LeBron James Comments on Kobe Bryant's Struggles
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is down on himself in the midst of one of his worst NBA seasons, but Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James believes self-motivation is the underlying factor beneath the Black Mamba's frustration.
After Sunday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks, in which Bryant made just three of 15 shots, he was extremely critical of himself, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
"I suck right now," Bryant said. "I'm the 200th-best player in the league right now."
Despite the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer's comments, King James made it clear he doesn't believe there is any truth to them, per Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com.
"What I see is a challenge to himself," James said. "It has zero to do with his age. Zero. I think at one point in my career, in my 20s, I felt like I sucked. It's all a personal challenge. I know him. He knows he don't suck. C'mon man, it's Kobe Bryant. But it's a personal challenge to him. That's all that is."
Bryant is shooting a mere 32.3 percent from the field and averaging just 15.8 points per game for the 0-4 Lakers.
It is uncharted territory for the five-time NBA champion, but head coach Byron Scott is confident that Kobe will turn things around, according to ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes.
"He'll figure it out," Scott said. "Kobe is the last person that I worry about."
Bryant may have his moments over the course of the 2015-16 season, but he clearly isn't anywhere close to the same player he once was.
That wouldn't be as big of an issue if he was surrounded with other stars, but instead, he is part of an extremely young team featuring the likes of D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle.
As those players continue to develop, Bryant likely feels as though he must shoulder the brunt of the offensive burden. That hasn't worked out well for him to this point, so he may be better served cutting down his workload and letting the up-and-comers sink or swim.
Such a philosophy may not lead to many wins for the Lakers, but Kobe jacking up shots certainly isn't a winning strategy either at this point in his career.
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