The 2012-13 Lakers season will go down as a failure, and rightfully so. The Lakers assembled a championship roster and settled for the 8th seed on the final day of the season.
What will be lost in that is the performance of Kobe Bryant. With the season hanging in the balance and the Lakers fighting for a playoff spot, Bryant shifted into overdrive, his health be damned. Over the final month of the season, Bryant averaged 40.3 minutes, 27.3 points, 7.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds.
Zoom in on the final seven games, which the Lakers went 6-1 in, and Bryant played 45.5 minutes, scored 28.9 points, dished out 8.4 assists, and grabbed 7.3 rebounds with 2.1 steals and 1.0 block a game. That included a triple-double against Dallas, a 47-8-5 performance in Portland (where LA hardly ever wins), and 34 points in 45 minutes against Golden State.
Hoops Habit
Unfortunately, we know that Bryant pushed it too far, and his body gave out. Realistically, as bad as last season was, it may have come as a blessing in disguise. The time off gave Bryant necessary rest, no longer having to face the rigor of an 82-game season. If the early signs from training camp have any indication, he may have returned to a form similar to that 2012-13.
His return has sparked the question: how good will he be this season?
A lot of the Lakers success this year will be dependent on Bryant’s play. No one expects or wants him to replicate his run at the end of the season. Realistically, anything over 30 minutes a night would be overplaying Bryant.
However, that doesn’t mean Bryant can’t put the Lakers on his back one more time. A supporting cast of Jeremy Lin, Nick Young, Julius Randle, Jordan Hill, and Wes Johnson could do enough to help him along, with Bryant taking the majority of the offensive load.
Bryant’s “Never Give Up” attitude has him seemingly right back into the form of 2012-13 season. Call it over-optimism. Call it irrational. But Bryant has given us reason to believe he can defy the odds, and who’s to say it won’t happen one last time?