Kobe Destroying Defenders In ISO's

Kobe Bryant — Isolation Scoring | 2010 Championship Season Here’s a video edit of Kobe Bryant’s isolation possessions from the 2010 championship season. Kobe was one of the best isolation scorers in NBA history. His combination of skill, footwork, speed, balance and ability to create separation made him incredibly difficult to guard one-on-one. But when you watch these clips, don’t just watch the move Kobe makes. Watch what the defender does BEFORE the move. That’s where the lesson is. Kobe was constantly reading his defender. How was he positioned? Where was his weight? Was he leaning? Did he react to the jab? Did he bite on the shot fake? Those reads had a direct impact on the shot Kobe eventually created. On drives, watch how Kobe would initiate contact. He wasn't always trying to avoid the defender. He could use contact to create additional separation and get the defender off balance. Also pay attention to his change of speed. He could attack slowly, get the defender comfortable or leaning, and then explode. Set them up slow. Finish them fast. In isolation, Kobe wanted to get a reaction from the defender. He could use a jab step, shot fake or subtle body movement to get the defender to shift. Once that defender moved or lost his balance, Kobe attacked the advantage he had created. His footwork gave him answers in almost every situation. He could square his feet and rise into his jumper, attack the defender's body, spin, or make the defender anticipate the spin and counter back the other direction. That's an important part of studying Kobe's isolation game: there was almost always a counter available. But the biggest takeaway for young players isn't to copy every Kobe move. Kobe didn't want to predetermine what move he was going to make. He wanted to read the defender and react.That's the difference between simply knowing moves and knowing how to play. Watch the defender. Create movement. Recognize the advantage. Then make your move. I had the opportunity to work with Kobe during this period, and his ability to study the game, process what a defender was giving him and then find an answer was special to watch up close. Don't pre-script the move. Read. React. Create separation. DOMINATE SIMPLE.