Nearly 40 minutes passed after the Lakers’ two-hour practice on Tuesday concluded. Kobe Bryant still remained in the trainer’s room.
The Lakers’ star has been there a lot after suffering season-ending injuries for three consecutive years. Bryant bruised his lower left leg during training camp, and then missed the Lakers’ last three exhibition games. After completing all of practice before it became open to reporters on Tuesday, Bryant received more treatment.
But Lakers coach Byron Scott will start Bryant in L.A.’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Staples Center “unless something crazy happens” before tipoff.
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Bryant stressed, “I don’t really have any anxiety” on his recent injury. And Bryant said he feels “ready to get started” in what will mark his 20th and perhaps final NBA season, which will set a league record over former Utah guard John Stockton for most seasons played for one franchise.
“The injury has been slowly getting better,” Bryant said of his lower left leg. “I’ve been able to move a lot more and do more things I’m comfortable doing.”
Scott reiterated on Tuesday that Bryant “looked good.” Lakers forward Metta World Peace recently gushed how the 37-year-old Bryant lit up his teammates in Sunday’s session after Nick Young and Lou Williams talked trash. And despite only limited practice since then, Bryant noted that he has “been training for so long now” since injuring his right shoulder nine months ago.
But once Bryant actually hits the hardwood in an NBA game with significance, how will he perform?
“Just be an old average player,” Bryant said, sarcastically.
Bryant indirectly referenced ESPN ranking him as the NBA’s 93rd-best player. He insisted he just finds the ranking “funny” and that he “likes to joke about it.” But Scott hardly sounded like he was joking when he still expressed confidence about Bryant’s play for the 2015-16 season.
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“I expect him to be the leader like he is,” Scott said. “I expect him to be aggressive on both ends of the floor. I expect him to be the tenacious kind of guy he is. He plays every play like it’s his last.”
Monitoring minutes
The Lakers hope Bryant’s last play does not coincide with another major injury, obviously. But after playing 55,415 minutes in 1,500 games through 19 seasons, there are no guarantees.
“His body can’t take the NBA pounding anymore,” TNT analyst and former NBA player Charles Barkley said in a conference call. “I want him to come out there and play 20-25 minutes a night, have a farewell tour.”
Scott plans to enforce a conservative minutes limitation, but he would only say “we got a number in mind.” Scott will play Bryant against Minnesota “like I normally play him,” meaning the season opener could lead to more answers. For now, it seems safe to presume Bryant will play less than when he averaged 34.5 minutes per game last season.
Then, Scott played Bryant between 30 and 40 minutes per game. He even exceeded that threshold three times. Then Scott rested Bryant in eight of the next 16 games before he injured his right shoulder.
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Amid that backdrop, Scott said he will not play Bryant in an overtime game if he’s already reached his unspecified minutes limitation. Although Scott and Bryant have not discussed the issue yet, Bryant is expected to sit in the Lakers’ 18 sets of back-to-back games.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a hard cap,” Scott said about his minutes limitation. “But I’ll stick close to it.”
Bryant has downplayed his minutes contributing to his ailments, arguing that few warning signs emerged before his shoulder injury. The Lakers’ star also dismissed his unsuccessful quest to stay healthy during training camp as having little to do with his recent injury history.
“It has a different filter on it because of the injuries I’ve had in the last few years,” Bryant said. “But the reality is that injuries happen to everybody.”
Change of role
Instead, Bryant argued his role will play a larger factor in staying healthy. He will play at small forward this season, while noting that rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson “can handle the ball 90 percent of the time.” In theory, that would allow Bryant to score more off-the-ball without facing so many double-teams.
“I just go out there and play,” Bryant said. “My role has changed a lot in terms of the style of play. I can count on one hand in how many roles I play and how it’s drastically different in the past.”
In past seasons, Sacramento coach George Karl noticed that Bryant is “relying a little bit more on his jump shot” to offset his diminished athleticism. But despite relying on his strong footwork and mid-range game, Bryant shot a career-low 37.3 percent from the field.
Scott noted that Bryant “was very disappointed last year in the way he shot the ball.” But Scott argued Bryant’s high-volume shooting has less to do with his quest for scoring and more to do with the team’s personnel. Through five exhibition games, Bryant averaged 13 points on 44.6 percent shooting in 18.2 minutes.
“He wants those guys to try to take over,” Scott said. “The less work he has to do, the better.”
Training the next generation
The eyes of Russell, Clarkson and Julius Randle often light up whenever someone mentions Bryant. They will gush about his work ethic. They will express optimism about his return. They will express appreciation for his feedback.
“I talk to him anytime,” Russell said of Bryant, “and he’s wide open.”
But will Bryant exhibit that same attitude amid rookie hiccups and losing?
TNT analyst, former Lakers teammates and former adversary Shaquille O’Neal sounded skeptical. With Bryant logging 32,482 career points and surpassing Michael Jordan last season for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, O’Neal suggested Bryant will focus more on climbing up that list.
“I could see him trying to pass up Karl Malone,” O’Neal said in a conference call. “I don’t really know where he is behind Karl Malone. But it’ll be nice at the end of the day if two Lakers were one and two in the scoring race.”
It seems highly unlikely O’Neal will get his wish. Former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has recorded a league-leading 38,387 points, while Karl Malone trails with 36,928 points. Even if he unexpectedly played a full 82-game season, Bryant would have to average 54.23 points per game this season to eclipse Malone.
“He’s going to be taking a lot of shots,” O’Neal said.
World Peace understood that skepticism. But the former Ron Artest still remembers Bryant passing him the ball for a key three-pointer that secured Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals against Boston.
“Don’t try to prove nothing to Kobe,” World Peace said. “Just be yourself. You’re here. Mitch (Kupchak) picked you for a reason. All you got to do is be yourself and give 100 percent.”
And with Bryant gushing about his teammates’ work ethic, he pledges to live by his word through the good and the bad.
“It’s something you have to feel,” Bryant recalled telling the Lakers’ young players about adversity. “You will have to go through it. When you go through it, I’ll be there for you.”
First things first. Soon enough, Bryant will step on the court for an NBA regular-season game for the first time in nine months, when he will strive to write the beginning of possibly his last chapter.
