Kobe Bryant: Analysis of the Lakers' Shooting Guard

1) Inside Scoring: A

When he’s near the basket, he’s nearly unstoppable.

2) 3-Point Shooting: A-

He’s known for hitting the big time shots, but his shooting percentage must increase from behind the arc if he hopes to one day be considered Jordan-esque.

3) Dunking: A

He is a very, very solid dunker.

4) Passing: B-

Kobe Bryant’s passing skills have improved very much over the years. However, they may never be as good as LeBron’s.

5) Offensive Rebounding: C+

Kobe averages 1.1 offensive rebounds per game in his career. He has shown the ability though to grab offensive rebounds when they matter the most, thereby constituting a slightly higher grade than I normally would have given.

6) Defensive Rebounding: B-

He averaged 6.3 rebounds per game last season. That’s not too bad for a shooting guard.

7) Ball Handling: A

Kobe controls the ball like a point guard, and he moves with the rock as well as anyone in the game.

8) Stealing: A-

With an average of 1.8 steals per game last season, Kobe has shown that he can take the ball away when he wants to.

9) Blocking: C

He doesn’t get many blocks, but he has shown the ability to get one or two in clutch situations.

10) Defensive Pressure: A-

An All NBA first team defender, Kobe can defend on the perimeter as well as anyone in the game.

11) Free Throw Shooting: B+

An 84 percent free throw shooting rate is very good. Could it be better? Yes.

Overall Grade: A