Nothing like carrying the weight of the Los Angeles Lakers’ world on your shoulders at 36 years old, eh Kobe Bryant?
Everyone is waiting for Bryant’s second return. Everyone. Even if you hate him, you want to see him; you want to know if he still has it or not. It’s human nature. And Bryant himself will tell you he still has it. So, too, will head coach Byron Scott.
Talking with Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears, the first-year Lakers coach displayed some totally not subtle faith in his aging shooting guard:
Lakers coach Byron Scott said he plans to give his aging backcourt of Bryant and Steve Nash rest whenever needed at practice this season to preserve their bodies for the long run. Scott is optimistic that Bryant will have a healthy season and regain his spot as one of the NBA’s top scorers.
“I expect him to play 82 games and play well,” Scott said. “…He is a guy that is going to still average 23, 24 points per game. Our biggest thing is making sure he stays healthy and keeping his minutes to a minimum where he can play 82 games.
“I’ve had a chance to sit and talk to Kobe. I had a chance to see him work out. I had a chance to see him play five-on-five. He’s far from retired.”
Damn. Nothing like setting the bar incredibly high. Not that Kobe would have it any other way, but still…damn.
This isn’t the first time Scott has, unprovoked, offered some concrete numbers to which Bryant is now going to be measured against. He previously said he expects Kobe to average 20 points a night, which, at his age, feels absurd. Now this.
Players on the wrong side of 35 rarely average that many points. Only nine times in NBA history has someone aged 36 or older cleared the 20 points per game plateau while qualifying for the minutes-per-game leaderboard. Crazier still, only three players make up those nine times: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three times), Michael Jordan (two) and Karl Malone (four).
That’s some pretty insane company Kobe must join. And it’s not that he isn’t capable; it’s just that he’s battling back from two serious injuries. Not one of those three players were up against the same obstacles. Each of them averaged at least 32.8 minutes per night. They, unlike Kobe, had free, unadulterated, unimpeded reign.
They, unlike Kobe, weren’t on stringent minutes caps.
Because that’s what Bryant will be on next season. The Lakers have made it very clear they’re trying to limit Kobe’s minutes. If he’s going to clear 20 points, he’ll likely have to do it while logging 30 minutes a night…or less. That makes the challenge even harder, perhaps impossible.
Five qualified players have ever averaged at least 20 points in under 30 minutes of playing time: Ricky Pierce, Clyde Lovellette, Eddie Johnson, Xavier McDaniel and George Gervin. None of them were older than 32 (Gervin). The feat itself hasn’t been accomplished since 1990-91 (Pierce).
Kobe once again finds himself trying to fend off time and logic. Will he, like he has so many times before, be successful? Or, not unlike last season, will he begin falling victim the very villains he’s been trying to elude?
All we can do is wait and watch, and then see if Kobe has enough left to stave off a drastic decline for a while longer.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
