How Kobe Made Incredibly Difficult Shots without Being the Fastest or Tallest!
Being 6' 6'' in the NBA, Kobe was never the tallest player and without the fastest first step he also lacked the speed to simply run past people. However, despite that he still dominated during his reign in the NBA.
Kobe had what many called a "textbook jumper", a jump shot especially in the midrange, that almost anyone who wanted to improve their jump shot could learn from. Many times from a low position he'd drive, for example, let's say he wanted to go right, he'd drive right for a step or two, then stop using his left foot, plant his right foot to stop quickly, and jump to get his hand over the hand of the defender. It's also important to remember that Kobe had a high set point, with the ball resting above the top of his head. This high set point allowed him to get just a little bit more height on his jump shot so that the ball was less likely to get blocked when his shot was contested, which it usually was.
(Photo of Kobe's set point from an article by Splash Lab Basketball, this article also goes more into his shooting form if you're more curious about that!)
Willingness to take Hard Shots
His amazing midrange jumper and ability to stop on a dime also gave Kobe the ability to take difficult shots. It wasn't uncommon for Kobe to take a shot with a hand or two in his face, as he also was known to fade away from the defense (leaning back while jumping to create space between you and the defense). So in any given play, it could be expected for Kobe to pump fake the ball, do a one-dribble pullup (taking one dribble in the direction you want to go and taking two steps forward, grabbing the ball, and jumping for a jump shot). Then during the pull-up, he'd fade away to create even more space from defenders who may have had up to a 7'0'' wingspan.
And as always this ability didn't come naturally, it came from studying the game of basketball for hours at a time, and practicing and practicing and practicing until he felt comfortable with taking the shot in games.
Want to see clips of Kobe's infamous One-Dribble Pullup? Check out this video by Dom Carter: Kobe Bryant’s 1 Dribble Pull Up - Scoring, Isolation Mastery | Skill Set Series - YouTube
Trying to learn more about Kobe's playstyle? Look at this article by Hoop Blog: What Is Kobe Bryant's Style Of Play? » TheHoop.Blog
Wonder how important it is to be able to finish at the rim? Come back to the blog tomorrow, there'll be an article just for you!