There’s something a little incongruous about finding the perfect rotation for the Los Angeles Lakers—a team that has won only one game in six tries.
But perhaps there were some clues in that lone triumph—the Lakers had a strong second half Sunday night to beat the Charlotte Hornets, 107-92.
Currently in his 19th NBA season, 36-year-old Kobe Bryant is leading his team with 26.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals in 34.4 minutes per game. He also has a massive usage rate of 38.2, which is the highest in the league as well as his heftiest rate in a decade.
He’ll probably be ground to a fine dust by the All-Star break unless some help arrives soon.
L.A.'s first win was taken with a grain of salt by the five-time NBA champion, per Beth Harris of The Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports): "We got to start somewhere," Bryant said.
It has been a time of great frustration in the land of purple and gold.
As reported by Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, Lakers coach Byron Scott recently admitted to a rising tide of emotion: “[I'm] not angry—even frustrated. No, I think it's more 'angry,' if I have to choose one of those two words, I think it's more angry than anything.”
Did the coach’s demeanor change once his team got their first win? Not so much. Per Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation, Scott said after the game: “We are nowhere near where we want to be, but it’s a long season.”
There was one more recent expression of exasperation that feels prescient in light of Sunday’s win. Per Serena Winters of Lakers Nation, backup shooting guard Wayne Ellington said after the team’s fifth loss: “We should be mad. We should treat next game like it’s Game 7 of a championship. We’ve got to win.”
And indeed they di...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
