Kobe Bryant returns to court seven and a half months after torn Achilles

After the game, Bryant admitted things felt a bit off in his first game action since tearing an Achilles tendon in April:

Considering his age and the type of injury he suffered, feeling “weird” is something that should have been expected. It will take some time to get back in the groove of things, and Bryant went on to say he never really felt like himself all night and can’t wait to work on improving things for the next game:

The rust was understandable for Bryant given the type of injury he suffered, an injury that’s often difficult to recover from at his advanced age. The 35-year-old’s first shot was an air ball, and he also got stuffed by DeMar DeRozan while attempting his patented fadeaway jumper:

Bryant finished the game shooting just 2-of-9 from the field, and he missed all three three-pointers he attempted. However, there were some flashes of good Kobe, like on his first bucket of the season:

Bryant ran out onto the Staples Center court to much fanfare, and he also gave the fans a little thrill in the pregame layup lines:

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Sweet turtleneck, Kobe:

This face, too:

Bryant’s minutes are expected to be limited as he gets back into game shape. Mike D’Antoni did not put a specific number on his minutes in his first game back but told reporters he would be surprised if it exceeds the “twenties,” according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The Lakers have depth in the wings to ease him back into the rotation after the career-altering injury he suffered last season.

Meeks is averaging career-highs in points per game, field goal percentage and three-point percentage as the Lakers’ starting shooting guard in Bryant’s absence. D’Antoni previously stated he was weighing his options on which wing would play in the starting lineup with Bryant and ultimately decided to keep Johnson with the starters.

It’s hard to imagine the NBA doing something like this for an active player, but Kobe Bryant is no normal active player. In commemoration of his return to the court nearly eight months after he suffered a torn Achilles in a late-season game against the Golden State Warriors, the NBA released this video of Bryant shooting free throws through the years. Kobe will start as the Lakers host the Toronto Raptors at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBATV.

(Via Eye on Basketball)

Drew Garrison and Tyler Lashbrook contributed to this piece.

There are five games on Sunday, with the Pacers and Thunder setting the stage and Kobe Bryant returning to the floor after eight months of rehabilitation. We’ve also got a Heat-Pistons rematch from a few days ago and some star power in the lesser games.

There was no need to rush Bryant out to the court with the team floating at an even record on the season, which makes monitoring his progress after each game more important than pushing him back on the floor for the sake of scrounging up as many wins as possible. He’s already noted the mobility in his ankle joint is suffering after months of being immobilized, and he isn’t close to “game” condition. The Lakers did a solid job of adding extra depth behind Kobe as the team prepared for life post-Achilles tear.

Here’s a look at the offensive efficiency ratings for the Lakers’ current wing rotation, along with Kobe’s from last season:

The Lakers-Raptors game will be aired on NBATV and is scheduled to tip-off at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s the two-minute video launched as the announcement on Facebook for his return to the Lakers’ lineup:

Bryant has been monitoring his own progress closely. He admitted he may still be limited when he returns, noting that scar tissue in his left ankle joint has kept his mobility in check. As a result, Bryant has no problem spending extra time on the bench if need be.

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“I feel good. I’m feeling much, much stronger and I’m ready to come back soon,” Bryant said at a press conference Tuesday.

But such a quick comeback seems unlikely. Bryant said he still needs more reps in practice until he’s fully comfortable. He said he wanted to test some of his limitations during his first few practices back and see if they’re still persistent.

The Lakers have opened the season 7-7 and are currently on a three-game winning streak, their longest of the season. Bryant received full medical clearance to return to all basketball activities on Nov. 17 and has been participating in both individual workouts and five-on-five scrimmages with the team.

There is still no return date for Bryant, who previously stated he could see himself playing in the month of November. That leaves two more possible season debuts on the road if he misses Tuesday night as expected.

Bryant made his return to Lakers practice on Saturday and, according to teammates, went harder than expected. Still, even with him able to participate in five-on-five scrimmages and practice with contact starting Tuesday, we shouldn’t expect to see him in game action right away:

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Bryant went through a five-on-zero session in what D’Antoni said was a “first step” in his eventual return to game action from a torn Achilles. That, the coach added, wouldn’t be for “a bunch of” games.

