Is Kobe Bryant still in his Prime?

[caliman]

manu's prime>kobe's prime

[crisoner]

I think Kobe of the last 3 years are the best versions of Kobe.

THIS

He does not have the young athletic skills he once had...but Kobe mentally now makes him a far better player at the moment. In a couple years his knees will tire and it will be time to hang them up...but he has more then alot left in the tank and this version of Kobe is racking up titles.

[New York Knicks]

Kobe does adjust his style of play to cater to the long term. It's become more of a finesse game, but still plays with the same intensity and aggressiveness. He just doesn't drive to the rim like he used to.

A lot of those hard fouls come from driving to the rim, type of fouls that shed years off players careers. Which has me asking, how much longer can Dwayne Wade last? He's coming up on 28, and he's still taking it to the rim as hard as ever with the same reckless abandon.

His game has always been a finesse game. If you look at 02-03 (the year people consider him to be in his athletic prime), 80% (78% I think) of his FGAs were jumpshots.

[All Net]

His game has always been a finesse game. If you look at 02-03 (the year people consider him to be in his athletic prime), 80% (78% I think) of his FGAs were jumpshots.

Which isa big reason why his game has been able to last and will continue to be playing at a high level in his mid 30's.

[Rolando]

Kobe's game is really great to watch right now. He still is very physically capable but he is also slick with his moves and footwork. I'd much prefer this style.

Guys like Wade and Lebron aren't nearly as interesting to watch. They shoot the threes or sprint in for a dunk....not very interesting from my perspective.

Pierce, Kobe and Grant Hill show you great style, footwork and skillset of a highly developed mid-range game.

[97 bulls]

It all depends on what you consider prime. Id say he still is cuz he more mature as a basketball player. And I don't see a drop in his athleticism. He's just more cerebral. Which in some ways makes him a better player now, than when he was in his 20s.

[kingkong]

he's not in his athletic prime but he's still good enough physically to be in his overall prime

so he's smart enough and good enough to make up for slowdowns

[12shyloc26]

Kobe's game is really great to watch right now. He still is very physically capable but he is also slick with his moves and footwork. I'd much prefer this style.

Guys like Wade and Lebron aren't nearly as interesting to watch. They shoot the threes or sprint in for a dunk....not very interesting from my perspective.

Pierce, Kobe and Grant Hill show you great style, footwork and skillset of a highly developed mid-range game.

I concur. I just wish he'd consider his FG % when he's out there in garbage time. He could have had a good shooting % last night, but he decided to test Luther Head. That didn't work out so well. He's amazing in starts of games, closing out, not so much. BUT, I'd still have him take the last shot out of everyone in the Lakers roster.

BTW, I love the avy. I hated Big baby that day. Lol.

[kingkong]

I concur. I just wish he'd consider his FG % when he's out there in garbage time. He could have had a good shooting % last night, but he decided to test Luther Head. That didn't work out so well. He's amazing in starts of games, closing out, not so much. BUT, I'd still have him take the last shot out of everyone in the Lakers roster.

BTW, I love the avy. I hated Big baby that day. Lol.

lol yeah, that shot where he dribbled for 24 seconds and took the 3 was 'good' because it wasted time but bad for stats

[Rolando]

I concur. I just wish he'd consider his FG % when he's out there in garbage time. He could have had a good shooting % last night, but he decided to test Luther Head. That didn't work out so well. He's amazing in starts of games, closing out, not so much. BUT, I'd still have him take the last shot out of everyone in the Lakers roster.

BTW, I love the avy. I hated Big baby that day. Lol.

I notice that about Kobe too.....not afraid to take crazy shots that kill his shooting percentage.

Big Baby!....gonna be sixth man of the year this year

[scm5]

I concur. I just wish he'd consider his FG % when he's out there in garbage time. He could have had a good shooting % last night, but he decided to test Luther Head. That didn't work out so well. He's amazing in starts of games, closing out, not so much. BUT, I'd still have him take the last shot out of everyone in the Lakers roster.

BTW, I love the avy. I hated Big baby that day. Lol.

Hahah, that's what I love about Kobe though. He doesn't consider his stats really.

Did you notice that on his 10th rebound that Odom practically gift-wrapped for Kobe, Kobe hesitated on taking it cuz he knew it was Odom's. There was a moment that both players were looking at each other thinking, "are you gonna take it?"

Also, on one of his 3's, Artest gave Kobe the ball with like 3 or 4 seconds left on the shot clock. Kobe was just like,"Well, eff this." and shot a 3.

[sagr32]

People have been questioning Kobe the past two years and saying the wear and tear of him playing so long is going to take its toll.
But none of that is coming from what is happening on the court. they just expect him to start slowing down.
Hasn't happened yet outside of his athleticism which has seen a noticable drop.
His game has gotten a lot more cerebral the past few years though that certainly has helped.

[sagr32]

Also, on one of his 3's, Artest gave Kobe the ball with like 3 or 4 seconds left on the shot clock. Kobe was just like,"Well, eff this." and shot a 3.

that is one thing that really skews kobe's fg%. The lakers ALWAYS give the ball to Kobe is there are 5 or seconds left on the shot clock. It's understandable because he definetely is the most likely to make those shots but it also hurts his fg% because he has to bail them out.

[Avon Barksdale]

He is no longer in his prime, but he's not too far removed from it. He can give prime performances still, just not every game.

[opps]

It depends on if you are more impressed with flashy dunks & hops or fundamentals & pure skills. No Kobe is not as athletic as he once was but he is playing basketball much better & smarter than when he was younger. So my answer is yes Kobe is in prime.