In the 108-96 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Kobe Bryant finished with 21 points, two rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes.
While the Los Angeles Lakers guard was able to get to the free throw line seven times, he was only 7-of-20 from the field and had two airballs in the first quarter.
Following the 13th loss of the season, Kobe was asked how he is doing after playing extended minutes against the Trail Blazers according to LakersNation.com reporter Serena Winters:
Kobe: "I’m fine man. It’s tough. 20 years…My legs aren’t what they used to be but you just continue to fight through it." (on TWC)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 29, 2015
While Kobe shot a poor percentage from the field, he was able to get high percentage looks at times within the offense against the Blazers. Coming off screens, he was able to catch and elevate for mid-range jumpers. However, there were still times where Kobe took contested shots due to overdribbling and unsuccessfully pump-faking his opponents.
At this stage of his career, Kobe will need to rely on the offense instead of creating his own shots in isolation plays. With Kobe’s legs not being what they used to be, he will need to make adjustments to his game if he wants to be effective.
With the Lakers playing the Indiana Pacers in a back-to-back situation, it is unclear if Kobe will be able to matchup against Paul George. After playing major minutes, it would not be surprising if Kobe rested as Metta World Peace gets the start at small forward.
In 12 games, Kobe is averaging 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
