![]() ![]() Fantasy-wise, Bryant was productive last season, averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 1.5 three-pointers, but was quite inefficient, hitting just 37 percent of his field goal attempts, including 29 percent of his shots from deep. In the 35 games he played last season, Bryant played 35 minutes per contest, but that number will surely be lower this season as he eases back into the lineup, along with the Lakers' improved depth at guard. Bryant underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder in January, and at the time, his prognosis was for a nine month recovery period. Read More NewsĪnother season finished, another season-ending injury for Bryant, who has now failed to finish his last three NBA campaigns. Among a long list of achievements, Bryant will end his career as the third-leading scorer in NBA history, a five-time NBA champion, and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. The debate regarding Bryant's legacy figures to continue well into his retirement, but there's no denying that the 18-time All-Star was one of the top players of his era and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. In that sense, Bryant's final game was a microcosm of his polarizing career his supporters surely reveled in the 37-year-old's dedication to take the game into his own hands, while his detractors likely viewed the finale as the ultimate embodiment of his lack of efficiency and unwillingness to keep his teammates involved. And secondly, Bryant's Lakers teammates fed him the rock incessantly throughout the night, as he needed a whopping 50 shots - a single-game record in the modern era - to get his point total. For one, the Jazz, who were eliminated from the postseason minutes before Wednesday's contest started, weren't exactly playing with much motivation and rested their top two rim protectors, Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, which presented little resistance for Bryant as he drove to the tin. Of course, the 60-point outburst came with plenty of caveats. He also came up clutch when it mattered most, pouring in 23 of his 60 points in the final quarter to aid the Lakers to a comeback victory. Bryant shook off some early jitters from the field to catch fire by the second half of the first quarter, finishing with 15 points in the period. In the final NBA game of his career, Bryant couldn't have asked for a better possible ending, as he put on a show to remember for the Staples Center crowd that had feted him for 20 seasons. ![]()
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