Kobe Bryants PER is top 20 all time, but LeBron James is No. Seven of the 29 are shooting <= 2.0 percent better from the mid-range than they are from downtown. If he gets doubled inside, LeBron can pass out to a shooter - Dellavedova, Smith,Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love,Channing Frye, etc. About 70 percent of Abdul-Jabbars made shots were 2-pointers, with 30 percent free throws. Doesnt matter what uniform, doesnt matter what year, doesnt matter how old.. He is a University of Maryland alum. Theyll survive in the playoffs as long as their relentless superstar does. Ja Morant: 31 PTS 10 REB 7 AST pic.twitter.com/DhpqGMhzK2, The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 27, 2023. The Lakers made only 10 of 39 from three-point range. The next big decision for James is what is he going to do this offseason. A decade ago, James would hammer opponents from the left baseline with turnaround jumpers. Yet after passing Karl Malone for second on the NBA career scoring list, squaring his sights on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record, pumping in 29.8 points per game (his most in over a decade) and contending for the scoring title in his 19th season, James is forcing us to ask whether he might actually be the greatest scorer of all-time. Its now common to see James swishing a few 40-footers in his pregame warm-up routine, a weapon he started to put into more use after Currys long-range stroke became a league-wide craze. As any analytics nerd will tell you, threes are more valuable than twos even when the mid-range shots go in at a higher rate (e.g. The series shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 6, which is set for 10:30 p.m. LeBron, as a way to counteract his jump shot becoming less effective, has largely abandoned the mid-range game altogether. Ive always just wanted to have a game that fits any style of play or any era, he said. Durant has averaged more points than every single one of them. Thats right. Jamess made shots have been 53 percent 2-pointers, 10 percent 3-pointers and 36 percent free throws. 3. Hell get better. Also read: LeBron James' version of 'The Last Dance'? NBA analyst believes 4x NBA champion has attained Athlete Nirvana, Be the first one to comment on this story. It turns out that numbers can lie or, more precisely, obscure the truth. https://t.co/so8BLzs2oApic.twitter.com/GbJdytjHmE, Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 25, 2018. Lebron James is one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. Use of these names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement. WebA table featuring shooting information for each player in the league based on selected filters. Takeaways from the Cavaliers season-ending Game 5 loss, James is shooting 29.2 percent from three, Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks Game 5 gamethread. Now, it's clear that James isn't as explosive as he once was back in his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs remain committed to Bickerstaff moving forward. Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant brings the ball up court during the first half of Game 5 in a first-round NBA playoff series against the Lakers on Wednesday in Memphis. It came on the road against the Phoenix Suns on his only 3-point attempt of the game. In addition to the sketch of your Soulmate, you will receive a complete description of characteristics and qualities of this person that will help you connect when you are at the right time with this person. I can only imagine somebody who can be the all-time leading scorer in NBA history who doesnt get the credit of being a scorer, said Anthony. James, at 38, is one of the oldest players in the league and in his 20th season. Lakers | Greats. Explore all Los Angeles Lakers NBA player stats - including scoring, rebounding, shooting, assists & more! receiving yards total: seemingly unreachable. Buck Williams.5872: 58. In 2020-21, Davis has been subpar from this area of the floor, making only 36.3 percent the 2nd-worst rate of the 29. Every defender knew what was coming and nobody could do anything about it. James has only made five shots from beyond As Dellavedova drives to the opposite corner, LeBron cuts with the help of a sort of lazy J.R. Smith screen. You got to be able to adjust, man, he said. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. LeBron James had statistically one of his best regular and postseasons ever. Follow Joe on Twitter @joevardon, LeBron James vows hell be better for the Lakers after Game 5 dud. BPM and VORP not available for See for yourself! He attempted 121 shots from the midrange making 59 of them. Think of MJs career. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. In every instance Jordan is first, James is second, and Bryant is third. He's also taking six percent fewer threes (excluding corner threes, where his percentages are roughly the same) than he did last year. Ja Morant recovered from his rough Game 4 with 31 points on 13-of-26 shooting, 10 rebounds and seven assists. SEO: XL Media. Even if they dont start hitting mid-range shots, they will still be incredibly impactful on the court. