Byron Scott angry, Kobe Bryant frustrated by Lakers’ slow start

The Lakers have opened the season winless in five tries, falling to the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns (twice), Golden State Warriors and Clippers -- all playoff-caliber teams.

How has the team’s new head coach handled the steady stream of losses?

“[I’m] not angry -- not even frustrated. No, I think it’s more ‘angry,’ if I have to choose one of those two words, I think it’s more angry than anything,” said Coach Byron Scott after practice on Thursday. “I see times where we’re doing it the way that we want to do it and then I see times where we’re not. It’s just a matter of finding that consistency where we can do it for 48 minutes.”

All-Star guard Kobe Bryant expressed a similar sentiment after the Lakers’ close loss to the Phoenix Suns (112-106) on Tuesday.

“It’s a learning process but it’s very, very frustrating. It’s upsetting, but we have to stay determined,” Bryant said.

Scott noted that he spoke to Bryant after that game and they “calmed each other down.”

“I think he’s been very patient, as far as dealing with his teammates,” Scott said. “Just like every great player, you do get a little frustrated. He was frustrated after the Phoenix game, I think we all were. He probably showed it a little bit more than we did.”

The Lakers are off until Sunday, giving the players some needed rest and practice time. The Charlotte Hornets (2-3) visit Staples Center on Sunday.

On Wednesday the team had a light day to just watch film and receive treatment. Scott has three days of practice to get his team ready for Charlotte.

Bryant played a season-high 44 minutes against the Suns, but Scott knew his 36-year old veteran guard would have some time to recover before Sunday.

“We had five days before the next game, I knew in my mind he wasn’t going to do anything for the next couple days anyway, even though yesterday he came out and shot for about 30 minutes,” Scott said. “Before we even started the film session, he said, ‘Coach, if you want to practice, it sounds good to me.’

“I said, ‘No, we’re good. We’re just going to watch film today.’ ”

Scott has been impressed by what he’s seen of Bryant through training camp and the first stretch of season.

“Kobe’s amazing,” Scott said. “I think everyone in the league now sees that he still has a lot left in the tank.”

Bryant is averaging 27.6 points a game but shooting just 40.2% from the field, well below his 45.3% career average.

Some of the issue, according to Scott, is Bryant’s teammates relying too much on his ability to score.

“There was a timeout last game where I pointed at Kobe and said, ‘I know how great this guy is, but ... you can’t look at him every single time and try to give him the ball. You’ve got to take shots that are there ... You can’t be afraid to fail,’” Scott recalled.

The team hopes to get on track against the Hornets, a playoff team last season in the Eastern Conference.

“We’re probably the underdog in almost every game we’re going to play,” Scott said.

Only the Lakers and Philadelphia 7ers are winless this season, both at 0-5.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.