Irrespective of Kobe Bryant’s scoring average, the Los Angeles Lakers are in deep trouble because the team offence is completely gridlocked. The Triangle will not work without post entries and dribble penetration, which are two techniques that the Lakers are not currently practicing. The Lakers must establish themselves in those areas for the following reasons:
- It will create opportunities for Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum, Brian Cook, and the rest of the bench to contribute that are not available in the current man-to-man offence. If the entire team is a threat to score, opponents cannot collapse on Kobe and Lamar Odom. Odom will also be more effective in a team offence because his torn labrum limits his one-on-one effectiveness.
- Kobe is one of the best defenders in the Association but he cannot defend as well if he expends too much energy creating his own shot, especially in the second half. Generating easy chances in transition will help the impotent set offence.
- Kobe and Odom will get better quality shots in penetrate & dish/kick and catch & shoot situations. Sam Mitchell believes that the shooting percentage for shots taken in the last ten seconds of the shot clock is thirty percent (similar to Phil Jackson’s view that buzzer beaters have a twenty-five percent or less chance to succeed), so the Lakers team shooting percentage and scoring rate will increase.
The Lakers will get smoked in the playoffs in five games in a series they could otherwise force to go the distance or win. If Kobe Bryant scores some fantastic figure, like sixty points, he can still carry the team to victory but it is becoming progressively more difficult for him to do this when scoring forty-something points.
Los Angeles still runs some nice cuts occasionally. They have the potential to improve because the players can make good decisions and have sharp court vision. They also have the talent to play good team defence although transition defence has been appalling lately. However, the team has lost seven out of the last nine games and nothing much has been going right.
There have been constant comparisons between the scoring feats of Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain. Aside when surrounded by smart players who helped run a team system, such as Jerry West with the Lakers or Billy Cunningham with the 76ers, Chamberlain never won. Kobe won’t either as long as he continues to go at it alone – at the expense of his teammates.