Why Kobe improved in the playoffs | Enhanced podcast

Kobe Bryant's numbers improved in the playoffs, while James Harden's declined. Why? In this podcast episode (#34: Harden vs. Wade vs. Kobe), I discuss the major differences in their off-ball games, and how Kobe's activity and diverse skill set served him so well against postseason defenses. Dwyane Wade is also compared to Harden and Kobe in this deep look at their best years, how each player evolved and their strengths & weakness.
Full episode available here: open.spotify.com/episode/0yX9...
Support and find more at Patreon: / thinkingbasketball
Podcast: player.fm/series/thinking-bas... or at www.stitcher.com/podcast/ben-...
Website: www.backpicks.com
Book: www.amazon.com/Thinking-Baske...
Twitter: @elgee35
Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
www.pbpstats.com @bballport
www.basketball-reference.com
stats.nba.com
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.

[@drewelric118]

How ridiculous is it that you find content like this on KZbin and you turn on ESPN and all you hear is “they don’t have that killer mentality” LAZY.

[@futurekillerful]

Drew Elric ikr

[@itsmadcalm]

This is very niche content. Simplicity and entertainment are key in maximizing profit.

[@rfconnor3887]

Drew Elric 😂😂😂

[@CWJ0725]

the majority of the basketball fans are not interested in these info, they prefer the drama in the NBA like who's Kendall Jenner is dating and what shit Lavar has said etc...

[@willhooke]

Don't blame ESPN. We are the ones watching what they put out! Eep! What Ben does takes time. Why wouldn't ESPN take the easier road if many people are happy to watch it? And I agree, how is some Solo Dude hitting it out of the park, and a massive company putting out tabloid style filler?!

[@austinh953]

Kobe had incredible footwork too. He could get a shot off any way imaginable and had so many moves/counters.

[@Tethloach1]

one of the best foot work easily near the top in foot work.

[@TheRafaelBond]

Kobe fans sound so stupid lol. Like young kids thinking they are smart.

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

@@TheRafaelBond hhh hurt bronsexual spotted.

[@TheJanvicgwaps]

As those bois in TNT would say thats some Feetwork haha

[@user-ut4fs6mm7c]

Rafael Mertin Kobe fans definitely delusional

[@HeadlinePlays]

I'm glad I can finally hear someone talk about Kobe without trying to force a GOAT narrative or act like he's not that good. Just an honest look at greatness

[@lucasmichaels2204]

It was never forced. He was always the closest to MJ. It’s just the paid media shills that tried taking him out of the GOAT convo

[@airgordo4]

Lucas michaels the same guy who made this video has him ranked 13th all time.. should be outside of most anybody’s GOAT conversation honestly.

[@theOnyFUFU]

I agree with you! ESPN and sports media in general has been looking for "the next Jordan" since MJ retired and kept that BS narrative going. This lead to an awful era of iso ball in the early 2000s where a lot of wing players with much less talent tried to play like MJ. Kobe is the 2nd best SG of all time but it's hard to put him in top-5 of the GOAT conversation, especially if you're including bigs.

[@sadenuttie2234]

jaydexe I mean, I’d say this guy knows more about basketball than you. Don’t say it’s ridiculous with no facts

[@sadenuttie2234]

jaydexe statistics are literally THE ONLY unbiased way to look at players. Sure, you can say he had intangibles. But still, stats never lie. 2 points are 2 points 100% of the time, ‘intangibles’ are abstract

[@TheMonjok24]

Pretty simple... Kobe’s always been an incredible versatile offensive hub, similar to curry where you can’t just look at stats, you gotta watch the film to see how much space he creates for the bigs or how he gets doubled without the ball, how fast he gets picked up in the offense, or how fast the double/triple comes when he’s on the weak post... I just realized he operates like a wide receiver in the triangle lol Doesn’t have a weakness on offense except maybe his blind confidence, but I always understood that.

