Does Kobe Bryant have the 2 Greatest Titles in Laker history?

[Capn'O]

Because he was criminally underrated back then too!

He had the misfortune of being compared to Duncan, Dirk, and KG in the west. Three top 20 all time players. Elton Brand was pretty good too for a few years too. Fat times for power forwards.

There was also Amare, Bosh, Boozer, Rasheed, Jermaine Oneal, Kenyan Martin, Zach Randolph, and others. PF was extremely deep during the 00s.

I knew there was another guy in his tier out west. Though MDA had him playing C until they went Seven Seconds or Shaq.

[Strepbacter]

I don't know if he has the two greatest titles in Lakers history...but he did anchor a Laker team that was as dominant as any Laker team in history outside of 1972.

The 09 Lakers were definitely one of the best teams ever.

The 2008-2009 Lakers are one of the greatest championship teams of All-Time.

- 65-17 record
- 36-5 at home
- 44-8 vs the stacked West
- Started off 31-5
- 29-12 on the road
- 28-11 vs playoff teams
- Top 3 offense & Top 5 defense
- Beat the 59 win Magic in 5 games in the Finals
They went 65 games with a 7.1 SRS during the RS. They won a great conference by ten games.

They posted a +9 SRS when healthy (RS+PS), which is one of the highest *healthy* marks ever.



Below I’ve indexed the top “healthy” teams — when all 25-minute per game players were in action for a game — since the shot clock (1955) by SRS (adjusted margin of victory). Using this criteria, 51 teams have posted at least an 8.0 SRS when healthy. Just 29 teams have eclipsed the 9.0 mark. (10 of those teams failed to win a title — well inline with what is predicted by the variability of a 7-game series.) The best are below, playoffs included:

https://backpicks.com/2016/07/18/top-healthy-teams-in-nba-history/

That *healthy* SRS tops teams like the 08 Celtics/97 Jazz/89 Pistons/90 Pistons/85 Lakers/82 Lakers/84 Celtics/98 Bulls/99 Spurs/07 Spurs/73 Knicks/96 Sonics etc etc. It's tied with the 83 Sixers.
They had one of the most dominant post-season runs of all-time.

They finished the post-season with a raw net rating of +12.5 (net rating is PS rDRTG+PS rORTG), which is one of the higher marks among all championship teams. Raw net rating does not perfectly adjust for comp, but let's take a look at some numbers that do.

This is a list of championship teams that finished the post-season with a lower net rating (and often by a fairly significant gap):

19 Raptors/15 Warriors/13 MIA/12 MIA/11 DAL/10 LAL/08 Celtics/07 SAS/06 MIA/05 SAS/04 Pistons/03 Spurs/02 Lakers/00 Lakers/99 Spurs/95 Rockets/94 Rockets/93 Bulls/92 Bulls/90 Pistons/89 Pistons/88 Lakers/87 Lakers/84 Celtics/83 Sixers/82 Lakers/81 Celtics/80 Lakers/79 Sonics/77 Blazers/76 BOS/75 GS/74 BOS/73 Knicks/72 LAL/70 NYK/69 BOS.

Their +12.5 net post-season rating tops the vast majority of championship teams over the last fifty years.

They finished the post-season with an adjusted playoff SRS of +12.7 (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-year-of-the-warriors/)

^That's higher than the 15 Warriors/15 Bulls/85 Lakers/87 Lakers/08 Celtics/97 Bulls/02 Lakers/90 Pistons/04 Pistons, etc

They finished the post-season with a raw playoff SRS of +11.1

^That's higher than the 92 Bulls/15 Warriors/98 Bulls/08 Celtics/02 Lakers/97 Bulls/89+90 Pistons/99 Spurs, etc

Here are Elo’s ratings of all seasons in NBA and ABA history:


You can sort the teams in several ways: by their season-ending Elo rating, by their peak rating or by their average rating throughout the season. A team’s composite Elo rating is a simple average of these three.


