原文網址：
https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2019-11-28/kyle-kuzma-lakers-
pelicans
縮網址：https://reurl.cc/D1D9xQ
Column: Kyle Kuzma still searching for ways to fit in with Lakers this season
專欄：Kuz還在尋找他在本季在湖人的定位
NEW ORLEANS —
During the second half of the Lakers’ game Wednesday, Kyle Kuzma put both
his hands in the air to signal he was open behind the three-point arc.
Nothing. He sped past his defender into the lane, a precise cut through the
New Orleans defense. Invisible.
在湖人禮拜三比賽的下半場裡，Kuz高舉雙手示意他正處於三分線外的空檔，沒人理他。
他加速穿過他的防守者，準確地切開紐奧良的防守，但卻感覺好像在場上隱形了一樣。
Frustrated because his teammates were not getting him the ball, Kuzma made
sure he wouldn’t be ignored.
他感到很沮喪因為他的隊友們沒有把球傳給他，Kuz確定他沒有被大家忽略。
At the next timeout, he hustled to the basketball, just to touch it, shooting
a quick 10-foot baseline jumper as his teammates moved toward the bench.
在下一個暫停時，當他的隊友們都往板凳席走過去，他急忙跑去拿球，一拿到馬上從底線
投了一個10呎遠的跳投。
With Anthony Davis a permanent mismatch for the Pelicans in his New Orleans
return, with LeBron James being, well, LeBron James, Kuzma had to wait for
his turn to make a difference.
就像AD重返紐奧良對陣鵜鶘時一直都能打出錯位，像LBJ一直以來的好表現，Kuz必須期待
他做出些轉變。
There’s just one problem.
只有一個問題
“Are you a patient person?” he was asked.
「你是個有耐心的人嗎？」他被問道。
“No. I’m not patient at all,” Kuzma said after the Lakers’ 114-110 win. “
That’s why sometimes it’s hard.”
「不！我一點耐心都沒有，這就是為什麼有時候我覺得很啊雜。」Kuz在湖人以114-110贏
球之後表示。
This is the challenge staring down Kuzma in his third NBA season — finding
ways to make a difference with fewer opportunities to score. It was something
he thought about as soon as the Lakers acquired Davis. It was something he
focused on during his time this summer with Team USA.
看著Kuz在他待在聯盟的第三年，這的確是個挑戰 – 他得在愈來愈少的機會中想辦法得
分。在湖人得到AD時候他就在想這件事了。他今年夏天入選美國隊的時候一直專注在這上
面。
Rebounding and defense, he told himself, would be ways for him to matter
without being the offensive-minded player he was in his first two seasons in
the league — a time when he built a name for himself as one of the NBA’s
most promising young scorers, averaging 18.7 points a game last season.
當他再也不像剛進聯盟前兩年一直是球隊進攻重點之後，他告訴自己就剩籃板跟防守這兩
條路可走了。他上個賽季場均可得18.7分，塑造了他是聯盟中最有未來的年輕得分手之一
的形象。
Transitioning from a top option to a supporting role hasn’t gone smoothly. He
’s scored 10 or fewer points seven times in the 14 games he’s played this
season. And that’s as many as he had in 70 games the last season.
從球隊的進攻首選轉變成角色球員的過程並不平順。在本季出賽的14場比賽裡，他已有7場
只得了10分或者更少。他在上個賽季打了70場比賽裡只有7場打成這樣。(謝謝pen13ex指正)
“It’s tough sometimes, but you just have to be positive, have an
even-keeled mind-set. But that’s easier said than done,” Kuzma said. “It’
s something I’ve got to kind of figure out. But it isn’t anything I can’t
handle.”
「這有時候很困難，但是你必須保持正向，做好心理建設。不過用講的比做要容易就是了
。」Kuz說「有時候我好像想通了什麼，不過不是每件事情我都能掌控。」
The Lakers were trailing by 15 points in the third quarter when Kuzma rushed
to grab the ball, then he exited that timeout and sparked the rally that
eventually led to their ninth consecutive win.
湖人在第三節還落後15分，當Kuz搶到球後他叫了個暫停並激勵大家要團結，最終他們達
成了九連勝。
He made a tough step-back jumper to cut the lead to 13. After a New Orleans
bucket, he splashed home a three-pointer. Another Kuzma three gave the Lakers
their first tie since the opening minutes. And then, in the final minute,
Kuzma put his team ahead for good, making another three-point shot off a dish
from James.
他做了個高難度的後撤步投籃把落後縮小成13分。在鵜鶘得分後，他回頭馬上投進一顆三
分球。另一顆KUZ投進的三分球讓湖人開局後首次跟鵜鶘戰成平手。之後當比賽來到尾聲
，Kuz接到LBJ的助攻又投進另一顆三分，幫助球隊穩穩取得領先。
The second-half flurry came after a first-half of invisibility, his two shots
hardly putting a stamp on the game one way or the other. He waited and
eventually finished with 16 points on eight shots.
