Kobe Bryant is on quite a tear for a 17-year NBA veteran.
In his last four games, he's averaging 35.0 points on 59.6 percent field
goals, making 9 of 21 3-pointers to break completely out of a deep funk
from distance (he'd made just 1 of 34 for a stretch) alongside 7.5
rebounds and 6.3 assists.
Since the All-Star break, Bryant has led the Lakers to a 4-1 record, his
Western Conference Player of the Week award for a 3-0 first week coming
before splitting games at Denver and against Minnesota. As such, L.A. Is
just two games back of a playoff spot.
One guy who's been quite impressed with Bryant's play happens to also be a 17-year NBA veteran, Steve Nash.
"From the start of the year, his legs have looked great," Nash said of his
backcourt partner. "He¹s really gotten where he needs to get on the floor,
he¹s gotten a lot of lift on his shot and he¹s been able to attack the
basket. There may have been a time where he was a little more explosive,
but he¹s explosive enough to do 95 percent of the things he¹s always done,
and the 5 percent of those things are unnecessary. He can do other things
well that he couldn¹t do before. He¹s as every bit of good as he¹s ever
been."
On the season, Bryant is averaging 27.2 points on 47.2 percent field goals
- the highest percentage in his career - with 5.6 assists - the most since
2007-08 - 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He's shooting 33.3 percent
from three, and 84.1 percent from the line.
Not bad.