Steve Nash once spoke about his disappointment playing with Kobe Bryant, ‘I knew it wasn’t gonna be the same’

Nash was honest about his dynamic with Bryant

After a disappointing 2012-13 season, the Lakers still had Nash and Bryant. However, many people felt that Nash would have performed better if Bryant had not had the majority of the possessions. Bryant was usually set in his ways, so it was hard to impress him.

It was a clash of styles between the two standouts from the 1996 NBA Draft. Bryant needed the ball to generate his offense, while Nash needed the ball to generate offense for his teammates.

They could have been a good fit alongside each other, but they never established effective chemistry. Both players were fantastic, but their styles did not mesh well. Considering they were already veterans, they were firmly set with how they wanted to play basketball.

“Not nervousness, but acceptance. I knew it wasn’t gonna be the same. I felt like I was going to try something new, and that I was going to adapt, and to accept that, and embrace it,” Nash said to Grantland and Zach Lowe in 2013.

“I think it’d be nice to find a middle ground where he does his thing, but the ball still can move for great parts of the game.”

“Hopefully, we can find that this season. But I knew it wasn’t going to be the same. When you play with Kobe Bryant, the ball is gonna be with him most of the time, which is understandable.”

The Lakers’ plan did not work out

Despite all the promising moves they made, the 2012-13 Lakers did not take off as a championship contender. They were firmly behind their many Western Conference rivals, including the San Antonio Spurs, who played in the NBA Finals.

Injuries were a big reason behind their struggles, but Bryant was still excellent as an individual. Unfortunately, he pushed himself too hard, which led to the Achilles tear in April 2013. He recovered quite quickly, which is a good sign for players with Achilles injuries like Jayson Tatum.

The team could have had a more successful season, but they never reached their potential. Even though Nash was an older guard by then, they could not get past their problems. Nash and Bryant would have been a fantastic backcourt, but the dynamics were off.