Kobe Bryant:

[ratra_1211]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/SerenaWinters/status/550147744694681601[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/SerenaWinters/status/550148156285923328[/tweet]

http://www.lakersnation.com/kobe-bryant-ive-got-to-evolve-my-game-to-set-up-teammates/2014/12/30/

so, has he ever said these things before? should we take it with a grain of salt?

what's your take on this statement? personally i love him being kobe johnson and rack up tripdubs
but he needs to limit the turnover too (almost quadraple-double)

[Jedi32]

Hopefully this isn't just lip service. I still want him to be an attacker offensively though

[ratra_1211]

Hopefully this isn't just lip service. I still want him to be an attacker offensively though

i dont think he can be an attacker anymore, not this season atleast. if he can miraculously came back to that 2013 form next season + jrandle and hopefully a good pick + a great FA, we will be golden

[LebronLover23]

Yeah his turnover rate is too high.

When he comes off the high screen, he doesn't show much aggression attacking the paint while sometimes making it blatant that he's going to pass. The other times is when he takes forever to post up and the second defender comes that leads to a high risk pass. Basically, he's letting the other team dictate the ball movement (planned) -- instead of forcing the defense to react and shift (unplanned movement).

Solution:
-Come off the screen trying to get to the paint or as close to it then pull-up like Westbrook (not fading away), add the floater to his arsenal. It will lead to higher % shots and when defense shifts, Kobe has been good at reading the defense for dishes and kicks anyway.
-Spot up for the 3ball sometimes, let Nick or Jlin do the attacking.
-Face up on the block and get into triple threat position instead of always backing down and backing down opponent.
-Lastly if Kobe's gonna do fadeaways, then do them when you get deep position in the low post. Ball reversal if you too.

[Dr Aki]

due to the vast array of skills and moves he has in his arsenal, that said, having lots of moves is sometimes having too many choices

as a result, kobe's always had the tendency to hold the ball and size up the situation and thus always allows defenses to reset to neutral during possessions.

instead of expanding his skill set, it's probably way overdue that he starts to focus on a few particular money moves and plays and exploit the **** out of the them

whether it be turnaround Js on the baseline or the mid-post, or learn to utilise screens better and finishing over a big man with contact, he needs to start becoming a one trick pony the way paul pierce is instead of being an everything player at all times

[ratra_1211]

Yeah his turnover rate is too high.

When he comes off the high screen, he doesn't show much aggression attacking the paint while sometimes making it blatant that he's going to pass. The other times is when he takes forever to post up and the second defender comes that leads to a high risk pass. Basically, he's letting the other team dictate the ball movement (planned) -- instead of forcing the defense to react and shift (unplanned movement).

he's too slow and inexplosive now to blow by consistently. in 2013 when he did that 10 ast+ run he's still a threat to score and didnt blatantly look to pass, so teams were cautious thus results in less turnovers

Solution:
-Come off the screen trying to get to the paint or as close to it then pull-up like Westbrook (not fading away), add the floater to his arsenal. It will lead to higher % shots and when defense shifts, Kobe has been good at reading the defense for dishes and kicks anyway.
-Spot up for the 3ball sometimes, let Nick or Jlin do the attacking.
-Face up on the block and get into triple threat position instead of always backing down and backing down opponent.
-Lastly if Kobe's gonna do fadeaways, then do them when you get deep position in the low post. Ball reversal if you too.

yeah its frustrating watching him fading away from like midrange area near the 3pt line.

due to the vast array of skills and moves he has in his arsenal, that said, having lots of moves is sometimes having too many choices

as a result, kobe's always had the tendency to hold the ball and size up the situation and thus always allows defenses to reset to neutral during possessions.

instead of expanding his skill set, it's probably way overdue that he starts to focus on a few particular money moves and plays and exploit the **** out of the them

whether it be turnaround Js on the baseline or the mid-post, or learn to utilise screens better and finishing over a big man with contact, he needs to start becoming a one trick pony the way paul pierce is instead of being an everything player at all times

wasnt his money moves are basically triple threat position to driving (with or without screens) to pullup fadeaway J (like nick young's but with kickouts to open man) and a fadeaway J on the post?

