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Training Camp

Kobe Bryant rehabbed but rusty in return to Lakers

Sam Amick
USA TODAY Sports

HONOLULU — As the Utah Jazz prepared to face the Los Angeles Lakers at the University of Hawaii on Sunday, the running joke among some of those from the Beehive State is that the Lakers were apparently playing against themselves.

Kobe Bryant saw his first game action since January in the Lakers' preseason opener.

Having decided to hold training camp here for the first time since 2007, the Lakers captured all the local headlines with their return. Most fans who showed up to see Kobe Bryant’s official return, in truth, probably didn’t know who the Lakers were playing until they walked through the turnstiles at the Stan Sherriff Center.

But in addition to the Kobe Bryant return that made this such a highly-anticipated affair — and he showed in just 12 minutes of action during Utah's 90-71 win that he’s both rehabilitated and rusty after having season-ending shoulder surgery in January — this was a fitting opponent for the Lakers because of those lofty goals they keep talking about.

If any team can talk about pushing for the playoffs without inspiring laughter in NBA circles, it’s this Jazz team that is my frontrunner to be the surprise squad of the 2015-16 campaign. And if the Lakers are going to put all these mismatched puzzle pieces together and pull off the seemingly impossible, they’ll have to go through teams like Utah and Dallas and Phoenix and perhaps even Sacramento along the way.

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For this night, though, it was all about Bryant and the start of what could be his final campaign. Twenty years in, he’s healthy again, and happy too. For now, anyways. These next six months will determine whether that remains the case.

He did not play beyond the first quarter, finishing 1-of-5 from the field with five points, no rebounds, no assists and one turnover. As he noted, the limited playing time came in stark contrast to the heavy load he carried the day before in a team scrimmage.

"(There's) a lot of upside (on this Lakers team)," Bryant said. "The pieces complement each other extremely well. It’s just a matter of getting a rhythm...(His legs) feel strong. They don’t feel tired at all. It’s just getting timing down…getting acclimated again.

"The practice before, I played probably 40 minutes straight, so my back today was a little tight from all that running. We decided to play the first 12, and look to increase it gradually with every game."

Alas, here’s a look at Bryant’s night through the age-old prism of firsts. The Lakers and Jazz play again here on Tuesday.

Kobe’s first foul (11:30, first quarter): The reality of the Lakers’ modern-day landscape is that Bryant will be playing out of position routinely because of their young stars. Rookie guard D’Angelo Russell and second-year guard Jordan Clarkson will man the backcourt, with Bryant filling either the small forward or power forward spots as a result. As such, and as was the case in his return, he’ll be guarding bigger opponents on a routine basis.

That put him on Gordon Hayward in this one, and the Jazz star’s quick first step at this early moment resulted in Bryant bumping him as he drove left down the lane. But from Hayward to LeBron James to Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, et al, Bryant’s defense is going to be tested all season long as he tries to slow some of the game’s best three-men.

On the other side of the floor, however, Bryant said he's encouraged by what this multi-generational group can do together.

"It’s pretty simple to me," Bryant said. "We kick the ball up to (rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell) and we run the floor. If there was a crack (in the defense), that ball is to you."

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Kobe’s first shot (9:40, first quarter): One could attempt to offer heady basketball analysis of this less-than-beautiful play, or one could take the more blunt approach. Let’s go for the latter.

Yikes.

With Hayward contesting tightly in the left corner, Bryant rose up for a three-point attempt that ricocheted off the side of the backboard and into Hayward’s waiting hands. His second shot was also a miss — a mid-ranger from the right side that wasn’t nearly as ugly but did prompt one Lakers fan to say, "He’s rusty. He’s rusty."

Kobe’s first official butt slap (8:41, first quarter): Bryant bit on a Hayward pump fake and drew contact on his way down. While hordes of Lakers fans booed the call, Bryant gave a friendly tap to the backside of official Matt Boland in a clear attempt to keep the peace.

Kobe’s first make (4:26, first quarter): Three-pointer from the right corner, with an assist from Clarkson, to cut the Jazz lead to 14-12 at the time.

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Kobe’s first jersey bite (3:53, first quarter): You’ve seen this move a few thousand times before: Bryant, typically during breaks in the action but sometimes during play, has a habit of biting his jersey and holding on until all the angst has left his bones. Nothing like the taste of purple and gold sweat, apparently.

Kobe’s first jumbotron appearance (2:53, first quarter): Bryant informed his adoring masses in a pre-taped skit that his favorite book is Harry Potter and his favorite app is Candy Crush.

The first Kobe isolation epic fail (0:08, first quarter): With the clock winding down and Joe Ingles playing pressure defense on Bryant on the left wing, he did a twist routine that would have made Chubby Checker proud. Pick up dribble, ball fake left, spin right, fake left again — hold it for a beat — then fire off a fadeaway while spinning right again that came up short. Memo to Internet sensation Brandon Armstrong, whose impersonations of NBA stars have been so viral these past few months: replicating this one is your next project.

Kobe’s first Kobe chant (9:07, fourth quarter): The Laker Nation was restless late, when the "Kobe, Kobe" chants grew louder as the youngsters played on without him. There was a smaller contingent of folks clamoring for Metta World Peace as well, but he did not play.

Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @sam_amick.

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