This includes regular season and post-season.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-best-nba-teams-of-all-time-according-to-elo/

Top composite ELO ratings in history:

96 Bulls: +1815
97 Bulls: +1802
15 Warriors: 1796
86 Celtics: +1784
09 Lakers: +1769

^The 09 Lakers rank fifth ALL-TIME in composite ELO. That's higher than the 92 Bulls/98 Bulls/91 Bulls/83 Sixers/14 Spurs/85 Lakers/67 Sixers/97 Jazz/72 Lakers, etc

Top peak ELO ratings in history:

96 Bulls: +1853
15 Warriors: +1822
86 Celtics; +1816
97 Bulls: +1811
09 Lakers: +1790

^The 09 Lakers fifth All-TIME in peak ELO. That's higher than the 98 Bulls/89 Pistons/91 Bulls/92 Bulls/00 Lakers/01 Lakers/83 Sixers/97 Jazz/14 Spurs/99 Spurs/87 Lakers, etc

Top END ELO ratings in history:
96 Bulls: +1823
15 Warriors: +1822
97 Bulls: +1802
86 Celtics: +1801
09 Lakers : +1790

^The 09 Lakers fifth ALL-TIME in END ELO. That's higher than the 91 Bulls/01 Lakers/14 Spurs/85 Lakers/92 Bulls/99 Spurs/97 Jazz/87 Lakers/83 Sixers/02 Lakers, etc

*That's from 2015 so its outdated but I'm pretty only only a couple of other teams have surpassed them since (and they're definitely ATG)*

And they did feature a very special trio:

This is net rating (regular season + post-season)

Kobe/Pau/Odom: 17.1
08 Allen/Pierce/KG: +14.8
05 Manu/Parker/Duncan: +15.7
07 Manu/Parker/Duncan: +13.8
16 Love/LBJ/Irving: +10.5
15 Love/LBJ/Irving: +14.1
12 LBJ/Bosh/Wade: +12.5
11 LBJ/Bosh/Wade: +11.8

Obviously this isn't a pure team metric. I'm trying to get these guys to understand how synergy and fit can get a team to play at a level that's more than the sum of their parts.

[khufure]

Eh, I'm probably as critical of Kobe as you're going to find among Lakers fans -- his legion of fanboys are one of my least favorite things about Real GM, with this thread as yet another case example -- and Pau is one of my all-time favorite Lakers, but they fit each other pretty much like a glove. (When Kobe felt like it, he generally played really well with Shaq too.) "Kobe's shooting too much" was still a constant refrain until he retired, and it's something I never got used to in 20 years. And I'm definitely in the camp that thinks Pau is underrated, perhaps grossly. But I never felt like Kobe inhibited Pau's game at all. They complemented each other extremely well and played some beautiful basketball together.

Yes, a guard and big man combo is classic. Kobe's a jump shooter with driving skills, Pau is post player who can pass or use his height if he gets too much pressure. Great combo.

RE: inhibited Pau's game (?) -- Kobe shooting too many stupid inefficient jumpers or not playing to his team's matchups would be all I can remember. The dude was a great player for sure. His work ethic and competitive drive was legendary. But e.g. if you got a 6'4" guy on Pau and he's got post position you pass the ball to him. Don't take a complicated ISO jumper shot. Kobe would take the shot 9 times out of 10.

[VanWest82]

Magic's 87 season where he finally wrestled full control of the team from Kareem and Lakers went up a level is a good candidate. They faced absolutely no one until the Finals which surely hurts their case but they did beat the Celtics one year removed from their modern day GOAT team.

Edit: this title was eerily similar to Lebron’s 2016 title which so many of his fans claim is the greatest ever. Interesting that Lakers fans don’t look at 87 quite the same way.

[dhsilv2]

More like the most overrated. Guy made one All-Star team in seven seasons before joining LA and now you've got a bunch of people claiming he was the best player on the Lakers from 08-10. It's utterly insane. Dude didn't receive a single MVP vote in his entire career lol.

