1. Kobe Bryant is still Kobe Bryant
Very quickly in Monday’s contest, we were learned that Bryant still has something left. His second shot of the night was a beautiful, patented, baseline fadeaway out of the post that snapped the net perfectly. Even more, he added a handful of assists, finding Jordan Hill for an easy bucket once, Wes Johnson for an open three-pointer, and Carlos Boozer in the middle of the lane among others.
Now, it was just one game, against a weak defensive team, in the preseason, but it’s enough to get Lakers fans excited again. Bryant still can knock down jumpers, create space, and draw fouls, and if he can continue doing that this year, it’s going to be a great year for him.