Now that Kyle “The JaKuzzi” Kuzma has proven himself to be a legitimate scorer in the NBA, we need to determine whether or not he is part of the CORE of the Lakers. But, before we can do that, we must define exactly what the CORE of the Lakers is before the addition of Kuzma.
Brandon Ingram is part of the CORE. That much is known. He is a CORE PLAYER for the Lakers. But a CORE cannot consist of just one player or even two players. There must be three players to constitute a CORE for a team. Kyle Kuzma is a candidate CORE member, but we need one more player that is undoubtedly part of the LAKERS CORE.
Corey Brewer is not part of the CORE. Neither is Brook Lopez part of the CORE, since he is significantly older than other CORE members. Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle? Definitely not CORE enough for the CORE.
After much consideration, I have added Lonzo Ball to the CORE. If he reaches his potential as a player, this will be a prescient and wise decision on my part, but if he fails to pan out, then his inclusion in the CORE will make me look very foolish indeed.
So the CORE now stands at Ingram and Ball, two young players with enormous potential. Kuzma doesn’t fit in quite as well with this CORE of players since he is older, more experienced, and less likely to miraculously turn into a superstar. I will go the safe route and say that, as of this writing, Kyle Kuzma’s CORE STATUS is undetermined.