Kobe Bryant is 36. He played six games last season.
I’ve written those sentences repeatedly, but those facts seem to get lost in the face of Kobe’s legendary will to succeed.
Aging is undefeated. That’s easier to acknowledge than accept.
Lakers coach Byron sure doesn’t sound like he’s ready for Kobe to meet the odds and succumb to Father Time.
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
More Byron on Kobe: "He's a guy who's still going to average probably 23-24 points per game."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 30, 2014
No big deal. Scott just expects Kobe to score more than all but two players his age have ever scored.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 23.4 points per game at 38, and Karl Malone scored 25.5 at 36 and 23.2 at 37. It’s extremely rare. Heck, only one other player – Michael Jordan – scored at least 19 points per game at that age.
And Abdul-Jabbar and Malone were healthy before their big seasons. Abdul-Jabbar played 79 games the year prior, and Malone played 49 (of 50) and 82.
It’s not impossible Kobe scores so much. The Lakers sure need him to carry a large load.
But it’s definitely an unreasonable expectation.