Kobe Bryant has been criticized for shooting the ball too much from the moment he entered the NBA, and this 2011-12 season is no different. Kobe has been able to dominate the ball under Mike Brown’s offense and he has taken full advantage. Bryant has already taken 71 more shots this season than the Lakers’ second leading shooter, Pau Gasol.
Still, Kobe is not bothered by all the critics who say he does not pass the ball enough. As he told Rick Reilly of ESPN.com, as a scorer he must find a way to put the ball in the hole.
“I’ll try to make the good play, the good pass, kick it out when my teammates are open, but I’m a scorer first. I may shoot 27 times. I may shoot 20 times. Nobody complains when I shoot 10 times. You don’t hear ME complaining when I shoot 10 times. It just depends on the game, you know?”
This Mike Brown offense allows the best player to control the ball and with that he gets to choose when to pass and when to shoot. LeBron James put up incredible numbers under Brown, and Kobe is one of two players in the NBA to average over 25 points, over six rebounds and six assists so far in this 2011-12 season, with the other player being LeBron.
The Lakers lost some key players during the 0ff-season, so as the leader of this team, Kobe needs to be more assertive. Kobe has been playing this style ever since he came in the league in 1996, and has won five NBA championships, two Finals MVPs and one regular season MVP.