Bryant showed that he was capable of jumping and shooting in the light practice, but he did so without contact and with his teammates going at about 60 percent, by D’Antoni’s estimation.

Kobe Bryant told NBA TV’s Rick Fox that he would have played Friday if it were a playoff game, indicating that the Lakers star is closer to returning to the lineup.

The interview is available on NBA TV’s website.

The guard broke his right leg in horrific fashion at the end of March and saw his first action since then in an exhibition game against Pikeville last Wednesday. He played 10 minutes, scored six points and grabbed four rebounds. Ware’s leg is still recovering, though, and he sat out of Louisville’s season opener against College of Charleston. It’s expected to be a couple of weeks before he sees the floor in a regular season game.

Bryant is still recovering from tearing his Achilles. There is no timetable for his return at this point.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant isn’t quite ready to give a timetable for his return to the court despite a solid week of conditioning, reports the LA Times.

Bryant provided an update on his recovery from an Achilles injury on Friday, saying that he’s going to need three consecutive weeks of conditioning work before considering getting into a game. The 35-year-old has spent the offseason recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon and says he has “shattered” the typical recovery time for such an injury.

Spears pressed Bryant on the matter, trying to get the Lakers star to commit to a return by December. Naturally, Bryant bristled at the question:

Bryant revealed that he’s starting to push his rehab again in preparation for returning to practice. The 35-year-old said he felt good after ramping up workouts Monday, however, he still doesn’t have a projected practice date because he’s not sure how his injury will respond after multiple days of high intensity workouts.

Bryant took the floor before the game, participating in some shooting and sprinting drills that drew a big rise out of the fans in China, where he’s very popular. Just check out this Vine from Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:

Bryant began to ramp up his workouts earlier in the week, shortly after returning from Germany to have a knee procedure done on his right knee.

He’s not graduated to jump shots yet, but it was the first time Bryant had been seen back on the court doing basketball-related things.

“He’s going up on his tiptoes,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I don’t think he was jumping, but it wasn’t flatfooted. It was set shooting.“And it’s a promising sign for Bryant’s eventual return. According to ESPN, D’Antoni said last week that Bryant had advanced during his workouts from running on 75 percent of his body weight to 80 percent on a gravity-controlled treadmill. The jogging on a regular basketball court was yet another positive step forward.

Bryant is entering the final season of his contract, which will pay him $30.45 million. The 35-year-old is currently rehabbing a torn Achilles, and it’s unknown if he’ll be ready to go in time for opening night.

Bryant’s contract can be extended any time before July, otherwise, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Medina spoke with Lakers athletic trainer Gary Vitti on Thursday. Vitti said there have been no setbacks, but Bryant’s return date is still up in the air:

In addition to rehabbing Bryant’s Achilles, Vitti and the rest of the Lakers’ training staff have also made sure to focus on building strength in other key areas:

Bryant said as much on Thursday during “Kobe Up Close,” a one-on-one interview with Jimmy Kimmel held at the Nokia Theatre across from the Staples Center. Bryant explained that his main motivation for continuing his career after such a devastating injury is grabbing a sixth championship ring and tying Michael Jordan in that department:

Kimmel also asked Bryant whether he planned on remaining with the Lakers for the rest of his career. The answer? A simple, “Yeah.”

“The normal timetable for recovery from an Achilles, we’ve shattered that,” Bryant told NBA.com Monday. “Three-and-a-half months [and] I can already walk just fine. I’m lifting weights with the Achilles just fine and that’s different. So we don’t know what that timetable is going to be. It’s kind of new territory for us all.”

Bryant still feels like the kind of player who’s capable of doing unprecedented things, but this would be pretty special for the 34-year-old. He may not know what his current timetable is, but the track record for NBA players dealing with Achilles injuries has been abysmal -- even with the development of modern medicine.

Bryant underwent surgery for the injury on April 13, and all along he’s pinned a return somewhere in November or December. He divulged that the recovery that usually puts players out of action for nine to 12 months might be cut down thanks to a new procedure.

Even if that’s a wild guess, the relentless and well-known work ethic of Bryant could lead to a return in a reasonably safe amount of time.