“I can’t make a shot,” Kobe Bryant said after his Lakers lost their third-straight game to start the 2015-16 NBA season. “I freaking suck.”
Bean continued to throw himself under the bus after LA’s 103-93 loss to the Mavs on Sunday.
He even alluded to the “silly” preseason ESPN ranking. This after NBA 2K gave him the lowest ranking of his career. Even though Brandon Jennings, Baron Davis and Stephon Marbury all disagreed, Bryant actually put himself a lot lower than the No. 93 ESPN ranking after his shooting woes in the first three games of the season.
“(I’m the) the 200th best player in the league right now,” he said after the loss on Sunday. That’s more in line with FiveThirtyEight’s preseason statistical ranking.
There have been instances in the past when Mamba tore into his teammates for lackadaisical — or, just plain crappy — play. Either infraction might’ve earned the ire of Kobe. But he’s just as demanding of himself, and took full responsibility for the 0-3 start.
“Listen, the guys are getting me the ball,” Bryant said. “They are making great passes. It’s their job to facilitate and it’s my job to finish. I’ve just got to do the responsible thing and make ’em for them.”
“I’m playing like (expletive) right now,” he continued. “I’m getting the shots, I just can’t make them. (But) at some point, you have to say the hell with all of that and figure out how to put the ball in the hole.”
So far this season, Kobe is shooting 31.4 percent form the field and 20.7 percent on three-pointers (6-of-29). He’s continued a career-long disinclination to pass, something Lakers fans were cool with, so long as he was making his shots. But now, get ready for a bunch of stat tweets like this until he turns it around:
Through 3 games, Kobe has passed the ball 56 times and taken 51 shots. (h/t @BaxterHolmes for the inspiration)
— devin kharpertian (@uuords) November 2, 2015
It’s really easy to poke fun at Bryant’s shot-happy style. With an increased emphasis on efficiency, ball-hogging by volume shooters like Bryant has turned into de facto Twitter bait for those original thinkers who think they’re setting the world on fire with wholly unique observations like: Kobe should pass more.
But Bryant knows he’s gotta play better.
The best way for the Lakers to turn things around? “If I make a damn shot,” Bryant said. “I suck right now.”
At least he’s not as irrationally confident as we all seem to assume.
(Orange County Register; NBA.com)
