LloydFree wrote:ManualRam wrote:LloydFree wrote:I don't know your experience watching Kobe in HS. I saw him many times. LIVE. Kobe couldn't dribble with his leftnhand, and he surely couldn't finish with his left hand. He couldn't shoot jumpers any better than Wiggins either. Don't re-write history.
im not. there is not 1 single offensive skill that wiggins is on par with prep kobe at. not shooting, handling, passing, shot creating or footwork. nothing.
It's very easy to say a player had attributes in the past, that they now possess. Kobe's greatest asset in HS was that he was explosive, and was determined to get to the rim at all costs. He did not posses all of the skills he has now.
Kobe Bryant was a great HS basketball player, but he wasn't thought to be the next Jordan back then. Kevin Garnett was a much better HS player than Kobe too. That is not a shot at Kobe. He worked on his skills, and passed everybody, but he was no more skilled than Wiggins back then. You just repeating that he was, doesn't make that a fact.
kg WAS a better prospect than kobe because he had his incredible skill at 6'11+.
and yes kobe was extremely skilled in HS. he didn't just transform himself into a skilled player as a pro. his skill level is what separated him from the pack as a wing prospect. he wasn't just some toolsy athletic freak. he had the perfect combination of athleticism, feel for the game, competitiveness AND skill, skill that he developed at an earlier age than most elite level american prospects because of how he grew up. he practiced and played against pros growing up. developed footwork from playing soccer. grew up overseas learning the fundamentals where the emphasis at an early age is/was on skill-building and footwork as opposed to playing game after game after game. he grew up studying tape religiously, mimicking and incorporating into his game the moves of the greats. all that culminated in him having a high skill level for his age.
he had a good a handle for a wing, combining fundamental with the street handle (sometimes over the top with the carries) that he picked up when he went back to the states during summers. even with a weaker left, he had the shakes and crosses. he could use it to create space for his jumper and dribble through traffic. his handle and, believe it or not, his passing ability led scouts to believe that he could possibly also play the point as a pro or at least reprise g.hill's role. he had some sloppiness that stemmed from trying to do too much, like dribbling through triples or taking on entire defenses (which was one of his weaknesses earlier on in his NBA career), but he had a handle. combine that with his shooting ability, his incredible footwork for a kid his age, creativity around the rim, ability to generate his shot from anywhere on the floor and you get a kid who's skill level is much greater than what wiggins has now.
i can play the same card you're playing. you just repeating that wiggins' skill is on the level with prep kobe doesn't make it true. i don't think their skills levels at the same stage are close. i don't even think it's really worth debating but i did anyway, mainly bc it was kinda shocking to even read that statement.
