Lakers Won’t Rush Kobe Bryant Back
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Doug Pensinger/Getty Images(EL SEGUNDO, Calif.) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has returned to practice, but the team is not going to put a timetable on his return to the court in games that count.
“You’re dealing with, ‘Is he sore today? Is there a setback tomorrow? How [hard] can he go?'” head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “That’s the first step and there’s a lot of steps to be taken. So, I just think we need to be cautious. We best just be cool and chill out a little bit.”
On Sunday, Bryant practiced with teammates for the first time since tearing the Achilles tendon in his left leg nearly seven months ago.
Despite the injury, the 35-year-old Bryant rehabed rigorously and is making his return sooner than some expected.
Despite the team’s 5-7 start, the Lakers are still the 16th highest scoring team in the NBA. This comes as a surprise to many since Bryant was third in the NBA in scoring last season at 27.3 points per game.
Since Bryant’s rookie year back in 1996, the team has missed the playoffs just once.
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