Kobe Bryant.
If the Black Mamba is healthy enough to get back for the start of the regular season, he’ll be as spectacular as he’s ever been. But whether or not he can recover from a torn Achilles in an unhuman amount of time is up in the air.
Even Bryant, one of the most driven players in all of sports, is unsure if it’d be wise to push himself back for opening night.
Here’s what he told Rob Garratt of Time Out Dubai on September 10: “I’m feeling pretty good, stronger than I was. I’m ahead of [my recovery] schedule. I don’t know [whether] that means I’ll start the season – I hope so.”
Whenever he does come back, Bryant will be the team’s primary shooting guard. Although his minutes are likely to wane from the ridiculous 38.6 he averaged in 2013, there should be no drop-off in his production.
The Mamba finished third in the NBA scoring race last season with 27.3 points per game, and he is projected by Basketball Reference to put up 25 points per 36 minutes in 2014.
Despite his unwavering will to return as soon as he can, there’s a chance that Bryant’s recovery takes longer than expected. It's entirely possible that he could miss the first month or two of the season.
After all, he is a human being.
Jodie Meeks
If the Mamba can’t go, Jodie Meeks will get the nod.
Meeks is the only other shooting guard currently on the roster, but he too is recovering from an injury. He suffered a third-degree strain in his left ankle during the first game of the postseason—horrible timing as Bryant had just gone down with the Achilles with two games left in the regular season.
However, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angele...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
