Welcome to a new series at FB&G where we will take one player on the Lakers’ roster and discuss one specific skill they possess. Sometimes it will be something very subtle, others it will be more straight forward. We’ll try to shed some light on how this skill can help the team in the coming season. Our previous entries can be found here. Today we look at Kobe Bryant and his ability to draw fouls.
Kobe Bryant is one of the most skilled players to ever play in the NBA. Whether we’re talking about his passing, his footwork, his midrange shooting, or his positional rebounding it is difficult to isolate one single aspect of his game to focus on which helps him or the team be successful.
As he has aged and injuries have affected his physical ability, however, his general skill level has become ever more important. No longer able to simply blow by his man off the dribble, his footwork out of the triple-threat or the post is even more important. Without an ability to just out-jump his defender, his array of feints and fakes to get his man off-balance and create separation for his jumper is more valuable.
These tricks of the trade make up a larger proportion of his success on the floor, allowing him to still impact a game without being able to physically overwhelm the opposition. One place these tricks show up most often now, though, isn’t to shake himself free for a move, but to draw his man in closer in order to create contact and draw fouls.
Over the course of his career, Kobe has lived at the foul line, attempting the 3rd most FT’s in the history of the NBA. And while that is the byproduct of longevity, it’s also one of ability — which he continues to maintain. Last season he averaged 6.9 FT’s a game and drew 5.1 fouls a contest. In 2013 and 2012 (I’m leaving out 2014 since he only played in 6 games) those numbers were 8.0 FT’s with 6.0 fouls drawn and 7.8 FT’s with 5.8 fouls drawn respectively.
In other words, while his numbers did dip some last season, they’re still on par with where he’s been the last several years. In fact, those 5.1 fouls drawn per game last year were still good for 9th in the league, tied with Carmelo Anthony and trailing only the likes of LeBron, DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, and Anthony Davis (in other words, some of the best players in the league).
From the days of Shaq, Lakers fans know very well the value of a player who can draw fouls. Those infractions put the other team’s better defenders on the bench, get opponents into the penalty earlier (creating FT’s, and all the benefits that come with them, in the process), and they allow the Lakers to set the terms of engagement on both ends of the floor with more regularity.
Next season, Kobe will almost surely continue to be a hybrid player who functions as both a ball handling wing and a post up “big” acting in the hub of the offense. He’ll be asked to establish the post, draw double teams, and make the right pass/shot decisions. He’ll be a primary and secondary ball handler in the pick and roll, looking to turn the corner to create shots for himself and his teammates. He will work off picks away from the action, curling into his comfort zones at the elbows and the top of key.
In working all these different parts of the floor, though, one constant will remain: he will be looking to initiate and draw as much contact from his defender as possible to help draw fouls. Whether that’s from establishing position and backing his man down in the mid-post, rubbing off a P&R and keeping his man connected onto his hip, or darting off ball into and around defenders looking to obscure his path, Kobe will work every angle he knows to get that whistle.
There are concerns, of course. As most players age and their physical abilities decline, the favorable whistle they get from the referees also diminishes. The NBA, in general, favors the attacking player whose physicality overwhelms defenses to the point where fouls result. As the years have passed, we have seen Kobe hunting more and more fouls which are not called by the referees. If that trend continues or ratchets up a notch, we may see that frustrated Kobe, hands up, barking at the ref more often than we’d like.
My gut says, though, that his craftiness combined with the respect he’s maintained from the refs will continue at a high enough level to benefit himself and, maybe more so, the team at large. And if that’s the case, his ability to draw fouls may end up being one of the more valuable skills (among the many) he brings to the team.
Craig W. says
Superstars generally have the highest usage of anyone on the team. They also are attackers, by nature. These two facts mean they will also get the most fouls – thus bringing on the claim of the refs favoring superstars. With more finesse, Kobe’s fouls may well decline, but his attacking nature will mean he will be leaning in to shoot or pass when fouled – meaning a higher likelihood of a called foul.
With all the emphasis on Kobe’s shooting, his fouls and his passing are often ignored. We have to remember there is no one in the history of the league with his combination of scoring and assists. Truely his focus is to win the ‘darn’ ballgame.
P. Ami says
Interesting take on Kobe’s skill. If Kobe was able to draw those fouls last season, when he had such a poor shooting percentage (I believe Zach Harper said his was worse than Ricky Rubio), I think he can maintain a high foul rate. The problem is that a factor in this foul rate will be usage rate and it is high time that players besides Kobe have the ball in their hands and get to make decisions (and mistakes). It would serve the team’s long term interests to see a usage rate that is more evenly distributed and I would wager that this would both improve Kobe’s efficiency and perhaps the rate at which he is fouled.
One possible benefit of having Kobe on the team is that any player who will be able to carry the team forward will also have that desire to wrest control of the team away from Kobe. There needs to be a talented young dude who works his butt off and wants to beat the old man, and beat him, and beat him until Kobe finally gives up the ghost or accepts that this kid is worthy. Kobe went after the best players and went so far as to fight Shaq for control of the team. I think this is something that happened more often in days past when a team with Norm Nixon drafts a Magic Johnson or a team with Moses Malone and Dr. J drafts a Charles Barkley. When the Dream Team came together, Magic thought he was the man on that team. Jordan showed him otherwise.
I don’t know the young guys well enough to say who I think would take control of the team. So far, I think the best bet is Clarkson, in terms of maturity of his game, the chip on his shoulder, and his athletic skills. The question is, can he develop into a star player? Anyhow, the team is running out of time for Kobe to be around when the next franchise player can develop into the system and gain the experience of taking out an old legend.
drrayeye says
Sorry, Darius,
As long as we are writing about Kobe, we are stuck in the past rather than looking to the future. I certainly remember the times, early in his career, that Kobe couldn’t seem to get a call–and how much that’s changed–but how many games will it buy us next year?
The most exciting thing we could hear from Kobe is that he’s retired. The next most exciting thing would be a specific date. The least exciting thing we could hear from Kobe or Laker management is a contract extension at the same rate through age 40.
Sad, but IMO that’s where we are.
T. Rogers says
Once upon a time Kobe had the explosive first step to catch defenders out of position and get to the line. As that declined he moved to the footwork and the pump fakes to make up for it. What is happening now is defenders aren’t even biting on the pump fakes anymore. I remember a game last season where on one sequence Klay Thompson was guarding Kobe. Kobe tried an array of pump fakes and pivots. Thompson just moved his feet side to side to close off space on the sides. He also stayed on the floor to avoid getting caught in the air. The end result was a contested long shot that Kobe missed. Yes, Klay is one of the better wing defenders in the league. But we’ll surely see more of that strategy this season from other defenders.
I think a good way for Kobe to get guys in foul trouble is to get him active off the ball. Run him off some screens and keep his defender moving. Kobe standing still with the ball may be easy to stop. But even at his age, Kobe on the move can cause problems. Whatever motion is left in Byron’s offense he needs to use it. Let Russell and Huertas be quarterbacks to Kobe’s wide receiver. Kobe catching the ball coming off a curl into the lane (with shooters spread out) is something I hope to see a lot of this season.