Lakers' Scott wants Kobe to shoot more, Kobe says he's not passing up shots
Kobe Bryant has been close to a triple-double in three straight outings since returning from a three-game respite, looking to get teammates involved and working to contribute in ways other than the scoring column.
It's been refreshing and effective for the Los Angeles Lakers, but head coach Byron Scott isn't really a fan of New Kobe.
"It's been interesting," Scott said Saturday of Bryant in facilitator mode.
Bryant, who has been fatigued all season under a heavy minutes load and heavy offensive burden, is averaging 16 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists in those three games, taking just 11.7 field goal attempts. It's been a net positive for the Lakers' offense, which has been nearly three points per-100 possessions better over that admittedly small sample.
| Kobe Bryant | First 27 | Last 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 35.5 | 32.3 |
| FGA | 22.4 | 11.7 |
| FG% | 37.2% | 45.7% |
| Pts | 24.6 | 16.0 |
| Rbs | 5.1 | 9.3 |
| Ast | 4.9 | 8.7 |
| Team O-Rtg | 103.6 | 106.4 |
Despite that, and the fact that the Lakers played three of their best games of the season in that 1-2 stretch, Scott would like to see Bryant taking more shots. As he said Saturday:
He's really trying to keep his (shot attempt) numbers down to the 14, 15, 16 area and I want him up in the 18, 19 area, but I can't argue with the results. He's getting everyone involved. He's rebounding the ball and had 8, 9, 11 assists in the last couple of games. I can't argue with the results and he's still being aggressive as far as looking for his shots but he's still being aggressive as far as looking for his teammates. I would like his shots to be up more up but I can't argue with the way he's playing.
It seems strange to argue with Bryant's decision-making here. He's almost always facing heavy defensive pressure and was shooting terribly before taking a break, so channeling some of his energy from scorer to distributor seems a prudent move.
Bryant has even admitted it's a change that needed to happen:
I had a chance to really evaluate my game and taking more straight line drops and more efficiency of movement. I don't know if my body can take the workload. In a situation where teams just double me all over the floor, it's not like I'm passing up shots. I don't have them because they stack up and trap. Back in my younger days I could go through that stuff and have 30-40 points, now my body can't take it so I'll dominate the game in a different way.
The Lakers are still searching for the best way to manage Bryant's workload. It's unclear if shooting less and passing more will take a more favorable toll on Bryant's body, but if the team's playing better as a result, it's certainly worth exploring for a while longer.