Kobe Bryant Searches for a 2nd Fiddle, and Other News from Wednesday's NBA Games
Kobe Bryant scorched the Phoenix Suns to the tune of 31 points on 11-of-25 shooting Wednesday night, but the Los Angeles Lakers' lack of a reliable second fiddle is already taking a toll on the team's offensive productivity.
While Bryant hit the Suns with a flurry of jab steps, vintage footwork and mid-range jump shots, his supporting cast was simply incapable of establishing any sort of continuity in the Lakers' 119-99 loss.
Through three quarters (Bryant sat out the final frame of the blowout), the 36-year-old scored 42.5 percent of the Lakers' total points and made 41 percent of the team's total field goals. During that span, he outscored L.A.'s other four starters by five points.
Bryant has been extremely fortunate over the course of his 19-year career in that he's played with some of the league's most polished complementary scorers. Just think about the pressure Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum could take off Bryant in a pinch.
But this year, there isn't a soul capable of deflecting attention.
In other words, this is what the Lakers offense has been reduced to:
When Carlos Boozer was brought aboard via amnesty waivers, he was considered a low-risk signing capable of providing stability on a team that was seeking to maximize Kobe's twilight year(s) while simultaneously maintaining monetary flexibility under the salary cap.
Instead, Boozer is more likely to function as a hot-and-cold supplement whose night-to-night offerings will be too volatile to count on. For instance, Boozer looked steady on opening night with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. But against the Suns, the 32-year-old flirted with dubious new lows, as ESPN's Baxter Holmes noted:
For what it's worth, Wednesday marked the fourth time in Boozer's career (and first time since 2007) that he committed at least eight turnovers in a single game, according to Basketball-Reference.com, and he did so in just 23 minutes.
However, there was a silver lining worth gleaning from Boozer's careless play, according to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding:
There's also the matter of L.A.'s preferred mode of operation, which has transformed the Purple and Gold into an inefficient glutton for punishment.
Playing against the Suns and Houston Rockets—champions of the NBA's efficiency revolution—has illuminated an ominous juxtaposition.
Through two games, the Lakers have attempted 23 shots from beyond the arc. On Tuesday and Wednesday night, the Rockets and Suns attempted 29 and 32 threes, respectively. That's simply not a sustainable offensive practice for a team that possesses few off-the-dribble creators.
And you better believe Bryant is well aware of the team's deficiencies from deep. When asked what the team needed to work on following Wednesday's loss, he stressed improvement from beyond the arc, according to Lakers Nation's Serena Winters.
"Guarding the three-point shot or shooting more or making more ourselves. That's tough math to overcome," he said.
But according to Ding and the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina, head coach Byron Scott believes a lack of cohesion and three-point shooting is holding back the Lakers offense:
One possible source of relief could come in the form of a more confident Jeremy Lin, who Bryant is understandably trying to saddle with heftier responsibilities, according to Winters:
If early returns are any indicator, though, it doesn't look like the Lakers will be able to remedy any of these problems in a timely fashion.
Bryant's teammates will get a shot at redemption Friday night when the Lakers host the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Around the Association
Chicago's Offense Clicks at MSG
In the Chicago Bulls' 104-80 rout of the New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau's offense spread around the wealth beautifully. Six Bulls players finished in double figures, including Taj Gibson (22 points, eight rebounds), Pau Gasol (21 points, 11 rebounds), Derrick Rose (13 points, five assists) and rookie Doug McDermott (12 points).
As a team, Chicago shot 50.7 percent from the field, while the Knicks hit 36.5 percent of their shots from the floor and 17.6 percent from three.
Chris Bosh's Big Night
Bosh was supposed to be adjusting to life as the Miami Heat's offensive alpha dog, but if Wednesday night was any indication, he's already comfortable in that role. In 39 minutes, Bosh scored 26 points and pulled down 15 rebounds while dishing out four assists.
According to Basketball-Reference, Bosh had equaled those single-game totals only four times in his career prior to Wednesday's 107-95 win over the Washington Wizards, and all four occurrences came during his time with the Toronto Raptors.
Grit, Grind and Some Huge Numbers
The Memphis Grizzlies' starting front line absolutely decimated the Kevin Love-less Minnesota Timberwolves.
Marc Gasol set a new career high with 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked two shots in Memphis' 105-101 win. Gasol had scored 30 points just once (2009 against the Sixers) prior to Wednesday night's explosion.
Zach Randolph added 25 points and a game-high 13 boards.
Kemba Walker's Earning Those Checks
One day after agreeing to terms on a four-year, $48 million extension with the Charlotte Hornets, point guard Kemba Walker decided to prove his worth in the clutch once again.
Walker capped Charlotte's 32-point fourth-quarter outburst by nailing a game-tying three with 1.6 seconds remaining in regulation. He followed that up by drilling a game-winner with 5.1 seconds to go in overtime, handing the Hornets a 108-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Let Westbrook Be Westbrook
The Oklahoma City Thunder ran out of gas late against the Portland Trail Blazers, falling 106-89, but Russell Westbrook was as good as advertised in his season debut.
Over the course of 33 minutes, Westbrook flashed his trademark burst, scoring a game-high 38 points (including 26 in the first half) on 11-of-26 shooting (15-of-16 from the free-throw line) while handing out six dimes.
Near-Triple-Doubles Galore
We didn't get our first-triple double of the season, but boy were there some close calls:
- Brandon Knight finished with 22 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in the Bucks' loss.
- Rajon Rondo tallied 13 points, 12 dimes and seven boards in the Boston Celtics' 121-105 thrashing of the Brooklyn Nets.
- Tony Wroten went for 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the Philadelphia 76ers' 103-91 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
- Roy Hibbert recorded 22 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks in that same game.
Rookie of the Year Favorites Struggle in Debuts
Andrew Wiggins, Nerlens Noel and Jabari Parker all underwhelmed in their professional debuts, scoring six, six and eight points, respectively.
It's worth noting Noel did grab 10 rebounds and block three shots, but the trio combined to shoot just 7-of-25 from the field.
Parting Gift
As our gift to you, please accept this rundown of the most impressive dunks from Wednesday's action.
First, here's James Ennis throwing down all over Rasual Butler:
Next up is Lance Stephenson putting Larry Sanders on a poster:
And finally, it was Wroten:
The Sixers may not accrue many victories this season, but with athletes at all five positions and not one player listed shorter than 6'6" on the roster, they could morph into a viable highlight factory.