[@impactovernumbers5157]

Rodzilla gasol was pivotal but let’s be clear kobe’s numbers are better and I’m not even a stat guy because the game is much deeper than numbers. Gasol’s stats for the 2010 finals: 18.6 ppg TS% 56% 11.6 rpg 3.7 assists 2.6 blk. Kobe’s numbers: 28.6 ppg TS% 53% (even with his bad shooting game in game 7) 8 rpg 3.9 assists 2 stl. His 2nd FMVP was well deserved.

[@impactovernumbers5157]

Rodzilla yeah he also had 15 boards 10 points in the 4th and the assist on the clutch 3 from Ron artest. Not to mention the defense he played or the fact his middle finger was in a cast on his shooting hand and the bone spur in his ankle. It was a hard fought defensive game on both sides. Fans like you only talk about the one bad game he had all series shooting the ball. Talk about everything he did to help his team win. Also I noticed you didn’t say anything about the stats I posted since you claimed Gasols were just as good when they weren’t. Your argument makes you seem like a casual and you probably didn’t even watch the game lol

[@LeBronJames-StatPadderMan]

@Rodzilla Instead of quality convo, you just state numbers without context. What is wrong with people these days? I guess social media is ruining our generation.

[@judahmourneth3211]

Rodzilla yeah Pau should’ve won FMVP

[@wallstreetzoomer]

Rodzilla What “advanced score” did you look at?

[@jaydaytoday3548]

Real Laker fans already knew Kobe was a lvl above Wade and Harden already. You have a lot of ppl in the media whose prefered teams were destroyed by Kobe so they hold a resentment against him. Kobe was elite in almost everything there is to basketball including the most important mental part of the game.

[@Dnero518]

Not a Laker fan but I agree. Whatever Stat, was some type of plus-minus I think, that he showed that had Harden above Kobe and Wade just tells me that Stat is garbage never to be taken seriously.

[@LazyCrazyGuy]

@@Dnero518 Exactly and as we in the old school community always say. The eye test is the most important thing. That is why to me LeBron isn't up there even if his numbers and stats say otherwise. I would rather have a MJ or Kobe in a end of the world scenario.

[@gogadantes8699]

It's already obvious. Only 1 guard is above Kobe and that's MJ. Everyone else looks up at them.

[@snoopdogg7407]

@@LazyCrazyGuy lebron has his strengths and weaknesses, if I need a superstar to carry a team of roleplayers, or a defensively slanted roster then I'm taking lebron, but on a team with even one other offensive star I would choose Kobe or MJ.

[@captainobvious90]

Time to rest, Kobe. A man who had worked tirelessly, always trying outdo everyone in the gym and finding ways to challenge himself, even beyond basketball. His wisdom and insights on life and the game will be sorely missed. May his family find peace...

[@KVAA10]

i love the 06-10 yrs and 03 too but 13 was soo underrated. i loved every second of it

[@Chronz]

This off the ball presence is how players with seemingly underwhelming stats can have a major impact on the game regardless. Its why Kobe can be above a guy like Harden despite never having his kind of raw output.

[@jaredlewis3520]

This comment is gold

[@WilloAkak]

It's crazy to think what 2008 Kobe would look like in today's game. Instead of long 2's, coaches will drill him to take threes. Plus teams would get punished harder for help defence, meaning close shots.

[@robertwall3795]

Just about all the top perimeter players of the 2000s would be better today, tmac,AI,Kobe,Wade, they’d all average 40

[@libraalibaba]

It's even more crazy when you realize he was injured.

[@d.luvevo711]

Basically imagine Kobe having the space that Doncic and Harden have. Kobe with 3 shooters and a rim running big man? The man averaged 35 in the mid 2000s, can you imagine what he'd do now?

[@danielweissel2366]

@@d.luvevo711 buckets galore

[@libraalibaba]

@@d.luvevo711 Problem is that no matter how much you educate people on these intricate aspects of the game. They will still try to devalue everything kobe does great.

