With the Los Angeles Lakers struggling on offense, Kobe Bryant has been the team’s best offensive player so far. Though not exactly the most efficient player thus far, he does lead the team in scoring at nearly 28 points per game.
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Unfortunately, Kobe has taken a lot of shots to get to that point. Before the Lakers’ fifth game against the Suns, Kobe was shooting only 41 percent from the field and he made only 14 of his 37 shots in the team’s 114-109 loss to Phoenix. Afterwards, Kobe spoke on the reason his high shot total via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:
Kobe on 37 FGA’s: “I was working hard to get opportunities. When you play with a lot of energy there should be a lot of opportunity.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 5, 2014
Now sitting at 0-5, Kobe Bryant had some very simple words of encouragement for the rest of the team according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
What words of encouragement can Kobe give his team: "just get a damn win."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 5, 2014
The Lakers have struggled on both sides of the ball to start the season, but they have had some chances down the stretch in the last couple of games. In those moments, Kobe is going to want the ball in his hands, but he has forced some very difficult shots in these last couple of games.
The rest of the Lakers team has also lacked aggressiveness down the stretch. Kobe has spoken specifically about Jeremy Lin needing to step up and the rest of the team needs to do the same.
The Lakers must find a middle ground between Kobe’s shooting and everyone else getting involved. If no one else is moving, Kobe has no problem taking any shot down the stretch, as he has shown so far this season.
[divide]Lakers vs. Clippers: Jeremy Lin Asked About Saying ‘No’ To Kobe Bryant
