Kobe Facilitating Is Valuable to This Lakers Team
While Kobe Bryant was leaving Saturday’s contest against the Jazz prematurely due to the sore Achilles that he’s been battling, he had a big night at the office against the Rockets on Sunday night. In the loss, Kobe passed Jerry West in the Lakers’ record books for all-time assists with the franchise on his way to amassing nine assists on the night.
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Much of that work as a facilitator in the Lakers’ offense came in the first half and it’s no mistake that’s when the Lakers were at their best against Houston. One of the most forgotten and underrated aspects of Byrant’s game over the course of his career and in his final season is that he is one of the most skilled passers in the league and can make plays at will when he’s looking for teammates and kicking the rock out to them or hitting guys on cuts.
With how the Lakers have struggled in terms of ball-movement and with how inefficiently Kobe has shot the ball this season—save for that one brief stretch, his biggest asset to this rebuilding Lakers team in his final NBA season is his talents as a facilitator. The offense is at it’s best when Kobe is finding teammates and not just looking for his own shots.
Whether or not we see more of it on a consistent basis remains to be seen, but the Lakers will be at their best this season and the young guys will develop better if Kobe is setting the tone by moving the ball in the offense.
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