Mamba remaining optimistic despite 0-3 record since return.
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has insisted that he isn’t worried by the slow start he has endured since returning to action.
Following the 122-97 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, the Lakers have gone 0-3 since Bryant’s return to action.
The losing streak has seen them drop to 13th in the Western Conference with a 10-12 record, however, the 35-year-old remains confident that his team will figure it out sooner rather than later.
“I’m not worried about it, to be honest with you,” Bryant said, as quoted by ESPN.
“We’ve seen worse. We forget kind of what we had to go through last year. I’m not really too concerned about it. I think our heart is in the right place. I think I saw a lot of positive things tonight; we just got to put it together for longer stretches. We’ll be fine.”
Bryant is averaging 11 points, 6.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 6 turnovers in 26.7 minutes per game since his return while shooting 38.5 per cent from the field.
Nevertheless, he believes he is “moving a lot better” as he continues to work on his conditioning and rhythm and is confident that his numbers will continue to improve with the more minutes he plays.
The Lakers are still without Steve Blake (elbow), Jordan Farmar (hamstring) and Steve Nash (nerve root irritation) for at least the next three games and as a result Bryant will be expected to handle the ball more during games in their absence.
Coach Mike D’Antoni is confident that his star player will be able to find the balance between distributing and scoring as the team becomes more familiar with one another, and Bryant has claimed that he feels comfortable in whatever position or role he is asked to fill.
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