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Los Angeles Lakers: Three Reasons why Kobe Bryant is Overrated

By Jason Reed

Apr 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to the Staples Center crowd as he leaves the game against the Utah Jazz in the closing seconds. Bryant scored 60 points in the final game of his career. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to the Staples Center crowd as he leaves the game against the Utah Jazz in the closing seconds. Bryant scored 60 points in the final game of his career. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Lakers – Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Lakers – Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

3. He Shot the ball WAY too much

I know that this argument is probably the most frequent against Kobe Bryant and that every Lakers fan on the planet is sick of hearing it. I also know the whole “If you stop shooting you lost your confidence” mindset that Kobe Bryant enthusiasts have. Kobe Bryant shot the ball way too much, it’s plain and simple.

One of the biggest arguments for Kobe Bryant is that he is one of the best scorers of all-time; while that is true in the sum argument that is only true because of his over reliance on his own shot. Bryant is third all-time in points scored with just under 34,000 – beating out Michael Jordan despite having a lower points per game total.

Kobe is in good company on this list, yet is an outlier for all the wrong reasons. Kobe shot a career 44.7% from the field, and while big guys like Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will inevitable have better shooting marks, Bryant does not measure up to his peers.

Number four overall Michael Jordan shot 49.7%, number seven overall Lebron James is shooting 50.1 %, twelfth overall Oscar Robertson is shot 48.9% in the NBA. Of course Bryant will be a top scorer when he shoots so frequently.

Heck, Bryant has over 2000 more missed shots than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar despite taking 2000 less total shots. Kobe Bryant definitely scored in surpluses, he just did not do so effectively.

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