For Derek Fisher there was never a doubt Kobe Bryant would be in uniform and on the court come Christmas Day. Today KB24 himself proved Fisher correct by stating he “should be fine” for the season opener.
Now nobody was ever going to question Kobe’s toughness. Something we’ve seen repeatedly is Bryant playing through pain in games that many would consider meaningless. Well, with a shortened schedule and a championship window closing clearly every game is important for Bryant.
Kobe is taking the tough-it-out approach as evident by the following quote given to the L.A. Times.
"“It’s not really going to heal. The ligament’s gone. There’s nothing I can do about it. But I’ve dealt with so many hand injuries, I should be all right.”"
Naturally the concern is just how effective Kobe will be with an injury on his shooting hand. Bryant is an All-Time great so there is no doubt he can do more with one hand than most can do with two. But that argument is only good for pickup ball .We’re talking the best ball players on the planet here.
More than likely Bryant will have to tailor his game to the circumstances. Taking risks around the rim and in traffic might not occur as often. Therefore Bryant might become the spot up shooter the Lake Show needs to open the key for Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
Or we could just see Kobe be Kobe as if nothing happened.
I’m guessing the latter is more likely.