Kobe Bryant: Why His Recent Scoring Outburst Proves He'll Always Be a Top Scorer
It's one day after Kobe Bryant's NBA season-high 48-point performance vs. the Phoenix Suns, which saw him shoot an abnormally high 58 percent from the field, and people on the Internet from Twitter to Bleacher Report can't stop talking about it.
Bryant has gone on a recent scoring barrage over the past five games, shooting 51 percent from the field, averaging 31 points a game and leading to the Lakers to a 4-1 record over that stretch.
In the game against the Phoenix Suns, which saw Kobe have by far his best performance of the season, one thing was evident from his play:
As long as Kobe is in the NBA, he'll always be a top scorer.
He currently stands at second in the NBA in points per game, at 29.5, just 0.2 behind LeBron James' 29.7 per game.
I know what some people are thinking.
Some people are thinking that it's a long season, that we're only 11 games through and that it's silly to come to the conclusion that a 33-year-old Bryant, who is in his 16th year in the league, can continue to put up points at this kind of a rate for the rest of his career.
Especially in a condensed season, in which the Lakers have to play 18 more back-to-back sets, Bryant will slow down.
Is it true that he could slow down from his current rate of near 30 points a game? Sure.
However, my point isn't that he will continue averaging 30 points per game for the rest of his career. If you look at Bryant's career, he has averaged at least 30 a game in a full season just three times.
What I'm saying is, he'll always be a top scorer. He'll always rank in the Top Five in the league in points per game even as his career winds down because he's simply too talented. He is simply too skilled as an offensive player to regress like so many before him have.
I realize that goes against science. I realize that it goes against history, which has seen the greatest of players regress as time and age catch up to them.
It happened to Shaq rather quickly. One year, he was the All-Star MVP (2008-09). The next, he averaged just 12.0 points per game—the lowest scoring output of his NBA career up to that point.
It happened to guys like Reggie Miller, who played until the age of 39. One of the greatest shooters of all time, and arguably the greatest three-point shooter of all time, Reggie averaged 25 points per game at his absolute best and 21 points per game in what was considered his prime.
In his last two seasons, he averaged just 10.0 and 14.8 points per game.
The reason why Kobe is, and will be, different—despite the numerous injuries, the massive amounts of mileage and, of course, the age—is because he isn't the same type of player.
One could argue that from a pure scorer's point of view, Bryant may be the most skilled of all time.
I'm not saying Bryant is the greatest of all time—or is in contention for that crown. I'm not arguing he is the most efficient when it pertains to scoring.
What I'm arguing is that Kobe may be the most skilled when it pertains to scoring.
Fall-away jumper? Kobe can do it.
Leaning jumper? Check.
Baseline shot? A given.
Kobe's athleticism will continue to deteriorate as his career winds down. That is something that is just inevitable and that you can't prevent no matter how strong you are mentally, or how much you stay in shape.
Yes, he had a nice dunk while driving past Grant Hill last night.
Yes, he had a beautiful alley-oop that displayed the hops which won him the Slam Dunk Contest back in 1997 during his rookie season.
But you used to see that all the time from Kobe in his 20's. Now you see it once in a blue moon.
You'll see him continue to play through nagging injuries—such as the wrist injury he has right now—and the constant knee pain that he suffers through after 16 years of NBA service.
Despite all of those ailments, Kobe doesn't need a lot of athleticism to age gracefully.
His pump fake is still arguably the best in the league. Hell, it got former teammate Shannon Brown to jump up in the air and foul Kobe.
His ability to establish position in areas where he wants to shoot the basketball is excellent, and will never go away. At 6'6" and about 210 pounds, Kobe is the perfect size for a shooting guard.
His ability to create his own shot is the best in the league. Whether it's through a variety of head fakes, jab steps, shoulder thrusts and so forth, Kobe will always find a way to create a shooting opportunity for himself.
As we progress through Kobe's 16th season in the NBA at the age of 33, just remember one thing.
As long as the "Black Mamba" is in the NBA, he'll always be a top scorer.
