Before the start of every NBA season, ESPN.com and the TrueHoop Network predict the overall level of play of each player and rank them from No. 500 to No. 1.
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Kobe Bryant was ranked No. 25 coming off an Achilles rupture last season and today, the five-time champion has dropped in this year’s #NBARank:
#NBArank 40: Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant). http://t.co/hFglaSC8IA pic.twitter.com/JTq24pQTRG
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 16, 2014
Kobe’s injury history and the unknown of the Los Angeles Lakers has really precipitated his drop in the ranking. Unfortunately, after missing almost all of last season due to injury and entering into the latter stages of his career, expectations for Bryant are pretty low.
So far in the preseason, Bryant has looked solid. He has had some impressive moments, throwing down a dunk and knocking down a number of classic fadeaway jumpers. Whether he can sustain his high level of play at this age for the entire season is unknown.
Heading into his final years, Bryant won’t be playing the same number of minutes this year. Most experts have the Lakers out of the playoffs. If Bryant wants to get himself back into the top level of these rankings, he may need to do something spectacular this year.
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