Kobe Bryant’s Egregious Shooting Continues in Loss to San Antonio Spurs
By Joseph Crevier
@JosephMCrevier
Andrew D. Bernstein-Getty Images
The Los Angeles Lakers have endured their worst start in NBA history, being victorious in just one game through the first nine. From Carlos Boozer‘s dubious defense to Wesley Johnson‘s incompetence in all facets of the game, the Lakers can arguably be deemed unwatchable. But perhaps the most upsetting part of the season is undoubtedly Kobe Bryant‘s inability to score at a fairly efficient rate, magnified in Friday night’s blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Bryant shot an atrocious 1-for-14 from the field en route to a lopsided 93-80 loss, a deficit that ballooned to 26 points before the starters were yanked from the game.
As entertaining as it may be to watch Bryant fire up a ton of shots each game, his inefficiency has been alarming considering the majority of his shots are actually decent looks. As fans, we tend to point the finger elsewhere when Bryant struggles and that’s perfectly justifiable looking at the roster surrounding him. However, the Mamba’s shot has looked noticeably flat, leading me to believe he’s either dealing with a nagging injury or he is still not 100 percent after suffering a torn Achilles’ and fractured knee in just a nine-month span.
The 19-year veteran is averaging an incredible 27.5 points per game, but on only 38.8 percent shooting, which is a career low. The next lowest shooting percentage came in his rookie season when he shot 41.7 percent, shooting six shots per game in just 15.5 minutes of play. Hopefully as the season progresses, Bryant can improve that inefficient shooting to a more acceptable level for entertainment purposes if nothing else.
When Nick Young makes his much anticipated return next week, Bryant will no longer be required to shoulder such a substantial scoring load, leading to more open looks. Additionally, head coach Byron Scott must cut down on his minutes as he has played 34-plus minutes in seven-consecutive games, causing a lack of energy come the fourth quarter.
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