Can we take a long hard look at how hard Kobe is bricking in the clutch right now? (Stats inside)

Last night wasn't really an example of bad clutchness except that he missed the shot. But given the situation it was a fine shot to take. The issue is twofold. 1) his legs are clearly dead by the end of games and he shouldn't be taking game winners 2) Byron Scott needs to recognize this and not draw up plays to give Kobe the game-winning opportunity.

I share in Kobe's frustration a bit because you see a lot of the shots he's taking really aren't bad shots. His worst shots are his dumb rushed three pointers of which he is taking far too many. But the majority of his shots are absolutely in his wheelhouse and the types of shots he's been making his whole career. The idea that he is chucking up tons of bad shots is the impression you get if you only look at the stats and don't watch the games.

That said, they become bad shots just on the basis that he can't make them reliably anymore. So it's a frustrating process of seeing Kobe needing to accept that but watching that he just can't/won't and still stubbornly believes he can hit those shots as effectively as he has for most of his life. The added frustration is that Kobe is bricking shots but he's still good at creating looks in the first place, better than just about anyone on the team. You want to say "why can't he just pass?" or "why can't the teammates do more?" but no one else on this squad can create offense as well as he can, so you're stuck in this quagmire where the guy who you want to take your shots is also the guy struggling to hit on any. But it's kind of absurd to pile on the hate for this given the situation. The Lakers are a dreadful team, Kobe is still entertaining to watch and people still want to see him do his thing even when it isn't as sharp as it could or 'should' be(though really given his mileage and his injuries I'm not sure what people were realistically expecting)

But yes, to the point of this thread. It is dreadful and he needs to stop shooting as much as he has been, no disagreement there.

/r/nba Thread