Bryant Gets the Point

Kobe Bryant, with only one game of real pro experience at the position, Sunday was named the Lakers’ backup point guard by Coach Del Harris, a decision that will probably make Derek Fisher the odd man out for playing time, despite his promising play.

“It’s nothing against Fisher,” Harris said. “He’s done a great job. Fish has been terrific. But Kobe adds a dimension very few people bring out there. We felt that if we didn’t start this now, [if we had waited until we had] gotten into the final quarter of the season, it may have been too late with the playoffs coming.

“We felt that right now, at about the midpoint, even though we are in first place, we had to find out where we were with it.”

Bryant as point guard began to come into focus a little less than a week earlier, but only in practice and a cameo appearance Tuesday against Vancouver.

He continued there in workouts, sometimes with effective showings, so Harris broke the news to Fisher before Saturday’s game against Detroit.

Bryant, spending about 15 of his season-high 32 minutes as the primary ballhandler, finished with 21 points, five assists and four turnovers.

“The day before the game [Friday], he had such a terrific practice that the time had come to give it a look in a real game,” Harris said.