Lakers’ Kobe Bryant has picked up his play recently
Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) chuckles and points to the official after being called for a foul during a game against the Bucks on Tuesday.
Perhaps the demise of Kobe Bryant as a productive NBA player has been overstated.
Over the last five games the 37-year-old Bryant has averaged 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists, while shooting a respectable 46.6% from the field.
That’s quite a leap in efficiency when compared with his first 17 games this season, in which Bryant seemed to hoist up airballs on a nightly basis, while shooting a woeful 29.7%.
“I’m consistently feeling good now,” Bryant said Wednesday, after sitting out the Lakers’ short practice. “I feel like I have my legs underneath me. I feel strong. I feel like my timing is good.”
The Lakers’ longtime All-Star is playing in his final season. He missed most of the last two seasons with Achilles’ tendon, knee and shoulder injuries.
Bryant also suffered a calf bruise during the preseason, perhaps contributing to his slow start this season.
“Certain games I’d go into ... the legs feel pretty good, and then the game starts and I don’t have it,” Bryant said. “It was always kind of a wait-and-see thing. Then one game came, I felt good ... the next game I felt better.
“I could start to feel comfortable moving around on the floor.”
The Lakers won only their fourth game of the season Tuesday, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, 113-95, at Staples Center. Bryant was the leading scorer with 22 points in 27 minutes.
Coaching Russell
Bryant isn’t the only Laker who has improved his play. Rookie guard D’Angelo Russell has averaged an impressive 19.5 points, plus 5.0 assists while shooting 41.4% from the field over the team’s last four games.
The 19-year old Russell struggled to assert himself in November, averaging 10.7 points, 3.1 assists and 40.8% shooting for the month.
According to Lakers Coach Byron Scott, he has guided Russell even more closely on the court in recent games.
“I cut back on a little bit of him calling plays,” Scott said. “I’ve called more plays when he’s in there.”
Russell’s improvement has come with experience and his own growing maturity. “I think the biggest change in him ... he’s much more comfortable in what we’re doing and he has a lot more confidence in himself,” Scott said.
One thing that has remained constant, Scott said, is he wants Russell to be more aggressive on offense.
“He had the green light to attack,” the coach said. “He just didn’t know how — because he didn’t know how the defense was playing him. Now he’s getting a really good idea on how people are playing him, and he’s looking to exploit it.”
Nance dunk
On Tuesday, rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. caught the attention of the NBA with a monstrous one-handed dunk over the Bucks’ John Henson.
“It felt good. It’s about time, I’ve been needing one of those,” Nance said.
After the dunk, Bryant had a message for his young teammate.
“He said when I grow up, I’ll be able to do that on Dwight Howard,” Nance said.
Nance attempted a dunk on Howard last Saturday in Houston against the Rockets center but was turned away. Nance will get a second chance Thursday night when the Lakers host the Rockets.
“We’ll see if I’ve grown up,” Nance said.
Pincus is a Times correspondent.
Follow Eric Pincus on Twitter: @EricPincus
LAKERS UP NEXT
vs. Houston
When: 7:30.
Where: Staples Center.
On the air: TV: TNT; Radio: 710, 1330.
Records: Lakers 4-21, Rockets 12-14.
Record vs. Rockets: 0-1.
Update: Houston’s James Harden is second in the league in scoring at 29.0 points per game but is shooting 41.7% from the field, his worst shooting since his rookie season. Harden is making a career-low 33.8% of his three-point shots.
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