Coming off a tough overtime loss Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered another heartbreaking defeat Wednesday night by falling 99-93 to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kobe Bryant led the team in scoring again with 22 points and did so without taking a field goal until three minutes left in the second quarter. He still ended the night with fifteen shots, which was the most for any Laker on the night.
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After the game, head coach Byron Scott commented on Bryant’s early shot selection and believed his shooting guard was letting his teammates run the offense via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Byron Scott on Kobe not shooting much to start: "I think he was just letting the offense just work."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 27, 2014
Throughout his career, Bryant has been criticized for taking too many shots and ruining the offensive flow at times. Following the loss Wednesday, the Lakers fell to 3-12 with many believing Bryant shot the team out of many of those losses.
It is possible Bryant is still getting adjusted to his teammates considering he hasn’t played basketball in nearly one and a half years, save for the six games he appeared in last season. While Bryant wasn’t taking shots early, Jeremy Lin started well scoring eight quick points while assisting on three others as the Lakers took a 14-8 lead to begin the game.
Regardless of his intentions, Bryant remains the team’s best offensive weapon, and the season is just one month in. Time will tell if Bryant will tone down his shots just as he did Wednesday and trust his teammates.
Kobe Bryant After The Loss, “It’s Frustrating, Period.”
