Dallas’ Wesley Matthews credits Kobe Bryant’s help with recovering from Achilles injury

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant provided guidance to Dallas guard Wesley Mathews as he rehabbed from a left Achilles tendon (photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles News Group)

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant provided guidance to Dallas guard Wesley Mathews as he rehabbed from a left Achilles tendon (photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles News Group)

DALLAS — The instantaneous feedback seemed reassuring. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant contacted Dallas guard Wesley Matthews shortly after rupturing his left Achilles tendon last March, the exact same injury the 37-year-old Bryant suffered nearly 2 1/2 years ago.
And with that, Matthews anticipated Bryant offering countless tips on somehow defying Mother Nature’s watch.

Instead, Matthews heard Bryant preach a concept that is hardly associated with the Lakers’ 37-year-old star.

“Patience. You can hear that from somebody like him, who is obviously has the drive and work ethic that most people don’t even have half of,” Matthews said in an interview with Los Angeles News Group. “For him to say patience is a big thing.”

It is also a surprising thing. Bryant has cemented a secure NBA legacy that entails five NBA championships and a third-place ranking on the league’s all-time scoring list partly by becoming hellbent with overcoming injuries with unmatched regimen.

“I’m not patient by any means, either,” Matthews said. “I feel like we’re cut from the same cloth. For him to say that, it set with me right away. I was trying to mentally prepare for it. But you can’t prepare for it until you’re in the thick of it.”

Matthews is no longer in the thick of it. Even before the former Trail Blazer healed his injury, the Mavericks signed him to a four-year deal worth $80 million. Matthews made good on Dallas’ investment by returning for opening night. Through seven games, he has averaged 10.9 points albeit on 39.3 percent shooting in 26.3 minutes per game. He also just posted 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, six rebounds and three assists in the Mavericks’ win on Wednesday over the Clippers.

Although Matthews still wished he has the same explosiveness he had before his injury, Bryant argued he has “done a phenomenal job.”

“He looks good,” Bryant said of Matthews. “When we saw him in L.A., he was very very happy with the way he was moving and seemed really comfortable. That’s a tough thing to go through.”

Bryant obviously would know.

It took him eight months to return after having surgery on his fractured left Achilles tendon. But Bryant lasted only six games in the 2013-14 season before needing season-ending surgery on his fractured left knee. Bryant then played 35 games in the 2014-15 campaign before tearing the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. This season, Bryant has missed the past two games because of back soreness and stayed sidelined for two weeks in training camp with a bruise in his lower left leg.

With Achilles injuries, Matthews noted, “the younger it happens, the more successful the recovery it will be.” Hence, the 29-year-old Matthews expressed sympathy for the 37-year-old Bryant, mindful his strict regimen does not guarantee a successful comeback.

“It’s sad to see,” Matthews said. “He’s one of those guys on any given night can turn back the clock. But Father Time is undefeated. Its’ sad to see to see him go through as many injuries as he has. But with the career he has and the things he’s had to battle through, it’s a testament to who he is.”

It’s also a testament to Bryant’s willingness to share his wisdom that he talked with Matthews “several times throughout his process.” Matthews noted those conversations usually happened every time he accomplished a benchmark, such as when he began walking without a boot and began basketball-related drills.

“I was really just trying to remember all that was said to be by him and doctors and physical therapists. Basically, I had to block out the calendar,” Matthews said. “Chop everything up into segments and block that out and take every day a day at a time and not try to look too far ahead.”


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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com