Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers' Roy Hibbert 'excited' to join Kobe, but 'it'll be a challenge'

Published Aug. 6, 2015 2:59 p.m. ET

foxsports

With his move to Los Angeles to join the Lakers, center Roy Hibbert is looking for a fresh start and a little bit of redemption. And if things go well, Kobe Bryant could be a big reason why Hibbert turns it around.

Hibbert is the first to admit that his time as a member of the Indiana Pacers didn't end on the best note. In a long examination of Hibbert and his mentality going into next season, ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes found a litany of Hibbert coaches, teammates and acquaintances who made it clear that the big man is his own harshest critic. And when things aren't going as planned for Hibbert, that can affect his play, he admitted:

"I feel like I haven't done the best in environments that aren't conducive to me doing well, and I have to do that," Hibbert told Holmes.

And that raises a pretty big question: Will playing alongside Kobe Bryant be an environment that's conducive to Hibbert playing well? As Holmes notes, Bryant said earlier this summer that he's made multiple teammates cry. That could be a bad mix with Hibbert's sensitivity and "cerebral" approach to the game.

For his part, Hibbert understands the possible complications. Despite saying that he's "excited" to play with Bryant, he also allowed, "It'll be a challenge. But I'm up for it. I'm not going to speculate on other people and how they interacted with him and their relationships, but I feel like if I put my best foot forward in practices and in games, I don't feel like there will be any tension. And I'm the type of person that will be like, 'Hey, if I did something, let's talk it out,' as opposed to just going back and forth every day."

Part of Hibbert's preparation to join Bryant and the Lakers will likely be mental. He told Holmes that he's a big believer in proactively managing his mental health. He credits that in part to Metta World Peace for his openness in thanking his sports psychologist after the Lakers won the 2010 NBA title.

And on the Bryant front, one Eastern Conference executive told Holmes he thinks things could work out in Hibbert's favor. "I could actually see Kobe getting the best out of Roy," the executive said. "I don't think he's ever been pushed before like he will be this next year. And it's a contract year."

Holmes' portrait of Hibbert paints an NBA player who's equal parts skill, intelligence and sensitivity. Whether that works out in Los Angeles remains to be seen. But there's every chance that Hibbert will find a home with the Lakers.

(h/t ESPN.com)