Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has missed half of his team's last 12 games, but coach Byron Scott isn't ready to shut down the 36-year-old guard for the season just yet. Scott said the Lakers will consider shutting down Bryant only if the team is "nowhere near playoff contention in March."
Lakers may shut down Kobe Bryant if ‘nowhere near playoff contention’
Los Angeles currently has the third-worst record in the NBA. If that continues, they will think about sitting their star for next year.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
At the moment, it seems absurd to imagine the Lakers could work their way into the postseason picture over the next two months. Los Angeles is currently 12-27 overall and has the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
Bryant has put up gaudy per-game numbers this season, but he’s been one of the most inefficient players in the NBA. He’s No. 8 in the league in points per game at 22.7, but he’s only shooting 36.9 percent from the field while taking nearly 21 shots per game.
The Lakers are currently 10 games behind the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The team has lost four of its last five games and still has to face Phoenix, San Antonio, Chicago and Washington this month.
Another potential factor in the decision to shut down Bryant? The Lakers owe their 2015 draft pick to the Suns unless it's in the top five. Right now, the Lakers have the third-worst record in the NBA behind the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.
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