Kyle Kuzma (SF/PF, LAL): Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 20 of the NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 54% of leagues

ANALYSIS: If we know something about the Los Angeles Lakers, that is that they are on a very middling run that has them fighting to avoid the play-in due, mostly, to a bunch of injuries hitting them hard during the past few weeks. LeBron has missed time. Anthony Davis has missed time. Andre Drummond (Andre Drummond!) was signed off the buyout market as a last resort to keep the record up (?) and Kyle Kuzma was basically forced into the starting lineup from Mar. 21 on because of a lack of warm bodies.

Has Kuzma played to a starting-player level in the past month and a half, though? Kind of. Kuzma's averaged 29 FP in the last 22 games, starting 20 of them. Kuzy comes off his best performance of the season after the break after putting up 44 fantasy points on Thursday facing no less than the crosstown rival Clippers. Kuz finished that one with a 25-5-4-2-1 line, which was great, but also far from his season average line of 13-6-2.

Going back a month, from Apr. 12 on, Kuzma has played 13 games with an average 14-4-2 line shooting 51% from the floor on a more than healthy 11 FGA. That's what happens when Bron and AD miss time, I guess. The usage hasn't been molly-bonkers, though, so odds are Kuzma can keep up his averages ROS whether the superstars can come back full time or not. The Lakers need everything from everybody so the pressure will be sky-high but Kuzma should stay out there racking up starts and heavy minutes--remember LeBron is back down again and AD is expected back on Friday but we'll see how he looks.

More Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups

RotoBaller Writing and Media Team Nominated For 13 FSWA Awards in 2024

It's awards season for the fantasy sports industry, and RotoBaller is honored to be recognized by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) with various award nominations from our writing and media team in 2024. The RotoBaller brand continues to shine among the many talented companies and analysts throughout the fantasy sports industry for their editorial […]

RotoBaller February 13, 2025

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15 (2024-25): February 3 - February 9

If you're like me, you woke up to one of the biggest trades in recent NBA history (Luka for AD) and are still trying to make sense of it. It will likely be the biggest trade of the week, but it won't be the only deal made this week as Thursday's NBA trade deadline looms. […]

Dan Palyo February 2, 2025

League Winners: Second-Half Trade Targets and Stashes - 2025 Fantasy Basketball

Things have not gone as planned for fantasy basketball managers who drafted players like Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler. But there's plenty of basketball left to be played and it's time to reassess how we view players going forward. If you want to win that fantasy basketball league championship, worry less about where your players […]

Dan Palyo January 30, 2025

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14 (2024-25): January 27 - February 2

We flip the calendar to February this week and edge closer to both the All-Star break and the NBA trade deadline. Some of the moves you can make in the next few weeks could greatly impact your team's ability to compete for a fantasy championship in March or April! Most leagues have a weekly moves […]

Dan Palyo January 26, 2025

League Winners: Players To Stash For the Stretch Run - 2024 Fantasy Basketball

The All-Star Break is upon us and while it's nice to have some time off from setting lineups, making DFS lineups, and placing bets. It's also a nice time to look ahead and what moves you can make to put your team in the best position possible to win a fantasy basketball title. Remember, the […]

Dan Palyo February 19, 2024