[Hans DavidParticipant]

 

[F_S]

 i read this from another person and have no legit sources:

"I read some article the other day that last season Kobe shot 46.2% off-screens, 50% on hand-offs, and 54.2% on cuts. People who think Kobe will have a hard time adjusting will be in for a surprise."

kobe is like carmelo, they can be excellent scoring off the ball thanks to their skill-set but that’s not really who they like to be, they have a been for the ball and bad shots

[F_S]

he might one game and do agreat job off the ball, then next game have a 40 usage % on 10/26

[bloodshyParticipant]

Were you trying to demonstrate Kobe off the ball, or trying to show that he did not play off the ball, even with Payton/Malone? I ask, because although Kobe is currently an effective off-ball player, the majority of his shots in this clip were ball dominant iso shots usually taken in the face of double teams.

The reality is that the 2003-04 season (when Payton/Malone joined the Lakers) was a disaster for everyone involved, and Kobe was a big part of the problem. Kobe did not transition to an effective off-ball player that season. Instead, he swung from off-ball extremes where he would never take a shot to highly inefficient forced attempts and everyone suffered as a result. Payton went from averaging 19.6/7.4 to 14.6/5.5. Malone went from averaging 20.6 ppg to 13.2 ppg. Kobe also dropped from 30 ppg to 24 ppg. Additionally, Kobe declined in pretty much every meaningful category, including apg, rpg, bpg, spg, fg% and 3pt%. As the offense moved away from being Kobe-centric, he seemed to become less interested in the game generally.

A difference between then and now is Kobe’s maturity. He was an immature person and player in 2004 and he’s certainly changed since then. He presents himself as more willing to transition as a player with the additions of Nash/Howard than he did when Payton/Malone came along. However, the big question is whether he can/will actually do it. And if he actually does make the transition, will he be more effective. On the over-under new and improved Kobe bet, I’m betting under for two reasons.

(1) Kobe is declining physically. This is not his fault–it’s just a reality that comes with age. Over the last four seasons advanced stats show Kobe declining over the last 4-5 seasons. Specifically, his efficiency has dropped each of the last four years on both sides of the ball. Opposing players score on him with greater ease and his shooting has decreased from everywhere but the free throw stripe each of the last four years. I don’t see Kobe beating mother nature regardless of new talent on the roster.

(2) Kobe has never shown the ability to actually transition to anything but a great ball dominant offensive player. Yes, he is efficient in his rare off-ball takes. However, he is either unwilling or unable to give up on the rest of his takes to increase his overall efficiency. After the acquisition of Nash and all of Kobe’s positive statements I thought he might be serious about letting others run the offense, which would make him more efficient, but surely decrease his stats at the same time. When I watched Kobe in the Olympics, I watched interested to see Kobe make the transition. Kobe has rarely had a decent pg in LA, but the Olympics team was loaded with premier passers and scorers–could Kobe transition to an off-ball player? The answer in the Olympics was "no."

Kobe said all of the right things in the Olympics, but on the court he couldn’t make the leap. When his off-ball shots weren’t falling, he began forcing the issue with low percentage iso shots, despite being surrounded with talent. Overall, he had the second highest burn rate on Team USA (1 shot for every 2 minutes on the court), even though he was shooting terribly (.429, which was the second worst fg% on Team USA).  Kobe is one of the greatest players of all time and possibly the most skilled scorer we have ever seen. No one who saw it will forget his 81-point game or his vast collection of rings. But Kobe has never been able to play off-ball effectively as a primary role and I don’t believe he will make the jump in 2012-13.

[Author]

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