在上半場的銷聲匿跡之後，下半場他開始滿場飛，但他的兩記投籃其實無關戰局。他耐心
等待，最後出手8次拿下16分。
It’s emblematic of his place on the team. The Lakers obviously added a
superstar in Davis, a six-time All-Star and three-time NBA All-Defensive
player in seven season with New Orleans. They signed veteran free agents,
brought in better perimeter shooters. All of it has eaten away Kuzma’s
minutes and his ability to influence a game the way he knows best — by
scoring.
這其實象徵了他目前在球隊裡的位子。湖人得到了一個超級巨星AD，六屆全明星賽陣容、
在鵜鶘七年內入選三次防守第一隊。他們也在自由市場簽了幾個有外線能力的老將。這些
都大幅吃掉KUZ的上場時間，還有他最知道他所能影響比賽的能力 – 靠得分。
“That’s just part of sacrifice and trying to be on a winning team,” he
said. “Obviously, it’s hard sometimes when you’re a young player wanting
to continue to establish yourself and see you measure up across the league.
In certain situations, you have the opportunities to just play. It’s hard
sometimes — naturally.
「這就只是犧牲然後幫助球隊贏球的一部份而已。當你是個年輕球員想要持續建立你的功
績，看看你在聯盟裡到底有多少能耐的時候，這顯然很難。在某些情況下你擁有機會，就
是上場打球，有時候的確很困難，挺理所當然的。」他說。
“But I’ve got good vets around me, keep things in perspective. I have an
opportunity to win a ring in my third year. Sometimes, I just have to catch
myself, realize.”
「但我身邊有一票老球皮，他們洞悉一切。我現在在我的第三年球員生涯有了個贏得冠軍
的機會，有時候我只是必須了解我自己。」
Here’s an example of learning patience: Kuzma said he’s the type of person
who stares at the clock on the microwave, watching the numbers count down to
zero. And he gets so antsy for the countdown to be done, he stops the
microwave early.
這裡有個有關於學習培養耐心的例子：Kuz說他不是那種會盯著微波爐上計時器，看著它
倒數歸零的人。他很會感到很焦躁，然後在倒數歸零之前就把東西從微波爐裡拿出來。
“I usually stop it at three seconds,” Kuzma said with a laugh. “I just can
’t wait anymore.”
「我通常在剩下三秒的時候就會停止它，」Kuz大笑。「我就是等不及嘛。」
You could see it pregame, when Kuzma sat on the end of the Lakers’ bench
waiting for teammates to exit the court. He bounced a ball under his legs
while cameras snapped photos at every dribble. He looked out onto the court —
one that he very easily could’ve been playing on as a primary scoring
option had the Davis trade talks failed. maybe part of him was envious of
former teammate Brandon Ingram, a player who gets to shoot as much as he
wants as the Pelicans’ top offensive option, a player who is making a case
for an All-Star berth.
在賽前練球時你可以看到，當Kuz坐在湖人板凳最旁邊等待隊友們離開球場，他會在雙腿
下運球，當場邊攝影機快速的掃向每記運球時。他把目光射向球場上 – 他以前很理所當
然的是球隊的進攻重點選擇，但當AD交易案完成之後他再也不是了。或許他會有一點忌妒
IG，他的前隊友現在到了鵜鶘之後成為球隊攻擊重心，在場上想投多少愛投多少，而且即
將成為全明星。
Kuzma, though, would begin Wednesday on the bench. He’d sit there and
eventually be on the court watching the Lakers’ offense grind to a crawl as
the team continued to feed the ball to Davis in the post on what felt like
every possession.
Kuz禮拜三會從板凳出發。他將坐在那裡，好不容易上場後也將看著湖人的進攻節奏慢下
來，然後持續把球餵給AD單打。好像每一球都得這樣打。
Eventually, the Lakers found the best version of themselves, one where they’
re a team with two megastars with solid role players instead of the times
when they played like two megastars burdened with three other players on the
floor.
最後湖人找到了他們的最佳陣容組合，他們得打得像是場上有兩位巨星伴隨著三個實力堅
強的角色球員，而不是像兩個巨星在場上帶著三個拖油瓶。
Finding ways to get Kuzma good shots, to keep him engaged and maximize his
skills, that’s all ongoing, and there’s no cheating that.
找到Kuz的說明書，將他留在場上並發揮最大效用，這件事毫無疑問地正在發生。
“It’s just time,” Kuzma said. “Especially in society, everyone wants
instant gratification. Everybody wants everything now. There’s a reason why
we play 82 games. It’s just a process. It’s cliche but it’s true,
especially for me.”
「你就是得花時間，」Kuz說。「尤其是一般人都只想要及時行樂，大家都想得到所有東
西。那就是為什麼我們得打82場比賽。這是個過程，這是老生常談但是事實，尤其是對我
來說。」
The clock is ticking, Kuzma’s adjustment period to his new role is getting
shorter and shorter by the game — even by the possession.
時間一分一秒的過去，KUZ在每場比賽中、甚至是每一次球權中對於他新角色的調整也愈來
愈顯得迫切。(謝謝hannocps指正)
But if there is one guy in the Lakers’ locker room who would like to see
this all get figured out, say, three seconds early, it’s Kuzma.
不過如果要說在湖人有誰想要想通這一切，還要提早三秒鐘的話，那肯定會是Kuzma。