The LA Lakers have Kobe Bryant dealing with a back injury and he could make his return soon, but it likely will not be Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. Metta World Peace has started in place of Bryant, while D'Angelo Russell has been getting benched late by head coach Byron Scott as he works through some growing pains.
Bryant has missed the past two games with a back injury and now he could be out for a third straight for the Lakers. According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Bryant is coming into the game on Friday listed as questionable and it comes after Bryant said he "hoped" to play on Friday. Bryant missed games against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic and it comes as the superstar has been struggling on the offensive side of the floor, shooting just 32 percent from the floor this season.
Peace could start again for the Lakers, while Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson could see extended minutes if Bryant is out. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier in the week that Bryant was having trouble walking due to his back injury, which led to Bryant sitting out on Wednesday. Bryant has been averaging 16.5 points per game through six games this season and while Byron Scott said he was not worried about the slow start for Bryant, the guard is putting up career low numbers in scoring and shooting percentage.
While it's still early in the season, the Lakers likely will be cautious with Bryant, as the star has not played a full season in a couple ears. Last season Bryant played in just 35 games and the previous season he played in six games while dealing with serious injuries. The Lakers are a young team and players like D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle have struggled at times and Byron Scott said that the team is trying to balance winning with developing those young players.
Scott has been sitting Russell late in games at times this season and the head coach said that Russell needs to work on his overall game as he adjusts to the NBA. Russell had a tough game against the Heat this week while hitting just two of his six shots and he put up just four points and four assists in 21 minutes of play. Scott said that Russell will get better at dealing with things on the court and this season so far Russell is averaging 8.6 points, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Russell said to the Los Angeles Daily News that he has "got to figure out what I'm doing wrong" so he can "correct it" moving forward for the Lakers. The Lakers aren't truly second guessing the pick of Russell, as he is just 19 and has years to develop, but the play of Kristaps Porzingis has made some around the NBA wonder whether LA should have went that route. Porzingis has been starting for the Knicks this season and the rookie has put up solid numbers and has been a strong force on the offensive and defensive sides of the floor.