Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott said his "experiment" with limiting the minutes played by Kobe Bryant is working, indicating he had no intention of increasing Bryant's playing time any time soon.
Scott rested Bryant for three games last week before playing him on Sunday and Tuesday. Bryant, whom Scott limited to around 32 minutes in each game, logged 10 points and eight rebounds on Sunday against Phoenix before bouncing back on Tuesday against Denver with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
For Scott, Bryant's performances after his three-game layoff were enough to convince him to maintain the course with Bryant's minutes-restriction.
"So far, the experiment is working," Scott said Thursday, via ESPN. "We're just going to keep at it and see how it turns out. ... Kobe came in and got some shots up and got some treatment. He said he feels great, so we're going to stick to the plan. Tomorrow he's going to come in and get some more shots up, and we'll go through shootaround and go from there."
Scott also elaborated on how the decision is made on whether Bryant would sit for a game.
"We talk about it daily," he said. "We talked on the plane after the Denver game. I told him, 'Look, we'll just see you Thursday, but I'll give you a call Thursday morning and let's talk about it.' That's basically how we're doing it every day. When he tells me he feels good, OK, let's keep that going by not coming in here and trying to overdo it. If he says he feels a little down or his energy level is not there, then basically I'll tell him to stay home. It goes day by day.
"The experiment is working extremely well. The days off and 32 minutes or lower in games has been working well, and we're going to stick with that right now."
