You can't teach an old Laker new roles.
That is what at least one NBA executive believes about Kobe Bryant heading into the 2015-16 season, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
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"He'll be a high-volume, low-efficiency scorer," the executive said. "The biggest deficiency will be on the defensive end. He can't defend quick guards anymore. But he's still going to get buckets. He's still smart. He's going to draw fouls. He'll average a very inefficient 22 or 23 points a game."
Ouch. Just because he averaged 22.3 points per game on 37.3 percent shooting before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last year?
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The Daily News also interviewed an NBA assistant coach, former Bryant teammate Rick Fox and his high school coaches at Lower Merion High School and none were as critical of the Black Mamba as the NBA executive.
Except during crunch time.
When asked how much Kobe would defer to younger teammates, no one thought Bryant would be able to change his mindset.
"I don't think his role will ever change as long as he's playing for the Lakers," said Jeremy Trestman, Bryant's assistant coach at Lower Merion. "He'll be the unquestionable leader mentoring those guys in his Kobe way, whether they want it or not. If there are winnable games, he'll try to take the big shots and be the guy in the fourth quarter. But he'll try to get everyone involved in the first three quarters."
Not everyone is down on Bryant. Current teammate Roy Hibbert, who left the Pacers to sign with the Lakers over the summer, was asked about what has surprised him about Bryant so far, lakersnation.com reported.
Lakersnation.com reporter Serena Williams tweeted Hibbert's answer.
Roy Hibbert simply summing up Kobe Bryant: "He can hit some real tough shots. His post game is nice, his perimeter is nice. He's a GOAT."
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