Game Recap: 3 Thoughts on Grizzlies Beating Lakers
By Blair Hicks
2. Kobe Bryant is still a great player
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The idea that Kobe Bryant is the 40th best player in the NBA is laughable. With 7 games under his belt this season, we are starting to see that while Kobe isn’t what he was, he is still an elite player. He scored 28 points with 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals on 10-26 shooting, including 3-10 from 3.
Bryant’s inefficiency has been a story nationally to date but its an insignificant storyline with so few games played this season. More important than the number of shots Bryant takes is the quality thereof, and tonight he was under control and simply missed a good number of make-able shots.
He scored off of dribble drives, give and goes, and made a slew of what I’ll call “Kobe” shots, most notably a deep three pointer late in the 4th to bring the Lakers to within 3. At this point we no longer need to worry whether he can still compete with the best. If he is healthy, he can be a 20 point scorer till age 40.
What would be ideal would be for Bryant to play alongside a dynamic pass first point guard that could get him easy attempts night after night. That’s not a knock on Lin, who has played well this season, its just a reality. In his 19th season, its unfair to ask Bryant to both cook the dinner and do the dishes. He deserves the ease of single coverage that a dynamic backcourt partner would bring. Sigh