Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has long established himself as one of the greatest players in NBA history and he continues to rise up all-time ranks in a number of different categories. His passing ability, unbelievable athleticism, and consistency have always stood out, but with so much praise going to other parts of his game, his scoring ability has become somewhat underrated.
While he may not have the complete offensive repertoire of Kobe Bryant or the elite shooting skill of Kevin Durant, James has worked hard throughout his career to improve his ability to score from all parts of the court. The improvements along with his ridiculous athletic attributes and consistent durability have allowed him to place his names amongst the greats when it comes to scoring. And in some cases, well above them.
Despite his injuries, James still averaged 25 points per game this season, which marks the 17th consecutive season he has done so, far and away the most in NBA history and he took to Twitter to talk exactly how he feels about the accomplishment:
Since I was 19 years old! And I’m a pass first guy. Always been. That’s why I’m never mentioned with the greats of scoring huh?? That’s perfect cause I’d rather keep it that way! ????. #ThekidfromAKRON???????? #SFG???? #JamesGang???? #Blessed???????? pic.twitter.com/QGqFFHu3jj
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 17, 2021
James is right in that he doesn’t get mentioned with the likes of Bryant and Michael Jordan as scoring greats even though he has surpassed both on the all-time scoring list. Should James maintain his level next season he has a good chance to pass Karl Malone and move into second on the list as well.
It goes to show the greatness of the rest of James’ game that his scoring ability can be so underrated. It is fair to say that players such as Bryant, Jordan, Durant and others are better pure scorers at their absolute peak, but James’ consistency is unmatched in the history of the NBA and has allowed the pass-first guy to double as one of the greatest scorers in league history.
James cbelieves Stephen Curry is the MVP
Now James must turn his focus towards the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, where he will face off with an old rival in Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. James has a ton of respect for Curry and even went so far as to call him the MVP of the league this year.
“We’re playing in my opinion the MVP of our league this year in Steph so we got to be prepared for everything they have,” James said. “They have championship DNA as well, they’ve been there, they know what it takes and what it feels like to be in pressure games so we got to be ready for that opportunity and for that pressure.”
James knows very well what the Lakers are in store for when playing Curry in a high-pressure situation such as this and the team will have to be focused on the highest level. There wasn’t a lot of belief that Curry could even bring the Warriors to this point and him defying the odds is what has brought about the praise from James.
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