Because he was criminally underrated back then too!

He had the misfortune of being compared to Duncan, Dirk, and KG in the west. Great player but not as great as three top 20 all time players. Elton Brand was pretty good too for a few years too. Fat times for power forwards.

Going back Brand was REALLY good and we all missed it because he had complete TRASH teammates like KG did. For as good as the west was back then, we had some just all time bad rosters as well.

[Strepbacter]

Kobe and Pau had amazing synergy from literally their first game together. Kobe was extremely synergistic. Lmao at bringing up LeBron and then suggesting Bryant isn't synergistic. Bosh and Love fell off a cliff with Bron. Pau immediately shot up as sooner as he joined LA ...but somehow Bryant is the one lacking synergy. Lmao

You really think the triangle had more to do with Pau seeing his efficiency, impact metrics, and advanced boxscore stats ALL explode as soon as he joined LA than Bryant? Lmao. You think he wasn't getting the ball in the post in Memphis?

In what way was Kobe synergistic much less "extremely synergistic"? I'm not talking about more good players = better team. The dude was a frikken black hole for ball control. He made jumpers 45% for career and always willing to take every shot... which is pretty good but 2nd tier not in the top ever players. For your reference Jordan and Lebron both finished above 50% FG. These two are generally considered GOAT most people think of... not Kobe.

I love that you glossed over the coach and system comment and focused on Lebron. Again, PJackson's triangle system is what helped Gasol utilize his talent. Gasol was dominant in the post and a great jump shooter. Kobe Bryant was not capable of passing Gasol the ball to setup a good shot for him. He'd shoot it in triple coverage first.

Holy Jesus. The amount of hyperbole and nonsense in this post is unbelievable.

[Strepbacter]

Pau Gasol was a one time all-star before joining the Lakers. Let's not act like he was some superstar when he arrived. Kobe made Gasol, not the other way around.

A recent quote

“I kept him in mind a lot of the days to say hey, ‘Kobe would be pushing himself,’” Gasol told USA TODAY Sports. “Kobe would not be taking this workout easy or not skipping anything. He would be really disciplined, trusting and being committed to the work. He’s always a big presence with me. He’s always going to be an inspiration and motivation in my life.”

“He really pushed himself to the limit,” Gasol said. “He pushed through a lot of injuries and a lot of pain and discomfort. He was relentless and very disciplined on his rehab and his recovery. During my recovery, I always had him present.”

In terms of helping each other on the court, I'm not sure either was a great benefactor to the other. Sure if one was struggling, feed it to the other guy for the win. That's the main reason to have two+ stars. But some stars are synergistic to other players. Lebron's passing ability is a good example of this. Kobe was not synergistic. If anything ( 1. Gasol's own immense offensive talents especially his post moves and great jumper 2. the Phil Jackson triangle offense getting the ball in the post to Gasol ) is the reason Gasol was great on the Lakers.

I don't get this revisionist narrative. Is it because Kobe is dead (RIP) that we must now erect statues in our minds? Are the people promoting this idea so young they didn't actually watch the Lakers titles early this century and just assuming what happened? Gasol was fantastic on the court, and as I saw him 2 years on the Bulls was a super easy guy to cheer for.

Eh, I'm probably as critical of Kobe as you're going to find among Lakers fans -- his legion of fanboys are one of my least favorite things about Real GM, with this thread as yet another case example -- and Pau is one of my all-time favorite Lakers, but they fit each other pretty much like a glove. (When Kobe felt like it, he generally played really well with Shaq too.) "Kobe's shooting too much" was still a constant refrain until he retired, and it's something I never got used to in 20 years. And I'm definitely in the camp that thinks Pau is underrated, perhaps grossly. But I never felt like Kobe inhibited Pau's game at all. They complemented each other extremely well and played some beautiful basketball together.

