Los Angeles Touring

The one word never associated with the Lakers: boring.

On and off the floor, the Lakers keep it interesting, from unique skill sets and backgrounds to off-court chemistry and the latest kicks.

Here’s a quick run-through of another week with the Lake Show.

1) Kyle Kuzma: Master of the Mystic Shots
Since he first stepped on an NBA court, Kyle Kuzma has busied himself by filling his highlight tape with high-difficulty shots.

That ability was on full display this week, including when he beat the shot clock in Houston with a twisting, 30-foot triple while falling to the floor.

And it also won him some dough from Ivica Zubac, who placed a bet on a half-court shot that Kuzma promptly swished. (He wants that money in singles, by the way.)

But his best of the week is probably his “Kuzmamba Mode” shot from behind the backboard in Memphis. Kuz went ahead and texted the clip to the godfather of tough shots: Kobe Bryant.

“Made sure he saw that,” Kuzma said with a grin. “He just laughed.”

2) The day the country met LeBron
Wednesday was the 16th anniversary of the day that a high schooler named LeBron James played his first game on national TV.

The unprecedented expectations were on full display during the opening of the broadcast, including references to Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

The 17-year-old led St. Vincent-St. Mary High to victory over the nation’s top-ranked team, and delivered a walk-off interview to remember — from the wise-beyond-his-years answers to the foreshadowing of his NBA headband to his mother’s custom “LeBron’s Mom” jersey.

LeBron may not be a teenager anymore (no matter what the Spurs say), but he’s still just a kid from Akron.

3) Bron Targeting the Big
Iso ball gets a bad rap, but not the way the Lakers play it.

The purple and gold rank sixth in the NBA in both isolation scoring (9.2) and efficiency (0.97 points per possession). While Brandon Ingram and Kuzma have been key contributors in this area, LeBron is among the league’s best one-on-one.

The four-time MVP has averaged the fourth-most isolation points (4.6) and is also fourth in efficiency (1.06 ppp) among the 28 players with at least 60 iso possessions.

LeBron torched Houston’s switch-heavy defense with his isolation prowess by constantly getting center Clint Capela to match up against him.

James flambéed that matchup, providing six buckets with an assist when guarded by Capela.

4) Space Jam Lance
Lance Stephenson wasn’t afraid to show his sense of humor following an ill-fated dunk attempt in Memphis.

While he failed to posterize Marc Gasol, he did win on Instagram, jokingly comparing his flight to Michael Jordan’s half-court dunk at the end of “Space Jam.”

(And hey maybe he does have a point about #thisisafoul considering Gasol’s feet inside the restricted area.)

Besides, years from now his family will never know the difference if he takes some advice from LeBron, who commented to “Tell your kids and grandkids when they are older that u made this one.”

5) The Andre Ingram legend continues
Is there a better story in basketball than that of Andre Ingram — the 10-year G League veteran who finally got his shot in the NBA last year and shined for the Lakers?

Well, Andre isn’t done. This year, he returned to the South Bay Lakers and has already provided another memorable moment.

Down by one against Santa Cruz, Ingram capped his 24-point night by sinking a floater with 1.5 seconds left to deliver victory.

The 33-year-old’s teammates showed their appreciation after the game, drenching Ingram with a water-bottle celebration.

Source: https://www.nba.com/lakers/news/181214-fast-break-points-quick-hits-lakers-week