It’s getting easier and easier to believe in Kobe Bryant.
If you’re just a somewhat regular reader of this space, you’ve surely realized that we aren’t exactly high on Bryant’s prospects for 2014-2015. The Black Mamba isn’t most players, obviously, and proved he could reinvent his game to typically rare success two years ago as he willed the disappointing Los Angeles Lakers to a playoff appearance before succumbing to a torn achilles.
But that notoriously debilitating injury led to the knee fracture last December that kept Bryant to just six games in 2013-2014. Considering his poor play during that fleeting court-time, an inevitably weak left leg, and the similarly unavoidable wear-and-tear gleaned from 18 NBA seasons and a handful of long summers, we simply find it highly unlikely that Kobe will be the player this season to which we’ve all grown accustomed.
Check that – found it highly unlikely.
We were still extremely skeptical when reports emerged from the Lakers’ first practice that Bryant looked and felt like his old self. Kobe and coach Byron Scott aren’t unbiased third parties to the question at hand, and widespread optimism rules the day during all training camps anyway. The extra “work” Bryant got in with Kanye West on Wednesday evening didn’t make us hedge bets, either.
It was this footage from Los Angeles’ Thursday practice:
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And more specifically, this vintage move the living legend put on rookie Jordan Clarkson:
The quickness, acceleration, and explosiveness it takes to so effortlessly complete a play like the above belies Bryant’s recent injuries and 36 years of age. The shot is impressive, obviously, but it’s not what has us most excited.
It’s the right-foot jab followed by a quick spin into an even quicker pull-up that serves as evidence that Kobe’s legs are as strong as he’s been advertising. The torque such an aggressive stop puts on his surgically repaired left achilles and rehabilitated left knee is immense, and a side-effect that leaves most fully healthy players wildly off-balance. Not only is Bryant in perfect alignment here, but he’s even comfortable enough to push off of his balky left leg to get to his signature fadeaway.
Our point, basically, is that this move indeed looks like the Kobe of a decade ago. And while we realize such moments will be fleeting, that they’er possible at all lends credence to Bryant’s belief that his essentially unmatched skill-game can make up for a lack of consistently potent athleticism.
We’re starting to believe in Kobe again. As for his team’s playoff hopes? That’s a whole ‘nother story.
What do you think?
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