Nothing more annoying than Laker fans who are unable to appreciate the greatest Laker ever.

[Woodsanity]

You mean the rings Pau gave to Kobe with incredible efficiency?

No, he means the rings that Kobe gave to Pau with incredible play, but I'm sure you think it's just a coincidence that Pau's efficiency exploded as soon as he joined the best offensive player in the world.

Highest PER on Memphis: 24.1
Higher PER on LAL: 24 in 27 games. 23.3 when in 2011.

Nice delusion.

[Sedale Threatt]

Eh, I'm probably as critical of Kobe as you're going to find among Lakers fans -- his legion of fanboys are one of my least favorite things about Real GM, with this thread as yet another case example -- and Pau is one of my all-time favorite Lakers, but they fit each other pretty much like a glove. (When Kobe felt like it, he generally played really well with Shaq too.) "Kobe's shooting too much" was still a constant refrain until he retired, and it's something I never got used to in 20 years. And I'm definitely in the camp that thinks Pau is underrated, perhaps grossly. But I never felt like Kobe inhibited Pau's game at all. They complemented each other extremely well and played some beautiful basketball together.

Yes, a guard and big man combo is classic. Kobe's a jump shooter with driving skills, Pau is post player who can pass or use his height if he gets too much pressure. Great combo.

RE: inhibited Pau's game (?) -- Kobe shooting too many stupid inefficient jumpers or not playing to his team's matchups would be all I can remember. The dude was a great player for sure. His work ethic and competitive drive was legendary. But e.g. if you got a 6'4" guy on Pau and he's got post position you pass the ball to him. Don't take a complicated ISO jumper shot. Kobe would take the shot 9 times out of 10.

It was his biggest flaw as a player, no question. Trust me, as somebody who is deeply, deeply invested in this team, I couldn't even count how many nights over the years he left me absolutely fuming for his poor shot selection. Which is the stuff a ton of his fanboys forget or were too deep in it to even recognize. But when you're not married to any particular player over the success of your team, the 8 for 25s are extremely tough to swallow. It was the main reason I could never get 100 percent behind him, and why I rooted so hard against Jordan back in the day (an exercise in futility): I'm just not a fan of hero ball.

All of that said, I'll absolutely stand by the opinion that Kobe never inhibited Pau. In individual games here and there? Of course. You're not always going to be on the same page every single possession in every single game. But they certainly were way, way, way more often than not. So over the course of a full season, I can only repeat what I said previously: As somebody who watched at least 90 percent of their games together, they complemented and benefited each other extremely well. (Beyond their skills sets, a big part of which was Pau's easy-going personality; he had the utmost respect for Kobe and wasn't going to rock the boat when he went off the reservation.) At the very least, you can't really argue with the results.

[Strepbacter]

You mean the rings Pau gave to Kobe with incredible efficiency?

No, he means the rings that Kobe gave to Pau with incredible play, but I'm sure you think it's just a coincidence that Pau's efficiency exploded as soon as he joined the best offensive player in the world.

Highest PER on Memphis: 24.1
Higher PER on LAL: 24 in 27 games. 23.3 when in 2011.

Nice delusion.

This dude thinks PER is a measure of efficiency lol.

[Woodsanity]

No, he means the rings that Kobe gave to Pau with incredible play, but I'm sure you think it's just a coincidence that Pau's efficiency exploded as soon as he joined the best offensive player in the world.

Highest PER on Memphis: 24.1
Higher PER on LAL: 24 in 27 games. 23.3 when in 2011.

Nice delusion.

This dude thinks PER is a measure of efficiency lol.

His efficiency was the same 59 TS% aside from one season and one season where he played 27 games so it didn't count. Keep embarrassing yourself.

I almost forgot how bad Kobe stans are even worse than Lebron stans.

