On Sunday against the Sacramento Kings, Kobe Bryant suffered one of his worst performances of the 2014-15 NBA season as he shot 8-for-30 from the field and committed nine turnovers. Over the last couple of days, the discussion has been about scaling back Kobe’s minutes, who is averaging 35.4 minutes through 27 games in his 19th season.
— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Try Me” T-Shirts? —
Before the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors, head coach Byron Scott says he is now open to limiting Kobe to 32 minutes per game according to Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell:
Scott is now open to limiting Kobe to more like 32 minutes (from his current 35.4). Simply has to take him out earlier in 1st and 3rd Q's.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 23, 2014
At the age of 36 and coming off two significant injuries, it has been much tougher for Kobe to recover after games. As a result of playing major minutes so far this season, Kobe is on pace for his worst shooting percentage of his career after admitting numerous times that he hasn’t had his legs.
With Scott saying that he will not sacrifice Kobe’s well-being for wins on Monday, it will be interesting to see if he is able to remain disciplined with managing his superstar’s minutes for the rest of the season. Although Kobe is a game-time decision against the Warriors, the Lakers have a tough schedule ahead including back-to-back games on the road against the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks.
[divide]Lakers Practice: Byron Scott on Scaling Back Kobe’s Minutes