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions. He previously worked at The Salt Lake Tribune covering the Utah Jazz and Utah Utes. LeBron's rebuttal:Can the greatest scorer in NBA history really be someone who ranks outside the top 20 in playoff scoring average? (click on chart to see every dot). Its a travesty among all travesties. Game Day: Looking forward to Lakers-Warriors LeBron James averages for the NBA season and Playoffs, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and other categories, year by year and career numbers. Should he really stop taking them? On NBA 2K23, this All-Time Version of LeBron James' 2K Rating is 96 and has a 2-Way Inside-Out Point Forward Build. Chart showing percentage of each players made shots that were 3-pointers and 2-pointers for the 250 top scorers in N.B.A. Throughout his entire career, LeBron James has always avoided being labeled a scorer. For all of Harden's playoff warts, it's tough to argue against his brutally efficient isolation scoring. Theres just one tiny problem with this comparison: There is no comparison. But when these shots go in at roughly equal rates, it becomes REALLY hard to tune out the math. Memphis beat the Lakers 116-99 on its home floor Wednesday night in Game 5, extending the first-round NBA playoff series to a sixth game in Los Angeles on Friday night. Heres how Basketball-Reference sees the seeding playing out: While things are a bit precarious, the entire basketball world knows that IF LeBron James and Anthony Davis can get back to 90-plus percent of themselves by playoff time, Los Angeles remains one of the top championship favorites. After the loss, Ham said hed use all options Friday to give the Lakers the best chance to end the series on their court. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra once said of James: I just think you can book it every year 27, 8 and 7. It was the basketball equivalent of Cal Ripkens streak of games played in Major League Baseball or Jerry Rices N.F.L. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Before this, he shot only 35.5 percent in 2018-19 and 36.4 percent in 2017-18. You might also be interested in reading this: How many game-winners has LeBron James made in his career? Oh, and when it comes to LeBron? LeBron's rebuttal:If you line up their combined 16 Finals appearances, James owns the five highest-scoring averages and eight of the top nine. Rule changes designed to give players freedom of movement throughout the court mean defenders cant try to stop James from scoring with some of the more aggressive moves they would have been allowed to use against Abdul-Jabbar. Below were his attributes and badges. Even contemporaries like Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are often considered better bucket-getters than James, who even called himself not a natural scorer. While it might be a semantics-driven discussion, it does motivate James. Hachimura has eased their offensive burdens so far in the series against Memphis, giving the Lakers a third option. Last season, the number was about three times that. There's no denying that young MJ was a force of nature when driving, but even he can't rival James's physicality and ability to put his head down and get to the cup whenever he wants. WebFind detailed LeBron James Stats on FOXSports.com. Their basketball eras have looked so different that they might as well have been playing different sports. Looking at James shot charts from those seasons, its difficult to recognize them as the same player. This isn't to say that James won't stop shooting jumpers and that he won't occasionally jack up a lazy jumper. LeBron James and Anthony Davis combine to score nine early points in overtime to lead the Lakers to a Game 4 win over Memphis on Monday night. Coach: Port Jervis (NY) High School. (Well, maybe.). Look for the market for James to really heat up the next week, but once James hits free agency dont expect him to take a ton of time to make the decision. Sure. Kobe was second, reaching 30,000 when he was 34. This idea mixed with LeBron so close to the brink of losing his fifth NBA Finals are the main reasons. Now that you've seen the cases laid out for five of the greatest ever, who is actually on top? It's one thing to rack up scoring titles or gaudy averages on the back of the regular-season grind. LeBron James Stats and news - NBA stats and news on Los Angeles Lakers Forward LeBron James They were the NBAs best team at home during the regular season at 35-6, setting a franchise record for wins in their building. The Grizzlies, called out earlier this week by their coach for lacking maturity, showed some Wednesday in the familiar confines of FedEx Forum. frame is something none of us has ever laid eyes on before. Joe Vardon is a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, based in Cleveland. He has averaged 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 1,421 regular-season games. This is not to diminish Bryants flat-out stud-like ability to score the basketball. Overlapping James production from 10 seasons ago to now will show some common traits. Here, Matthew Dellavedova brings up the ball and James heads off toward the left