Kobe Bryant Left His Jump Shot in the Finals

Having gone winless in Europe and 0-for-the-Summer League, it was refreshing to see a purple and gold squad notch a W as the Lake Show did against the Sacramento Queens in Las Vegas.

Despite an up and down second half, the Lakers held on to beat the Kings 98-95 in front of a star-studded crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center. Shout out to Mike Tyson!

While the result was good, Kobe Bryant continues to be bad. Specifically, his shot is…well…shot.

Certainly KB24’s knee is the main culprit behind his preseason shooting woes. After a wretched 2 of 10 on Wednesday night, Kobe is shooting a hideous 14% in three preseason games. In fact, if you go all the way back to his gutsy performance in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Kobe is looking like David Duval struggling to rediscover his stroke.

No need to panic this early. After finally enjoying a relaxing summer and being limited in practice, Mamba is easing his way into game shape.

Keep in mind that Bryant is still just 32-years-young in human years but is closer to Moses Malone ancient in NBA years. The wear and tear on Bryant’s body has really shown over the past two years and this year is the chief concern of Laker fans worldwide who know this team is a Bryant-breakdown away from kissing a three-peat goodbye.

Up next is a brutal stretch of 5 games in 7 days that will put Bryant’s conditioning into overdrive as the regular season nears. Here’s hoping Kobe is ready to go when it comes time for the ring ceremony.