The end of a Hall-of-Fame-caliber career in the NBA is rapidly approaching for Kobe Bryant. The 37-year-old’s skills on the court have declined considerably during the 2015-16 NBA season. It has been a painful sight for fans of the Los Angeles Lakers with many hoping he’d be able to turn it around at some point.
With poor performances on a nightly basis for the veteran guard, the five-time NBA champion is playing the worst basketball of his career.
To make matters worse, Bryant doesn’t seem to be accepting the reality of the situation, according to TWCSportsNet’s James Worthy via Janis Carr of the Orange County Register:
Worthy: "Father Time is a hard thing to realize."
— janis carr (@janiscarr) November 25, 2015
The gaudy stats that prove Bryant’s massive decline has been his shooting percentages. Although still efficient at the free-throw line at 83.3 percent, Kobe has been awful from the field shooting a career-low 31.1 percent and a cringeworthy 19.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Worthy thinks it is time for Bryant to realize the negative impact his having on the Lakers with his volume shooting and poor efficiency being a major problem via Carr:
Worthy: "Kobe wants to lead this team, but I dont think volume shooting, taking more shots is the way to do it"
— janis carr (@janiscarr) November 25, 2015
After the devastating loss to the Golden State Warriors, in which Bryant shot a career-worst 1-for-14 from the floor, the Lakers have dropped to 2-12 on the season with little hope of turning things around.
Only time will tell whether Bryant can break out of his current shooting slump or it is truly time for the veteran guard to take a step back. Head coach Byron Scott continues to give Kobe a green light to keep shooting that appears to be detrimental to this team as they continue to struggle night in and night out.
Unless Kobe makes some drastic changes to his game to counter his obvious decline, it could be a long and forgettable final season for one of the greatest players to have ever played the game.