Kobe said it himself: Rarely does he offer praise to anyone, let alone a rookie.
But nevertheless, Bryant spoke up about Chandler Parsons after Kobe shot 10/27 against the rookie forward in LA's lost to Houston Tuesday night. We've got the video thanks to the good people at ClutchFans.
At first, Kobe kept his street cred in check and didn't acknowledge too much. Someone basically asked Bryant if Parsons' defense was the reason he struggled.
"Oh, come on," Bryant said. It was a few moments later that he elaborated.
"I love him though, I do. I think he's a terrific young player," Bryant said. "I think he has a really bright future and I don't say that a lot about a lot of people."
It's becoming more and more difficult for people to ignore just how good Parsons has been defensively. He's held down Kevin Durant, Bryant and many others to the point that they're no longer taking over games against the Rockets. Better yet, he's done so in clutch situations that have given Houston key road wins that they might have otherwise dropped late.
Obviously, the key to Chandler's game is his shot. If he can ever, say, double his free throw percentage (he's actually shooting 43.5 percent, so we'll ask for 60 percent to make it realistic) and add a consistent three-point shot to his game, watch out. I think the latter is a definite possibility, and if it materializes, I don't think Parsons will drop his starting spot for another ten years. He's becoming that much of a game-changer in so many different ways.