So Why The Low Shooting Percentage?
It’s rough to watch, but Kobe is average 24 field goal attempts per game through seven games this season. If this was taken as a snap shot, it would be second to his career high of 27 field goal attempts per game back in the 2005-2006 season. During that season, he averaged over 35.1 points per game on 45% shooting from the field. Surprisingly, the average distances between that ’05-’06 season and the current season are equal at 15.1 feet away per shot attempt. That is the longest average distance of his career.
While he has proven to be a solid finisher this season, he has had seasons where he shot 65%-68% at the rim.
The telling story is his mid-range shooting ability. This year, he’s shooting 30.4% from mid-range. His career average from mid-range is 45.1%.
Three-point shooting also hurts his overall field goal percentage as well, but when his two-point percentage is 42.4% this season, it’s clear that his jumpshot isn’t quite where it should be.