Kuzma has had an interesting career so far with the Los Angeles Lakers, even though he is only entering his third season.

If it weren’t for the sudden emergence of Mitchell in the Jazz, Kuzma would definitely be the biggest surprise in the 2017 draft. He handed over 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in his first season. Ball, even second-year Ingram, and Kuzma have a higher starting point.

Therefore, in the process of trading the thick eyebrow brother, the Lakers chose to protect this young man. Unfortunately, after that, Kuzma's performance was disappointing.

With the new Lakers performing so well this season, Kuzma was frequently involved in trade rumors before the trade deadline. Even if the trade deadline is over, there will be questions about what he will do in the offseason. Rumors of being traded haven't stopped either.

According to the current situation, Kuzma's performance on the offensive end is shrinking rapidly, and his three-point shooting percentage has dropped to 29.7. In addition, he has always been the team's best on the defensive end. One of the loopholes, it seems that the Lakers have every reason to trade him in the offseason.

However, the US media "lakeshowlife" recently put forward another interesting idea, that is, the Lakers did not select Kuzma that year. They could have chosen two other defensive giants to fill the team's current position. The biggest shortcoming.

1. White

US media believed that the Lakers held the 27th and 30th picks at that time, so the team could use the 27th pick to select Derrick White, and then use the 30th pick. Choosing Kuzma or Hart may affect subsequent trade issues regarding Big Eyebrows, but it may be Kuzma who is sent away by then, not White.

Even if White is not an impactful scorer, perhaps Kuzma's better scoring looks more appealing from the perspective of a novice fan.

But for the Lakers, White is undoubtedly a better choice, because he is an elite defender and can provide certain organizational skills, which happens to be the most lacking supplement for this Lakers. Strong object.

At the same time, in terms of 48-minute contribution, White ranked 12th among players in the 2017 class, while Kuzma ranked 29th.

2. Monte Morris

Unlike White above, Monte Morris is not an elite defender, but he is an extremely good point guard. , which fully meets the needs of the Lakers.

He was ranked 51st overall in 2017, which means that the Lakers are fully capable of selecting him, whether they give up Kuzma or Hart.

Morris can be the perfect backup ball-handler for the Lakers, and he can provide a 39.8% three-point shooting rate. In his second season (the season with the most shots per game), three The shooting percentage from point shooting is as high as 41.4%.

In terms of win shares, he is better than White, ranking 7th in the 2017 class. If the number of games is expanded to players who have played at least 100 games, then he will rank fifth.

Although the US media's "hindsight" behavior cannot change the facts, it has practical significance for the Lakers' offseason trade reinforcement actions.

Mont Morris has not been reused in the Nuggets, and White is no longer regarded as the core of the rebuilding Spurs, so the Lakers have every opportunity to make up for the regrets in the draft that year through trade.

And Kuzma is not helpful to the Lakers' offensive and defensive system, but he is a good forward reinforcement candidate for the Spurs and Nuggets.