Kobe Bryant said today that he was open to playing small forward, but how about power forward?
“I think that’s the beauty of it,” (Lakers’ Head Coach Byron) Scott said. “The one thing that we wanted to do and accomplish through this draft and through free agency was to try and be a little more versatile, have some versatility. So I think all three of those guys can definitely do that. Kobe can play one, two and three. There’s no doubt in my mind. And there’s some games. against some teams, where he’ll probably play four. With his tenaciousness, the way he guards people and when his mind is set, if I say ‘Kobe, you’ve got him,’ he takes that as a challenge. You know how he is. He’ll compete.”
Small forward? Sure, why not? Power forward? Not so sure about that one. Scott is certainly right about Kobe’s aggressive, competitive mindset. However, just that may not be enough against guys who are not only 4 inches taller and 40 pounds heavier, but also 10 to 15 years younger than him. Kobe’s listed at 6’6″ and 205 pounds. That may seem pretty huge compared to the average person, but for a power forward that’s minuscule.
I’m not sure exactly why Byron Scott feels the need to play Kobe at the 4, even for limited minutes. Is that really necessary? Sure, the Lakers struck out on one of the best power forwards out there(LaMarcus Aldridge), but Julius Randle looks to be panning out fantastically despite his injury, and Brandon Bass is a quality backup at the 4. The Lakers also have a few other players who play power forward in Tarik Black, Ryan Kelly, and Carlos Boozer.
Yes, small-ball is very prevalent in today’s NBA. But you’re doing small-ball wrong if your power forward weighs 205 pounds. The Warriors utilized small-ball to win a championship, and Draymond Green isn’t really too much bigger than Kobe; he’s got about an inch and 25 pounds on him. However, Green has a skill-set that’s much more suited to playing down low. He’s an excellent rebounder for his size, and he’s one of the premiere defenders in the NBA. I don’t think Kobe at the 4 is a good idea, and I hope for the sake of Lakers’ fans that Byron Scott changes his mind on this one.