[@wipe919]

2009 Kobe is my favorite

[@117Awesome]

Crazy that you posted this video of him 2 weeks before the accident. This video is a beautfiul example of his incredible attention to detail. RIP to one of the greatest to ever do it. MAMBA.

[@atomicstorm7006]

Rest In Peace Kobe. You will always be remembered. Not only as an amazing player on the court but also that Maba Mentality. No one else had that strife to be the best, or the will to win. I wish I could have grown up watching you in my prime.

[@243354]

He's actually underrating how efficient prime Kobe was in the postseason. Not only was his scoring efficieny well above average (from 01-10 he had a relative TS of +3.4 relative to opp quality), but he was also very good at taking care of the ball. 10.8% TOV rate over that stretch. Overall, he finished with a 111 ORTG from 01-10. The average team he faced over that stretch had a 102 DRTG, which gives him a relative ORTG of +9. That is excellent.

[@jojoprocess2820]

Ortg is a horrible stat for individuals. Like literally completely worthless

[@11DowningStreet]

​@@jojoprocess2820what are some better stats to use instead of ortg and drtg?

[@ky5059]

Kobe’s catch & shoot game was deadly, once he had a lil space even with a defender in his face. He’d splash it in your face

[@TUBESTEAKNIG]

Nephews don't understand the offensive arsenal Kobe had. The reason he gained the nickname "The Spurs Killer" is because the Spurs had no answer for him defensively because Kobe had a counter for everything they threw at him. It didn't matter if they made him take a long fadeaway since Kobe practiced that shot a million times. He had no holes in his game. Lefty layup, catch and shoot curl, post spin fadeaway, one dribble pull up, pivot shot... you name it. Look at what the Spurs did to LeBron when he played on the Heat. Absolutely disrespected his outside jumper and there was nothing he could do about it. Defenses have to cinch down on Kobe no matter what. Like said in the video Kobe can catch the ball off a curl with his back to the basket and just pull up for a fadeaway no problem. He can and will literally shoot from anywhere at anytime. That makes him so incredibly tough to guard.

[@pedroaugustocosta2533]

Pop had said that there's just two players that he wasn't able to find a way to stop: Dirk and Kobe

[@yunan9610]

Kobe is a student of the game

[@willhooke]

You can see that. Went to Hakeem to learn post moves. Added the Eurostep and the Dirk leg. Great example of learn learn learn 👍

[@Sevcen23]

"Teammates matter." "I'm not saying that any player in any way shape or form is responsible for his team's long term offense or defense." Using stats and facts. ESPN in shambles

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

I hope that's not another excuse for Lebron

[@janelly1810]

Anything that says Kobe is good, I can go with.

[@thegoat3153]

@@Bermir01 only delusional casuals would say he's bad

[@lukea5373]

Can you do an analysis on how Tim Duncan carried the 2003 Spurs? As always great video

[@kingdinodragonite3470]

@BOMBAATA Wilt Chamberlain 2K 20K Man, I don't know what to say about that argument. Duncan clearly carried that team.

[@ethan-db9wc]

@BOMBAATA Wilt Chamberlain 2K 20K get off this channel you dont belong here with that ignorant ass opinion

[@lulumatthewiosi179]

@BOMBAATA Wilt Chamberlain 2K 20K Lol Manu didn't even average 8 points that season. Duncan has the highest Win Share of any player in league history for the playoff run in 03. Better than any playoff run by Jordan, Kareem, LeBron, Wilt and so forth. That 03 team was utterly awful for a championship team. Noone was close to being an All-Star, Parker, Manu, Jackson and Bowen were shooting a combined 39% from the field for the playoffs. Their second best player was either a 20 year-old Tony Parker who had to get benched for Speedy Claxton in close moments in the playoffs or Stephen Jackson averaging 12-4-3 for the playoffs. Ginobili humiliated noone in 02, he only became GINOBILI in the summer 0f 04. Meanwhile Duncan was averaging 25-15-5 in the playoffs. Duncan also finished the Nets with a 21-20-10 with 8 blocks. www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/2003.html

[@lulumatthewiosi179]

@BOMBAATA Wilt Chamberlain 2K 20K Also Horry wasn't even on the Spurs in 03 and Kerr played one amazing game, but besides that game he barely played, putting up around 2 points per game in ten games for the playoffs.