corner. LeBron thanks to his specific skill-set doesnt have that mid-range/long-distance game that can allow him to play the role of a pure closer. In fact, hes a completely different player all together. That said, the mid-range isnt for everyone, and its worth exploring just how much LeBron James and Anthony Davis should be embracing it. I feel like my game would fit any era in basketball history from the time that the great James Naismith created it. DAngelo Russell mirrored his performance from late in Game 4 early in the second half, scoring eight straight points out of halftime to make it a one-point game, but the Lakers never could grab the lead. AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/MI/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. James has only made five shots from beyond the arc and attempted 27 shots. Abdul-Jabbar, the former center for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks, held the record for nearly 40 years. Shot Clock Range. Swanson: LeBron James, Lakers are much better in closeout win, as promised No one has been able to consistently replicate his shot. LeBron James' criticism of NBA Play-In game comes across as hypocritical, NBA play-in: 3 ways the tournament could lead to total chaos, Lakers News: LeBron James's return could come Friday night vs. Kings. Micah Adams is an Assistant Managing Editor at The Sporting News. Still, its worth remembering the obvious: Davis and LeBron for that matter are both elite interior scorers. However, he's developed into a reliable shooter from beyond the arc as he ages. With almost half of the season in the books, the Nets are shooting an astonishing 51.3 percent in the mid-range. Open jumpers either missed badly or rimmed out, but the Lakers stayed close and again had the chance to take the lead with four minutes left in the third quarter. Theyd love one more game here, wouldnt they? So whats the solution? I just think the biggest thing is what hes done to transition his game to this stage of his career in terms of his shooting, Coach Frank Vogel said. Myles Sorry Kobe fanboys, but here are the 10 Greatest NBA players of all-time#NBAFinals #LeBron pic.twitter.com/Xw7CLyAP5Z, Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) June 10, 2016. How many players could just decide to play with their off-hand and still drop 47? Now? Perhaps this shouldnt be overly surprising. Larry Nance.5864: 60. It all comes down to his shooting ability. Note: Data is through Feb. 7. In Jamess rookie season, 2003-4, he took 2.7 3-pointers a game. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 18 points and 10 rebounds. A 4-time MVP thats larger than life and always in contention, seeking all there is to offer in Los Angeles by playing for the Lakers after a delivering a title and dominating for the hometown team. James isn't the best shooter from beyond the arc, but his ability to knock down 3-pointers could be one of the biggest changes in their quest to defeat Memphis. Los Angeles Lakers news fromFanSided Daily, Cleveland Cavaliers: Debunking 3 myths of a failed season, NBA Power Rankings Week 20: Philadelphia 76ers streak in the penultimate week, 50 Greatest Players Without a Championship, 50 Greatest Players Not In The Hall of Fame, Most Clutch Player From Each Teams History, Best Shot Blocker From Each Teams History, The Heat and Lakers threaten to throw the NBA playoffs into chaos, NBA Rumors: The Lakers are expected to target an All-Star point guard, 5 things the Lakers must do to complete an upset of the Grizzlies, The 2023 playoffs loom large for LeBron James legacy, Is Anthony Davis playing tonight? The answer is LeBron, remarkablybut hes less than halfway to Wilt Chamberlains total. It was his lowest field-goal percentage (29.4 And James, the player who saved the Lakers at the end of regulation and in overtime Monday, couldnt make a positive imprint in his first chance to close out the Grizzlies. Deposit bonus requires 25x play-thru. Impending free agent Caris LeVert has interest in remaining a Cavalier. Date Range. Sure they were butchers on the defensive end at times, but the hall of fame talent around them covered them up nicely. The top four players off the Lakers bench Dennis Schroder, Rui Hachimura, Troy Brown Jr. and Malik Beasley struggled. The Cavs admitted what we all saw play out over the last week and a half. -Follow ESNY - Elite Sports NY on Google News to keep up with the latest New York sports news. Despite his improvement last postseason, the forward only hit 34.9 percent over the entirety of last season (including playoffs). LeBron James and Anthony Davis are superstars for a reason. Grant Williams, MarJon Beauchamp, Miles McBride and Miles McBride are all shooting 100% from long distance. And if you cannot have a growth mindset on how you can find ways to get better with the team, then youll get left behind.. Please logout and login again. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame receives No. NAME. Kobe is more comparable to Jordan, but it doesnt mean he ranks closer to him in terms of greatness. What those seasons have in common is remarkable but what might be even more impressive is how they dont line up.