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Arthur Kaluma carving pathway to the NBA
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- Arthur Kaluma carving pathway to the NBA
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Every season, NBA Summer League is filled with hopefuls looking to achieve a dream. One of those hopefuls this year was Arthur Kaluma who spent summer league with the Los Angeles Lakers and is currently playing with their G League affiliate in South Bay.
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Following summer league Arthur Kaluma signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Lakers, but was cut before training camp and he ended up starting the 2025-26 season with South Bay in the G League.
His combination of size and skill is intriguing in terms of how he might project as an NBA player. He has the size of a power forward, but he's got the quickness and foot speed of a wing. And he's able to step out and shoot consistently from the 3-point line.
During his summer league stint with the Lakers, Kaluma received feedback as far as what he needs to work on in order to make sticking in the NBA a realistic goal for him.
"Just being a lockdown defender. You got to be able to guard one through five," Kaluma said following a recent South Bay game. "And being able to knock down open shots, that's really important."
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It's been those aspects of Kaluma's game where he's been able to make an impact with South Bay. Kaluma has come off the bench in the G League for most of the season, especially amid the shuffling roster with two-ways and assignments. But when he's been on the court, he's shown the ability to guard multiple positions effectively, while knocking down outside shots consistently.
Kaluma's 3-point shooting improved each season he was in college. During his first year at Creighton in 2021-22, he shot 26.5 percent. By the time of his senior year at Texas in 2024-25, he was up to a career-high 35.9 percent from 3-point range.
During summer league with the Lakers, he shot 40 percent from deep in Las Vegas. And this year with South Bay through 18 games, he's shot 47.9 percent, the best 3-point percentage for him at any level. Alongside playmakers like RJ Davis, Kobe Bufkin and Augustas Marciulionus, he's taken advantage of the catch and shoot opportunities that have come his way.
"I feel like it's accumulated over the years. I've always been working on my shot ever since I started playing basketball. I feel like recently I've started getting into a rhythm," Kaluma said. "At the end of the day, this is a game I've been playing since I was seven years old. You're gonna make shots, you're gonna miss shots. It's just what you gotta do with the next one."
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As far as the defensive end of the court, it's not unusual to see Kaluma picking guards and ball-handlers on the perimeter, and switching off to defend bigs in the paint. His strength allows him to body up post players, and his quickness makes it so he can cover wings.
He can recover and act as a shot blocker at the rim. A lot of that versatility comes from playing multiple positions while in college. During his time with South Bay, and going back to summer league, he's played as a wing. But in college, he spent time playing up in the frontcourt. He takes pride in being able to impact the game defensively in multiple ways.
"Just being a dog, trying to disrupt the floor. God gave me the intangibles that I have," Kaluma said. "I got a 7-1 wing span, I'm 6-8, I can move my feet, so just using that to the best of my ability."
Through 18 games in the G League, Kaluma is averaging 12.8 points and 4.2 rebounds. He's shooting 55.9 percent from the field in addition to his 47.9 percent 3-point shooting. He's also converting on 73.3 percent of his free-throw attempts.
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The goal for the majority of G League players is to reach the NBA, and that's no different for Kaluma. He knows embracing that 3&D archetype is the key to getting the coveted call-up.
"I've been trying to fit into that 3&D mold that's been so successful at the NBA level," Kaluma said. "I've been trying to embrace that role in being an elite defender and good shooter who knocks down shots."
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