How good is Kobe in the clutch?
TrueHoop has a piece that outlines Kobe’s performance in crunch time, which for the purposes of this post is a shot that has a chance to tie or win the game in the last 10 seconds of regulation or overtime.
- This season, Bryant has made seven of the 12 shots, with a chance to win or tie the game, in the last ten seconds of regulation or overtime.
- Bryant’s the only player in the last decade who has made seven such shots in a season.
- Bryant has made 26 of the 89 potential game tying or game-winning field goals he has shot over the last decade. That’s 29.2%, which is slightly above League average.
Henry Abbott breaks down why Kobe is good in the clutch:
At that time of the game, there’s value in being able to create scoring opportunities. Bryant may shoot those difficult fallaways that often miss, but he’d be a far worse player if he couldn’t get a shot off at all. And that’s the situation some lesser players would find themselves in.
In 2008-09, 82games reports that Kobe was the best in the clutch, which, by their definition, is the last five minutes of regulation or overtime, and neither team ahead by more than five points. (I’m not sure why 82games doesn’t provide league-wide clutch stats for the current season since they do have those numbers on the individual player pages.) Last year, Bryant scored at a rate of 56.7 points (per 48 minutes) and this season he is posting 48.1 points. He shot 45.7% last season compared to 43.2% this year.
Kobe hits a lot of game-winners for a few reasons: 1) he’s really good at getting off a decent shot even though the defense knows he’s getting the ball, 2) he takes a lot of game-winners, and 3) he has supreme confidence in his ability to score when the game is on the line. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that he doesn’t take the ball to the hole when the game is on the line, probably because refs have a tendency to swallow the whistle and let “the players decide the outcome.” He’s not an “and one” guy on the same level as LeBron, so he’d rather shoot a fadeaway and take his chances.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
“Clutch” play and “game winning shots” are related, obviously, but also different.
82games also did a study on game winning shots and found that, while Kobe has made a bunch of them (14 as of 2/4/2009 — good for 4th in the NBA), he’s number one in the league in missed game winning shots. He’s got the lowest percentage of anybody who’s attempted more than a handful. http://www.82games.com/gamewinningshots.htm
Granted, this data only goes up to 2/4/2009 and his performance this season will no doubt put him in better light, but I think it’s important to note that the perception of him as being historically one of the greatest at hitting game-winning shots is totally misguided. He’s been great this season, but for all intents and purposes, that’s been a deviation from the norm for him.
I think this says it all, doesn’t it?
“Bryant has made 26 of the 89 potential game tying or game-winning field goals he has shot over the last decade. That’s 29.2%, which is slightly above League average.”
He shoots a ton of them, so it seems like he makes a lot, but in fact he’s slightly above average at it. However, he’s at a disadvantage because everyone knows he’s going to take the last shot and they’re game-planning against him.
I’d say he’s good at it, but he’s a little overrated.
I think he’s way overrated in the clutch, and it pisses this Laker fan off when Gasol is open in the paint for an even better chance at tying or winning the game.
What I care about even more though is that the reason the Kobe gets so many of these opportunities is because the Lakers can’t blow a single team in the NBA out of the water. Every team plays them competitively, and I haven’t seen the team play at a level that eases my mind that they’ll win the championship this year. No Laker victory comes easy; it always comes down to the wire and Kobe is convinced it must always be him to receive the blame or the glory.
Only a true basketball an can understand the magnitude of Kobe Bryant in “crunch time.” He, by virtue of his skill level, on-court persona and hubris, demands a constant attention not afforded 95% of the other NBA. He rarely ever takes off a play offensively or defensively. He sears with a pride of winning even the small battles at all cost. He derives an unwavering pleasure in promoting anguish to his opposite and their team. Whenever those late moments come, he mentally has played the entire game as though it was the final crust of time. As others shy away, fearful of the moment, he is absolutely fearless because loss is not his driving force, it is only loss of opportunity to demonstrate his greatness and have it etched in the mind of the opponent and their team that he is as one with the moment. Like him or hate him, watch the opposing players scuttle as he puts them in the last moment torture chamber and then see Kobe’s face — that is the definition of clutch — doing something others would do naturally but you do because it is simply who you are.