Lakers’ Wesley Johnson staying quiet about Kobe Bryant’s condition

The Lakers made a $48.5-million gamble that Kobe Bryant will return to form after a lost season due to knee and Achilles’ injuries.

The 36-year-old All-Star guard signed a two-year contract extension during last season -- a season in which he managed to make just six appearances as the Lakers went 27-55, their worst record since moving to Los Angeles in 1960.

The Lakers’ hopes this season rest on the successful return of Bryant, who averaged just 13.8 points a game last season.

One of Bryant’s teammates may know his condition better than any other.

Fifth-year forward Wesley Johnson spent most of the off-season working out with Bryant, in Orange County and at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo.

“We’d come up here on the sneak, but other than that it was down in O.C.,” Johnson said at the team’s annual media day Monday. “He looks good.”

How good?

“To see him come along ... I can’t give that out,” Johnson said with a smile, adding he didn’t want to reveal too much.

It was Bryant who initiated the workouts, dating back to March.

“It actually happened during the last team picture,” Johnson said. “We were sitting beside each other, he leaned into me, ‘We have a lot of work to do this summer.’

“Right after Easter, he hit me up, ‘Are you ready to work?’” Johnson recalled. “He said, ‘I’ll be in the gym at 7 a.m.,’ and I said I’ll be there.”

The pair worked out regularly, starting light and increasing the pace and workload as Bryant’s conditioning improved.

“The whole summer was pretty much repetition,” Johnson said. “From April to July, it was a big improvement. We ramped it up every month.”

Bryant traveled later in the summer to China, Greece and Germany. Johnson visited the Philippines.

While the two spent significant time together, Johnson was a free agent, and no lock to return to the Lakers.

“I wanted to come back, be in more of a stable team environment,” Johnson said. “I don’t think a lot of players last year got a fair shot at it.”

The Lakers eventually re-signed Johnson over the summer for a guaranteed minimum contract of $981,084.

The 27-year-old small forward believes he’ll be a better player this season because of the time spent with Bryant.

“We cleaned up a lot of my offensive game, no wasted motion,” Johnson said. “It slowed the game down a lot for me.”

Johnson said he was touched that Bryant chose him to partner with on his comeback.

“He didn’t have to reach out to me like he did,” Johnson said. “He knows I’m his teammate ... but he tried to help me personally.”

Johnson averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 79 games last season. The team is hoping the 6-foot-7 forward can become a consistent force defensively -- possibly as a starter.

Meanwhile, Johnson hinted the Lakers will get a lot of the old Kobe Bryant back for a resurgent season.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.