Over the summer, Lakers coach Bryon Scott said that he’d manage playing time much more closely for Kobe Bryant, who averaged 34.5 minutes last year and tore his rotator cuff after 35 games.
So far, that hasn’t been the case.
Kobe played a season-high 37 minutes against the Raptors during a 102-91 loss on Friday and logged 36 minutes in a 97-85 win over the Pistons on Sunday.
After Friday’s game, Scott said he won’t be concerned about Kobe’s playing time until his average minutes per game this year are higher than last year’s, but not before.
From the OC Register:
Entering the fourth quarter, Bryant had already played nearly 26 minutes. Scott left him on the court for the start of the fourth and beyond.
“We didn’t even talk about it,” Scott said. “I just left him out there because I knew we needed him out there.”
Does the coach worry about the impact of those minutes?
“I worry about it now,” Scott said at his postgame press conference. “At the time when we’re trying to win the basketball game you try not to worry about it. But obviously after the game you worry about it.”
