Over Labour Day, I decided to look into how Kobe Bryant changed how he has worked over the years. Early in his career, he was not a great shooter but developed a mid-range game as he developed and received more touches. He has always been able to get to the paint and the line. Lately, his percentages have trailed off a bit and he has been shooting more from just inside the arc than closer to the paint. For someone who has taken almost five thousand three-point shots, Bryant has never been an above-average shooter from that area. The shot …
Player Development, Part II
The Toronto Raptors held a career forum last week at the Air Canada Centre. A panel of various employees represented different aspects of the organization: concessions, sponsorships, ticketing, facilities, and other jobs. Whilst the speakers were genuine in their desire to inspire the many high school students in attendance, they largely failed. The seminar was a complete contrast from the hullabaloo of an Association game, which was a bit of a surprise, like seeing all the McDonald’s employees in line at Harvey’s in Union Station before the game. The Raptors promised an interactive and interesting event and fell quite short. …