Kobe Bryant Gallery
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Kobe vs. Tracy
I'LL SAY ONE THING: IF EVERY "One-on-One" is as hard as this, I'm going to rethink taking this gig.
Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady are good friends off the court Tracy makes no bones about the fact that he admires Kobe's training regimen and dedication to the game. On the court, the two are very similar in a lot of ways.
Scoring (Kobe 10, McGrady 10): These two guys are so good, they can get their shots every time. It's a battle within themselves to not just take over a game and try to do it all themselves. They have to get their teammates involved. That's not easy, because both Kobe and Tracy have a scorer's mentality: They think they'll make every shot, and even after 10 straight misses, they think the next shot will go in.
One thing Kobe's better at is creating his own opportunities. If you need a big basket, he's your guy. He'll take the responsibility on. He's performed under serious scrutiny in his young career.
McGrady is one of the best in the league at taking the ball to the basket, and he and Kobe can finish like nobody's business. McGrady is just long--once he's into his move and has made his mind up in going to the bucket and stretching out, he can't be stopped.
Kobe and Tracy have some similar weaknesses. Both are adequate in drawing and kicking, but they can get better. They both have to learn to look at themselves as bait, especially with the new zone rules, where there will be a lot of box-and-ones and diamond-and-twos. Superstars definitely are going to have to be able to draw and kick.
In the low post, McGrady has an advantage over Kobe--and with his length, he should make it an even bigger one. While both players are somewhat equal in the post now, McGrady should overtake Kobe in time. McGrady is terrific in the six- to eight-foot post-up area. And at 6'8", if he could go back-to-the-basket better, McGrady would be unstoppable from everywhere. There's simply no 6'8" player in the league with more upside. And he's only scratched the surface of where he can go.
FG/3PT Shooting (McGrady 10, Kobe 8): These two guys are both great shooters. The fact that McGrady is such an excellent three-point shooter tells you a lot about his dynamic range: Kobe's 30.5% from the arc last season was none too shabby, but Tracy's 35.5% was excellent. But then, the Orlando Magic shot more threes in their offensive flow; the Los Angeles Lakers don't play the long-range game as much.
Here's something Kobe still has to learn: Nothing he does on the court is wrong--it's just that sometimes the timing is wrong. His shot selection is a good example. Michael Jordan's wasn't very good as a young player, either, remember. Shot selection changes as you get older, when you're smarter and more comfortable about the game. Sometimes less is more, and when Kobe realizes that, he'll be even better. Imagine that.
FT Shooting (Kobe 10, McGrady 7): Stepping to the foul line, Kobe has a huge advantage. Great players are supposed to shoot anywhere between six to nine free throws per game on average. With Kobe shooting better than 80% over his career, it means he's always going to be a 20-plus scorer. No great scorer has ever been a poor free-throw shooter--with the exception of two very unique men, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaq.
There's no doubt McGrady should be shooting in the 80s. He's a great shooter, above average in the paint, from the perimeter, and from behind the arc. The 73.3% he put up last year was below average for a great shooter.
Defense (McGrady 18, Kobe 17): Another difference between the two players is on defense. MJ set the precedent of a great offensive player who was also in the upper echelon defensively. There have been only a couple guys who have ever done that. That's the barometer for a modern-era elite player. When I came up, it just didn't seem possible to do both; I carried so much of the load on offense, defense was never my priority. MJ changed all that. With Grant Hill healthy in Orlando, McGrady won't have to carry the load offensively, so this is an opportunity for him to step up on D. That's exactly what Doc Rivers will be looking for from him--anything short of the all-defensive team will be a disappointment.
Kobe has proven he's capable of playing a small, quick guard like Allen Iverson. He's stopped guys playing from 1 to 3; McGrady's defensive range is even wider, defending 1s to 4s. While Tracy is the better defender, the true difference between the two is that Kobe has D'd up in the clutch. McGrady still has to prove he can defend at the highest level on a consistent basis. That's the next level for him, to do something out of the ordinary. Great defenders lock down great offensive players. Are Kobe or McGrady expected to lock down superstars every night? No. But they do have to rise to the occasion when necessary. Take a look at how McGrady plays Vince Carter when the Toronto Raptors play Orlando. How many shots does Carter get off on McGrady? What's his percentage?
McGrady can still grow defensively. He has stopper potential--and the work ethic and attitude to become a perennial all-defensive team player. I've seen him block Allan Houston's jumper straight up. That's close to impossible to do. And don't forget how he absolutely locked down Glenn Robinson in last year's playoffs; he went bark-to-bark with the Big Dog and dominated him. In fact, I'd look to Tracy if I needed a big stop.
Kobe"s Biography
Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest child and only son of Joe and Pam Bryant (they also have two daughters, Shaya and Sharia). His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu.
When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA, moved his family to Italy, and started playing professional basketball there. Bryant acclimated to the lifestyle there and became fluent in Italian. At an early age, he learned to play soccer and at first his favorite team was AC Milan. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player, and that his favorite team is FC Barcelona. Bryant is a big fan of FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and Barça star Ronaldinho.
In 1991, the Bryants moved back to the United States. Kobe earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. His SAT score of 1080 would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges. Bryant has stated that had he decided to go to college after high school, he would have attended Duke University.Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA.
When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA, moved his family to Italy, and started playing professional basketball there. Bryant acclimated to the lifestyle there and became fluent in Italian. At an early age, he learned to play soccer and at first his favorite team was AC Milan. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player, and that his favorite team is FC Barcelona. Bryant is a big fan of FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and Barça star Ronaldinho.
In 1991, the Bryants moved back to the United States. Kobe earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. His SAT score of 1080 would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges. Bryant has stated that had he decided to go to college after high school, he would have attended Duke University.Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA.
Kobe Bryant Gallery
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