[@moabu2660]

@BOMBAATA Wilt Chamberlain 2K 20K now I've really heard it all. Single handedly the best carryjob in NBA history is now being disrespected-- hilarious! Even more funny is that this guy calls that team a superteam when it was clearly the worst team to win the NBA finals and is usually the prime example of why superteams aren't necessary.

[@jasonwalsh5473]

I just listened to this podcast for the 2nd time recently. Thanks for bringing it to life. Excellent work.

[@243354]

Great stuff man. Been saying for years that he's crazy underrated as a off-ball player and I think that activity and the way he threatened defenses played a huge part in his offensive impact metrics looking rather more impressive than his box-score numbers.

[@TheBdavis231]

Kobes ability to play off the ball is the most underrated aspect of his game. He was deadly from anywhere on the floor, especially in the mid-range and the paint. Kobe was one of the 5 most skilled and fundamental players in history. Kobes absolute peak was from 2001-2004.

[@MeLoveParisHilton]

FINALLY a great channel making a video about this. Way too many narratives and misused statistics floating around when people talk about Kobe. 2001-2010 he was as efficient as any other great.

[@domination4892]

You should look at his backipicks profile (also made by this guy) where he brings up Kobe’s lacklustre efficiency compared to the guys ahead of him

[@jaxondakota7080]

Appreciate this video and admiration you’re showing towards Kobe. He’s never in any of the goat talk but I’ve seen with my own two eyes how great he was!

[@youmustbeoutyourmind446]

You do fantastic work!

[@aldogarciamoreno5490]

I think learning a motion offense in his early years helped him a lot to develop that instinct

[@louisewarriner38]

Just listened to this this morning on the podcast

[@diggidong470]

What a tragedy! We lost a true hero and icon of sport! My condolences from Germany.

[@danko6712]

RIP Kobe. One of Basketball GOATS.

[@harveymacasaet1277]

more of this kind of content thinking bball! nicely done

[@MrRedfiredemon4545]

He's smart, brilliant, whatever you want to call it, because he is continuously thinking of ways to put himself in positions to succeed, and that way of thinking is actually selfless.

[@KleinpeterHank]

Love this historical content.

[@Davivd2]

I've seen grandma's that are better off ball players than Harden. If Harden doesn't have the ball in his hands he pulls out a lawn chair, kicks back and drinks lemonade.

[@govols2214]

You clearly have not watched this year where he has one defender completely glued to him at half court and can’t play a lick of help defense, even when Harden is without the ball

[@wallstreetzoomer]

@@govols2214 That happens, but there are times he clog the spacing because he stands at the top of the key not moving also. Also that when he gets the ball back he doesn't shoot it immediately or attack the closeout, he just holds the ball for a few seconds, wait for clearout then goes iso again.

[@russelgemramirez8876]

Maybe Kobe moving without the ball is a credit to Phil Jackson for his triangle offense

[@judahmourneth3211]

Russel Gem Ramirez finally somebody with some sense. We all seen when he had no Phil (05 and 2013-16) and it wasn’t good.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

Judah Mourneth 2013 wasn’t good? Using seasons after his Achilles injury is pretty biased tho

[@judahmourneth3211]

Prince Cyrill what was so good about about 2013. 2013 only showed me he need Phil to win. He had a nice rostered. He didn’t show any leadership, he ostracized Dwight, barely let nash run the offense. That laker team was in the conversation of championship and they struggled to make the playoffs all year. Listen, after the Achilles injury, he didn’t try to raise anybody’s game or show any leadership to those young boys. And if he knew he wasn’t physically able to be dominant anymore he should’ve retired. He stat padded just to pass MJ in points.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

