Which LA Laker Benefits Most from Playing with Healthy Kobe Bryant in 2014-15?
The most intriguing pairing on offense for the Los Angeles Lakers this season may very well be that of Kobe Bryant and Jordan Hill.
Given all we can expect from a healthy Bryant, the 27-year-old Hill should benefit most while playing alongside the Mamba as the Lakers' starting center this season. On paper, at least, their games complement each other in a number of ways.
The 6’10” Hill had a career year in 2013-14. That was without Bryant, who missed all but six games. And it was while playing for a coach (Mike D’Antoni) who reluctantly plugged the former Arizona Wildcat into the rotation as other big men went down with injuries.
Hill averaged a career-high 10 points and seven rebounds while playing just 21 minutes per night in 72 games. He was one of the NBA’s most efficient scorers and rebounders when he was out on the court. On a per 36-minute basis, Hill averaged 12.8 rebounds, good enough for 12th in the entire league.
And that was without Bryant in the back court. Had Hill played that many minutes per night, his totals would have been better than such defensive stalwarts as Tim Duncan, Kevin Love, Joakim Noah and LeMarcus Aldridge.
In Bryant, you have a 36-year-old, 18-year veteran who, because of injuries and age, will depend largely on perimeter shooting and post-up plays for his scoring this year. When he misses—Bryant is a career 45-percent shooter—Hill will be there to benefit with easy put backs.
Hill is the quintessential, hustling big man who scores most of his points close to the basket, often putting back misses from teammates. He eats glass as voraciously as most of us eat cereal in the morning.
According to NBA.com, Hill made almost 61 percent of the shots he took from just in the paint. That's his comfort zone. Per Mark Medina (InsideSoCal.com):
"The majority of Hill’s production happened in the paint where he went 226 of 371 (60.92 percent) from the field. That means the Lakers are better suited putting Hill in better positions to succeed instead of showing his limitations.
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Consider the Lakers first preseason game this past Monday against the Denver Nuggets. While Bryant and Steve Nash were grabbing the headlines as the two old, now-healthy superstars, scoring and passing with precision, it was Hill who was most efficient.
The former first-round draft choice of the New York Knicks in 2009 made four of five shots (10 points) and had 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes of play. Bryant, on the other hand, scored 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting while taking no shots from beyond the arc. He dished out five assists, including a nifty pick and roll to the rim, where he found Hill unguarded.
Over the course of his career, the knock on Hill has been that he doesn't sustain energy to warrant more than 18-20 minutes per game. Now penciled in as a starter for the first time and playing with one of the game's most intense stars in Bryant, we can expect Hill to debunk that theory.
Hill missed eight games last season with a leg injury, and his minutes were often abbreviated by D'Antoni. He never really had the luxury of consistency. That should change this season, as Hill is the team's only true center and will be given every opportunity by new head coach Byron Scott to justify the $18 million, two-year contract the Lakers gave him this offseason.
As reported by Mark Medina:
"Hill won’t have D’Antoni as a crutch to blame for any struggles this season. Scott has already penciled Hill in as his tentative starting center. Scott has raved about Hill’s paint presence and has said he will put a high emphasis on defense. Scott’s offensive system does not put the same demands as D’Antoni does in having shooters to can outside jumpers and space the floor. So on paper, it appears Hill will have more of a comfortable working relationship with Scott than D’Antoni
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Bryant has not built his career on making other players around him better. Unlike such icons as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who involved their teammates on virtually every possession, Bryant chose to lead by scoring big points in big games and cajole his supporting cast into doing its part.
But time and injuries have dictated a change in the way Bryant plays. A perfect example was evidenced in the Lakers' opening exhibition game against the Denver Nuggets. Per Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report:
"He operated mainly out of the post and dribbled far less than a younger version of himself might have. It was a lesson in energy conservation, an acknowledgment that limitations—once nonexistent—are now things that define Bryant's play.
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Bryant has publicly admitted his limitations, telling Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard that he was studying the game of an arch rival and how he managed to grow old gracefully in the NBA:
"In preparing for this season, Bryant told friends that the player he is analyzing, as an example of adjusting your game as you get older, is fellow 36-year-old Paul Pierce. This is part of his goal to become “more efficient” on the court.
Said Bryant: "I’m going to max [my last two years] out too, to do whatever I can. Leave no stone unturned, no water left in the sponge."
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So, given that Bryant's game keeps evolving from the do-it-all mentality which defined most of his career, it seems logical that a player such as Hill is most likely to benefit.
The "new" Kobe will give Hill, just entering his prime, the opportunity to take his game to another level. The rest will be up to him.
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