Manny Harris is likely to be matched up against arguably the best player in the Association, Kobe Bryant.
This got me to thinking, how do Manny Harris' rookie numbers stack up with Bryant's so far?
Kobe Bryant was drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded the would-be legend to Los Angeles. During his rookie campaign, Kobe appeared in 71 games, starting 6 of those.
The Black Mamba averaged 15 minutes per game during the 1997 season. He never scored more than 24 points in a single game, in what was a tough rookie year for him.
Manny Harris has appeared in 17 games this season, starting 5 times. He's averaging 15 minutes per game, although with recent injuries, that number is surely to sky-rocket. In the last game alone, he played 41 minutes because Byron Scott believed he was the best player on the floor.
In the game vs. Phoenix, Manny finished with 27 points and only took 13 shots to do it.
At this point in their rookie seasons, they were both shooting 40% from the field, and 81% from the free throw line. The resemblances are strikingly similar. Both are scoring shooting guards who play tenacious defense.
The difference is that in their rookie season, Manny looks more ready to contribute on a nightly basis than Bryant did at the same point.
The main reason? Kobe went straight from high school to the NBA and Manny decided to spend two years at polishing his skills at the University of Michigan. (Shoutout to Dylan of UMHoops.com, we appreciate the love)
Surprisingly, the Cavaliers are the underdog in tonight's matchup. Might have something to do with the fact that Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum could potentially score 40 points each against our non-existent interior defense.
Byron Scott will hopefully play #6 big minutes tonight to see if the game in Phoenix was a fluke. I'm convinced it wasn't.
I'm not saying Manny Harris is better than Kobe Bryant right now.
I am saying that Manny will outplay Kobe Bryant tonight at the Staples Center.
That's cool you're comparing him to Kobe, but my only doubt is Manny's size? I was watching them closely together, and Kobe seemed much bigger. Was it the height or the fact Manny is very skinny?
ReplyDeleteYeah,, 'Cool' comparison. How'd that game turn out?
ReplyDeleteHe's team mates stunk in that game. Manny played OK against Kobe, especially for a 1st year player against arguably the best player in the game. He was just a bit overawed, not that he's team mates made him feel more comfortable, looking twice more scared than him. Mo and Tawn wet there pants before tip off it seemed like.
ReplyDeleteBy the way.. your a jerk Andrew...
Manny was isolated by his team mates that game, his team mates were crap.
ReplyDelete