Rose studying Kobe in search of greater efficiency

Kobe Bryant left behind a lifetime of memories after 20 NBA seasons, but the defining image of the 18-time All-Star won't be his efficiency.

If anything, debates over Bryant's ho-hum shooting percentages as they pertain to his greatness were a major factor in the proliferation of the efficiency discussion. It's too far to call Bryant inefficient, but a lot of the criticism of his game related to his propensity to take inefficient shots.

So it's curious, then, that Derrick Rose wants to emulate Bryant in search of efficiency.

"Being efficient, every dribble has to have a meaning. When you look at a player, I always say Kobe - every one of his dribbles leads him up to a great shot or puts him in a position to take a great shot," Rose said.

"You rarely see too many people block his shots or even contest his shots. If they are he finds a way to even get them up or just make a shot. That's what I'm working toward. Of course, I'm not Kobe, but if I can get in a position where I'm in a bad position - it is rare that you see him in a bad position I would say, and that's the level I'm trying to get to."

As Rose described, Bryant definitely wielded an inexhaustible arsenal of footwork, dribble moves, and fakes that allowed him to get any shot he wanted from anywhere on the court. But to say players rarely contested Bryant's shots, well, that really couldn't be any further from reality.

Battling injuries, including a broken orbital bone that forced him to wear a mask for half the season, Rose averaged 16.4 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field and 29 percent from deep for a true shooting percentage of 47.9.

Getting to Bryant's mark of 55 in true shooting would be barely above league average, but would be a huge improvement for Rose.