LeBron James discusses growth of Kyle Kuzma after win over Pacers

Kyle Kuzma's big night powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a 105-100 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday. 

After the win, LeBron James lauded the 25-year-old for his performance and also discussed his growth amid the absence of Anthony Davis, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times:

"Well, I mean tonight, he had it going. And we continued to find the hot hand. I wanted to continue to give him the ball and he continued to make plays. And that's the growth.

"The growth of him is knowing that some games it's going to be different. It's not always going to be high-scoring nights. But he's still going to be able to make an impact, especially on the glass and his energy and his effort. But we need him to make shots. We need him to make shots, especially in the absence of AD and tonight was an example of that."

Kuzma notched 24 points, 13 rebounds and an assist against the Pacers in one of his best performances of the season. 

The Michigan native is averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game this season while shooting 44.4% from the field and 37% from deep. 

With Davis' absence expected to continue, Kuzma will have to keep performing at a high level if the Lakers want to remain at the top of the Western Conference standings.