5 Things D’Angelo Russell Can Learn From Kobe Bryant

Post Game Is Key

The easiest way for a perimeter player to remain elite later in his career is to develop a post game, just ask two of the top three shooting guards of all time Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant.  Kobe is without a doubt the best post-up perimeter player ever.  Throughout his career, Kobe has used everything from one-legged Dirk shots, to sweeping sky-hooks across the paint.  Playing in the post requires little athleticism, and is all about reading the defender, and having a variety of moves.  The more moves a player has, the easier it is to work in the post.

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At 6’5″, Russell is going to see a ton of mismatches especially when he is playing point guard, and if he is guarded by a quicker defender, being able to post-up will always be a great option.  Russell actually showed some abilities to score in the post in college.  As the most skilled player in the draft, Russell should be able to develop quite the arsenal of moves when playing with his back to the defender.

Part of playing in the post is being able to use both hands.  Kobe has always been able to use both hands when doing pretty much everything except shooting jumpers.  He has used his left hand to pass, dunk, shoot floaters, and even shoot some hook shots.  Russell however is going to have to develop his right hand if he wants to become a better post player.  Kobe being the basketball freak he is, knows that if a player can use both hands, it makes it a lot harder for a player to guard him one-on-one.  Eventually, teams are going to force Russell to use his right hand, and he is going to have to be able to convert.

When most people think of the post, the two blocks and everything in the middle come to mind.  However, posting up further away from the basket can be just as effective.  Arguably Kobe’s most unstoppable shot is his turn around jumper anywhere between the baseline and the elbow.  Even when he didn’t get as much lift as he is used to, Kobe was still making that shot with ease last season.   Russell does not use his legs much on his jumper, but if he can learn to create space with his body he will be able to hit that turn around shot out of the post.

Perimeter players posting up is starting to become more common in today’s game.  After MJ and Kobe mastered the back to the basket game, player such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant have started to add that aspect of the game to their arsenal.  If Russell can learn and continuously work on some of Kobe’s moves, he will be able to rely on his post game for the rest of his career.

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