Well, apparently the answer is an incredibly resounding “yes!”
Lakers Nation took to Twitter and posed this question to the fans:
“Does Kobe Bryant need to continue this streak of 10+ assists per game for the Lakers to win? #Yes #No – use Hashtags to vote.”
After over 300 votes, 78.7 percent of fans voted “Yes,” while just 21.3 percent voted “No.”
So, let’s break it down a bit.
This season, Kobe has dished out 10-plus assists three times–each occasion ending with a Lakers’ win.
The team, on average, moves the ball around enough for 21.8 assists. However, in those three games, the Lakers averaged 27.3 assists.
More telling is the fact that the team averages 108.6 points when Kobe drops 10-plus dimes, opposed to a season average of 102.4, and the difference in points differential is quite significant when the Kobe dishes as well; the Lakers have an average points differential of +1.4 on the season, but a differential of +12.6 when Kobe reaches double-digits assists.
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Obviously, that stat is based on a very small sample size, and it shows how stats can be manipulated to prove a point.
Regardless, the stats may be skewed, but the eyeball evaluation is the most definite: The Lakers simply play much better offensively and defensively when Kobe Bryant facilitates the offense.
As for whether he needs to continue to average 10-plus assists per game for the Lakers to keep winning? I don’t necessarily buy it.
Let me explain.
First of all, I don’t see Kobe averaging 14 assists (as he did in consecutive games against the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder) for the rest of the season. I don’t see him averaging dishing out 10 assists every game, either.
It’s not that I don’t think Kobe will keep it up or that he’ll revert to shooting too much again, but rather that teams will adjust and there will be times when Kobe does need to shoot the ball as a first option.
What Kobe does need to continue doing is look for his teammates and try to get them going–especially his big men.
Teams are playing Dwight Howard pretty strong down in the post, so Kobe and the rest of the team have to continue to try and find ways to get him the ball. But, if opposing teams keep locking him down in the post, it simply leaves other players available to produce, so the ball must swing to them. Fortunately, the Lakers have another big man: Pau Gasol.
Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kobe was able to work extremely well with Pau Gasol–as he has done so often in the past–and it resulted in 16 points (on 7-10 shooting) and four assists for the Spaniard.
It didn’t just work out well for Gasol, though, as Steve Nash put up 17 points (2-4 from three-point land) and dished out five assists, Metta World Peace had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Antawn Jamison had 12 points, and Earl Clark had 11; Kobe himself had 21 points on a highly efficient 8-12 shooting. Dwight Howard, however, was in foul trouble and just managed eight points.
Now, let’s take a look at what happens when the Lakers run the offense through Kobe Bryant.
Next Page: Running The Offense Through Kobe
Running the Offense Through Kobe
Kobe was forced to virtually play the point guard position early on in the season due to Steve Nash’s injury, but it didn’t exactly work out well.
Why?
Well, a lot of it was because Kobe was running screen-and-rolls, and he’s not the most effective player when doing that all the time.
What has changed, however, is that now he’s operating from all areas of the floor–getting post opportunities , utilizing screen-and-rolls, and also being able to create for others through isolation plays.
Previously, fans had talked of the Lakers needing a point guard to take pressure off of Kobe for years, and when Steve Nash finally arrived over the summer, it appeared as though Lakers fans’ wishes had come true.
Well, it has–kind of.
However, the Lakers won five championships with Kobe Bryant being the main facilitator. Simply put, Kobe’s always been the one to initiate the offense and set the table for others, and it won them multiple rings in the process.
I know many of you are thinking “Kobe was a ball hog until just two games ago,” and some of that may be true. However, the Lakers simply couldn’t have won those championships if Kobe Bryant didn’t facilitate the offense. Could other players have gotten more shots? Absolutely, but the end result was always the most important thing.
How Kobe Had Been Playing
Once Nash returned and it appeared as though the offense wasn’t running well with Kobe running pick-and-rolls all game, Kobe went into the mentality of “I can finally play my natural position–which is shooting guard. I’m going to do my part and score and get my team wins.” None of this was selfish by any means, but rather a belief by Kobe that he could take the same advice he gave to Carmelo Anthony over the summer to just be himself by scoring at will, and it would translate into victories.
However, Kobe Bryant is not Carmelo Anthony. While he may be one of the greatest scorers of all time, he’s also one of the smartest players of all time.
That being said, and with a guy of Steve Nash’s basketball IQ labeling Kobe’s play against the Thunder as “brilliant,” I think it’s safe to say that Kobe must continue using not only his ability to score the ball at an incredible rate and from all areas of the floor, but also consistently utilize his remarkable abilities to read defenses, allow plays to develop, and execute the correct decisions from all areas of the floor while picking apart other teams’ defenses.
When he does that, the Lakers are at their absolute best.
What happens to Steve Nash with Kobe Bryant dominating the ball, though? Let’s break that down next.
Next Page: What About Steve Nash?
What About Steve Nash?
