Kobe Bryant is still weeks away from returning to the court, saying he is making steady progress in rehabilitating his injured Achilles even as the Los Angeles Lakers are struggling in the first week of the regular season with a one-win, two-loss record.
Bryant updated reporters on his condition before the Lakers played the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, saying he has improved his ankle's flexibility and has run on flat surface "a little bit more aggressively."
Although the Lakers guard did not projected a return date, he told reporters he needs three weeks of conditioning before going back to practice.
''This week it's done pretty well, actually,'' Bryant said as quoted by Yahoo! Sports. ''It's been OK. I've been able to push pretty hard and come back, push hard again. The recovery of it has been pretty good.''
Bryant, who tore his Achilles tendon last April in a game against Golden State, said he is concerned about getting back his athleticism, something that he has relied for most part of his career that is highlighted by five championship rings and a MVP plum in 2008.
''It's not anything to do with the tendon necessarily,'' Bryant said. ''It's going from having the ankle locked up for so long. It wouldn't move. You have that limited range of motion, I don't have to tell you the domino effect that has on the other parts of the body.''
While he has not practiced with the Lakers, Bryant is contributing to his team by mentoring young players in their roster like guard Nick Young, Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry.
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