Lakers News: Channing Frye thinks Kyle Kuzma could be a superstar

Channing Frye may no longer play for the Los Angeles Lakers, but it certainly seems like he enjoyed his time in L.A., and those he spent that time with. Frye praised all the Lakers’ young guys but seemed especially impressed by what he saw from Kyle Kuzma.

On Thursday’s “Road Trippin’” podcast, Frye had some pretty nice things to say about the promising second-year player:

“I’m not going to lie — and I think all of them are good — I have a special place in my heart for Kuz. I think his internal fire comes from a different place than everybody else. He was never the best. Maybe I associate with that more ... I like him because he’s aggressive.

He has everything you would need to be a superstar, but he’s also humble. He’ll like text and he’s like, ‘Yo, honest opinion, what do you think I need to work on? Like, what do I need to watch film on? Or like, ‘what do you think I didn’t do’? And I’d be honest, I’d be like, ‘You’ve gotta work every day, more, if you want to be more, you’ve gotta work more.’”

Frye adds his name to the fairly lengthy and very impressive list of people Kuzma has impressed. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and plenty of other historically hard workers have spoken publicly or shown personal investment into Kuzma’s growth this summer. If he’s impressing them with how hard he’s willing to work, that has to be a good sign.

The other thing that really stands out to me here is Kuzma’s willingness to reach out for help and knowing who to ask. Combine those qualities with the work ethic Frye and others have raved about, and Kuz might really be able to take the strides forward needed to keep up with the expectations that follow LeBron James wherever he goes.