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Another “no dribbles” themed project, Kobe showcases a simple and minimalistic approach to isolation scoring. The complete player that prime-years Kobe was, getting by defenders and attacking the basket was a powerful weapon. The reputation he built early on for having a quick and explosive first step kept opponents on edge. His excellence at the free throw line contributed to the respect. As a result, Kobe was always guarded cautiously. In the triple threat position, Kobe used jab steps/fakes to create space and keep defenders honest. As a right handed player, his left foot served as pivot. He relied heavily on initial swing-throughs/hard jabs right. If space was created, he elevated - 0:12, 0:54, 1:41. The natural fade to his form assisted in getting off clean and undisrupted shots.
Because Kobe equipped himself with the ability to put the ball on the floor going both left and right, he appeared unaffected by his matchup’s approach. For example, Marion’s slightly open baseline side stance at 1:31 is swaying Kobe right. Amidst a series of jabs and subtle feints in that direction, Marion finally goes for it and Kobe elevates. At 2:04, Payton is pushing him left towards the middle. Kobe throws a pair of two hard jabs at Payton’s strong/top foot. Because a blow-by right in this situation would be harder to recover from, Payton respects the drive even more-so than Marion did. They guarded him differently, but he played them the same.
Kobe developed what I like to call a “cross-body step.” Influenced left, he would patiently take a delayed step into the space he was being persuaded, planting his right foot near the defender’s back foot. If the defender ultimately maintained their stance failing to anticipate a drive, Kobe would go. Since he doesn’t dribble in this video, the move at 2:49 functions as a “cross-body jab.” In this instance, Artest’s help is middle. Recognizing this, Kobe cross steps into the jab. Ron shifts and Kobe elevates. Same thing at 4:04 with Ginobili, one of the nastier ones. The 3:03 broadcast angle doesn’t capture it’s effectiveness, but the replay shows just how much he was able to move Kirilenko.
Quite a few of these clips include Kobe “feeling out” the defender. Only he knows what was going on in his mind at the time, this is merely an attempt at surmising what that was. While 2:24 and 2:30 look automatic, 3:45, 4:28, and 5:06 have a much looser vibe. His approach was different on these. He’s reading, assessing, baiting, playing 1 on 1 as if there’s no shot clock, as if he and his defender are the only ones on some deserted park’s blacktop. They’re isolations not necessarily within the triangle’s flow, whereas 2:24 and 2:30 are routine pinch post catches.
Take a close look at the 1:48 replay. You can see Kobe turn the ball ever so slightly before the jab, lining his fingers up with the seams. May appear unimportant as it was likely instinctual on his part. I found it interesting because small details as such are usually difficult to see on television and therefore overlooked.
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