Fatigue appears to be taking its toll on Kobe Bryant with the five-time NBA champion noticeably struggling over the past two games. The fatigue has become so noticeably that head coach Byron Scott is prepared to take steps.
— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Try Me” T-Shirts? —
After going 8-for-30 in the loss to the Sacramento Kings, Scott is considering resting Kobe for a couple of games, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:
Lakers coach Byron Scott said he will talk to Kobe Bryant about the possibility of sitting a game or two for fatigue after poor Kings play.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) December 22, 2014
Scott has been criticized this season for not limiting Bryant’s minutes and being reluctant to change things up. This season, Kobe is averaging 35.4 minutes per game which isn’t far off what he has averaged for his career at 36.6.
On Sunday night, Kobe played 38 minutes against the Kings and had arguably one of the worst performances of his career. Bryant finished with 25 points, but missed 22 shots and turned the ball over nine times.
Although it’ll be a tough pill for Bryant to swallow, sitting out might be the best move for the team. Even though Kobe will almost certainly disagree with Scott wanting him to sit, it’s hard to argue that it’s the smartest move or something that should be done at this point in time.
The Lakers will head back home following the loss to the Kings to face another division rival in the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night at the Staples Center. It’ll be interesting to see if Scott makes the move to sit his star out against arguably the best team in the league.
[divide]Lakers Byron Scott On Kobe Bryant’s Fatigue, Nick Young Ejection