IT'S THE YEAR OF KOBE.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

It's all been mere prelude. All a setup, no matter how amazing.

Every jaw-dropping move, every eye-opening pass, every mind-boggling shot - all wondrous prologue for what's about to unfold.

Kobe Bryant is going to take his game to another level.

He is going to establish himself as the very thing teammate Shaquille O'Neal pronounced him as during last season's playoffs - the best player in the game.

Michael Jordan might be returning, but Kobe Bryant is still coming. Still elevating his game, still a star very much on the rise.

Are you ready for this? Ready for an improved Bryant? A Bryant even better than the one we saw last season?

That would be a player who averaged 28.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the regular season, then went into the playoffs and stepped it up. Who improved on every individual number.

That's what great players do in the playoffs. And now, expect it to carry over into the coming 2001-2002 regular season, which begins tonight when the Lakers play host to Portland.

Because he's not soup yet. He's not done evolving, not a finished project. He's entering his sixth season and is only 23.

In the exhibition season he has looked more comfortable, more polished as a player than ever. His passing never has been so sharp. The forced turnovers, so frustrating to the Lakers in the past as he grew up before them, are finally waning.

``Last year in the playoffs, he just came into his own,'' O'Neal said. ``When I made those comments that he was the best player, he was. And it's carried over to this year.

``He didn't miss an open guy two times in a row all preseason. He's hitting guys, he's picking his shots, still dominating the game.''

L.A.'s wonder boy is going to raise the bar another notch. He still will be routinely spectacular. Make the kind of play that afterward has people turning to each other in disbelief, as if to silently ask, ``Did you see that?''

But he also will make fewer mistakes, show an increased knowledge of the game, continue to evolve into a superior playmaker. All while probably increasing his scoring average as teams use zone defenses to collapse on O'Neal inside.

And while he has physically grown stronger and his game has become more polished, he has begun to look more comfortable in the locker room.

On the court, he always has played as someone who clearly loved what he was doing. There's a bit of Magic Johnson in Bryant, not only in a competitive sense but in his obvious and unabashed enjoyment of the game.

His comfort in the locker room is there perhaps because he's no longer the teen-ager in with the grown-ups, or because he got married, or because he feels established, or simply because he's matured.

Bryant looks like he's at home now.

``I'm so much more relaxed this season,'' Bryant said. ``I enjoy the game, I'm healthy, life is good. Especially with the tragedies that just took place, you really have to learn how to take it a day at a time and just enjoy every day.

``I'm having so much fun. I love it, man. We're playing a game. It's a beautiful feeling.''

There seems no lingering jealousy between Bryant and O'Neal. The talk is of a third title. The talk is of a young man enjoying his time.

``He's a little jollier,'' O'Neal said. ``He's hanging out with the guys. It's going to be fun for us.''

This all translates into the continued evolution of Bryant, superstar. Given his history, though, it hardly is a wild stretch to proclaim that Bryant will improve this season.

``I think he will, but it's been that way every year,'' Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. ``He's incredibly motivated. He always says, `I'm going to work on this and come back strong next year.' That's just the way he is.

``The fact that he is so driven is what makes him unique. Clearly, he is incredibly athletic and has great skill level. But I could make a list of guys who have somewhat similar athletic ability who are 6-6, 6-7.

``How many guys have the same package? He has this drive, this competitive nature and a vision of what he wants to be and what he wants to accomplish.''

Bryant doesn't attempt to conceal what he wants to accomplish this season.

``I know he's excited about winning another championship,'' Lakers forward Rick Fox said. ``That's what he talks about. With that attitude and approach, I think he'll be prepared to do whatever is needed, whatever it takes, to get us there along with Shaq.

``You saw us have the kind of success we had at the end because he became a playmaker and more conscious of other areas of the game, whether it was defense or creating shots for his teammates.''

Bryant makes no bold proclamations for his coming season, has no feel for whether his game will take yet another amazing leap.

``I don't know,'' he said. ``My game this season is just determined by what we do as a team, what my teammates are able to do, and how I'm able to help them improve.''

That's how he talks now, that's how you should expect him to play. All while not sacrificing any of the spectacular things he does individually.

Most players have his playing experience at a time they are peaking physically in their late 20s. Bryant started so young, his court savvy has arrived ahead of his physical peak.

Everything has been building toward the special player we will see this season. Bryant is about to ascend to yet another level. To the best player in the game.

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Photo:

(color) Believe it or not, the Lakers' Kobe Bryant continues to improve.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer