Quote:
Originally Posted by EHL
PER's creator, John Hollinger, readily admits his statistic isn't all-encompassing. Additionally, PER doesn't factor in defense or intangibles like dribble efficiency or clutchness. PER is used as a general gauge of player impact, but IMO the difference between a player with a PER of 25 (Kobe) and 30 (LeBron) is insignificant when you take their roles into account. Bryant was over a PER of 28 just two years ago but his impact that season wasn't as good as it has been this year, on average, due to his superior defensive impact, passing, and general possession/dribble efficiency this year, especially off the ball. Yet the difference in PER this year versus his 05-06 season of 28 PER is 12%, a seemingly noticeable difference.
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Wouldn't you have to say though that Kobe passing more readily this season, playing with greater intensity on the defensive end and being more efficient controlling the ball has a lot to do with playing with better teammates? I know Gasol is only a recent acquisition, but if you combine his and Bynum's games, that's over 80% of the season so far. Also, Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic have all been really good. Yet, with all these upgrades, the Lakers have only gone from the 8th best offensive side in the league to the 4th. That's certainly a significant climb, but it's not huge. If Kobe really has become a more impactful player on the offensive end, you would expect a greater rise than that, given the sizable improvement in the supporting cast.
I don't think he's any better now than he was that season. The situation has simply allowed him to do different things.