The key to all of this is limiting Kobe’s minutes.
He is old in basketball years and needs to be guarding the worst player on offense. That is the only way he will survive an 82-game-season.
We reported earlier than Kobe might move to Small Forward, but Byron Scott says Kobe might play all four positions via NBA.com.
“The one thing that we wanted to do and accomplish through this draft and through free agency was to try and be a little more versatile, have some versatility. So I think (Clarkson, Russell, Williams) can definitely do that. Kobe can play one, two and three. There’s no doubt in my mind. And there’s some games. against some teams, where he’ll probably play four. With his tenaciousness, the way he guards people and when his mind is set, if I say ‘Kobe, you’ve got him,’ he takes that as a challenge. You know how he is. He’ll compete.”
Stans and haters would like Kobe to stay healthy, it is just more fun that way.