My Lakers season-preview article dug behind the curtain to the inner workings of the Kobe Bryant-Phil Jackson dynamic as we near opening night. What went unsaid is that the Lakers’ season story will depend on much more than two lead characters, no doubt. It’s just that everybody can feel differently and perform better if Jackson can get Bryant consistently in the circle and running the triangle.

Here’s how TNT’s Doug Collins sees it: “If Kobe comes in and puts his heart into this team, he can be an incredibly unifying force. If he doesn’t, the team is going to be very divided. There’s no question that Kobe is going to put up big numbers and perform, but is he going to bring his teammates along with him?”

The thing to watch with Bryant as the real games begin is whether he is playing consistently, because that’s what his teammates need the most. By that I don’t mean him playing the same way every night, because Bryant’s job description is such that he must do different things every night depending on what’s made available to him. It’s imperative, though, that he play consistently in the fundamental regard of reading and reacting to defenses. If Bryant is playing however he feels and not how the game dictates, it becomes impossible for his teammates — especially when they’re not star players in their own rights — to play well off him.

The Lakers actually have a good amount of depth to work with, and it’s reasonable to expect varied contributions all down the bench this season. That can only happen, however, if the coach gets the star player to stick to a basic script.

Posted in: 2007 preseason • Kobe Bryant • Phil Jackson |

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