Judah Mourneth It showed the Lakers had injuries, Pau Gasol didn’t fit into the Dantoni system as a pf as he had to stand at the three point line and that lineup was too old to play fast and defend with Howard fresh off of back surgery? Hmm Dwights unimpressive season was Kobe’s fault? Dwight definitely became a superstar again after he left right? Or was it because Dwight tried to play a game he couldn’t play and had the worst free throw percentage for the rate of free throw he was attempting? In fact Dwight was so irrelevant the past few seasons until he joined the Lakers and changed his game to minimal post ups, just rolling and crashing offensive glasses like a role playing big I watched every game in 2013 stop trying to talk out of your ass, Kobe let Nash initiates the offense the first half of the season until the 42th game if I remember, then dantoni himself made the decision to make Kobe the primary ball handler and play Nash off ball more Yes Kobe’s value was negative after his Achilles tear

[@maverickkillmore2996]

@@judahmourneth3211 What a stupid man, 2013 season is a bad season? When it was his best season post 2010 championship. You're stupid and don't open your mouth again.

[@LatestSierraLeoneMusic]

This Channel is the Goat

[@selfrighteous88]

why are we even mentioning harden in the same breath as kobe? seriously, i would like to know.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

Because of regular season raw numbers

[@krlllx]

because harden is great as well

[@Thanosdidtherighthing]

@@krlllx Wade>Harden

[@krlllx]

@@Thanosdidtherighthing no shit

[@stephenasmith9270]

RIP Kobe😔

[@novachrono5530]

He’s putting the work. So he’s great.

[@jfs.photos]

Rest in peace to a legend 💔🙏

[@tonydeveyra4611]

man seeing this footage and breakdown of Kobe's off-ball skill makes me think all about the next evolution of his game that we didn't get to see bc Stern cancelled the CP3 Trade. He would've been so deadly coming off the cut and with less of the offensive load on his shoulders, that "second prime" we saw in '12-13 probably would've lasted into his final seasons. BBall fans really got robbed by that trade man.

[@DixoDixo123]

Interested to hear how much you think of his movement was down to himself vs. the triangle offense he's playing in - i.e. does that offense place him in more positions where he's able to do an effective backcut off the ball, opposed to Harden who is just having picks thrown at him every time, for example.

[@TheBdavis231]

Rest in Power Kobe and Gigi

[@shomoy7396]

2005-2010 ( super prime )

[@frankenviews4069]

MJ also improved with an off ball game when he mastered the triangle offense, which is a whole lot of team off ball movement. So when you have offensive threats like Jordan and Kobe generating gravity without the ball and mix that with the ball handler's own gravity, it tears openings in the defense.

[@theOnyFUFU]

I want to see the difference in terms of the analytics of how he played when he didn't have a good team around him vs when he did. When he didn't have help from 2002-2007, I'm pretty sure he didn't move as much off the ball and there was a lot more isolation for him. He's explained why he did it (and I agree) but I would want to see that broken down.

[@saifhumaidi1314]

I’m listening to this while practice can u do one on London and Markel Fultz

[@aaronvirdee5813]

Kobe's... Prime: 01 - 09 PRIME: 03 - 08 PEAK PRIME: 05 -07 2ND Prime: 13

[@d.luvevo711]

I used to think 2013 was a second prime. Until I realized it was just his first time in a modern offense and it made him look like Peak Kobe again. Which is scary when you start to imagine young Kobe on an even more modern team like the Rockets or Mavericks.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

His 04 and 05 seasons weren’t really good because of that rape case and him trying to pass too much in 2005 to prove a point

[@wallstreetzoomer]

But yea, 03, 06-08 are his MVP level primes and 09-10 he declined a bit but finally won his two finals MVP

[@judahmourneth3211]

Well he was never the best player during the time Shaq was there. 05-07 he was good but still lacked understanding of the game and trusting his teammates. 08-2010 was Kobe’s best time in his career.

