According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Bryant ripped several of his teammates, including former lottery picks Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, for their play in Saturday’s 121-103 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
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“He was telling guys to get up, pressure the guys and get the ball out of their hands," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “The things we talked about pregame and things we talked about at halftime.
“I think it helps because of the fact (Kobe) is who he is. At times, they’ll get tired of hearing it from coaches all the time saying the same thing. When one of your peers says it, especially someone of that magnitude, you would hope those guys would listen. You would hope they listen to that and take it to heart.”
Bryant declined to go into detail about what was said, telling reporters, “You know I don’t do the gossip (expletive)” Other players weren’t asked about the postgame exchange, but Russell did admit Bryant got on his teammates during a timeout about their defensive effort in the third quarter.
“We just weren’t defending,” Randle said about Bryant’s criticisms during the timeout.
This isn’t the first time Russell and Randle have been under the microscope this season. Scott himself has chided both players. He has said Randle “needs to grow up” and he’s had sharp criticism for Russell, the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, as well.
