Byron Scott Discusses Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle, Analytics and More

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott did not have a strong debut season with the franchise, winning just 21 games, but that doesn't mean the 54-year-old has dampened his optimism heading into 2015-16. 

In a wide-ranging interview with Bill Oram of the Orange County Register, Scott said he believes the moves Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak made have the team in a good position:

I think (General Manager) Mitch (Kupchak) did a hell of a job of recovering and making it a summer that you kind of looked back and said, ‘Man, that’s a pretty good recovery.’ I’m happy with the roster we have. We’ve got competition it seems like at every position, which I think is going to be fun to watch in training camp. We’re still very, very young, with the exception, obviously, of (37-year-old) Kobe (Bryant), so I’m excited about that.

The biggest question for the Lakers heading into this season is Kobe Bryant. The future Hall of Famer was cleared to resume basketball activities, according to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding, but no one knows what to expect from him.




Bryant has played in a total of 41 games over the past two seasons, posting a career-low 37.3 shooting percentage in 2014-15. Scott said he will exercise caution in how the team utilizes its biggest star when the season starts:

I think the biggest decision is playing time, trying to make that as limited as possible and also back-to-back games. That’s something we have to talk about. Other than that, there really is no other decision to make. He wants to play, and he wants to go out the way he wants to go out -- if this is indeed his final year.

Expanding on the initial comment about keeping Bryant as "limited as possible," Scott said he means letting Bryant tell him what he can do rather than trying to force him into a situation his body isn't ready to handle. 
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers