The Trail Blazers' lineup thus became more impactful and lively, with Kobe's overwhelming desire to win and Gan Guoyang's winning mentality merging together, allowing the Trail Blazers to play high-quality games every night.
In January 1999, Kobe's average score per game increased to 20 points, and his performance became increasingly stable.
In the game against the Orlando Magic, Kobe scored a career-high 38 points.
In the game against the New York Knicks, Kobe scored 30 points again, which was not an easy feat.
On January 21, 1999, in the game against the Lakers, Kobe scored 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, marking the first triple-double of his career.
Seeing Kobe's performance, Gan Guoyang actively relinquished some ball control to let this young man freely play, and the Trail Blazers faintly showed signs of a former "dual-core inside-out" strategy.
