Kobe Bryant hasn’t always had the greatest reputation when it comes to being the best teammate throughout the years, but recently Kobe has taken on more of a teacher role with his younger teams.
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This season in particular, Bryant has really made it a point to be the leader of this team, and has even taken to mentoring Jeremy Lin according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Jeremy Lin says Kobe's taken on a "mentorship" role: "That's something I don't think I've had in my past 4 years in the league."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 10, 2014
Lin has shown himself to be a solid distributor so far in the first two preseason games, and gives a lot of effort on defense. He got his first chance to play with Kobe Bryant in the game against the Warriors and the two seemed to have some chemistry.
It is also worth noting that Lin feels that he never had anyone really try and mentor him in his previous stops. He has already spoken about the difference between Bryant and the previous stars he played with in James Harden and Carmelo Anthony, and this is just another one to add to the list.
Bryant is much further along in his career than the other two players, but it is great to see Bryant really growing into this role. He knows he must rely on these new, younger players, and he is doing everything in his power to get them ready to contribute when the games count.
[divide]Byron Scott On Jeremy Lin/Kobe Bryant Duo