[@judahmourneth3211]

KobeDropped_81 he missed the the playoffs in 05, all he did was in 06 was score a bunch of points and he wasn’t even efficient with it. 07 he wasn’t better than lebron, Duncan, dirk. 08 ehhh MVP, give him that. He wasn’t better than lebron 9-10. Funny you guys keep saying he was the best all these years. He won 1 MVP

[@harryorlinsky5639]

Can you please make a top 50 players of all time list video?

[@evloh]

If someone tries to argue Wade or Harden over Kobe they just lose speaking privileges. D alone shuts that down, not to mention basically everything else.

[@kandpelectric2550]

R.I.P. Kobe and GiGi!

[@rajaalahmar4371]

Underrated

[@sheaupstone9605]

Keep hearing older players say if they played in this era they would dominate because of rule changes and play style differences and I was curious if there was a way to test that theory because I doubt all these past players ppg would sky rocket like so many seem to think

[@bri888]

Most people forget that he had those shooting percentages playing with an injures pinkie finger on his shooting hand.

[@vicshephard9231]

45% is insanely good for a volume shooter.

[@judahmourneth3211]

Brian E maybe he should’ve taken better shot selections or passed the ball.

[@judahmourneth3211]

Vic Shephard lol 45% is good. But he’s never shot over 47 his whole career regular/playoffs/finals and that as a sidekick playing with Shaq. He’s never shot 50% or more his career. So he literally misses more than half his shots

[@vicshephard9231]

@@judahmourneth3211 you sure about that?

[@judahmourneth3211]

Vic Shephard are you sure???

[@jaimejordan2013]

Kobe said his peak was 2003, i would say its between 03, 06 and 08

[@d3adyoutubeaccount]

06 is a season that is overrated (for a Kobe season) because of his high scoring numbers. Kobe was better in 08 and even 03, he just put better stats in 06 because he needed to shoot that many shots.

[@pranavmanie1479]

all of this means only one thing: Kobe would have been a monster in the three-point era.

[@ReCharredSigh]

It's still crazy to me how the kobe-shaq teams were in the 99th percentile of offensive playoff production.

[@mako4874]

good to see analytics backing up kobe > harden for once. every new metric and narrartive seems to downplay his , mcgrady and iverson and that generations players vs today- as though they werent as good. they werent. they were better.

[@drehitemup9904]

Mcgrady and ai are overrated though but kobe is a true all time great

[@jaf6423]

yup, its a different game nowadays. I firmly believe that kobe, tmac, AI, wade, etc would all be unbelievable in todays game. They would be able to play pace and space offense, and would have no problem going into isolation against playoff defenses. IMO Hardens numbers dip in the playoffs due to not having as prolific of a back to the basket game as kobe and wade did

[@drehitemup9904]

@@jaf6423 tmac and ai consistently underperformed in the playoffs

[@mr.anderson1562]

@@jaf6423 bro it has nothing to do with his back to the basket game that's not important as a guard its just a plus harden for one is just a choke artist and his constant isolation ball will never work in the playoffs its literally juat streetball vs the top defenses in the NBA

[@t4d0W]

@@jaf6423 Tmac is faulted for holding onto the ball but the context that most people don't realize is he was the ONLY reliable shot creator who can put it the ball on the floor in all the playoff teams he was present as the 1st option. The joke was real that his playoff teams were never good enough to crack beyond the first round (until that one year when he was injured and didn't get to play in the postseason). But otherwise he was athletic and long, had good handles, could score in various ways and even get inside in tough situations and get contact. But all these generational/transcendent talents have all those attributes and skills to show up the modern era in their prime and make a case to be top 1/5/10 players.

