Kobe Bryant's Bittersweet Season

At 34 years old, most athletes experience a decline in their personal statistics as they face the tail end of their careers. Kobe Bryant, however, is not most athletes. Kobe is having a season statistically superior to his past four seasons. He is averaging 29.2 points per game, his most since the 2007-08 season (31.6) when he won his only NBA MVP award. He is also shooting 46.4%, his 2nd highest field goal percentage in his past 11 seasons, and his shooting efficiency is at a career-high 51.4%

While Kobe is having an anomalous season for his age, the Lakers are having an anomalous season for their history. The Lakers are off to their worst 41 game start (17-24) since Kobe has been a Laker. Los Angeles sits in 12th place in the Western Conference, four games behind the 8th place Houston Rockets. The Los Angeles Lakers are projected to need 45 wins in order to reach the postseason. In order to do so, they must go 28-13 for the remainder of the season.

The Lakers travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies, Wednesday at 8:00 PM EST (Kobe Bryant averages 32.2 PPG on Wednesdays, more than any other day of the week).