34-year old Kobe Bryant is still going to be the focal point of the Lakers’ offense in 2012-13, he just won’t have the ball in his hands as much with Steve Nash on board.  That is a good thing for Kobe, as he will have less responsibility and more freedom on the offensive end of the basketball court.  Bryant played in 58 games (all starts) for the Lakers last year and he averaged 38.5 minutes, 27.9 minutes, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  He has now played in 1,161 games (1,013 starts) in his first 16 years with the Lakers and he is averaging 36.5 minutes, 25.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  The Lakers made a nice move in signing 25-year old Jodie Meeks to give Bryant a break whenever he needs one in 2012-13.  Meeks played in 66 games (50 starts) for the 76ers last year and he averaged 24.9 minutes, 8.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  He has now played in 200 games (114 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 22.1 minutes, 8.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Youngsters will be duking it out for the #3 shooting guard spot in training camp.  23-year old Andrew Goudelock played in 40 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Lakers last year and he averaged 10.5 minutes, 4.4 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game, but he only shot 39.1% from the floor.  21-year old Darius Morris played in 19 games (0 starts) as a rookie last year for the Lakers and he averaged 8.9 minutes, 2.4 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  22-year old rookie Darius Johnson Odom came to the Lakers in a deal with the Mavericks on Draft Night last April.  He played in 105 games at Marquette in college and he averaged 30.8 minutes, 15.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2012-13:  A+