Kobe Bryant has been one of the top rated players in the NBA and the NBA 2K video game series for over a decade. After suffering his torn Achilles at the end of 2013 his on-court production fell off significantly, and it has proven too much to overcome.
| Season | Age | G | MP | PER | TS% | USG% | WS | WS/48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 ★ | 34 | 78 | 3013 | 23.0 | .570 | 31.9 | 10.9 | .174 |
| 2013-14 ★ | 35 | 6 | 177 | 10.7 | .505 | 28.7 | -0.4 | -0.097 |
| 2014-15 ★ | 36 | 35 | 1207 | 17.6 | .477 | 34.9 | 0.2 | .006 |
| 2015-16 | 37 | 11 | 336 | 10.2 | .415 | 29.5 | -0.5 | -0.077 |
| Career | 1291 | 47110 | 23.1 | .552 | 31.8 | 172.6 | .176 |
Simply by looking at Kobe's PER and shooting we can see that he's no longer the same player. Kobe has been so bad they he's actually produced NEGATIVE 0.7 Win Shares since 2013 - a feat reserved for the likes of losers like Michael Beasley or Michael Olowokandi. Despite his decline in play, Kobe has refused to adapt his game and take a smaller role, as evidenced by his high Usage rates which are right in line with the rest of his career.
2K Sports has only recently recognized Kobe's decline. Kobe started the year with an 85 Overall rating, registering him as a top 5 Shooting Guard in the game, higher than the likes of Klay Thompson (84). To their credit, 2K has since reduced his rating and as of a few days ago Kobe has a 78 Overall rating, the first time in the series history that he has a lower rating than 80.
Here's a look at the attributes that make up Kobe's rating as I determine whether they are an accurate representation of the Mamba's fall from grace.
Kobe Bryant
78 Overall (-7)
OFFENSE
85 Standing Layup
82 Driving Layup (-4)
85 Post Fade (-4)
68 Post Hook
78 Post Control
74 Draw Foul (-8)
80 Standing Close
82 Moving Close
71 Standing Mid (-4)
70 Moving Mid (-4)
68 Standing 3pt (-9)
65 Moving 3pt (-5)
82 Free Throw (+1)
80 Ball Control (-3)
64 Pass Vision (-10)
86 Pass IQ (-2)
84 Pass Accuracy
36 Offensive Rebound (-2)
35 Standing Dunk (-10)
35 Driving Dunk (-10)
25 Contact Dunk
82 Shot IQ (-15)
98 Hands
| Kobe's Shooting Stats | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of FGA by Distance | FG% by Distance | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | Dist. | 2P | 0-3 | 3-10 | 10-16 | 16 <3 | 3P | 2P | 0-3 | 3-10 | 10-16 | 16 <3 | 3P | ||
| 2012-13 | 34 | 78 | 3013 | .463 | 14.4 | .745 | .211 | .147 | .150 | .237 | .255 | .510 | .693 | .462 | .471 | .402 | .324 | ||
| 2013-14 | 35 | 6 | 177 | .425 | 14.7 | .781 | .164 | .123 | .247 | .247 | .219 | .491 | .750 | .556 | .500 | .278 | .188 | ||
| 2014-15 | 36 | 35 | 1207 | .373 | 15.7 | .742 | .136 | .129 | .185 | .292 | .258 | .401 | .567 | .380 | .311 | .389 | .293 | ||
| 2015-16 | 37 | 11 | 336 | .311 | 18.2 | .572 | .056 | .117 | .172 | .228 | .428 | .398 | .700 | .476 | .323 | .341 | .195 | ||
| Career | 1025 | 39531 | .450 | 14.0 | .793 | .214 | .125 | .170 | .283 | .207 | .481 | .634 | .450 | .439 | .405 | .332 | |||
Kobe's poor shooting can be traced to his shot selection - he's added an average of 2.5 feet to every shot since last year. Due to his decline in athleticism he has been unable to get to the rim (only 5.6% of his FGA) and has been settling for more threes than ever before. Unfortunately, Kobe has never been a great three-point shooter and adding to his volume here hasn't helped his shooting percentage.
DEFENSE
50 Defensive Rebound (-17)
37 Block
79 Shot Contest
65 Steal
76 On-Ball Defense (-9)
64 Low Post Defense
79 Reaction Time
Kobe's defensive rebounding has regressed since last season even though he is playing Small Forward, a position that should put him in better rebounding position given closer proximity to the basket.
ATHLETICISM
54 Boxout (-13)
70 Lateral Quickness (-4)
67 Speed (-3)
68 Acceleration (-4)
64 Vertical (-8)
66 Strength
75 Stamina
80 Hustle
81 Durability
Kobe's athletic decline has been fairly represented by NBA 2K.
INTANGIBLES
76 Pass Perception
80 Defensive Consistency
79 Pick &Roll Defense (-5)
76 Help Defense
60 Offensive Consistency (-38)
99 Emotion
99 Potential
Defense is still where 2K Sports continues to give Kobe Bryant too much respect, which is evident from looking at their Consistency ratings. It is fairly well known in NBA circles that Kobe hasn't been a good defender in a number of years, and this is next on the checklist if 2K Sports wants to depict a truly accurate representation of a 37-year old Kobe Bryant.
R2K RATING EDITS
75 Overall (-3)*
83 Standing Layup (-2)
80 Driving Layup (-2)
65 Post Hook (-3)
78 Moving Close (-4)
70 Standing Mid (-1)
68 Moving Mid (-3)
64 Moving 3pt (-1)
83 Free Throw (+1)
78 Ball Control (-2)
81 Pass IQ (-5)
78 Pass Accuracy (-6)
30 Contact Dunk (+5)
95 Hands (-3)
72 On-Ball Defense (-4)
70 Pass Perception (-6)
50 Defensive Consistency (-30)
76 Pick & Roll Defense (-3)
72 Help Defense (-4)
50 Offensive Consistency (-10)
*Kobe will rate 75 at Shooting Guard (his current 2K position) but 77 at Small Forward (his real life position) due to differences in the position formulas.
Kobe Bryant is an interesting case study as he is experiencing the decline that we never got to see out of Michael Jordan and other great NBA players who retired before they fell apart (or were given smaller roles commensurate with their actual ability) . Here's hoping Kobe realizes that he is no longer capable of doing Kobe things and takes a back seat to help the Lakers' develop their young players.
