In an age of teams relentlessly focusing on efficiency and team basketball, the Kobe Bryant isolation brand of ball is frowned upon more and more. Shots with an insane degree of difficulty, many from mid range, and especially in isolation will just drive coaches and analytic heads like me insane.
But Kobe was different. No, this isn’t some sentimental love letter about Kobe Bryant. I want to instead show you some data to show you just how prodigious his iso abilities used to be.
Kobe Bryant Isolation Volume
Synergy’s database of great data goes back until the 2005-06 season. Here are the top 10 NBA players in isolation frequency in those 12 years:
- 05-06 Kobe Bryant: 998 isolation possessions
- 06-07 Kobe Bryant: 891
- 05-06 Allen Iverson: 729
- 09-10 Carmelo Anthony: 729
- 09-10 Kobe Bryant: 721
- 07-08 Kobe Bryant: 682
- 05-06 LeBron James: 662
- 09-10 LeBron James: 661
- 10-11 Kobe Bryant: 642
- 10-11 Amare Stoudemire: 626
Oh, and 2012-13 Kobe is 11th with 607 isolation possessions. In the 12 years of Bryant data we have, six of those are ranked in the top 11 among about 4,000 players in isolation frequency. And his 2005-06 season had more than one hundred more isos than the next highest season! That’s absolutely insane!
Kobe Bryant Isolation Efficiency
But doing it a lot doesn’t make it good. Doing it well does.
Kobe didn’t always do it well. In fact, his 267 isolation possessions in 2015-16 were painful to watch and may have hurt his legacy. His 0.712 points per possession on those opportunities was the third least efficient season of iso for any player with that many possessions.
But Kobe also had lots of great isolation seasons, and one that is just off the charts. His 2006-07 season is the 15th best isolation season by efficiency on record for players with at least 100 isolation possessions in a season, and if we narrow that pool down to player who’ve had 5+ isolation possessions a game over the course of a season, only 2016-17 Kyrie Irving was more efficient.
I’ll say that again: The Mamba’s ’06-’07 season was the second best season of isolation basketball on record for any high volume isolation player. Kobe Bryant ’06-’07 isolation was more efficient than CP3, AD, and LeBron were overall this past season.
That on its own is impressive, but get this:
Kyrie averaged 7.1 iso possessions per every 1 iso pass out possession. Kobe averaged 222.8 per every 1.
Call it selfish all you want, but that fact makes his efficiency that season even more impressive. Kyrie made defenses pay if they left their man to help on him. Kobe let defenses completely key in on him, yet still had the second most efficient high volume isolation season on record.
And if we look at that ratio for the other most efficient iso scorers in the data, their numbers are much closer to Kyrie’s than Kobe’s. Of the top 20 in isolation efficiency for players with at least 100 possessions, 14 of them had a ratio below 10:1, 16 were under 40:1, and all other 19 were under 100:1.
I should note that Kobe didn’t always pass that little. In 2007-08 he averaged 341 iso possessions to pass out possessions (Tracy McGrady’s 2007-08 season the only high volume season with a higher ratio), but other than 34.4:1 and 15.0:1 seasons, the rest of his years his ratio was under ten to one.
The Kobe Bryan isolation mastery we know produced seasons in the 92nd, 90th, 84th, 76th, 74th, and 53rd percentiles compared to the other players in the database with 100+ isolation possessions. Only 2014-15 and 2015-16 Kobe were below average (and that last year was brutal).
Kobe owns seven of the top nine Laker isolation season on record. 2010-11 Odom ranks fifth and 2016-17 Clarkson ranks second (a year after having the worst Laker isolation season on record).
Kobe Bryant’s 2006-07 Season
But let’s talk some more about Kobe’s 2006-07 season. That year just in isolation, Kobe was as efficient (by points per possession) as Lonzo Ball in the half court at UCLA, was more efficient in iso than any Laker was overall other than Lou Williams or Nick Young last season, and was more efficient in isolation than these players were overall last season:
- Jimmy Butler
- Chris Paul
- Anthony Davis
- Damian Lillard
- Kyrie Irving
- CJ McCollum
- LeBron James
- Kemba Walker
- Paul George
- Marcelo Huertas
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Kevin Love
- Blake Griffin
- James Harden
- DeMar DeRozan
- DeMarcus Cousins
- Carmelo Anthony
- Russell Westbrook
- John Wall
That star studded lineup of all stars, almost all star CJ McCollum, and former All-Rookie Team vote getter Marcelo Huertas would have gotten you less offense on their overall offensive possessions than 2005-06 Kobe would have purely by going to work in iso.
