The return of Kobe Bryant after two injury-marred seasons has not only made an immense impact on the court, but inside the locker room as well where young guys like Jeremy Lin look up to him as a mentor.
After seeing him grow from an athletic teenager out of Lower Marion High School to one of the greatest Lakers of all time, the 36-year old Bryant has become a mentor to his younger teammates at this point of his career.
Despite spending much of last season on the sideline, the Black Mamba remained a strong voice for his teammates in the locker room as he continuously pushed Nick Young and Wesley Johnson to improve their game and become more professional with their crafts.
Now, it appears that Bryant has a new student in the person of the 26-year old Lin, who was acquired by the Lakers in an offseason trade with the Houston Rockets.
"He cares about all the little things," Lin said of the impact of Bryant's presence in training camp via Bleacher Report. "It's like the stuff that he talks to me about, I didn't ever think about it. Little stuff. I'm, like, 'Oh, OK. That's one way to look at it.' He's challenging me to expand my perspective.
"I think that's really important, and that's something that I love doing. It's a blessing that he's here in the same locker room."
Bryant, who underwent a grueling 'Blackout' training program to recapture his pre-injury form for this coming season, has also welcomed to Lin as one of his students and claimed that he's going to turn the former Harvard standout into a reliable defensive stopper.
"Jeremy's biggest challenge, which he loves, is that I'm really going to challenge him to be a great defensive player-because he can," Bryant said of Lin. "He has the speed, he has the length, he has the size. He has never had to take on that challenge, but I think he can be a great defensive player."
Lin, on the other hand, has embraced the challenge of becoming an elite defender presented to him by Bryant as he looks to evolve into an even better player on both ends of the floor.
"It's just nice to have somebody who's pushing me and helping me, teaching me the tricks," Lin said of Bryant's mentoring. "It's also nice when he's one of the best to ever do it, even on the defensive end."
