to Danny Ainge. It's the reason why Parsons, Barnes, Batum, Bazemore, Caroll and so many more are paid what they are. It's also why both Otto and KCP are going to get paid. Length and shooting locked into a late first round rookie deal is a very liquid asset - the type that could add significant grease to a Deng dump if that's the road you want to go down. If I were Rob, I would prefer to take a shot at Kyle rather than wait and see if Nwaba can learn to shoot.

[Dr Aki]

If he can play good enough defense at the 3, then he's a 3