Byron Scott isn’t helping the Los Angeles Lakers any by having Kobe Bryant play big minutes and encouraging him to take a high volume of shots
Byron Scott is toxic for the Los Angeles Lakers, yet they continue to do nothing about it.
Scott will play guys like Kobe Bryant, Marcelo Huertas, Nick Young and Lou Williams in the fourth quarter over D’Angelo Russell, their second overall pick in this past year’s NBA Draft. Russell is the team’s future, yet Scott continues to sit him on the bench during crunch time.
In valuable learning moments, Russell continues to ride the pine. He’s currently 7th on the team in fourth quarter minutes and is only beating out Huertas by one minute played. Let that sink in.
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And instead of saying how he needs to find a more expanded role for his rookie, Scott says that he needs to find better shots for Kobe Bryant. The same guy who is averaging 15 points per game on 16 shots per game and shooting 31 percent from the field and 19 percent from three-point range.
Yes, let’s find more shots for that guy.
"[via LA Times]“I know his mentality is that he can still play in this league,” Scott said. “And we feel the same way….“Obviously he’s struggling right now with his shot, and I think everybody can see that,” Scott said. “So it’s trying to get him in better position to be able to have an opportunity to knock those shots down on a consistent basis. That’s No. 1.“I don’t know if it’s his legs. I don’t think so. Again, our conversations are pretty blunt. … He tells me when he is tired and he tells me when he’s not tired. And the last few days, he said he feels great. So, I don’t think it’s a matter of him being tired or his legs being tired. I think it’s a matter of his timing being a little off.”"
I honestly don’t know if Scott and Kobe have a handshake agreement underneath the table or something, but he is really sounding more incompetent by the day with these crazy and uninformed statements. Kobe Bryant is 37 and has suffered multiple significant injuries during the last three years. He shouldn’t be the focal point of any offense.
He’s not supposed to be taking 16-20 shots per game and expected to shoot a good percentage on them. He’s likely in the final year of his career, but is expected to be like his former MVP self. Scott isn’t doing Kobe or the Lakers any favors.
Next: Byron Scott Continues To Stunt The Lakers' Growth
And maybe this is all Kobe. Maybe Kobe is using Scott as a mouthpiece. We just don’t know.
Right now though, Scott sounds insane. Probably as much as a former superstar who still thinks he can play at a high level does. And neither will result in growth for the Los Angeles Lakers’ future.