The latter part of his career was blighted by injuries, with Kobe suffering a torn Achilles tendon in April 2013, followed by a devastating knee fracturing just six games into the 2013-14 season.
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Wagner High School graduate Jordan Clarkson, a starting guard for the Lakers, sprained his right ankle in a 123-122 overtime loss to Minnesota on Wednesday and is listed as questionable for Friday night’s game.
At this point in his career, playing him 20-25 minutes a game would not only allow him to still play and play more effectively, but would give more quality playing time to the young tag team of Russell and Randle, who are getting better and better with each passing game and will only continue to grow leaps and bounds as the season goes on.
Bryant has had a tough first quarter of the season, and simply isn’t the player he once was.
Scott also has had Randle and Russell come off the bench in the last two games despite those players representing the Lakers’ NBA lottery picks in the last two years.
Bryant scored 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting, but he sat the entire fourth quarter and overtime. He wanted to see how Russell and Randle would handle a tight game on the road, so he instructed Scott to do what Scott should have done on his own: Let the kids play. This is where the franchise got its start before moving to Los Angeles and many fans here have clung to that kinship as a coping mechanism through the struggles the Timberwolves have endured. With Bryant’s farewell tour in full swing, expect the Spurs to play at full strength. Russell would end up scoring nine of the Laker’s last 11 points from regulation and into overtime. To the avid basketball fan it’s no surprise he racked up 14 All-NBA teams, but the fact he was on the All-Defensive team 12 times shows he has been one of the best overall competitors the game has ever seen.
Kobe doesn’t even realize how good Kobe is, in a recent interview he was asked how many 40-point games he has in his career, he guessed “30 & 40”.
I’ve always viewed Kobe Bryant as a unsafe prescription drug, for National Basketball Association fans his game is one of the most addictive things they’ve seen. Kobe started off the game right by making all of his first three buckets, including a three pointer.
Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell certainly showcased his tremendous potential last night as he finished with 23 points including a go-ahead bank shot that sent the game into overtime.
“He’s a pioneer”, Bryant said.
But Minneapolis has always had a special affection for Bryant and the Lakers.
When the time came for Bryant to step on the floor and reclaim his throne, he instead turned to Scott and said, “Let them go”.
So much that Bryant’s teammates have argued he should still maintain his team-leading 17.5 field-goal attempts per game.
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“I didn’t care who was out there in front of me, my job was to try to make your night absolutely miserable”, Bryant said. The possibilities are many because he’s a second-round draft pick who received a two-year contract when the Lakers plucked him out of obscurity with the 46th pick in 2014.
