Mike D’Antoni Talks Kobe Bryant’s Minutes Limitations, Role

On Friday, Kobe Bryant announced that he would rejoin the Lakers for their Sunday matchup against the Toronto Raptors. That night, the Lakers recorded their 10th win of the season with a 106-100 win over the Kings. On Saturday morning, the Lakers had a short team workout followed by head coach Mike D’Antoni speaking to the media about Bryant’s potential role for Sunday’s game.

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D’Antoni on Kobe’s minutes tomorrow: “Somewhere in the 20s, but not more than that.” No strict limitations, “we’ll just watch it.”

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 7, 2013

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D’Antoni on Kobe potentially handling the ball at PG: “If he’s in the game and Steve Blake needs a rest then he’ll slide over.”

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 7, 2013

In his first game back, it’s hard to expect Bryant to play heavy minutes as he’s still trying to work himself into game shape, and he’s still trying to work on building flexibility in his left ankle. The Lakers have been able to play well without him on the floor, so heavy minutes aren’t exactly necessary yet.

As far as his role, Bryant could be used to handle the ball. The Lakers struggled against the Kings when Steve Blake wasn’t on the floor with the reserves taking turns running the offense. Bryant has proved to be a capable playmaker over the last few seasons, and could be a better option than the triumvirate of Xavier Henry, Jodie Meeks and Nick Young.

Despite the role that Bryant will play on Sunday, the team should be thrilled to have a player with Bryant’s skill set on the floor. The attention he should draw should provide open, and potentially, easier looks for the other four players on the court.

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Kobe Bryant Announces His Return Via His Facebook Page