[Strepbacter]

Eh, I'm probably as critical of Kobe as you're going to find among Lakers fans -- his legion of fanboys are one of my least favorite things about Real GM, with this thread as yet another case example -- and Pau is one of my all-time favorite Lakers, but they fit each other pretty much like a glove. (When Kobe felt like it, he generally played really well with Shaq too.) "Kobe's shooting too much" was still a constant refrain until he retired, and it's something I never got used to in 20 years. And I'm definitely in the camp that thinks Pau is underrated, perhaps grossly. But I never felt like Kobe inhibited Pau's game at all. They complemented each other extremely well and played some beautiful basketball together.

Yes, a guard and big man combo is classic. Kobe's a jump shooter with driving skills, Pau is post player who can pass or use his height if he gets too much pressure. Great combo.

RE: inhibited Pau's game (?) -- Kobe shooting too many stupid inefficient jumpers or not playing to his team's matchups would be all I can remember. The dude was a great player for sure. His work ethic and competitive drive was legendary. But e.g. if you got a 6'4" guy on Pau and he's got post position you pass the ball to him. Don't take a complicated ISO jumper shot. Kobe would take the shot 9 times out of 10.

It was his biggest flaw as a player, no question. Trust me, as somebody who is deeply, deeply invested in this team, I couldn't even count how many nights over the years he left me absolutely fuming for his poor shot selection. Which is the stuff a ton of his fanboys forget or were too deep in it to even recognize. But when you're not married to any particular player over the success of your team, the 8 for 25s are extremely tough to swallow. It was the main reason I could never get 100 percent behind him, and why I rooted so hard against Jordan back in the day (an exercise in futility): I'm just not a fan of hero ball.

2000 Lakers: #1 in the league in team passer rating
2001 Lakers: #1 in the league in team passer rating
2002 Lakers: #1 in the league in team passer rating
2003 Lakers: #3 in the league in team passer rating
2004 Lakers: #1 in the league in team passer rating
2006 Lakers: #4 in the league in team passer rating
2007 Lakers: #3 in the league in team passer rating
2008 Lakers: #1 in the league in team passer rating
2009 Lakers: #2 in the league in team passer rating

"Hero ball" Nice hyperbole, buddy.

It must have been sooooo tough to watch the second best SG of all-time play on the best passing teams in the league while winning a bunch of rings against incredible competition. That must have been sooooooo hard.

[Strepbacter]

Highest PER on Memphis: 24.1
Higher PER on LAL: 24 in 27 games. 23.3 when in 2011.

Nice delusion.

This dude thinks PER is a measure of efficiency lol.

His efficiency was the same 59 TS% aside from one season and one season where he played 27 games so it didn't count. Keep embarrassing yourself.

I almost forgot how bad Kobe stans are even worse than Lebron stans.

I forgot how clueless Kobe haters are. His scoring efficiency exploded as soon he joined LA and then he set a career high in 09. These are facts. And his individual box-score ORTG saw a HUGE jump in 08, 09, and 10.

Fact.

You're the one who used PER as a measure of efficiency (lmao) but I'm the one embarrassing myself? Get real.

[NoStatsGuy]

i forgot how many people hate kobe lmao

[Slava]

I disagree with you saying Odom was "nowhere in the realm" of some of those guys. Odom had his warts, but he was an amazing passer and ball handler, a beast on the boards, a versatile defender. I think he compares just fine to most of the players you mention above. I personally like him better than Bosh or Love. I do like Draymond more. They're pretty similar players. Lamar is taller, better finisher, scorer, ball handler. Draymond is stronger and there's just no comparing to his genius defense. But I don't think they're entirely different worlds as great glue guys on title teams. Klay and Odom is a hard comparison, probably exact opposites as far as ballplayers go. Ginobili is the only guy as I see as open/shut better than Odom. Even if you like him less than all of them, he's comparison worthy.

