One of the most difficult tribulations for an NBA player is coming back off of a major injury. Jason Kidd has had a broken foot. Steve Nash had a broken leg. Kobe Bryant had a double dose, coming off of a torn ACL and a fracture in his left knee in a couple of years.
Though the Lakers won 27 games last season, Kobe Bryant played just six. Entering his 19th NBA season, he had some time to rehabilitate his injuries and get back into basketball shape.
Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) and the twitter account, @Lakers provided great coverage of the scrimmages this week.
Signs from training camp show that Kobe Bryant looks healthy on the floor.
Here's Kobe on a curl for a jumper. Bucket. https://t.co/XWgCvzVt3E
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 1, 2014
Kobe hit a fadeaway, then a pull-up J on B2B trips, and used his favorite word to tell the other squad about it. Bryant's sharp right now.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 2, 2014
.@kobebryant put the kids to work today. #GoLakers https://t.co/0en40xlGGS
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 3, 2014
Those are three shots within Kobe’s normal shot repertoire. A spin-move to beat his defender to the baseline for a pull-up jumper, an 18′ jump shot, and a driving lay up with a lot of english were all successful. He has nailed his mid-range shots all week-long.
What we hope to see is an aggressive Kobe Bryant around the hoop. Yes, he hits that reverse layup, but it looks like the play was dead on a foul call. The only player seen making a lay up on a drive is Wayne Eillington.
Usually, getting back into game-shape takes just as long as recovering from injuries. Although Byron Scott has sat both Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash earlier than the rest of the team, Kobe has repeatedly said he has felt healthy and that he’s good to go.
Bryant dismissed any notion of him needing a progression. He's ready to go, full speed, feels fully like himself. No nagging injuries.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 1, 2014
Kobe said he feels good physically, no worse for wear after two practices. Added that Nash "looks great ... he looks like Steve."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 1, 2014
After a miserable season last year, there are signs of life from the Lakers’ franchise player. There’s no doubt he’s ready to play. There’s no doubt about his work ethic and championship level attitude. There’s no doubt he’ll be in the Hall-of-Fame, with his jersey, or jerseys, hung up in Staples Center.
The Lakers are roughly three weeks away from the first game of the regular season. Kobe Bryant, looks ready to take them on.