Kobe Bryant is looking forward to playing with newly-acquired point guard Steve Nash.

"He gives us a much, much better chance," Bryant said after the first day of USA Basketball training camp in Las Vegas. "He's a terrific shooter. And shooting is something that was lacking for us. His ability to play-make for others out of the pick and roll is one of the best we've ever seen. He has a high basketball IQ, in terms of being a coach out on the floor.

"It puts me in my natural position, which is that of a shooting guard and that of a finisher. Michael (Jordan) had Scottie (Pippen), who was a great facilitator for him and enabled Michael to do what he does best, which is score the ball."

Asked if Nash was enough to put the Lakers over the top again, Bryant said: "I don't know if they're done. I don't think they're done.

"They've obviously had a track record of things that have proven to be beyond what other teams in the league can do. The moves that they make, they just seem to come out of nowhere. Steve Nash, that just kind of came out of nowhere. Pau Gasol, that just came out of nowhere. That's just kind of been our M.O."