I like Odom but I don't buy that. Draymond has a career assist rate that is much higher than Odom (24.8 vs 18.4) and he's a defensive player of the year, 6 time all NBA defense, 2 time all NBA. Love is a much higher volume scorer, better rebounder (19.4% vs 14.3%) and two time all NBA.

Chris Bosh is a much higher volume scorer as well but he might be the closest to what Odom's high end was as a third option. However, he sacrificed most to fit into a role with Miami as Wade and LeBron were much closer to Kobe/Shaq than Kobe/Pau.

[Doranku]

Kobe and Pau had amazing synergy from literally their first game together. Kobe was extremely synergistic. Lmao at bringing up LeBron and then suggesting Bryant isn't synergistic. Bosh and Love fell off a cliff with Bron. Pau immediately shot up as sooner as he joined LA ...but somehow Bryant is the one lacking synergy. Lmao

You really think the triangle had more to do with Pau seeing his efficiency, impact metrics, and advanced boxscore stats ALL explode as soon as he joined LA than Bryant? Lmao. You think he wasn't getting the ball in the post in Memphis?

In what way was Kobe synergistic much less "extremely synergistic"? I'm not talking about more good players = better team. The dude was a frikken black hole for ball control. He made jumpers 45% for career and always willing to take every shot... which is pretty good but 2nd tier not in the top ever players. For your reference Jordan and Lebron both finished above 50% FG. These two are generally considered GOAT most people think of... not Kobe.

I love that you glossed over the coach and system comment and focused on Lebron. Again, PJackson's triangle system is what helped Gasol utilize his talent. Gasol was dominant in the post and a great jump shooter. Kobe Bryant was not capable of passing Gasol the ball to setup a good shot for him. He'd shoot it in triple coverage first.

Just say you never watched Kobe and move on, brother. What an embarrassing comment.

[Franco]

2007-08 Lakers:

#3 offense (+5.5)
#5 defense (-2.0)

2008-09 Lakers:

#3 offense (+4.5)
#6 defense (-3.6)

2009-10 Lakers:

#11 offense (+1.2)
#3 defense (-3.9)

Overall they were better offensively during those years, but not "far better"...
-

Yawn. Semantics. The 08 Lakers were far better on offense (+5.5) than defense (-2) in both the regular season and postseason (+7.3 and -2)

That's not how postseasons work, the reason regular season statistics are more reliable is because it's a larger sample size and against every other team in the NBA.

The 2007-08 Lakers in the postseason were:

Vs Nuggets (1st round)

+12.4 offense
-5.0 defense

Vs Jazz (WCSF)

+10.5 offense
+0.1 defense

Vs Spurs (WCF)

+1.9 offense
-9.1 defense

Vs Celtics (Finals)

+5.0 offense
+2.9 defense

So, overall, consideraby better offensively yeah.

The 09 Lakers were significantly better on offense than defense in the regular season (yes, +1 is significant) and much better on offense than defense in the postseason (+7.3 offense, -5 defense)

I like how you say +1 is significant, then proceed to skip the 2010 Lakers RS...

2008-09 Lakers in the PS:

Vs Jazz (1st round)

+7.3 offense
-5.4 defense

Vs Rockets (WCSF)

+5.2 offense
-7.4 defense

Vs Nuggets (WCF)

+7.6 offense
-0.0 defense

Vs Magic(Finals)

+8.9 offense
-8.4 defense

Better offensively no doubt, but the gap isn't anywhere near as big as in 2008.

The 2010 Lakers were much better on offense than defense in the postseason (+5.5 offense, -2 defense)

The 2009-10 Lakers in the PS:

Vs OKC (1st round)

+1.8 offense
-3.7 defense

Vs Jazz (WCSF)

+15.4 offense
+1.8 defense

Vs Suns (WCF)

+14 offense
-4.3 defense

Vs Celtics (Finals)

+2.3 offense
-5.6 defense

Overall I'd say the defense was more important in this run, specially in their tougher series. Consider that their RS defense was significantly better, and I'd say it's pretty easy to conclude their defense won them this chip more than the offense.

