Phil Jackson: Bryant Still Elite Scorer

(Phil) Jackson, who teamed with (Kobe) Bryant in Los Angeles to win five of his record-setting 11 NBA championships, has confidence that the injured guard will return to form after he recovers from the fracture of the lateral tibial plateau in his left knee that will keep him out at least three more weeks.

“I think he’ll be back,” Jackson said. “I think Kobe is going to be still a scorer. He can score. We saw Michael Jordan at the end of his career still scoring 20 points a game and he was 37-38, I think. Maybe he was 38-39, I can’t really remember. But I think Kobe can still post up. I think he can still be a good screen-roll player. He’s going to hit shots. He can still shoot the 3-pointer. I think he’s really realistic about it. He’s really pleased. He felt like, you know, I will come back.”

via Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles