Even though the Los Angeles Lakers fell in overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the biggest story of the night was the play of the team’s young stars, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell.
Kobe Bryant checked out with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter and never returned as Russell and Randle nearly led the team to a huge road win.
While some believed that Kobe may have tightened up during his time on the bench, head coach Byron Scott actually revealed that Kobe told him to leave the young Lakers in the game acording to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:
Kobe did not play after 3:56 of third quarter because he told Byron, "Let them go." He was talking about Lakers young players.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 10, 2015
Scott also hinted that Kobe sitting out in the fourth quarter could become a regular thing as the season moves forward, via Bresnahan:
No Kobe in the 4th could be pattern as season progress. Byron: "Eventually, it's going to be like this anyway. Just so these guys can grow."
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 10, 2015
This is something that fans were hoping to see this season as Russell and Randle gave fans a lot of hope for the future of this franchise. Their benching angered the fanbase, but they proved tonight that the future is indeed bright for both players.
If Byron does indeed begin to limit Kobe’s minutes as the season goes on, it will give the young players a ton of opportunities to grow this season. Fans have been calling for Scott to let the young core play and learn on the court and that very well could be the case as the season progresses.