The Los Angeles Lakers are 2-10 so far in what may turn out to be the final NBA season of Kobe Bryant’s career. And Kobe is struggling along with the entire team, scoring a team-high 16.1 ppg but on miserable 34.0% shooting. Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog reporting:
The concern made Kobe Bryant roll his eyes.
The Lakers’ 37-year-old star posted only 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, five assists and four rebounds in the Lakers’ 102-91 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday at Staples Center. But the most glaring number involved his 37 minutes.
It marked the second consecutive game he played above last year’s season’s average of 34.5 minutes. It marked the second consecutive season Bryant became shrouded in controversy surrounding the minutes he played. So after lasting only 35 games last season before needing season-ending right shoulder surgery, what implications could Bryant’s heavier workload bring to his 37-year-old body?
“That’s the silliest question of the night,” Bryant said. “This is literally my second game where I played 35 minutes or more, so it’s premature to ask about it.”