i think his main problem is he's just not athletic (or rather, quick and agile) and get too tired after not playing an NBA game for more than a year anymore this year but still trying too hard to create for himself.

i agree with you that kobe needs to utilize screens better. it would up his fg% and its beautiful to watch

[Dr Aki]

due to the vast array of skills and moves he has in his arsenal, that said, having lots of moves is sometimes having too many choices

as a result, kobe's always had the tendency to hold the ball and size up the situation and thus always allows defenses to reset to neutral during possessions.

instead of expanding his skill set, it's probably way overdue that he starts to focus on a few particular money moves and plays and exploit the **** out of the them

whether it be turnaround Js on the baseline or the mid-post, or learn to utilise screens better and finishing over a big man with contact, he needs to start becoming a one trick pony the way paul pierce is instead of being an everything player at all times

wasnt his money moves are basically triple threat position to driving (with or without screens) to pullup fadeaway J (like nick young's but with kickouts to open man) and a fadeaway J on the post?

i think his main problem is he's just not athletic (or rather, quick and agile) and get too tired after not playing an NBA game for more than a year anymore this year but still trying too hard to create for himself.

i agree with you that kobe needs to utilize screens better. it would up his fg% and its beautiful to watch

that was then, this is now. the triple threat is, as the name implies, three tricks i.e. shoot, drive or pass.

kobe's triple threat is probably at most a single threat at times - the jumpshot which isn't great when his legs aren't under him

kobe's not driving around anybody, kobe's not a fantastic passer and his assist totals are probably more reliant on how well his teammates catch and finish than kobe's pinpoint passes, which are usually too hard and not bang on target most of the time

kobe needs his one trick, one trick he can shoot >70% on, if the closest kobe's going to get to the basket is on hard screens and low post fadeaways, he needs to nail those, not learn how to pass soft passes to teammate hands where they want them or learn to pull defenses apart in the PnR

[LebronLover23]

Yes triple threat at its most basic form is pass, drive, and shoot. But there's more to it.

Jab step, ball fake, head fake, rip thru, go left, go right, or just shoot over -- all of which he doesn't need to be super explosive or athletic to do in order to gain that first step.

I don't agree with that one-trick pony concept. You mention Paul Pierce, but the reason Paul Pierce has that certain luxury is because he has a top-5 PG who can drive, pass, shoot, and finish near the rim.

[TyCobb]

The body has told the mind. This is a good thing.

[Pointgod]

Just goes to show you how much better Kobe could be this year if the had teammates worth passing to. You can't turn chicken **** unto salad. These guys were on this game but who knows next game.

[Dr Aki]

Yes triple threat at its most basic form is pass, drive, and shoot. But there's more to it.

Jab step, ball fake, head fake, rip thru, go left, go right, or just shoot over -- all of which he doesn't need to be super explosive or athletic to do in order to gain that first step.

I don't agree with that one-trick pony concept. You mention Paul Pierce, but the reason Paul Pierce has that certain luxury is because he has a top-5 PG who can drive, pass, shoot, and finish near the rim.

defenses are piling 6'8", 6'9", even 6'10" guys on kobe knowing he can't go around them

jab step - the guy jumps back, but can still semi contest the J if kobe shoots
head fake - it gets defenders in the air, which it rarely does because the taller defender doesn't need to jump to contest
rip thru - they don't need to be bodying kobe up on the catch
go left, go right - they can defend the kobe drive quite well
shoot -

well pierce has 2 inches and at least 30 lbs on kobe, and yes he has john wall, but that change the fact that kobe would've taken the ball from wall's hands and did his own thing regardless, kobe playing next to derek fisher or healthy nash, that wasn't changing

[TylersLakers]

I don't think I've ever heard him speak like this before. Interesting.

As far as his turnovers, most of them have just been attempting passes that simply aren't there. In the Denver game, there was one possession where he rifled a pass from near mid court to Ed Davis near the basket, an impossible pass. It wasn't a turnover, I think Jordan Hill recovered it after it bounced off the backboard, and then he got the ball back and tried another idiotic pass to Davis that was turned over.

