How Lakers Can Ensure Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash Pairing Is a Success

It is a rare occasion in the NBA when a team has the luxury of having two former MVP players still performing near the top of their games. The 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers have just that with guards Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.

Nash and Bryant will be combining to give the Lakers potentially the best starting lineup in the league, but many are wondering if the guards can co-exist in the same backcourt. Given their experience, the pairing can be a success for L.A.

Both Nash (MVP in 2004-05, 2005-06) and Bryant (2007-08) have appeared to dominate the basketball for their respective teams for years. But by taking a look at advanced statistics, we find that aspect of their games to be a bit deceiving.

According to NBA-Reference.com, Bryant led the NBA with a 35.7 percent usage rate for 2011-12 (a stat that measures the percentage of a team's plays that are used by a player while he is on the floor).

Nash ranked 191st in the league in this category (one of the lowest usage rates for a starting point guard in the NBA). Interestingly, Nash ranked low in this category in both of his MVP seasons: 145th in 2004-05, 78th in 2005-06.



While Nash racks up a ton of assists and averages double digits in points, he does it mostly in the flow of the offense. Nash has the ability to create scoring opportunities without necessarily having plays called for him.

In contrast, Bryant has been relied upon to create both for himself and his teammates. Combining Bryant with a true point guard such as Nash—a luxury he has yet to enjoy—makes the Lakers more difficult to game plan against.

Nash can run the offense through Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol, or he can let Kobe create for himself, something he is particularly adept at.



Nash is also regarded as one of the most intelligent players in the league, according to a recent NBA.com poll of every general manager in the NBA. Nash'...

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