Lakers cut down some of Kobe Bryant’s activity on first day of camp

Reporting from HONOLULU —  The preservation of Kobe Bryant began Tuesday, 2,300 miles from Los Angeles and a world away from the giddiness of a while ago.

Bryant and the Lakers were overjoyed with his activity level in last year’s training camp, Coach Byron Scott beaming day after day when asked how he looked.

Then came the regular season and an average of 34.5 minutes a game for Bryant, who was already gliding pretty low to the earth before crashing with a torn rotator cuff in January.

Almost buried amid yet another Bryant injury was the fact he sat out eight games so his aging body could recover from the feverish first 27 he played.

Some of his longer appearances were the ones that tugged at him, and his accuracy. He logged 44 minutes against Phoenix. Forty against Houston. Another 44 against Dallas and 42 against Toronto.

The Lakers haven’t specified anything about a minutes limitation, but there will be one. It’s for the betterment of the team and Bryant’s health in his final season under contract.

Bryant, 37, didn’t take part in end-of-practice sprints Tuesday at the University of Hawaii. Nor did he do shooting drills with the rest of the team afterward. True to his always-arrive-early mantra, he was at the arena an hour before the rest of the team, getting up shots on his own.

In the short term, he’ll sit either the morning or afternoon session of two-a-days this week. He almost surely won’t play all eight Lakers exhibitions, though the team hasn’t announced anything.

“We’re being smart,” Bryant said. “I’m in great condition. I could run all day. It’s just a matter of not having to do it in practice. You don’t want to beat up the joints too much.”

Of greater importance, Bryant won’t play both games of every back-to-back set in the regular season. He could also sit out random games for rest. The Lakers can’t afford a repeat of last season. Neither can Bryant, who shot 36% in games where he played 38 or more minutes.

Scott blamed himself when Bryant started fading last winter, even more so when Bryant’s shoulder was done after a seemingly innocuous dunk.

Too many minutes for a player with too much, um, experience.

On Tuesday, Scott pledged to be more careful with Bryant’s playing time, admitting last season’s overuse still crept into his mind. He also urged Bryant to inform him if fatigue became a factor, whether in games or practice or whatever.

Then again, the early reviews for Bryant’s first day of camp sounded a lot like last year’s. Rookie D’Angelo Russell might already be in awe.

“I didn’t think he was going to go through the whole practice, since it’s his first .. .but he looked good,” Russell said.

Etc.

Scott seemed certain the Lakers would improve upon 21 wins. “I’m pretty confident. I really am,” he said, adding they were already “way ahead of schedule” compared to last year’s camp. ... Jordan Clarkson looked to be in the best shape, easily beating teammates in sprints and then grinning about it. “Gotta be in good shape. Always.”…The Lakers hadn’t been to Hawaii since 2007, prompting Bryant to say, “All my teammates that were here before, they’re all now either retired or coaching. Or on TV.”

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Twitter: @Mike_Bresnahan