Dec 30, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers forward Wesley Johnson (11) after the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Lakers won 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Most Valuable Player – Kobe Bryant
Could there be anyone else? Even on a Lakers team that is destined to challenge last year’s mark of the worst team in Los Angeles Lakers history, Bryant has played a level no one could have expected.
While his averages may be down across the board and at some of their lowest marks in his career, considering the amount the Lakers are asking him to do and the way he body has reacted, what he’s done this year is nothing short of remarkable.
Bryant will never be the player he was even immediately preceding his ruptured Achilles. However, his ability to mold himself and adapt to his demands and limitations has resulted in a new Bryant that is a triple-double threat and a new kind of dangerous. No longer is he a threat to score 40+ points on any given night, but now he’s a threat to dish out 10 assists a night.
The new version of Bryant has either kept the Lakers in games late or even won them a handful seemingly all on his own. That’s more than you could ever ask for a 36-year old, 19-year veteran.