With the Kobe Bean himself in attendance, Kyle Kuzma put on a show that, while maybe not quite as spectacular as even an average game for prime Kobe, was still pretty neat. I mean, if Kobe scored 25 in a game you would be like “that’s a decent game from Kobe”, but for Kuzma that’s more than a decent game, that’s a GOOD game.
Also neat was the Lakers taking the (Curry-less) Warriors to overtime. Not so neat was them losing in overtime, but I think Kuzma made up for that by shooting an honest-to-god skyhook earlier in the game. That was a mature move which showed that Kuzma doesn’t care about Kobe’s opinion or approval; no, he only cares about the approval of the true Lakers GOAT of all time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kuzma might have to start shooting those with more regularity if he wants to get the GOAT’s attention, but this is a strong start.