Lakers News & Rumors: Kobe Bryant Responding Well to Reduced Playing Time, Says Byron Scott
Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott believes that the team's decision to reduce the playing time of Kobe Bryant has been working so far after the 16-time All-Star guard had impressive all-around performances in their last two games.
After missing three straight games due to general body soreness, Bryant returned on Sunday in their 116-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns, where he tallied 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
In their 111-103 win against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, Bryant had a better performance as he posted a triple-double with 23 points on 6-for-11 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
In both games, Bryant played 32 minutes -- almost five minutes lower than his usual playing time.
Scott was impressed with the way Bryant performed on both ends of the floor in their last two games. The first-year Lakers coach said that the experiment will continue, and added that he will not hesitate to rest Bryant again just to keep him fresh for the entire season.
"If he says he feels a little down or his energy level is not there, then basically I'll tell him to stay home. It goes day by day," Scott said via ESPN Los Angeles. "The experiment is working extremely well. The days off and 32 minutes or lower in games has been working well, and we're going to stick with that right now."
Scott played down notion that Bryant decided to change his playing style after missing three games. He pointed out that Bryant has been playing like the way he did in their last two games over the past 19 seasons, saying that the veteran is just taking what the defense is giving him.
While Bryant managed to make his teammates more involved on offense, Scott expressed hope that Bryant will not lose his aggressiveness, urging the 36-year-old to continue looking for his own shots.
"He's basically just taking what the defenses give him, and that's what great players do," Scott said of Bryant. "His shot selection has been great, but he hasn't gotten the number of shots we'd like for him to get on a normal basis."
Bryant, who recently said that he might retire after the 2015-16 season, is averaging 24.1 points on 21.6 shot attempts to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
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