Kobe Bryant: Can You Have a Bad Season While Leading the NBA in Scoring?

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is remarkably leading the NBA in scoring after 16 seasons in the league and at the ripe old age of 33. But according to some of Kobe's critics, he may actually be having one of the worst seasons of his career.

Bryant entered this lockout-shortened season healthier than he has been in some time, and while another injury was just around the corner, it didn't take Bryant long to prove to his detractors that his ability was still there.

So far this season, Bryant has passed Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the NBA all-time scoring list and eclipsed Michael Jordan to become the NBA's second all-time leading scorer with a single franchise. He's also become the oldest player in NBA history to score 40 points in four consecutive games. 

That's a pretty good list of accomplishments for a shortened season, but some people are quick to bring up that those goals were accomplished by Kobe taking more shot attempts than any other player in the league. In those attempts, he is connecting only 43 percent of the time. 

And this is the dilemma when it comes to Bryant.

On the surface, it's hard not to celebrate his accomplishments this season, but it's also hard not to acknowledge how much better the Lakers could be if he didn't lead the league in field-goal attempts.

I do not buy the now prevalent argument that center Andrew Bynum has surpassed Bryant as the Lakers' best player based on one healthy season. But I do think the Lakers would be a better team if some of Kobe's shots were dispersed between Bynum and Pau Gasol.

This theory is not a swipe at Bryant—why wouldn't you focus most of your offensive attention in the post when you have two dominant seven-footers roaming the lane?

Sometimes, it seems that Kobe has become too focused on proving that he still belongs among the new wave of elite players who have taken control of the NBA. But in his determination to do this, has Bryant taken his eyes off the larger prize?

Everyone knows that Bryant takes and connects on more difficult shots than any other player in the NBA, but with a pass-first point guard like Ramon Sessions in the fold, he no longer has to.

Sessions' ability to penetrate into the lane and create has the potential to make each one of his teammates better, including Bryant. And the overall improvement of the team with Sessions at the helm is already evident, except where Bryant is concerned.

Bynum and Gasol have been receiving the ball in much more favorable scoring positions since Sessions arrived, and his penetration has opened up the perimeter for the team's three-point shooters.

Kobe has been seemingly reluctant to fully relinquish the reins to Sessions, but when he has, the Lakers have put up performances like the one they had against the Clippers on Thursday night.

In that game, Bryant was a highly efficient 13-of-19 from the floor with 31 points. But more importantly, the offense was more evenly balanced, with Bynum attempting one more shot than Bryant on the night. 

I understand that as a shooting guard, Kobe's primary responsibility is to score the ball. No one is asking Bryant to completely alter his game this late in his career, but he could adapt his approach for the talent around him.

I think it's a severe stretch to say that Kobe is having a bad season even though he is leading the NBA in scoring. However, his low field-goal percentage is troubling when you consider that Mike Brown's offense is constructed to work from the inside out.

As for the question of whether or not the Lakers are a better team without Bryant, look no further than Saturday night's 125-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers are not a better team without Bryant, but they can be a championship team with him.

Kobe endures a higher level of scrutiny than any other player in basketball. He is the only player in NBA history that I can recall being criticized for leading the league in scoring while pushing his team into the playoffs.

For the team's sake, Bryant needs to finally realize the benefits of working within the Lakers offense instead of trying to control it. If he doesn't, a scoring title may be all that he has to look forward to this season.