There is a real possibility the Lakers will lose two franchise icons at the end of this upcoming season. The first, as we told you earlier, is Gary Vitti, who has announced he will retire at the end of the 2015-16 season. The second, of course, is Kobe Bryant. Kobe has not outright said he will not continue his career when his current contract expires, but a reading of the tea leaves leads me to believe his 20th campaign will be his final one.
It would be fitting if Kobe and Vitti rode out into the sunset together since they share a bond that has been molded for 19 years and counting. One of my favorite pictures of Kobe is him walking with Vitti on the tarmac on the way to the team plane on a road trip from this past season:
(Photo credit: Ty Nowell, Lakers.com)
In what may be their final season together, Vitti will surely be keeping a close tab on Kobe and how he progresses through the season. And, from the sound of it, he’ll be doing it while Kobe plays a different position than his customary shooting guard. From Mike Bresnahan in the LA Times:
Vitti is often an emissary between players and management. He recently met up with Bryant, with whom he shares a longtime bond.
“He was asking about our young kids, and I said, ‘You cannot believe how quick and athletic Jordan Clarkson is. He looks fantastic,'” Vitti said. “I said I personally thought D’Angelo Russell is going to be a star. He makes hard things look easy when he has the ball in his hands.
“Then Kobe said to me, ‘Well, then who’s going to play [small forward]?’ I looked at him and I said, ‘You.’ And with absolute, 100% confidence, he said, ‘I can do that.'”
Can Bryant, soon to turn 37, really do it? His last three seasons were cut short by injury and he became a part-time player last season, sitting out eight of his last 16 games for “rest” before sustaining a torn rotator cuff in January. He is under contract for one more season at $25 million.
“When Nash retired, that didn’t mean he couldn’t play in an NBA game. The problem was how much time did he need to get ready for the next game.” Vitti said. “He had lots of issues that prevented him from playing an NBA schedule.
“That’s going to be the big question with Kobe, and we’re just going to have to feel it out. It’s been a while since he’s played. We just need to see.”
After looking at the depth chart, we’d discussed the potential of Kobe playing some small forward this season. We’d even heard hints of this from Mitch Kupchak and Byron Scott. But it seems we’re getting it right from the horse’s mouth — or at least relayed by Vitti from the horse.
I don’t envision there being too much of a shift in terms of style of play from Kobe as a SF versus a SG. In the offense the team runs, it’s probably a bit better for Kobe to be the SF since it positions him on the wing to start possessions rather than at the top of the floor in the two-guard front many of the Lakers’ Princeton-based sets initiate from. In these sets, Kobe will likely get screened for by Russell and run a fair amount of two-man game and Triangle-like actions on the strong side with Russell and either Hibbert or Randle.
Playing in this spot will likely allow Kobe to post up more freely without having to skew the offense too much by bringing up a SF into a ball handling position (remember all those P&R’s you saw Wes Johnson run as a ball handler?) at the extended wing or at the top of the floor. Kobe, of course, will be much more comfortable handling those actions than a guy like Johnson, but his work below the foul line or in the extended post will likely continue to be his bread and butter — at least in the half court.
Where the team might have some issues with Kobe at SF is defensively, but, honestly, that’s not a new issue when it comes to Kobe. He may have to spend time guarding some of players he likely would have passed off to the other wing, since it is hard to imagine Clarkson guarding the LeBron, Durant, and Carmelo’s of the world. But, considering Kobe will likely be doing much less heavy lifting offensively and has always taken pride in guarding the top names, maybe he’ll give a bit more effort on that side of the ball this season.
Of course, we’ll just have to see how it plays out. My biggest hope for Kobe has little to do with how he plays at any given position, but him simply playing period.
JonnySH says
I’ve heard people talking about this as if it’s a revolutionary idea, but I’m pretty sure Kobe has played SF on a number of occasions over the years.
If we believe that Kobe is going to be most effective in the post, and we also believe that the league is trending towards small ball, then this is the perfect move for him.
I’m really curious about the condition Kobe comes in to camp in. Over the last couple of years, he has either bulked up or slimmed down to suite the role he envisioned himself playing on the team that year.
