Without watching the games, you’d probably be surprised to hear that January has been one of Kobe Bryant’s best months. I mean, if you just examine his game log, you’ll see that his scoring numbers, rebounds, and assists are all hovering around his season averages while his long range shooting isn’t any different than it’s been all year either (for the month he’s still averaging a little over 3 attempts while knocking down 30% of his shots from three point land). Even his FTA’s per game are about the same as they’ve been all year. So, why would I state that he’s playing better?
It’s simple really – he’s playing more of an attacking style. Below is a video showing some of the plays Kobe made against the Warriors last week when he went for 39 points in an exciting win:
If there’s one thing that stands out from that clip is that Kobe is doing so much more work going to the basket. Sure, there are some standard post ups and we also saw his patented jumper out of the triple threat that is a staple of his offensive arsenal. But besides those plays, every shot is going to the basket; every play is one where he’s actively using his dribble to either get all the way to the rim or get inside 10 feet to shoot a relatively easy (at least for him) jumper in the lane. If you’ve been watching Kobe all year, that’s a big departure from the player that either did work extensively from the post or fired long range jumpers off one or two dribbles.
I know what you’re thinking though (I was thinking it too) – It was the Warriors! Of course Kobe was attacking one of most porous defenses in the league!
However, this style of play hasn’t been limited to that single game last week. Against the Thunder last night, Kobe consistently attacked off the dribble to try and get to the basket to earn better position on the floor. Primarily working against Thabo Sefolosha (a defender that’s given him problems in years past) , Kobe didn’t settle for long range, contested jumpers but rather used the threat of his jumper to keep his man off balance and then penetrate into the teeth of the defense. When he didn’t get all the way to the rim he’d often pull up to shoot, but if the defender was going to get a good contest on his shot he’d just dump the ball off to a teammate that was moving into open space. (To be fair, Kobe’s jump passing did lead to a couple turnovers, but I balance that with the fact that he was attempting to pass out of trouble rather than firing up a questionable shot.)
And this is the trend we’ve seen since the start of the new year. Kobe’s just consistently been using his dribble with more purpose to get into the paint. Against the Thunder, 6 of his 12 shots came within 10 feet of the basket. Against the Nets the ratio was 10 of 19. Against the Warriors it was 8 of 21. Against the Knicks it was 13 of 28. And when you look at the other games this month, the only ones where we didn’t really attack the paint were Phoenix (whose zone D kept the entire Laker team perimeter oriented) and the Cavs (where Kobe only took 10 shots all game in a historic blowout). Essentially, in every game this month Kobe has been taking nearly half his shots within 10 feet of the basket. This is in strong contrast to his year long average of about 37%.
Also, I sort of lied when I said that Kobe’s standard boxscore stats don’t show any improvement. In the month of January, he’s shooting his highest percentage from the floor this season (48%). In 6 of the Lakers’ 10 games this month he’s shot 50% or better and only been below 45% twice. If you’d rather ignore the stats and go back to the eyeball test, check out a couple of his highlight drives from the Thunder game last night. Needless to say, we weren’t seeing those types of plays earlier in the year. And to that all I can say is welcome back attacking Kobe, we’ve missed you. (Though I doubt wing defenders around the league are saying the same thing.)
*All shot location information gathered from HoopData’s advanced boxscores.
Chownoir says
Any theories on why the change? Also the dunks in traffic the last few games have been a nice surprise. Is his body and knee really feeling better after the last few years of being beat up and heavy workload? With the knee surgery, summer off and lighter minutes, is this the freshest and healthiest Kobe has been since 08 season?
Oh, you also have a typo that makes it read pretty funny. “I was the Warriors!”
Darius Soriano says
#1. Theories? I’d chalk it up to improved health, but also to the fact that he’s had to do a lot more work from the perimeter with the return of Bynum.
If I wanted to make this an X’s and O’s heavy post, I probably would have focused on the fact that Kobe’s been running a lot more P&R while also initiating a lot more of his moves from the perimeter rather than going into the post at the beginning of possessions. That because he’s moved off the wing and more into the 2 guard front of the Triangle that he’s handling the ball more early in the offense and that offords him the opportunity to create more off the dribble rather than make catches on the wing.
However, I’d still point to health as the biggest factor. Oh, and that typo is fixed so that sentence no longer has a Pat Benatar feel to it.
Chownoir says
I was thinking more Patty Smyth and Scandal, The Warrior but didn’t want to date myself too much. But what the heck, any excuse to put up a cheesy 80’s video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT9t5nkZn8I
Reign on Parades says
Every announcer likes to go into the “WOAH, I didn’t know Kobe could still jump like that!” routine
Pretty sure that’s Kobe informing folks about the rumors of his demise.
His box score would look really improved if it weren’t for random games where he goes 1-7 from 3. As I’ve said before, my one disappointment from a man who’s poured so much into his craft is that he never developed the Paul Pierce/Jason Kidd 40% 3 point set shot.
His 3 point set shot remains the 30% launch where he tries to get a HAND DOWN MAN DOWN from Mark Jackson
Chris J says
Isn’t complaining that Kobe’s never become a more-deadly 3-point shooter sort of like saying Gisele Bündchen’s got a really ugly freckle on the side of her left ankle?
Not to say that he’s above criticism entirely, but not for his outside shooting. As most defender will tell you, No. 24 gets the job done inside or out.
Chownoir says
Heck, Jason Kidd didn’t develop a serviceable 3 pt until he was 34. Pierce’s regular shot is similar to a set shot so it wasn’t a drastic change in form.