[@erix4erix]

thanks

[@owenzhang2017]

hE’s GoT mAmBa MeNaLiTy

[@yesmymajestybut898]

Damn these replies are racist as hell

[@bumshka21]

I really like the premise, the research and the shortness. But you're oddly not working with a script or much video, which made this a far less solid video than it could have been

[@MegaSyahidan]

RIP legend

[@Infinityflow0]

I feel like moving without the ball effectively is a skill most superstars lack or don't make use of. Aside from steph curry and KD, on occasion, most guys don't move much and just put their hands on their waists. Sure, it doesn't really help individual stats much, but its much more conducive to winning because you are a threat all the time.

[@nahum4372]

Crazy how this was made before he passed away

[@proghostbusters1627]

Rip legend

[@alexwhite3830]

Great vid, but without music it looks like Kobe's passed away and you give him some tribute

[@hmp01]

maybe to you thats not how I felt watching the video. Its a podcast, not a mix

[@krlllx]

Wtf. Time traveller?

[@alexwhite3830]

@@krlllx yeah, who would've known. Now having no music is more appropriate but for some reason I'm not glad

[@kevinrichards4346]

As far as his teammates comment: you can also make the argument his off ball and counters HELPS the franchise build around him easier

[@kingjude8134]

Listen you know the man was great he had his own game on Nintendo 64 Kobe Bryant courtside 😂 my favorite player ever in basketball

[@jackmaker0322]

Rip🐐

[@liamalvarado3961]

RIP KOBE

[@Dilly_Dil1y]

I see Kobe , I click and like

[@norlandy272]

RIP Kobe

[@LiqCharles]

This is why Kobe’s the most skilled player ever and he’s the most complete offensive force too. Every great player can isolate but Kobe literally gets his points from anywhere and anyhow.

[@j.min01]

If any of you guys didn’t listen to the full episode of this clip, you should. Probably my favorite episode of the podcast.

[@willhooke]

Where is it and how much?

[@wyattfriend7360]

2006-2010 clearly his peak years, with 2008 being his most underrated season.

[@RangerJahu]

I just had to comment and I'm sorry for my pedantry. When you said that Kobe was resilient and inelastic;y ou mean he is elastic which means that he can roll with the punches and change things up. If he was inelastic, he would be one dimensional and struggle. I love your videos and I find them very informative. Great series and i've been subscribed for a while.

[@karissap106]

No he means that the effectiveness of his offense doesn't change; it's inelastic to the defense, because it's so robust and has so many counters.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

It simply means that he doesn’t lose much/ or even gets better when he faces better defenses in the playoffs.

[@carecordingco.12240]

Rest in peace Bean

[@ricknash4919]

A shame he is still disrespected

[@yunan9610]

Basically he's really good at the game of basketball

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

"kObe Is a BaLL hOg !!!" Say haters and kids who never saw him play

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

@John doue Quebec well when he had quality players he decreased his touched a lot, Kobe didn't keep the ball that much cuz he quickly got into his spot by the sheer amount of moves he mastered.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

@John doue Quebec He is far from ball dominant. Ball dominant are LeBron, Westbrook, Harden who can dribble more than 10 seconds in one possession. Kobe just shoots a lot but he moves a lot without the ball, allowing his teammates to touch the ball and be a playmaker instead of just spot up shooter/ roll man

[@shomoy7396]

General prime 2000-2013

[@andykhan9256]

Goat

[@JF238xCreatingABetterFuture]

Kobe Bryant leveled up his game once the NBA Playoffs started!

[@meme4memes]

fast forward to the past ? jk , great vid once again

[@edisjd]

So who has a radio?

[@erwin021777]

Kobe haters will hate you for this video. 😁

[@760kicksshorts7]

This channel is fucking legit

[@opsthelabel2271]

He’s not better then jordan but sure as hell has a more complete skillset , maybe the best skillset in nba history.

[@s.l5787]

Jordan didn't play against the kind of zone defense that Kobe faced. The same kind of defense MJ never wanted the NBA to legalize, admitting 'I never would have had the career that I did under zone defense'. This is primarily why his stats are better than Kobe's, not athletic advantage.

