Former Utah Forward Kyle Kuzma Wins First NBA Title As Lakers Eliminate Heat
Oct 11, 2020, 8:05 PM | Updated: Oct 12, 2020, 3:36 pm
Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts with Alex Caruso #4 in Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. – Former Utah Utes forward Kyle Kuzma is now an NBA Champion as he helped the Lakers eliminate the Miami Heat in the Finals.
Los Angeles defeated Miami 106-93 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, October 11.
Kuzma is the first Ute to win an NBA title since Andrew Bogut in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors.
JOB'S FINISHED: YOUR LOS ANGELES LAKERS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/Dnxtgt9i1d
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 12, 2020
Kuzma’s Postseason
This season was Kuzma’s first appearance in the playoffs after the Lakers missed the postseason in each of his first two seasons. In the first round against Portland, Kuzma scored in double figures twice, including with 18 points in Game 4.
In the second round against Houston, he scored in double figures three times, including 13 in Game 2, 14 in Game 3 and 17 in Game 5. The Western Conference Finals against Denver, Kuzma had 11 points in Games 1 and 3 and 10 points in Game 4.
🗣 Our staff on @kylekuzma's work ethic & becoming an @NBA Champion. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/7jBZmoPnA8
— Utah Basketball🏀 (w/ 😷) (@UtahMBB) October 12, 2020
During the NBA Finals, Kuzma had 3 points in Game 1, 11 points in Game 2, 19 points in Game 3, 9 points in Game 4, 7 points in Game 5, and 2 points in Game 6.
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Kuzma’s Third NBA Season
The former Ute just finished his third NBA season. As a rookie, Kuzma appeared in 77 games with 37 starts, averaging 16.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Last season, he increased his scoring to 18.7 points along with 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest.
Kuzma’s scoring decreased this season with the arrival of Anthony Davis in the off-season. During the regular season, Kuzma appeared in 61 games with 9 starts, averaging 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Through three seasons, he is shooting 44 percent from the field, 33 percent from the three-point line and 73 percent at the foul line in 208 regular season games.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
