Last season, Bryant was trying to carry a surprisingly struggling Lakers team into the postseason. In 78 games, he averaged 27.3 points, six assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. All three statistics were above his career averages.
However, in that 78th game, Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon which ended his season. An injury that could take roughly six to nine months to recover from and put the start of the 2013-14 season in question for him.
Bryant will surely hope to be back for the start of the season, and setting goals like this is motivation for the 15-time All-Star.
While his return from injury and proving he is still a top player in the NBA is plenty of motivation, Dwight Howard's recent decision should just add fuel to the fire.
The top story in the NBA this offseason was undoubtedly going to be where Howard would choose to play, especially after all the media hoopla he has garnered the last few seasons.
There were a few destinations that Howard was going to choose from, including the team he played most recently for, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers met with Howard to make their pitch of why he should stay with them, and Bryant was present at the meeting. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Bryant challenged Howard during the rendezvous.
"You need to learn how it's done first, and I can teach you here. You have to learn how it's done," Bryant said to Howard. "I know how to do it and I've learned from the best players who have won multiple times over and over."
This pitch from Bryant shows how important he felt Howard was to the franchise. Bryant tried to pu...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
