"Kobe's past injuries are affecting his shots" MYTH

[Collie]

it's not just the injuries and wear&tear... it's the kind of shots Kobe takes. If Dirk suddenly hoisted ill-advised shots at his age instead of efficient ones, you'd see his efficiency drop as well.

He's 39 year old Kobe playing like he's 29 year old Kobe... THAT's the problem.

[tamaraw08]

I think people need to realise how much Kobe relied on athleticism... Not just him, but nearly all stars do. It is what separates them from the rest 99% of the time.
If he was shooting 45% when he was athletic, what did you expect when he dropped off in his late 30s?
Karl Malone, Kareem, Duncan, etc are an exception to the rule. They are big, tall and strong. Great tools to have one the gap in athleticism between you and the rest of the league closes...

Great point!
Kobe was NEVER a GREAT SHOOTER, heck even a good one, he relied on his explosion and ability to elevate and shoot over players. What is really exposing him is that bec Clarkson did good last year, he has to play at SF where the defenders are 6-8 and up. The past few years can could post up shoot over shorter SGs like Randi Foye, JJ Redick etc, mostly below 6-5.