Los Angeles Lakers could have Jodie Meeks back for season opener
By Josh Sanchez
Los Angeles Lakers guard Jodie Meeks spent his first season with the team watching most of his teammates go down with injuries before ultimately suffering a third-degree sprain in his left ankle during the Lakers first series of the postseason.
Meeks was out for the remainder of the playoffs and has been working to get back to 100 percent ever since.
With his health finally coming around, all Meeks wants in 2013 is another opportunity to show what he can do on the court.
“In the exit interview I sat down with Coach [Mike] D’Antoni and [general manager] Mitch [Kupchak] and they just said I need to come into training camp basically hitting the ground running because we’re not sure when Kobe will be back exactly,” Meeks said, via ESPN.com.
“I try not to worry about stuff I can’t control. I have a year under my belt with Coach D’Antoni’s system so that kind of puts me ahead of the curve to start the season, but at the end of the day, you have to be productive when you get out there. My main focus is just doing that. Doing what I can when I’m out there, being productive and trying to win games. I think when that stuff happens I won’t have anything to worry about.”
Meeks averaged 7.9 points and 11.40 minutes per game during last season, so if Kobe is unable to go he could see a bigger role.
It is also possible that the Lakers will bring Kobe along slowly to start the season, so he could really take advantage of the extra minutes. When Bryant went down at the end of last season, Meeks stepped up. So if he is given the chance to show off his skills again in 2013, you can expect him to put his full effort forward and try to impress the Lakers brass.