The Los Angeles Lakers lost their third consecutive game, this time to the Sacramento Kings 108-101. After the loss, the focus for everyone was on Kobe Bryant who again struggled on offense, making only eight of his 30 shot attempts and turning the ball over nine times.
— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Try Me” T-Shirts? —
Byron Scott said that he might consider sitting Kobe out of a game for rest purposes, and Kobe says that it might make sense according to the Los Angeles Times’ Mike Bresnahan:
Does Kobe think he needs rest? "There's probably not much of an option…it might make sense."
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 22, 2014
According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Kobe admitted that he didn’t expect to have to do so much on offense:
Kobe: "I didn't anticipate having to do so much." How does he reduce workload? "I don't know. There's a lot of moving pieces right now."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 22, 2014
Kobe has been clearly fatigued in games throughout the majority of this season so far. Despite the work he put in this off-season, his body just can’t do what it used to do in his younger days and it has hurt the Lakers at times this season.
Scott will have to figure out some way to get Kobe rest. He is currently averaging over 35 minutes per game and is posting the second highest usage rate of his career.
Whether Kobe actually does sit out games remains to be seen, but Kobe has now spoken about fatigue and an unexpected high workload. Something will have to change if Kobe is going to be expected to perform at a high level this year.
[divide]Lakers Byron Scott On Kobe Bryant’s Fatigue, Nick Young Ejection