On Wednesday, Kobe Bryant was scheduled for surgery to replace a torn rotator cuff. With the five-time champion expected to miss approximately nine months, it would mark his third consecutive season-ending injury.
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With questions surrounding Kobe once again at this stage of his career, head coach Byron Scott was asked about what the ideal scenario is for his superstar next season in terms of minutes via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Scott guesstimating what the ideal scenario is for Kobe next yr: "mid to low 20s minutes wise but you've got to have some horses to do that"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 28, 2015
After recovering from a ruptured Achilles and broken knee, Kobe came into this season looking to prove his doubters wrong. Despite the poor shooting percentage, Kobe exceeded expectations until the major minutes took a toll on his body. At the age of 36, Kobe simply could not play over 35 minutes per game which forced him to rest for numerous games.
Although the future remains uncertain for Kobe, there are rumors he will ‘definitely’ return next season because he does not want to end his career like this. With Kobe expected to be out for approximately nine months, it will be interesting to see if Scott actually sticks to playing him in the mid to low 20s next season.
[divide]Byron Scott Reacts To News Of Kobe Bryant’s Surgery