General manager Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers organization were finally told Kobe Bryant’s intentions to retire on Sunday after months of speculation surrounding the topic.
With Bryant’s plans to retire now out in the open, Kupchak hopes his game will start to come around. Kobe has struggled all season long with many wondering whether he’d be able to return to form in his 20th year in the league.
Bryant’s future will no longer be a hot topic of discussion which may make things easier for him on the basketball court via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Mitch Kupchak hopes that now that Kobe's made the announcement, the game will be easier for him & he can enjoy the end of the season.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 30, 2015
The consensus seems to be that changing his approach to the game would help Bryant in his final season. Obviously, the superstar’s current approach isn’t working and a change might help, but Kupchak knows that is a stretch:
Mitch Kupchak: “I gave up hoping that he (Kobe) would change his approach, like 15 or 18 yrs ago. He is what he is and I’m thankful for it.”
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 30, 2015
Now that retirement speculation is no longer hanging over his head, Bryant could loosen up on the floor and see his shots start to fall. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the stress level he was dealing with since the beginning of his 20th season may have been a major distraction, but only time will tell if Kobe can turn things around moving forward.
After facing the visiting Indiana Pacers on Sunday, Bryant will have 66 games left in his NBA career. Los Angeles will embark on an eight-game road trip this week with Bryant playing in front of his hometown crowd of Philadelphia for the last time on Dec. 1.
