Bryant admits struggles are getting to him after career-worst shooting game
In basketball terms, Kobe Bryant is old, yes. But Tuesday's performance in a 34-point Los Angeles Lakers loss to the juggernaut Golden State Warriors hit a new low in what is beginning to look like a completely glory-free end to a storied, 20-year career.
Bryant shot 7 percent in the game, hitting one field goal in 14 tries. It tied his career-worst performance (minimum 10 shots in a game), set one year ago against the San Antonio Spurs.
After Tuesday's loss, Bryant said the realities of his situation hit him for the first time this season. "This is the first time (all season) it got to me," he said.
Kobe Bryant: 12 straight games scoring fewer than 25
points while shooting less than 50% from field, longest such streak of his
career.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 25, 2015
Air balls, the stuff of basketball comedy, have become all too common for Bryant this season, and he hoisted a few more Tuesday.
Afterwards, Kobe told reporters that he needed assistance in getting better looks.
Teammate Nick Young threw some cold water on that idea, and perhaps also on coach Byron Scott's approach to building the team's offense around giving the 37-year-old Bryant the green light to do what he wants.
.@LAIreland asked Nick Young what LAL can do better, his response: “We can’t let one guy determine everything. We have to play as a team"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 25, 2015
There's an anecdotal tale that when Willie Mays stumbled through his final Major League Baseball season with the New York Mets in 1973, the scoreboard operators at Shea Stadium wouldn't put up his woeful statistics out of respect. In this era, that's not possible, as fans and observers alike are witness to everything - including Bryant's sub-12 player efficiency rating.