Los Angeles Lakers rumors: Pressure on Kobe Bryant?
The Los Angeles Lakers hoped to make a major move in the offseason and although they added a few solid veterans, they didn’t achieve that goal. Instead, they will be relying on the return of Hall-of-Fame guard Kobe Bryant to improve the team enough to contend for a postseason spot.
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According to Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders, the pressure is on Kobe Bryant if the Lakers plan to play in the postseason.
"Although the Los Angeles Lakers failed to catch one of the big fish from last July’s free agency school, they managed to salvage quite a bit. The acquisition of Jeremy Lin is a low-cost, high-reward proposition, as the point guard position has been a void on this roster for quite some time. Carlos Boozer, though not as talented as Pau Gasol, will replace the Spaniard and, along with rookie Julius Randle, provide the Lakers with some much-needed size up front. Whether or not the Lakers have a real chance of qualifying for the playoffs or not will ultimately fall squarely on the 36-year-old shoulders (and knees) of Kobe Bryant and whether or not new head coach Byron Scott can replicate the success he had as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets from 2000-2004. In all likelihood, the Lakers will once again be on the outside looking in when playoff time rolls around, but with so many new faces and Bryant’s pending return, it would be unwise to completely discount them."
If the Lakers want to make any noise, Bryant will will have to be healthy and continue to play at the high-level he played at before injuries starting mounting. Even then, getting into the playoffs in the Western Conference is a tall task.
Bryant averaged 13.1 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 42.5% from the field, 18.8% from beyond the arc and 85.7% from the free throw line. In his storied career, he has averaged 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.4% from the field, 33.5% from three and 83.8% from the charity stripe.
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