The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their third straight game to open the 2015-16 season, falling to the Dallas Mavericks 103-93.
Kobe Bryant continued to struggle, making only three of his 15 shots to finish with 15 points.
After the game, head coach Byron Scott brought up Kobe’s calf injury in the preseason when discussing his issues, saying the two weeks off set him back according to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:
Scott said Kobe is disappointed w/how he's shooting, cited calf injury: "The two weeks set him back. He's trying to get that feel back."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 2, 2015
Some have wondered whether Kobe’s injury might still be bothering him. Kobe’s struggles from the floor have been obvious, but his shot selection has been noticeable as well. Of his 51 shots through three games, 29 have been three-pointers with only six going down.
Kobe has not attacked the paint consistently which has led to a lot of contested jump shots which simply are not falling for him. Whether it’s Kobe losing his rhythm after sitting out, or Kobe’s calf still bothering him, things just are not going well for Kobe.
The offense for the Lakers as a whole has been subpar this season as even though they are scoring the ball decently, their efficiency has faltered. Fans will continue to hope that Kobe will figure things out sooner rather than later, but until then, he may need to take an even bigger step back than he has proposed already.