Kobe Bryant May Not Play for Los Angeles Lakers Until December

It would be a miracle for Kobe Bryant to be fully ready when the new season begins in the NBA this October. But the Los Angeles Lakers may have a timetable for his return.

In an interview with ESPN Radio, Bryant is “shooting for a November, December” return to the Lakers, clarifying that December was at the latest and he’s “really determined in getting there.” There’s also no worries about potentially injuring the Achilles’ tendon again.

SI Wire gives the average prognosis of how long it takes for a ripped Achilles’ tendon to heal.

"The normal recovery timetable for such an injury is six to nine months and a December return would slot right into the middle of that timeline."

While Bryant’s timetable may be more hopeful than reality, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see the shooting guard back in action that soon. He’s played through multiple injuries in the latter half of his career, and as soon as the doctors give him the okay to play, he’ll be back on the court that night.

At the very least, the Lakers won’t receive the constant speculation on when Bryant will return unlike the Chicago Bulls had to deal with when Derrick Rose was recovering from a torn ACL and ultimately never saw the court this season.