[Strepbacter]

2007-08 Lakers:

#3 offense (+5.5)
#5 defense (-2.0)

2008-09 Lakers:

#3 offense (+4.5)
#6 defense (-3.6)

2009-10 Lakers:

#11 offense (+1.2)
#3 defense (-3.9)

Overall they were better offensively during those years, but not "far better"...
-

Yawn. Semantics. The 08 Lakers were far better on offense (+5.5) than defense (-2) in both the regular season and postseason (+7.3 and -2)

That's not how postseasons work, the reason regular season statistics are more reliable is because it's a larger sample size and against every other team in the NBA.

Nah. The postseason numbers are relative to opponent and weighted for games played. I don't care about your take on their toughest series. The 2010 Lakers had a +5.5 offense in the postseason to a -2 defense. That's a fact. They were much better on offense. The 08 Lakers were much better on offense in both the postseason and regular season. The 09 Lakers were significantly better on offense than defense in the regular season and much better in the postseason. Overall they were much better on offense than defense from 08-10. That's a fact.

[khufure]

Kobe and Pau had amazing synergy from literally their first game together. Kobe was extremely synergistic. Lmao at bringing up LeBron and then suggesting Bryant isn't synergistic. Bosh and Love fell off a cliff with Bron. Pau immediately shot up as sooner as he joined LA ...but somehow Bryant is the one lacking synergy. Lmao

You really think the triangle had more to do with Pau seeing his efficiency, impact metrics, and advanced boxscore stats ALL explode as soon as he joined LA than Bryant? Lmao. You think he wasn't getting the ball in the post in Memphis?

In what way was Kobe synergistic much less "extremely synergistic"? I'm not talking about more good players = better team. The dude was a frikken black hole for ball control. He made jumpers 45% for career and always willing to take every shot... which is pretty good but 2nd tier not in the top ever players. For your reference Jordan and Lebron both finished above 50% FG. These two are generally considered GOAT most people think of... not Kobe.

I love that you glossed over the coach and system comment and focused on Lebron. Again, PJackson's triangle system is what helped Gasol utilize his talent. Gasol was dominant in the post and a great jump shooter. Kobe Bryant was not capable of passing Gasol the ball to setup a good shot for him. He'd shoot it in triple coverage first.

Just say you never watched Kobe and move on, brother. What an embarrassing comment.

I watched Kobe. Not as many games as a Lakers fan, but I was interested especially in the Kobe+Gasol+Phil Jackson combo in the playoffs. Kobe was selfish to a fault. Whether that's from confidence or lack of faith in his teammates, it doesn't matter. He was way less efficient than the best players 50+ FG% vs ~45% efficiency. He should have passed the ball more to take advantage of matchups.

[Strepbacter]

In what way was Kobe synergistic much less "extremely synergistic"? I'm not talking about more good players = better team. The dude was a frikken black hole for ball control. He made jumpers 45% for career and always willing to take every shot... which is pretty good but 2nd tier not in the top ever players. For your reference Jordan and Lebron both finished above 50% FG. These two are generally considered GOAT most people think of... not Kobe.

I love that you glossed over the coach and system comment and focused on Lebron. Again, PJackson's triangle system is what helped Gasol utilize his talent. Gasol was dominant in the post and a great jump shooter. Kobe Bryant was not capable of passing Gasol the ball to setup a good shot for him. He'd shoot it in triple coverage first.

Just say you never watched Kobe and move on, brother. What an embarrassing comment.

I watched Kobe. Not as many games as a Lakers fan, but I was interested especially in the Kobe+Gasol+Phil Jackson combo in the playoffs. Kobe was selfish to a fault. Whether that's from confidence or lack of faith in his teammates, it doesn't matter. He was way less efficient than the best players 50+ FG% vs ~45% efficiency. He should have passed the ball more to take advantage of matchups.

This dude is using FG% in 2021.