The Eve of the Regular Season

The preseason ended with the Lakers going undefeated, and the team had shown formidable competitiveness. In the championship odds at Las Vegas casinos, the Lakers ranked second at 100:500. Perhaps market size had played a role in why Las Vegas bookmakers set those odds. But many believed that the Lakers, led by O'Neal, who had beaten Jordan once, would be Michael Jordan's Bulls' greatest challenger.

First in the odds were the Chicago Bulls, whose odds had reached an astonishing 100:100. In other words, even if the Bulls won the championship, you would not make a single cent! Such a line was practically an assumption that the Bulls would win again, as if no odds had been offered at all.

Further down the list were the Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks, Mosaic, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Pacers, Phoenix Suns, and so on.

These were the teams Las Vegas bookmakers considered strong. Their rosters generally featured superstars along with a group of outstanding role players, while the size of their markets also had a slight effect on the betting lines.

In the official power rankings, the Chicago Bulls still held the top spot. After winning 72 games last year, American media unanimously believed this would once again be a year in which they ruled the league.

For the Lakers in the Western Conference to reach the Finals and face the Bulls at the height of their power, they would have to overcome Payton and Kemp's SuperSonics, the Olajuwon-Drexler-Barkley Big Three, Stockton and Malone's Utah twin terrors, Sabonis's Portland, and countless other obstacles.

This was a magnificent era. The previous generation of stars was in its prime, while Kobe and his Golden Generation were also about to embark on their journey. New stars had entered the league; players like Hardaway and Hill had already achieved considerable success. Yet this era still belonged to Jordan.

After the preseason ended, Kobe returned to his home in Philadelphia. Having lacked the warmth of family in his previous life, he did not want to repeat that mistake in this one. He had prepared some special gifts for his family.

"So you still remembered how to come home." Old Joe opened the door and immediately shouted when he saw Kobe outside.

"Hey, Old Joe. That's no way to talk about your son, is it?" Kobe dodged Joe Bryant's shove and slipped into the house.

"Our big star is back." Pamela gave Kobe an enthusiastic hug.

Kobe smiled happily. It had been many years since he had felt the warmth of his parents.

"You little brat, you played pretty well in the preseason. I hear the Los Angeles media are practically blowing you up to the heavens, especially that Magic Johnson. Tsk, tsk, tsk—there's nothing he won't say."

"Dad, isn't it only natural for Magic to encourage one of his own?"

"Don't mind your father. He just wants to be your agent and make trouble for himself. Look at him—he wants to be an agent? He'd get sold off and not even know it."

Old Joe's face reddened. "I-I can't be worse than that white kid, can I?"

"Rob has helped Kobe secure a lot of things. He's much more professional than you."

Joe Bryant muttered under his breath, saying things like he was no worse than anyone, that he was surely better than some little brat, and that good water should not flow into outsiders' fields.

"Old Joe, Pelinka got me some courtside tickets for the opening game. Want any?" Kobe revealed his trump card. He knew Old Joe desperately wanted to experience the atmosphere of an NBA game.

"Jesus above! How many tickets do you have?"

"Enough for you to bring all your old buddies."

After enjoying a brief moment of family warmth, Kobe flew back to Los Angeles and continued his training. He was about to take on the Lakers' point guard role.

Harris called him back to Los Angeles to train and work on the team's chemistry and tactics.

The point guard was the initiator of a team's offense. A shooting guard could focus solely on scoring, but an offensive initiator had to consider every aspect of the team. Kobe had only understood in the latter part of his career that a guard who thought only about attacking would throw the team's rhythm into chaos. How to balance the team as a whole against one's own offense was a profound art.

Another reason Harris wanted Kobe to play point guard was that Kobe's body was still somewhat slight for the shooting guard position. The NBA's seasoned veterans would likely make it difficult for him to take a step forward. This had already shown in his matchup against Dumars. In head-to-head offense, Kobe had almost no way to deal with Dumars.

Most point guards in the league were relatively short and fast, but their bodies were also quite slight. Kobe's physicality was enough to ensure that he would not be at a disadvantage at point guard.

Kobe's lateral quickness was enough to keep up with those smaller players. He had experience defending Iverson at his peak. And Iverson was the ultimate template for the undersized scoring guards popular in the NBA at the time.

Defense was not a problem, but the full-court press Kobe had recently favored would be difficult to use effectively against first-rate point guards. Their height and speed advantages could make Kobe pay a heavy price for guarding them so closely.

The defensive strategy Harris set for Kobe was to maintain a moderate distance, not be overly aggressive on defense, and conserve as much energy as possible for organizing the offense.

Harris planned to avoid giving Kobe overly long minutes. Kobe was still very young, and the Lakers' leadership did not want to overwork his body. The Lakers had plenty of time to let this eighteen-year-old grow gradually and eventually become the guardian of the team.

He would play around twenty-five minutes per game: fifteen minutes paired with the starters as the starting point guard, and ten minutes leading the second unit as a shooting guard.

That was roughly the current plan. Over the long regular season, Harris would gradually adjust how he used Kobe. Kobe had limitless room to grow, and Harris was willing to try every possible method to help him develop.

Taking control of the offense was the first step. In his first season, Jordan had taken control of his team's offense and put up 28+6+6. Harris did not expect Kobe to immediately reach rookie Jordan's level.

After all, Jordan had been isolated and helpless back then, forced to both score and organize the offense. The Lakers, with O'Neal on the roster, did not lack finishers. What Harris wanted Kobe to learn more was playmaking ability and tactical understanding.

What Harris did not know was that Kobe had played twenty years in the NBA. Having worked under numerous great coaches, his understanding of all kinds of tactics had already surpassed this era. Kobe understood Harris's tactical requirements as soon as he heard them and could even draw inferences from them, which greatly surprised Harris.

Could he be a natural team brain? But he had not looked like one in high school.

The point guard template of this era was still mainly based on players like Isiah Stockton and Kidd, who put organization first. Very few point guards could combine scoring and playmaking.

The last guard who could serve as both an offensive initiator and an offensive finisher had been Magic Johnson, the greatest point guard in history who led the Lakers' Showtime dynasty. The one before him had been Oscar Robertson, the superstar who averaged 30+12+11.

Would Kobe be the next one?