The Mamba: Kobe Bryant made his anticipated return on Sunday night.
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It’s only one game, so there’s no reason to overreact to a 37-year-old shooting guard needing a few time to get back into regular-season form.
Utah poured in 33 fourth-quarter points, stemming from a seemingly endless supply of fouls provided by the Lakers. Lakers coach Byron Scott and his training staff have opted to take a cautious approach to Bryant in training camp, and that approach appears to have carried into the preseason. It left him determined to heal it. And it made the Lakers’ star resolved he can write his comeback story to his liking.
It might be hard to remember sometimes, especially in Bryant’s final season (perhaps), but there were other players besides the 20-year veteran. “He was pretty good”, Scott said. In the second half, even “Ko-be” chants from the crowd at the Stan Sheriff Center could not pull Bryant back into the game. “There’s no way in the world we’re anywhere close to where we want to be when the season starts”. He hadn’t been in a game since a routine dunk caused a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder on a telling January night in New Orleans. Russell, who went just 2-of-8 from the field, consistently hit his teammates with on-the-mark passes, including a no-look dish to Julius Randle, who then drew a foul.
Apparently, those drills affected Bryant’s mindset, too. Gordon Hayward added 11 points and nine rebounds, Rudy Gobert had 10 points and eight boards, and Trey Burke added 10 points.
“His vision is astronomical”, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said. “In the second half, everybody got into a rhythm”.
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Bryant, however, had little interest in assessing his own game, repeating softly that it “felt good”.