I predicted at the beginning of the season that Steve Nash would actually average more points than he did last year in Phoenix (12.5). Nash is currently averaging 11.2 points and 8.3 assists (compared with 10.7 assists last season), but in the two games since he and Bryant kind of switched mindsets, Nash is averaging 16.0 points and 6.5 assists. Nash’s field goal percentage (54.5) and three-point percentage (57.1) have been outstanding as well.
Although those numbers probably won’t be the case every night, when you’ve got two guys (Bryant and Nash) combining for that kind of efficiency (Bryant is 15-22 in that span for an incredible rate of 68.1 percent shooting), you simply have to try and duplicate that more.
Can it sustain?
The numbers? Probably not.
What about the style of play? Absolutely.
Kobe Bryant loves to win, and he’ll try to win at any cost. That’s something that outsiders (I guess I’m considered an outsider, so maybe I can’t exactly speak to this) may not fully understand. Shoot, even some of his former and present teammates probably didn’t/don’t understand it–yet.
Because Kobe has the reputation of shooting the ball a lot and scoring a lot of points, he’s always going to be labeled as “selfish” or a “ball hog” when things are going bad.
However, when a player passes the ball a lot, yet doesn’t shoot much despite a high shooting percentage–such as Steve Nash–and loses, rarely does anyone question that player.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely understandable, but sometimes it’s unfair.
Anyway, my guess is that if someone approached Bryant and said to him “You will win every single ballgame for the rest of your life if you total 14 assists and take no more than 12 shots,” Kobe would respond by striving to get those numbers each and every night.
Yes, he admittedly loves scoring the ball, and it’s what he’s best at doing, but he’ll do whatever it takes to win a ballgame; as witnessed by his willingness to guard the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
As for Steve Nash, I think he can enjoy not having to facilitate an offense for 48 minutes as he’s done most of his career.
Additionally, when you have a player who can score with the efficiency he does, you’ve got to utilize that.
Similarly, although Nash isn’t averaging as many assists as he’s used to, he’s not being completely relegated to being just a shooter.
He just no longer bears the burden of having to facilitate all of the Lakers’ offense–which is something he may have actually wanted when he initially chose to join the Lakers, at his age. It’s also one reason I argued he might have even welcomed playing in a system such as the Princeton or Triangle.
However, the way the Lakers are playing right now neither restricts Nash nor places too much of a burden on him–which is ideal at this point.
The bottom line is that Nash and Kobe are playing extremely well off of each other, and it’s working out beautifully.
When Bryant’s setting the table for everyone, it allows Nash to handle the ball less, shoot more, play off-ball and set screens–which is something he’s exceptional, yet underrated at–and make simpler passes when Kobe kicks the ball to him along the perimeter.
Essentially, where the Lakers collectively struggled while trying to use Nash and Kobe’s best assets–passing and shooting, respectively–they excel when trying to utilize the other aspects of their respective games, which they also happen to be exceptional at.
Next Page: Final Thought
Final Thought
The bottom line here is that it’s not necessarily a numbers thing when it comes to Kobe Bryant and his assists totals.
What does matter is that Kobe doesn’t relegate himself to being just a scorer, and Nash doesn’t relegate himself 
Similarly, the rest of the team must fall in line with that mentality as well. While Pau Gasol is a great passer, he’s also a great scorer, and he used both skills in Sunday’s game against the Thunder. However, he can also be a great rebounder when he wants to, so although Dwight Howard is the best rebounder in the game, perhaps Gasol shouldn’t leave all of it up to him.
As for Dwight Howard, while he’s a great defender and rebounder, he can also be a dominating presence offensively. He and the Lakers need to realize that, and try to maximize all of his skills as well.
Basically, the moral of the story for the whole team maybe shouldn’t be “Know your roles and do them well: Kobe, shoot; Steve, pass; Pau, post up; Dwight, rebound and play defense; Metta, play defense and take open shots,” but rather “Know what you’re best at, do it well, but don’t forget about all of your other strengths: Kobe, you’re also a great passer and can get guys the ball in ways nobody else on this team can. Steve, you’re a great shooter and can score well in the lane too. Pau, go after more rebounds and blocked shots, you’re a great position defender! Dwight, use your athleticism to do other things such as guarding power forwards or even small forwards in certain situations and find other ways to score. Metta, you can be a solid passer, too, etc.”
The team goes as Kobe Bryant goes, so when he tries to set the table for his teammates and shares the ball, it undoubtedly elevates the collective level of play offensively and defensively.
It shouldn’t necessarily be a goal for him to average a certain amount of assists, but it should be a goal of his to utilize all of his offensive skills–not just shooting and scoring–in an effort to help his teammates succeed and win games.
Essentially, because he’s the leader of the team, the Lakers are an extension of the Black Mamba, and in the past two games, he’s been orchestrating his team to perfection.
If he can continue to orchestrate it the way he has been, the sky is the limit for the Lakers.