He doesn't need those types of plays. Just move the ball or be aggressive.

[LebronLover23]

Yes triple threat at its most basic form is pass, drive, and shoot. But there's more to it.

Jab step, ball fake, head fake, rip thru, go left, go right, or just shoot over -- all of which he doesn't need to be super explosive or athletic to do in order to gain that first step.

I don't agree with that one-trick pony concept. You mention Paul Pierce, but the reason Paul Pierce has that certain luxury is because he has a top-5 PG who can drive, pass, shoot, and finish near the rim.

defenses are piling 6'8", 6'9", even 6'10" guys on kobe knowing he can't go around them

jab step - the guy jumps back, but can still semi contest the J if kobe shoots
head fake - it gets defenders in the air, which it rarely does because the taller defender doesn't need to jump to contest
rip thru - they don't need to be bodying kobe up on the catch
go left, go right - they can defend the kobe drive quite well
shoot -

well pierce has 2 inches and at least 30 lbs on kobe, and yes he has john wall, but that change the fact that kobe would've taken the ball from wall's hands and did his own thing regardless, kobe playing next to derek fisher or healthy nash, that wasn't changing

Just youtube any highlights of Kobe's good games this year and those are obviously everything he does right, and they are everything I just mentioned.

Everything he does wrong as everyone already knows are bad passes, and bad shot selection (esp. fadeaways).

Maximize your strengths while minimizing the mistakes.

[LebronLover23]

kobe playing next to derek fisher or healthy nash, that wasn't changing

Dude we're talking about 2014-2015 John Wall, its pretty self-explanatory. He's a dark horse for MVP candidate, he's been that good this year. What Kobe has been demanding from JLin is exactly what John Wall is producing on consistent basis. The kind of looks that Pierce and Beal are getting.. come on man.

[Dr Aki]

kobe playing next to derek fisher or healthy nash, that wasn't changing

Dude we're talking about 2014-2015 John Wall, its pretty self-explanatory. He's a dark horse for MVP candidate, he's been that good this year. What Kobe has been demanding from JLin is exactly what John Wall is producing on consistent basis. The kind of looks that Pierce and Beal are getting.. come on man.

i guess we'll never know

[PKABOOICU]

hes about 4 years too late to realize this

[cw3k]

It is never too late. Kobe is competitive and he still can put up big number. Just having him in the court is a threat to the opposite team. I really like he is not forcing shots and get the team involve. Hope this stick.

[kblo247]

hes about 4 years too late to realize this

4 years ago he made Bynum an all star and was a Pau pass to the thunder from. Going to the wcf with. Mike brown

[ChosunX]

Kobe also said knows he needs to "make adjustments," says it's time to "perfect another area."

Time to get better at investing at the money he made.

[Tonyism74]

Yes triple threat at its most basic form is pass, drive, and shoot. But there's more to it.

Jab step, ball fake, head fake, rip thru, go left, go right, or just shoot over -- all of which he doesn't need to be super explosive or athletic to do in order to gain that first step.

I don't agree with that one-trick pony concept. You mention Paul Pierce, but the reason Paul Pierce has that certain luxury is because he has a top-5 PG who can drive, pass, shoot, and finish near the rim.

defenses are piling 6'8", 6'9", even 6'10" guys on kobe knowing he can't go around them

jab step - the guy jumps back, but can still semi contest the J if kobe shoots
head fake - it gets defenders in the air, which it rarely does because the taller defender doesn't need to jump to contest
rip thru - they don't need to be bodying kobe up on the catch
go left, go right - they can defend the kobe drive quite well
shoot -

well pierce has 2 inches and at least 30 lbs on kobe, and yes he has john wall, but that change the fact that kobe would've taken the ball from wall's hands and did his own thing regardless, kobe playing next to derek fisher or healthy nash, that wasn't changing

The reason the Wiz are playing so well is because of Pierce. Its Pierce's presence and the mental toughness he brings. It's also Pierce's ability to be a positive influence to the team. He doesent do this by letting his past performance and accomplishments talk; in other words, he doesent let that dictate him getting a free pass. Wall might me the face of the franchise, but Pierce is the leader of this squad.