[@kingofthenoobs]

Jordan did the all the same stuff (minus 3pt shooting) except much more effectively

[@sorencallahan593]

can you compare kobe and jordan?

[@airgordo4]

soren callahan there isn’t one lol

[@d3adyoutubeaccount]

It depends. Jordan was the better defender and probably the better all around player but Kobe was the better shooter and ball handler. Kobe played longer while Jordan dominated in a shorter time. Kobe played in a harder era while Jordan played in a bit of a weaker era. Both are all time greats, I’ll personally give it to Jordan but Kobe is still a top 5 player.

[@CezrDaPleazr]

G.O.A.T.

[@REAL0223]

The proof has always been in the pudding for Kobe.

[@blantant]

rip to the legend

[@martindagoat3909]

Kobe has a great midrange, James harden could but he doesn’t take those due to the offense he runs Kobe has great offball movement so his team is more involved, harden is a ball stopper so if he’s not lights out his team will falter Kobe has one of the best back to basket games of all time Harden doesn’t even post up Kobe turns it up in the playoffs, Harden does not Mannnn if you try telling me that James harden is the best offensive of ALL TIME you’re gonna have to convince to me that he’s better than Kobe first

[@t4d0W]

Kobe can show up because in the playoffs he's not a one bit gimmick. Even if teams try lock down with their best defenders, he has counters on counters to how they want to gameplan for him. Harden in the playoffs has historically shown that his drives to the basket for FTAs aren't as dependable and especially against disciplined defenses like the Warriors in recent years. And yet he has to default to it because the offense runs purely on him like that.

[@ianslee4765]

Kobe in 08 had gasol. Wade in 06 off ball with shaq is close to this aside from no screen 3pt. Wade doesn't get better help until he started declining but you could use wades off ball 11-12 which imo kobe wouldn't do. Being WILLING to be off ball longer is huge in how good they are at it.

[@ianslee4765]

Also using "three year span" while reasonable. Does hurt wade because his injuries.

[@lilhigh836]

why r they even comparing kobe and harden? mamba have 5 championships harden not even in the finals yet

[@willhooke]

Robert Horry has more than Bryant. Does that make him better than Kobe? Jordan was 28 when he won his first ring. Did that mean Kobe was better than Jordan at 27, because Kobe already had 3 by that age? Number of rings doesn't mean greatness, strictly speaking. 🤔

[@Thanosdidtherighthing]

William Hooke Kobe is an all time great elite two way player. Harden isn’t even a top 3 shooting guard.

[@vicshephard9231]

I'll accept a comparison after Harden gets 3 rings.

[@shaft9000]

Nah, your first sentence is off. The 2001 playoffs was when he really came on vs Kings and Spurs in the playoffs. He KILLED those teams on the road.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

His efficiency was far greater from 08-10 in the playoffs.

[@EdaurodGames]

How about a Domantas Sabonis analysis? I think he's playing at an all-star caliber this season and showing a lot of improvements, competing for MIP.

[@manucorleone3877]

Yio, where is your apologies to Brandon Ingram ? 2 years in a Row hating on him, c'mon now and said "My Bad, this guy is the real deal"

[@HotGritz910]

See the thing is, i dont believe that kobe was stat hunting knor did he care about.. i really do believe that all he wanted is to win.. which is the reason his statics dont favor well against lebron or jordan...at the same time i believe that kobe is as good as the both of them

[@drevil2675]

Kobe was much much better than Lebron

[@CoolStuff-yr8ye]

Nah he's not saying that

[@alvin081988]

Moving without the Ball is what made him great....even MJ does this

[@judahmourneth3211]

alvin081988 Phil Jackson’s system made him flourish

[@Thanosdidtherighthing]

Judah Mourneth Actually, Phil gave Kobe minutes unlike his previous coach and of course a Kobe hater like yourself was the first to hop on this video LOL

[@judahmourneth3211]

Diego Velazquez what did I say that’s false