Kobe Bryant: What Are The Expectations For 2014-15?

By Evan Massey | Oct 2, 2014

Sep 29, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) during media day at the team practice facility in El Segundo. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered through a terrible season last year, and they didn’t even have their star player, Kobe Bryant, on the court due to two separate injuries. He appears to be back to full health now, and is excited to re-join his team this season. There are quite a few differing opinions on what to expect from Bryant, so we here at HoopsHabit.com have decided to give our opinions on the subject as well.

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Bryant was only able to play in six regular season games, averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. He struggled a bit due to not playing for so long, but began getting things back when he went down with another injury. The Lakers desperately need him to come through with a big season this year in order to avoid a second bad season in a row, but even a stellar season from Bryant might not make things too terribly much better.

At the age of 36, Bryant is beginning to hit the last few years of his NBA career. He has been one of the NBA’s most dominant scorers, and has also been an excellent playmakers and has made his teammates better around him. Bryant is looking to get back to dominance this season despite facing major adversity, which is something that he has done many times throughout his career.

Needless to say, the fans out in Los Angeles and all across the NBA are excited to see Bryant is able to do this season. Bryant will likely take a step back as far as athleticism and explosion are concerned due to the injuries and his age, but that won’t necessarily make him a less dominant player. New Lakers’ head coach Byron Scott is extremely optimistic about Bryant, and made some very exciting comments for Lakers fans.

"I watched him workout here at the facility and he looks really good. He’s in great shape right now. He has two years left on his contract, he’s the one guy, that I think with all the injuries that he’s had over the last year or so, that can play three more years if he wants to and at a very high level. Kobe’s the type of guy that’s still going to average 20some points a game, he’s just that good. I think he still has a lot left in the tank."

Hearing that from a head coach isn’t too surprising, especially a head coach that is relying on one individual player as much as Scott is on Bryant. Even though his head coach is excited and believes that Bryant has a few good years left, only one person really has an opinion that matters. Bryant is the only one that can tell how his body feels, and he is excited and optimistic for the 2014-15 season as well.

So what expectations are reasonable for Bryant this coming season?

There are plenty of motivating factors for Bryant to draw from entering this season, and that will help him get back on track. He has always fed off of doubters and critics, and that will be the case once again this year. The last thing that opponents want to do is see a motivated Bryant, and that will be exactly what they see this season.

Simply the fact that Bryant is gearing up to play another season at the age of 36 after the recent injury issues is impressive. Quite a few players would have called it quits after the year that Bryant had last season, but that is not the case. Bryant is one of the toughest players to ever play a professional sport, and he is proving it once again.

All of that being said, he is going to put together a solid season and will shut his critics and doubters up once again. He has done it throughout his career, and he is still more than capable of being a dominant scorer and all-around player even with the current circumstances. It’s going to be a very fun season to watch Bryant play once again assuming he stays healthy, and the Lakers and their fans are going to get another quality season.

Bryant may not win the MVP award, but he’s still going to be one of the better players in the NBA.

Evan Massey is a Staff Writer for HoopsHabit.com.

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