Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Kobe Bryant has taken on a new role as of late. With his Los Angeles Lakers struggling with consistency and finding a working formula to win, Kobe Bryant has taken on the role of facilitator. Even with Steve Nash on the roster, Kobe has taken on the role as distributor over the past three games and it has worked wonders for his Lakers team.
In two of the past three games, Kobe has had more assists than field goal attempts. This has only happened a few times in his career. In two of those games, Kobe has had 14 assists and has come up only one rebound shy of having a triple double. Over the three game stretch against the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, and New Orleans Hornets, Kobe Bryant has his team winning games, something that they have struggled to do all season long.
For years, Kobe Bryant had become known as a gunner and free-willed shooter on the basketball court. Giving most people headaches, Kobe has been able to quiet the rumblings and contention by winning, not only in the regular season but in the postseason. With five championships to his name, Kobe’s free shooting style became his embodiment and everyone accepted it.
Until this season.
With Mike Brown being fired five games in and with the team not responding to new head coach Mike D’antoni’s system, the Lakers have done something that Kobe has rarely experienced: it has lost.
Not being okay with this, Kobe has taken matters into his own hands. In doing so, he has taken some of the work load off of the older Steve Nash and has gotten the prima donna Dwight Howard to produce more like his Orlando Magic self.
In doing this, Kobe has revitalized his career as well as his team’s season. Kobe, the facilitator, has proven to be far more fruitful than Kobe, the gunner. At least for this Lakers’ team. When asked about his recent performances, Kobe responded as such, “It’s trying to evolve and figure out what we need as a ballclub and taking a lot of pressure off Steve to have to be the playmaker all the time,” Bryant said. “Instead of me being a finisher, just really facilitating.”
