How old is the OP?
Kobe got drafted to a good team that didn’t really need him yet. Their strength was already their guard/wing play with Van Exel, Jones, and Ceballos the garbage man.
Hell they were a 50 plus win team before Kobe & Shaq got there.
It all worked out. They had to tailor the roster to suit Shaq while simultaneously developing Kobe. By the time Van Exel and Jones were gone, he was ready.
Kobe got drafted to a good team that didn’t really need him yet. Their strength was already their guard/wing play with Van Exel, Jones, and Ceballos the garbage man.
Hell they were a 50 plus win team before Kobe & Shaq got there.
It all worked out. They had to tailor the roster to suit Shaq while simultaneously developing Kobe. By the time Van Exel and Jones were gone, he was ready.