So much of how success is defined really just comes down to expectations. Steve Nash won two MVPs because he was seen as some type of underdog given his natural abilities compared to guys like Shaquille O’Neal, whose incredible production was what was always supposed to happen. It remains ridiculous that Nash would have as many MVPs as Kobe and Shaq combined as a result, but alas.
Kyle Kuzma was asked by Kyle Goon of the OC Register to compare this year to last season, and seems to miss the vibe surrounding a team that won just about as many games as this year’s team will win:
It makes sense, given that last year’s Lakers were young, espoused an easy sort of chemistry and log-jammed their social media accounts with roasts of each other’s dress and tastes.