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Despite the Lakers’ strong 21-5 start, there has been one negative development that appears worthy of concern.  No, it’s not the recent lack of 20-point victories (although the lack of defensive intensity since the first 10 or so games has been perplexing). No, it’s not the recent back-to-back losses in Florida, their first losing streak of the season.  Instead, brows could be furrowed over the last thing anyone would conceive an issue entering the season.

Kobe Bryant.

This isn’t to say Kobe hasn’t been playing well.  He has, still shooting his customary 46%  from the field- besting his 45% career average- and still averaging 25 points per game despite reduced minutes.  But it’s not the numbers that concerns me.  It’s the way Kobe’s getting those numbers.

Over the years, Kobe has generally been among the more consistent players in the Association.  You knew he’d get between 27-33 points hitting roughly 45-47 % from the field on any given night, plus the customary 5-6 dimes and six-ish rebounds.  This season, however, he’s often strayed in potentially troublesome fashion from the formula.

Kobe has always been somewhat of a streaky jump shooter, but has more than made up for that with an ability to get into the lane and score on an assortment of layups, dunks and free throws.  But for whatever reason, Kobe hasn’t appeared willing (or able) of late to penetrate defenses. What has always separated Kobe from a great but-not-quite-as-special Tracy McGrady is an ability to maintain a steady level of excellence while T-Mac seemed to put up a 5-of-16 shooting clunker every five games or so.  But if you take a quick gander at Kobe’s game logs, you’ll already notice eight games where he’s shot under 40 percent from the field.

There are a handful of possibilities as to why Kobe’s shooting numbers have been up and down. The first reason is one that no Lakers fan wants to think about: That Kobe is starting to show the signs of decline.  But like it or not, there are reasons to consider it.  For example, he’s always shot a fairly flat jumper because he fades back on to gain extra separation while attempting these highly contested shots.  Kobe would compensate for that lack of arc by getting great lift on his shot.  But is he still capable of making that happen?  At 30, he’s played more games than any other player at the same age. And if you go back and watch a game from the 2005-06 season—when Kobe was at the peak of his powers—you’ll notice that he’s simply not getting the same type of lift on those jumpers (much less displaying the same explosion at the rack).

Of course, there is also the possibility that Kobe has tired legs rather than old ones. It’s easy to forget that with his USA Basketball commitments, Kobe has essentially been playing nonstop since the start of the 2006-07 season. That has to take a toll on anyone in the big 3-0, even a fitness nut like Kobe.  This is actually the reason I’m more inclined to believe at this point and it’s an issue that can be alleviated by Phil Jackson continuing to give Kobe days off in practice and maintaining his 34 minutes per game pace.  And as Kobe ages, we should expect him to adjust his game to the limits of his body.  So fear not, Lakers fans.  The Mamba should be rolling along for the foreseeable future.

Just hope it doesn’t take the Lakers just as long to stop coasting against inferior opponents.

KH

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