Asking Kobe who’s been a jump shooter and shot creator his entire life to suddenly add a set shot that he would only use in a catch and shoot situation isn’t a very effective use of his training time. Not when he can be working on footwork to create space for his jumper.
harold says
Kobe is not quite there yet in terms of having to become a spot-up shooter. He still has stuff left in the tank, and I tend to believe that he always will thanks to his craftiness and experience, though how often he employs them per game will definitely drop.
Besides, if Kobe understands that he can only serve the team as a spot up shooter, he will devote an offseason or two working at it, and he’ll probably hit spot-up worthy percentages. So no need to worry about that now anyway.
Raymeister says
I haven’t watched too many games, but I have noticed his dribble penetration to get in the paint. KB is definitely a special player to watch!
cdog says
I remember Kobes jump shot looking much better when he had all 10 fingers. It might be silly to think, with defenses geared towards him, that he would be a constant 40% 3 pt shooter when he doesn’t have two full hands. And on a lot of possessions, at least this year, his 3s aren’t necessarily in rhythm but mostly of the bail out variety because fisher, Artest, Blake, and barnes have fallen in love with the pump fake. If the lakers had another dribble penetrator so that Kobe didn’t always have to play that role, I’m sure just based on his talent that he would be/become a dangerous outside shooter. But when’s the last time this team has had another dribble penetrator that the defense has to focus on when Kobe has been on the roster?
DirtySanchez says
Kobe had to realize that his chucking up contested midrange J’s was causing the team to play at a far less efficient rate. The beating the body takes going to the hole in the NBA is real, for a player in his 15th season the beating can be even worse . I assume at the beginning of the season Mr. Bean felt the need to limit his forays to the hoop for him to remain healthy. With the rest of the league off to a fast start and the harder part of the schedule on the horizon LA couldnt afford to have backslides as frequently.
Just as hard as I can be on Kobe about chucking, I am just as receptive to give him props for recognizing his game had too change in the best interest of the team.
John Morris says
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBJZXyfLrpU
He should do this in the dunk contest this year.
jodial says
Seems a bit strange to criticize the 3 point approach of the guy who holds the NBA record for 3 pointers in a game.
M5 says
How often does Kobe, get a chance to shot a set 2/3 point shot? With the amount of attention he gets from defenses I would say very little if any.
Simonoid says
jodial – think they’re calling for more consistency. Phil’s called Kobe streaky before, and I think we can all agree to a certain extent that he is.
Reign on Parades says
Chris Paul developed a semi-set shot that’s worked wonders for his percentages, I would say he gets plenty of defensive attention
I felt like I acknowledged how much Kobe’s perfected his craft, but I’ll reiterate that again for the sake of it.
Anyways I have always hated box score analysis like “if he’s shooting poorly then he should have shot less” but for his 3 point launches, I dunno. I feel like if it’s not that reliable then it’s not something he should rely on so frequently. Again, these 2-7 nights are just a minor thing that I know fans of most every stud scorer is going to have to deal with (Melo, Wade, Bron, I’m looking at you guys)
For reference, Kobe’s on pace to launch about 360 3PT shots over an 82 game season which would be the most he’s launched outside of 05-08 (i.e. the non-contention, broken offense years). This despite shooting .319 from range which would be one of his worst marks and playing less minutes per game than any other season over the last decade
nimble says
Last 2 years’ FT and 3P percentage slips have a lot to do with the finger issue.But still,he is hitting most of the needed ones.
jodial says
Simonoid – I get that, and of course Kobe has his ups and downs from behind the stripe. But asking him to abandon the jumper seems crazy, because he’s got as good a jump shot as anyone who’s ever played the game. And, the guy does hold the record, for what it’s worth!
Aaron says
You guys really wanna know the change? You wanna know why kobe is dunking more often? Shhhhhh… Its a secret…. Kobe isnt as good anymore. Other teams arent doubling him or even shading other guys over in his direction as often. If he does beat his man other defenders are late getting over into the lane to helpl. Kobe is still a top 3 player in the NBA and in my opinion a top 4 player of all time… But he no longer is the best player in the NBA, and other teams have noticed.
Matthew says
@Aaron yeah that’s why the Clips sent hard doubles at him 40 ft from the hoop for the entire 4th quarter. Give him single coverage and he’ll kill you, double him and his teammates will make you pay. Nothing has changed during the last 3 seasons and I expect much of the same as the season progresses.
Go Lakers!
p.s.: I also crave for him to shoot less threes, but I guess you can’t be perfect.
harold says
Kobe’s 3 has to be there for him to penetrate. Which is probably why he’s launching that many of them.
Craig W. says
Aaron,
Your statement sounds a little silly. Your secret is that Kobe isn’t as good any more — but he is one of the top 3/4 players in the league (your words).
Frankly, if Kobe is only the 3rd or 4th best player in the league he still deserves to be this team’s main shooter and his smarts on the court don’t need any comment from me.
Darius Soriano says
Phillip has the morning links up:
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2011/01/19/around-the-world-wide-web-49/
Rudy says
Darius
Nice shot at me with the “eyeball test” reference. I like it. I have to agree with everything you pointed out in the post. I thought Kobe played a phenemonal game against the Thunder. I just hope he doesn’t run out of gas with his increased emphasis on attacking the rim. But with the team we have it may be necessary. Nobody else can really get their own shot or create a shot for others.
On a side note, I think your posts have been really good lately. Keep up the good work.
Darius Soriano says
#23. Rudy,
Thanks for the nice words. But, to clarify, I wasn’t trying to call you (or anyone else) out with the eyeball test remark (especially not in any negative way). Lately at this site (and really at a lot of sites and all over the league, really) there’s been a conflict between those that value stats and those that prefer to analyze based off what they see in the game. Personally, I try to do both (and Kurt founded this site with an eye geared towards advanced stats as you can see in the banner). So, I just wanted to try and let folks know from both sides that what we see actually matches up with stats we have available to us to track such things.