Kobe's been garbage because he's tried to mimic Steph Curry's shooting motion (serious...read on)

[Reality]

I've been trying to stay away from Kobe highlights as much as possible because the statlines have spoken for themselves and him being washed = my youth being washed.

Recently I checked out some video highlights though and was shocked to see Mamba airballing not just due to distance (which would be understandable w/ leg issues), but also laterally (missing right and left). This made no sense to me.

So, I did some digging (by digging I mean I googled "why is kobe airballing") and stumbled upon this analysis that I thought was pretty convincing. Fellow Kobestans, check it out here:

I think I know why Kobe is shooting so bad • /r/nba

TL;DR version: Kobe successfully integrated KD's one-hop jumpshot footwork into his arsenal after KD got hot (vs. his normal 2 step hop), then got injured; Steph got hot in Bean's time off and Kobe has been mimicking his shot (one motion pull-up vs Bean's two motion pull-up), and it's throwing shyt off.

 

[Juggalo Fred]

He sucks either way

 

[Bilz]

I thought he was trying to mimic Dwight or Deandre

 

[JahFocus CS]

 

[jwinfield]

I thought he was trying to mimic Andre Roberson

 

[Jesus]

I thought he was trying to mimic Dwight or Deandre

goodnight coli

 

[call_me_step_daddy]

looks more like he's trying to mimic

 

[LurkMoar]

Well he needs to throw that shot in the bushes

 

[TooLazyToMakeUp1]

He had to adjust his shooting anyway, but trying to be a one motion shooter wouldn't make him look this bad

Torn achilles, knee fracture (along pre-existing knee injuries) and torn rotator cuff back to back to back

 

[ThugLife]

Bean Tsung lost

 

[010101]

nuh uh*

 

[knickscrusaderm]

This neega the basketball Drake

 

[Killer Instinct]

That reddit post was great and they get bonus points for presenting video evidence.
He's definitely went from a two motion shooting to one fluid motion.
The pause at the top isn't there anymore. Two motion definitely requires more leg strength (which he clearly lacks after two decades) Whereas one motion is quicker and more based around your core, but that pause at the top is where he focused and aimed the shot.
The release may be quicker and compensate for lack of lower body strength, but nagging injuries + poor shot selection + 37 + incorporating an entirely different technique =
Not sure if he can rewire 20 years worth of muscle memory. Father time has long caught up with him and trying to alter your entire shooting mechanism and motion is difficult enough.
Very plausible hypothesis either way.

 

[Goatpoacher]

Well he needs to throw that shot in the bushes

He tried, but he missed the bushes.

 

[Fckumeen]