The NBA season has produced a number of fascinating and strange developments, and none of them might be more amazing to contemplate than the idea that Kobe Bryant is actually hurting the Los Angeles Lakers. However, if you’ve watched the Lakers play with and without him, it’s a fair thought to be wondering: are they better when he’s off the court than when he’s on it?
Here are three main reasons why Kobe needs to sit more – not less – or perhaps modify his game in ways that will help his team to a greater degree:
Inefficiency: Kobe Bryant Has Never Been Less Efficient
Kobe is shooting a career worst from the field, which is why he can average north of 25 points per game (an 8-of-30 shooting night against the Sacramento Kings over a week ago being an example) and be a net minus for his team. Kobe has regularly been that type of player: a volume shooter who will miss a bunch of shots but score 30 on the basis of hitting some of them and then getting to the foul line a lot. When Kobe is not getting as many free throws, though, his foundation becomes less solid and since he still has the highest usage percentage in the NBA, all that shooting just doesn’t hold very much value.
It’s not a coincidence that the Lakers recently defeated the Golden State Warriors by scoring 115 points and flowing beautifully on offense. Kobe is an interrupting presence – not a facilitating one… at least not as much of a facilitator. It’s ironic, though. When Kobe does pass the ball more, the Lakers do well. He has tallied 13, 12, 11, and nine assists in separate games this season (Detroit, Toronto, San Antonio), and all those games were wins.
Kobe’s Body Can No Longer Take Extended Minutes
Bryant had been averaging 35.4 minutes per game earlier this season, which – at his age of 36 and coming off prolonged injury problems – is just not realistic as a way to get reliable play out of him every night. A lot of that can be blamed on head coach Byron Scott for running him out there for those kinds of minutes but Bryant probably isn’t arguing against it too much.
The bottom line is he can no longer be that extended-minute workhorse he used to be. He really needs to be a 25-minutes-per-game player. Scott has said recently that he’d try to limit Bryant’s minutes to 32 per game, which is what he should have done since the beginning of the year. At this point, that’s not enough of a reduction and many are calling on Scott has to do more.
When Bryant plays, he needs to be at his best. When he’s logging 35 minutes, he’s stacking a lot of bad shots into that mix. That’s not good for the Lakers. Keep in mind that per-game averages are not the same as per-minute averages. When you adjust for per-minute statistics, Kobe’s numbers are worse than they are when seen as per-game stats.
The Presence Of Nick Young
The lack of chemistry between Kobe and teammate Nick Young has been noticeable from the start. Kobe doesn’t say a lot to Young, and the two men seem to compete for the right to take the big shot at the end of a game (often a long shot). This uneasy coexistence does not help the Lakers in a meaningful way. It feels as though it’s getting in the way at times. (And judging by some of the plays Young has made this year, maybe he is.)
So when Bryant is out of the lineup, Young steps up and tends to fill the void that Kobe brings: points. If Bryant is worn down, his shooting percentages are bad and he’s not sharing the ball, then he’s quite replaceable. Young can step in and do a better job of giving the team what Bryant does, and that’s just points.
For those reasons, that’s why the Lakers might actually be a better team without Bryant – even though few Lakers fans want to admit it.
