What Year was Kobe’s Peak?

[Matt15]

What year do you think was Kobe’s peak?

[Dutchball97]

It's between 2008 and 2009 for me. 2006 was his best regular season but the deeper and very high level play-off runs of 2008 and 2009 are more significant than the regular season difference to me.

[70sFan]

2008

[laronprofit9]

None of the years clearly stand out over the others to make a consensus. However if you forced me to pick, 2008.

That was closest to best blend of individual regular season capabilities of 06 and 07, and post season level of play of 09 and 10. I don’t think his regular season exactly matched 2006. I think his 2008 finals takes away a bit, but from an overall picture it was one of Kobe’s finest all around efforts.

Imo if 2003 or 2006 Kobe had the 2009 roster around him and won the championship. Those two versions of Kobe would’ve been the consensus. Just higher motor, more capacity to do more work and production. Kobe’s athletic peak was 2002-2003. Kobe was slightly less athletic in 2006, but his ball handling and shooting touch reached its peak. Before he started ruining his fingers in the 08-10 finals runs. Put either of those two versions of Kobe on the 2009 roster, I think the Lakers may win a couple more regular season games (increase regular season wins from 65 to 67-69) and dominate the playoffs en route to the title rather than struggle against the Rockets or Nuggets.

I think another what if is if Kobe didn’t have to get the two major off season surgeries in the summer of 2003. He got surgery on both his knee and shoulder which set back the off season progress he normally would’ve made to further develop his skills and increase the strength/athleticism/conditioning of his body. Also he had the Colorado rape accusation while recovering from those surgeries. All of things combined probably created the biggest setback of Kobe’s career right in the middle of his prime entering his peak age seasons (25 and 26). If none of those things happened. Instead of getting the two down seasons in 04 and 05, I think we would see more of a “true” peak version of Kobe. Which combined the physical athleticism of 2003 with the technical skill polish of 2006.

[No-more-rings]

I think it’s either 2006 or 2008 depending how you weigh playstyle and role and such. I find it unlikely Kobe made actual improvements to his game in 2008, he just was able to play defense due to more favorable circumstances.

[laronprofit9]

I think it’s either 2006 or 2008 depending how you weigh playstyle and role and such. I find it unlikely Kobe made actual improvements to his game in 2008, he just was able to play defense due to more favorable circumstances.

I think its worth mentioning Kobe dropped about 15 pounds in the off season before 2008. It probably helped his knees and legs to give better effort on defense

However I think being 2 years younger in 2006 with less nba minutes on his body allowed him to still give more overall effort even being slightly heavier

[No-more-rings]

If none of those things happened. Instead of getting the two down seasons in 04 and 05, I think we would see more of a “true” peak version of Kobe. Which combined the physical athleticism of 2003 with the technical skill polish of 2006.

See my issue with this is not only do we not know that, but aside from the true ironmen players, you can say this about so many other guys. Wade, Cp3, Durant are 3 names right off the bat who had major injuries/surgery neighboring or inbetween peak level years where you can argue it stunt their growth or hurt their athleticism. Curry’s another who has had a lot of disruptive injuries through his prime. This isn’t something exclusive to Kobe at all.

[laronprofit9]

If none of those things happened. Instead of getting the two down seasons in 04 and 05, I think we would see more of a “true” peak version of Kobe. Which combined the physical athleticism of 2003 with the technical skill polish of 2006.

See my issue with this is not only do we not know that, but aside from the true ironmen players, you can say this about so many other guys. Wade, Cp3, Durant are 3 names right off the bat who had major injuries/surgery neighboring or inbetween peak level years where you can argue it stunt their growth or hurt their athleticism. Curry’s another who has had a lot of disruptive injuries through his prime. This isn’t something exclusive to Kobe at all.

I’m not really comparing Kobe’s peak to those other guys. I’m just saying that as part of a reason to as why Kobe doesn’t really truly have a clear consensus peak for his own career. A year that really stands out over other years of his own career (not looking at any other player). It’s speak to how unimpressive Kobe’s peak was compared to other all time great players, but also how consistent Kobe was in his prime that he was consistently putting up stellar seasons during his prime for a long time. Kobe at his best his peak maybe ranks around 20-25th all-time compared to other peaks. Still great but lower than where he ranks from an overall career on the all-time list. The fact he was consistently close to that level for a long period of time should be something notable though

[ardee]

He basically peaked from 2006-08, except for the stretch at the beginning of the 2007 season when he was recovering from knee surgery so that made him less explosive that year while he was rounding into shape.

What he did in 2006 was unreal, carrying that trash team with 3 G-league level starters to the 7th best SRS and 8th best offense in the league. The team was .500 through the first 52 games until Odom picked up his level post-ASB and played like a borderline All-Star for the last 30 (managed to average (16/9/6) and Kobe upped his own game to average 36/5/5 on 57% TS had them finish the season at 19-11, a 52 win pace. It shows that if you give him one halfway decent player to work with he can give you 50 wins.

2006 and 2008 I think he was more or less the same physically.

Overall it's really a pick 'em between those two but I'll go 2008 personally for a couple reasons:

1. 2008 though I think he was arguably the best he had ever been as a playmaker but he stillshowed that he could still turn the volume jets on when needed no problem. In 20 games without Pau and Bynum he averaged 32/8/6 on 57% TS.

2. His Playoffs were astounding, with 32/6/6 on 60% TS against a historically brutal Western Conference. Now the argument can be made that 2006 Kobe could have replicated this in a different situation, sure... that's why it's so close for me.

2009 was still great but I think he didn't have the same gear in the RS as he did in 2006-08, though he was just as good in the Playoffs as he was in 2008. Still, he was good enough to be a top 3 player in the RS that year and finish 2nd in MVP voting and then clearly establish himself as 2nd in the league after the Playoffs.

[TheGOATRises007]

2008 is his peak.

He dominated the WC in the playoffs. If he was just a bit better against the Celtics, it'd be his consensus peak.

2006 is a very underrated season though somehow.

[LakerLegend]

03 and 07.

Kobe himself said 03 in an interview.

He was more athletic in 03 but more skilled and polished in 07.