So if he feels he’s going to be playing SF a lot, the type of body build he brings in to camp will really tell us a lot about how Kobe envisions himself operating in that role..
rr says
That is a great photo.
Moe says
I agree with John. One thing to think about is that yes “traditionally” for a SF you would bulk up but the way the NBA is going now with “small ball” SF aren’t as bulked up anymore. Of course their are some players still on the bulkier side (like that #23 guy in Cleveland) but now players are slim and seeing some of the pictures/appearances Kobe looks slim. I’m sure he’s shed some weight to give less wear and tear on his body, but also because he can now with the league going more smaller.
mud says
Kobe has played a LOT of small forward over the years. he can certainly do that.
Vasheed says
I believe this should have been done a while ago. Kobe actually had a slightly higher per rating at SF. So he is efficient at the position and considering Kobe’s strengths the position puts him in optimal positions on the court.
Ryan P says
Depending on the year he has averaged anywhere from 20-40% of his playing time at the small forward position depending on the time makeup. This is a non story
Mid-Wilshire says
I see Kobe playing a lot in the post this coming year. That should minimize his 3-pt. attempts (he did not shoot very well from 3-pt. range last year) and increase the number of FTs for him. Also, he’ll be chasing around fewer quick guards on the perimeter.
Kobe’s playing the 3 makes sense in any number of ways. I believe this should be a very good move.
BigCitySid says
-I remember Kobe having difficulties with the better small forwards six/seven years ago. It was a major reason the Lakers signed Ron Artest. ‘Melo, LeBron, and Pierce were simply too strong, too big for Kobe to handle. Of course it was a different time. At that time the Lakers were competing for titles, and Kobe needed to be where he was most effective. Now, the Lakers are simply trying to find a place for Kobe on the court while developing their young backcourt. Paul George, Durant, Kawhi Leonard, etc have already started smiling.
bluehill says
Now ESPN saying that Byron may even have Kobe play PF sometimes. Wonder what situations those will be. Byron must be embracing analytics to say that!
tankyou says
@BigCitySid, agree Kobe is going to get destroyed by some of the SF’s but really that’s the case with the SG’s as well, so really doesn’t matter to me. Kobe is going to be a negative presence on the defensive end of the floor that’s beyond obvious. But Kobe still seems to be a solid rebounder, and he is less likely to totally exhaust himself if he gets more time at the 3.
IF the only way we can develop Randle/Clarkson with the roster we have is to start both, fine I guess. I don’t like that set-up at all though. If we hadn’t got Williams we could have had Clarkson be our super 6th man and come in and play either 1 or the 2 and get more ball dominant time when Kobe was off the floor (assuming they actually rest him this year).
I really don’t see how its beneficial for player development to have Russel/Clarkson play with Kobe in the starting unit. It’s hard for me to imagine Kobe still not having the highest usage on the team, so regardless who dribbles the ball down the court, Kobe will likely be the defacto PG most sets. I suppose for Clarkson it can help him learn to play off the ball more, and hopefully become an able catch and shoot guy in addition to his already proven driving ability. But how does this help Russel? I don’t want to see Russel turned into the next Fisher, dribble down the court, pass to Kobe, stand around the 3pt line in case Kobe decides to kick it out at the end of the shot clock. But we are going to struggle big time defending the wings this year, and we better pray Hibbert stays healthy and is able to play 30mpg, b/c our defense in the frontcourt doesn’t look to good beyond Bass. Black didn’t impress me as a defender, he’s OK at best, good rebounder and hustle guy for sure–but that’s about it. The bigs in the West are pretty bloody good, its not as if Hibbert somehow will be able to be this amazing help defender when you have to check D. Jordan, Gasol, Chandler, Duncan/Aldridge etc etc. It’s going to be rough going, and I’m not sold Randle is going to defend very well this year, so I see lots of leaks at the 1,3,4 positions at least. Ultimately its about seeing what Clarkson/Randle/Russel turn into and hopefully winning enough to start making us look like a team that might not dwell in the basement for another few years.
mud says
Sid, i guess you misremember.
it was ONLY Kobe who could handle Artest and Carmelo in the playoffs….
obviously, he’s not as quick as he once was, but strength was never the issue. ever.
remember Kobe shutting down Lebron is the All Star game?
mud says
…IN the All Star game….