The Los Angeles Lakers practiced on Wednesday morning at their facility in El Segundo, Ca. The big news of the day was that Kobe Bryant practiced and that Julius Randle was no longer using crutches.
Lakers coach Byron Scott said the Lakers had a "spirited" session that was "light" in nature. The coach cut the practice short because he liked what he saw from the guys.
"I probably won't have (Bryant) do the full practice tomorrow," Scott said he expected Bryant to take part in Thursday's practice, as well. "(There) seems to be a little more of a pep in his step. Maybe he's get a second wind. I think we all still tend to forget he hasn't really played in a year and a half."
Lakers guard Nick Young said having Bryant back practicing made it a "little rougher."
Away from the court, Lakers rookie Randle also found a minute to talk to the media on Wednesday.
"I'm off crutches, walking around, just trying to get the strength back in my leg," Randle said. "The doctor said, 'go at your own pace.' My pace is to get rid of (the crutches) immediately."
Randle said he missed the competitiveness and brotherhood of battling with his teammates, but he was spending time on the sidelines learning.
Back on the court, the Lakers had won two of the three games on their recent road trip. The coach was asked what he learned from his team on the recent adventures:
"I learned, especially in the last game, that we have a little more heart than we did a couple weeks ago," Scott said. "Guys took that pretty hard that we didn't play the way we're playing of capable of playing the game against Indiana."
The Lakers will again practice on Thursday before playing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night at Staples Center.
