LA Lakers news and rumors point to Kobe Bryant continue to prove doubters wrong that his comeback will end up in failure. The squad meanwhile could very well compete to be at the bottom of the ranks.

In the pre-season matchup against the Jazz, Kobe Bryant proved that he can still do multiple things which makes him very dangerous even at 35 years old, according to the LA Lakers news from the LA Times.

Mike Bresnahan wrote that it's still a mistake to leave Kobe Bryant open. And he can still do the pump fake with the best of them.

"He can still be a play-maker. He drove past Gordon Hayward, hung in the air for a bit and found Boozer underneath for an easy basket. On another play, he took an offensive rebound and immediately found Boozer underneath for a basket," he said.

Kobe Bryant made 10-23 shots in 28 minutes.

The ESPN annual preseason rankings placed Kobe Bryant at No. 40 this season, which means there are 39 players better than him in the league. Last season, he was No. 25.

"I would just hate to be one of the guys that doubted him," Lakers coach Byron Scott told the publication. "I see where he's come from to this particular point after the [Achilles] injury and I know he's going to get stronger. I think he'll have the last laugh."

Meanwhile, LA Lakers news and rumors from SB Nation said that the team might just be the worst this season.

"It seems impossible to be worse than the Sixers, but if there's a team that can challenge even that high hurdle, it just might be the Lakers," Tom Ziller wrote. "Based on what we've seen so far, the only thing saving the Lakers from the bottom of the West -- the brutal, unforgiving West, mind you -- and perhaps the bottom of the entire NBA is Kobe's refusal to be embarrassed on a nightly basis. If he concedes or gets injured, this could very well be a 20-win team."