Christmas Wish: Youth in Kobe Bryant’s Legs

It’s three days to go until Christmas, and the Lakers are currently 8 – 19.  This isn’t the envisioned start that Laker fans had anticipated this season.

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This was supposed to be a new start. The Lakers kept Wesley Johnson and Nick Young from last season. The Lakers added Byron Scott as a head coach, after much scrutiny for Mike D’Antoni.  This was supposed to be the comeback year for Kobe Bryant.  After all, he took over a year off.

We still want his stubborn attitude.  We don’t want to hear that father time caught up to him. We don’t want to hear that he feels sore after a long game, as if that actually bothers him. The voice of his play sounds like an armored suit that has been weathered and beaten through years of battles and tribulations, with Kobe Bryant coming out victorious in the end.

What is his latest challenge?  His own body.  Throughout Kobe Bryant’s career, Kobe Bryant won the challenge of injury.  Is that a broken hand?  He posterized a San Antonio Spur with a make-shift cast.  Is that a busted finger?  He shot his way around it.  Did he bust his right shoulder? That’s him making game winners with it. Does he have knee tendonitis? That’s still him posterizing Yao Ming against the Rockets in overtime.  Is his knee bothering him?  He played over 35 minutes a game trying to string up victories just to get into the playoffs with 30-point triple doubles.

Dec 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) celebrates after surpassing Michael Jordan on the NBA All-Time Scoring List during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Now, the armor is thinner and it bares his vulnerability. Every Laker game this season, he’s hot one quarter and cold the next. His shot volume doesn’t change, because in his mind, he’s still the prime, skillful Kobe Bryant.

We haven’t seen a tremendous scoring outburst. It’s hard to find consistency. Yes, age and injuries catch up to everyone. Yes, Kobe Bryant has twice the usage and nearly double the scoring of every NBA player for his current age. That is him defying the laws of physics.

We just don’t want to see a broken spirit. We know he’ll shoot until he makes again, but every short shot is a reminder of who he is now, not who he was before.

He doesn’t have to be on fire from the field. Just some spring in his legs to bring his field goal percentage up. That would be great.

Next: Nick Young Goes Off for 26 Points, Ready For New Role