Kobe's making the same faces I do when I have popcorn in my teeth pic.twitter.com/SZWahqtL9k
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) October 7, 2015
Kobe Bryant wasn’t too happy at this time last year when ESPN’s NBA Rank listed him as the 40th best player in basketball. Just how will the Los Angeles Lakers legend respond, then, now that the worldwide leader has ranked him over 50 spots lower? Hopefully Bryant lets purple-and-gold clad fans across the country express outrage for him this time around.
The future Hall-of-Famer checks in at No. 93 on this year’s edition of NBA Rank, an appraisal of every player in the league by a panel of approximately 100 voters. Those included in the process are asked to determine both the quality and quantity a player’s ability to successfully impact his team.
Considering that Bryant has played in just 41 games over the past two seasons, it’s fair to say ESPN took the likelihood for further injury into account when determining his rating. On the other hand, it’s not like the 19-year-veteran has been very effective when he’s actually been on the floor of late, either: Bryant’s usage rate of 34.9 and 47.7 true shooting percentage combined to make his 2014-15 one of the most inefficient individual campaigns in league history.
If he can stay healthy and buys into a team concept, Bryant will prove this ranking wrong with ease. Based on his recent run of major injuries and complete unwillingness to cede control of Los Angeles’ offense, though, this damning assessment is fair – no matter what Kobe or millions of Lakers fans across the globe will have to say about it.
