Kobe Bryant: “No doubts about what I can or can’t do.”

Kobe Bryant was interviewed during Lakers media day by Chris McGee and James Worthy on Time Warner Cable Sports Net.

At first glance, it’s a bit surprising how much upper body strength he has gained.  His arms look as strong as they have ever been, and he looks ready to play in the post.

Several key points were mentioned during the interview.

He spoke about leadership now, in contrast to 10 years ago.

"It’s a monumental shift.  In the past I’ve had guys who are older and have come to the team with history.  So, you know who they are, pretty much.  Now with these guys, it’s completely new. Guys are so young that I wind up having to spend a lot of time with them, talking to them, getting to know them.  The roles are much different from a leadership perspective.  You really have to spend a lot time, invest a lot of time in getting to know these  young guys."

He elaborated on his mentality for his level of play this upcoming season.

"As you age and as time goes on, your game must evolve.  You can’t fight the natural course of things… You figure out ways to be as effective, if not more effective.  Rule number one is not to resist nature, it’s to go with what you physically can do and put yourself in positions where mentally, you can make up the difference."

James Worthy asked about the theory of the game and how it applies later in a players’ career.

"Mentally you really need to have do a lot more preparation.  Individually, my game is going to be fine.  The important thing, like I said earlier, is getting to know the guys that I’m playing with and helping them to find that inner “beast;” how to think through situations and how to mentally prepare themselves, that’s really the key thing for me this year."

Lastly, he addressed how he was going to manage his minutes.

"It’s a pretty simple one really.  You can’t afford to play everyday and feel like you have nothing left after a game or after a practice.  Really being disciplined and coming off the floor even though you like you could go much much more. It’s a challenge for us, of course. Like I said earlier, you can’t resist nature.  You can’t fight that.  You have to be smart and be patient and accept that as a challenge."

This upcoming season is a challenge that Kobe hasn’t faced before.  He will be more of a facilitator and a mentor than a major impact player.  Something tells me, his drive says otherwise.  Do you think he’s got a tremendous season ahead? Or do you think he’ll take a step back in more of a mentorship role?  Let us know in the comments below.