Kobe Bryant, perennial NBA all-star who has been generally regarded among the two top players in the league the last few years, said he’s playing at a higher level than he has in some time.
And that cannot be good news for the rest of the NBA.
Bryant said he is playing more and healthy for the first time in a long time. And so, at 34 in his 17th season, he’s leading the league is scoring at 30.1 points a game and shooting an impressive 47.8 per cent from the field.
“He’s played awful good, so it’s a high level we’re talking about but he’s playing phenomenal,” coach Mike D’Antoni told the media on Monday. “You watch him from Phoenix and New York (where he coached), you get one opinion, which is good. But then you coach him and you start to appreciate what he goes through and how he gets himself ready every game. You got to really respect what he’s doing.”
Bryant said, “This is probably the best I’ve played in a while. I’ve had years the last few years where I’ve felt pretty good but we kept my minutes down so the numbers didn’t look the same, but this year I feel pretty good.”
The prove how well Bryant is playing. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Bryant averaged career-highs for a month: 33.79 or more points, 5.57 or more rebounds and 4.64 or more assists all at the same time.
Bryant said he has been diligent about his food intake, which has contributed to his health and stamina.
“What I’ve done really is just train really hard and watch my diet,” he said. “I think that’s the thing that catches guys most. They don’t do self assessing. They feel like they can go out there and do some of the things that they did when they were younger and eat some of the things that they’ve been (eating) and not accept the fact that what you put in has an impact. I’ve been able to be honest with myself and have had to cut down on a lot of things and eat very healthy. It sucks, but it’s worth it.”
Bryant is averaging 38.7 minutes a game up almost five minutes from what he played in his last season under Phil Jackson.
“I think it’s just the minutes,” Bryant said. “I’m playing more. And I’m also extremely healthy. I had a whole summer to really be healthy, to be in shape, to get stronger and I think that has a lot to do with it. Diet has a lot to do with it, too. Watching what I eat.”
“He’s playing 40 minutes right now and going as good as he’s ever gone so there shouldn’t be a limit and that’s on him a little bit where he can mentally prepare himself every day,” D’Antoni said Monday when asked about his previous comment. “I don’t know if that runs out or if he wants to keep on going. That’s on him.”