Kobe’s Lasting Impact
Although the magnitude of Kobe’s isolation heavy style of basketball isn’t quite as extreme in today’s NBA that is focused on team basketball and quick ball movement, his impact is undeniable.
LeBron James has called Kobe a role model of his growing up. Kobe and DeMarcus Cousins have publicly noted the influence of Kobe in Kawhi Leonard’s game. Other All Stars have spoken about his influence on them and the league.
Kevin Durant has also heaped praise on Bryant as an influence for himself and others. “He’s a role model for young players. Everybody knows who Kobe Bryant is, he’s a global icon in the basketball world and culture in general… He’s helped me so much throughout my career and definitely someone I’ll lean on as I continue to grow.”
Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics selection with the third pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, and one of the NBA’s highest profile rookies, is a great illustration of how Kobe’s play is impacting the next generation of basketball players. Tatum came out and said that Kobe was his favorite player, up until he was drafted by the Celtics. And that admiration has translated to Tatum’s isolation heavy style of basketball.
The State of Isolation
Even in an age where teams are isolating less and trying to play more team basketball with quick ball movement, the top players in the game are using Kobe as a role model and teams are finding value late in games to let their top players cook defenses in isolation.
The Cavaliers have even designed an offense around the isolation abilities of their best players, and will likely continue to do so with Isaiah Thomas, who is coming off of the third most efficient isolation season on record, now replacing Kyrie (a pathetic fourth best on record) in the offense.
The Clippers, Rockets, and Raptors are also isolation heavy teams and let their top guys utilize those skills frequently. This has helped lead their teams to top offenses in the league, showing that this strategy is still a viable one if you have talented personnel, but it may also be a volatile one. One injury or player playing through a nagging injury in a more isolation heavy offense may do more damage to the overall team’s efficiency than it would in an offense that plays more team basketball, like the Celtics, Spurs, or Warriors.
Kobe may have left us with one of the worst isolation seasons ever, but over the course of his career he’s put together an impressive resumé that includes perhaps the most impressive season of isolation basketball we’ve ever seen. Do yourself a favor and watch some old Kobe highlights and educate the youth on the Mamba’s former levels of greatness. Kobe’s all time rank among players can be debated, but he’ll forever be isolated from the pack when it comes to his legacy scoring one on one.
Other Iso Facts:
Top 10 Efficient Isolation Seasons (min. 100 possessions)
- 08-09 Jameer Nelson
- 07-08 Deron Williams
- 16-17 Isaiah Thomas
- 16-17 Kyrie Irving
- 15-16 Chris Bosh
- 13-14 Kevin Durant
- 10-11 Dirk Nowitzki
- 16-17 Chris Paul
- 14-15 Kyrie Irving
- 10-11 Derrick Rose
Bottom 10 Efficient Isolation Seasons (min. 100 possessions)
- 10-11 Trevor Ariza
- 05-06 Jason Kidd
- 05-06 Desmond Mason
- 05-06 Rashad McCants
- 05-06 Andre Iguodala
- 05-06 Josh Smith
- 15-16 Jordan Clarkson
- 05-06 Damien Wilkins
- 10-11 Andray Blatche
- 14-15 Zach LaVine
Top 10 High Volume Efficient Isolation Seasons (min. 5+ possessions per game)
- 16-17 Kyrie Irving
- 06-07 Kobe Bryant
- 11-12 Chris Paul
- 06-07 GIlbert Arenas
- 08-09 John Salmons
- 10-11 Kevin Martin
- 12-13 LeBron James
- 12-13 Kyrie Irving
- 09-10 John Salmons
- 06-07 Dirk Nowitzki
Bottom 10 High Volume Efficient Isolation Seasons (min. 5+ possessions per game)
- 05-06 Ron Artest
- 11-12 Monta Ellis
- 11-12 Tyreke Evans
- 10-11 Tyreke Evans
- 13-14 Rudy Gay
- 10-11 Joe Johnson
- 07-08 Joe Johnson
- 09-10 Monta Ellis
- 09-10 Caron Butler
- 08-09 Carmelo Anthony