A look at Kobe Bryant's historically bad final season
Kobe Bryant is, without question, one of the best basketball players to play the game. He has an assassin's mentality, possessing both the fearlessness and capability to change the outcome of a game at any given moment.
His work ethic and hunger for success are characteristics unmatched by most -- if not all -- players in NBA history.
With all of that being said – Bryant has been uncharacteristically bad so far in his final season, even after shooting 50% against Toronto, his first shooting game that high this season. Compared to the rest of the NBA, Bryant's field goal percentage ranks him dead last (players on pace for 300 field goals made), and his player efficiency rating ranks him 255th out of 322 (players on pace for 500 minutes played).
We recently looked at Bryant's storied career by the numbers, comparing him to some of the best shooting guards in history. Now, we compare what his final season has looked like so far, next to the final seasons of those same legends (according to basketball-reference.com).
Points per game: Jerry West (20.3), Michael Jordan (20.0), George Gervin (16.2), Bryant (16.2), Allen Iverson (13.8)
Player efficiency rating: West (22.4), Jordan (19.3), Gervin (16.0), Iverson (13.4), Bryant (10.1)
Field goal percentage: Gervin (47.2%), West (44.7%), Jordan (44.5%), Iverson (43%), Bryant (30.6%)
Three-point percentage (no three-point line when West played): Iverson (36%), Jordan (29.1%), Bryant (21.9%), Gervin (21.1%)
Plus-minus: West (+5.0), Jordan (+1.0), Gervin (-3.3), Iverson (-4.2), Bryant (-5.4)
Free throw percentage: Gervin (87.9%), West (83.3%), Jordan (82.1%), Bryant (81.5%), Iverson (79.4%)
Assists: West (6.6), Iverson (4.0), Jordan (3.8), Bryant (3.3), Gervin (1.8)
Rebounds: Jordan (6.1), Bryant (4.1), West (3.7), Iverson (2.8), Gervin (2.6)
If watching him play this season wasn't enough, Bryant's numbers corroborate the notion that the undefeated Father Time has finally caught up to him, proving that he might actually be human after all. He made his NBA debut nearly two decades ago at the age of 18, and only eight other NBA players (three of them guards) in history have been on the court for more minutes than he has (on pace to finish sixth).
Compared to the greatest shooting guards, time spent on the court isn't even close.
Total minutes played: Bryant (47,338 minutes as of Dec. 8), Jordan (41,011 minutes), Iverson (37,584 minutes), West (36,571 minutes), Gervin (35,597 minutes)
So, despite his terrible numbers this season, it's imperative that it's taken with a grain of salt. We've marveled at his greatness for the past 19 seasons, now it's time for him to soak it all in and enjoy his 20th. If nothing else, his farewell tour is a way for the 3-18 Lakers to fill the seats on a nightly basis.