I’m going to come right out and say it: this was a Giannis-esque performance by Julius Randle. Some of these scoring moves are right out of the Greek’s playbook. Herky-jerky drives to the basket that maybe could be called as travels, ending with contorting finishes that defy logic.
And the passes? They’re also similar, in that they are both the beneficiary of teammates (in this case Kobe) saying to themselves “If I shoot this shot right now, Julius/Giannis get an assist, an assist he needs for a potential triple-double”. It might be hard to tell with Kobe, but I’m pretty sure that’s how his thought process looked this game. Compared to the usual “BALL BALL BALL I WANT SHOOT”.