introduced the 3-pointer in the 1979-80 season, halfway through Abdul-Jabbars career. Theyll survive in the playoffs as long as their relentless superstar does. The next big decision for James is what is he going to do this offseason. So whats the solution? Abdul-Jabbar hit just one 3-pointer in his career. But James, with 38,390 points, has broken Abdul-Jabbars record at 38 years old, an age long after most players are done scoring any points, much less the 30.2 points per game James is averaging this season. This model was so popular among youngsters that it spurred on an entire generation of imitators. About 70 percent of Abdul-Jabbars made shots were 2-pointers, with 30 percent free throws. Gambling problem? With the game on the line, James outshines even Durant. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. It wasnt until Scottie Pippen matured and Jordan developed his mid-range game that Chicago started reeling off NBA titles. But he never tried more than three in a single season and he made only one: in 1986-87. And as he inches closer to Abdul-Jabbars record, he would like to be thought of as someone who found ways to grow to reach it. 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. If LeBron James had the mid-range game of MJ or Kobe, hed be the best basketball player who has ever graced planet Earth. 3. 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. LeBron James: 35.5 percent from three, 36.9 percent from mid-range. James is ninth in career 3-pointers after relying more on long-range shooting as he aged (its usually easier on the body) and as 3-pointers soared in popularity. TRB% since 1970-71. LeBron, though, is still having a great season and were it weren't for a certain someone who plays for the Warriors and wears No. In the Finals, James averages over five more points than Abdul-Jabbar with a whopping 8-1 advantage in 40-point games. For as dominant as Chamberlain was during the regular season, his scoring average went down in the playoffs in each of his 13 trips to the playoffs. -Follow ESNY - Elite Sports NY on Google News to keep up with the latest New York sports news. And when he's harder to defend, so are the Cavs. On NBA 2K23, this All-Time Version of LeBron James' 2K Rating is 96 and has a 2-Way Inside-Out Point Forward Build. Lakers vs. Warriors: Second-round scouting report, prediction Brooks shot 3-of-15 and 2-of-10 on 3s in Game 5, continuing a disturbing trend through the series. James doesnt do it the mid-range way. MORE: MJ vs. LeBron career stats in G.O.A.T. In four games, LeBron has played a safe game and relied heavily on the contributions of his teammates. Deposit bonus requires 25x play-thru. While he cooled off a bit, he still hit 49.6 percent (5.5 attempts per game) in the playoffs, a clip few players have been able to match this regular season. I do know, just being around daily, seeing him being locked in and playing at a level that a lot of people dont really expect him to play at at his age, to see it firsthand, its something I can learn from as I continue to get older in this league and find ways to be able to be effective, Westbrook said. His inefficiency could unlock a ton of chances for the squad to start making an impact in Game 5. His career averages (27.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 7.4 apg) closely mirror every year of his career with only minor deviations. They got to talk about something. It ties his sixth-highest mark. a mid-range jumper, For all of Harden's playoff warts, it's tough to argue against his brutally efficient isolation scoring. Perhaps this shouldnt be overly surprising. This takes a physical toll, particularly when defenses are sending help in the paint. Duncan Robinson caps off the top five with 76.5%. Table showing the scoring totals for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lebron James, broken down by type of shot. Quarter. Debating the King's case amongst the NBA's all-time great bucket getters, MJ vs. LeBron career stats in G.O.A.T. This is what you play an entire season for.. He gets the final spot over the likes of Tracy McGrady, Stephen Curry and Bob Pettit thanks to four scoring titles during an era rich with talented scorers. LeBron James averages for the NBA season and Playoffs, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and other categories, year by year and career numbers. WebTRB since 1950-51. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Some of the strategy is because teams in the 21st century use analytics to determine the most probable way to score the most points, typically with 3-pointers or dunks. Looking at James shot charts from those seasons, its difficult to recognize them as the same player. Jenkins changed his rotation, going away entirely from reserve forward David Roddy. Web4/30 It seemed as though the Warriors had all the momentum after winning three straight games to go ahead 3-2 in their first-round series against Sacramento, LeBron James, Michael Jordan. Memphis needs two more wins to become just the 14th team in NBA history to win a series after trailing, 3-1. Shot Clock Range. Jamess made shots have been 53 percent 2-pointers, 10 percent 3-pointers and 36 percent free throws. star, said James can do some of everything. Should the Los Angeles Lakers panic over their playoff situation? Like KD, Iceman won three straight scoring titles and four in five seasons. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant gets past Lakers forward LeBron James for a layup in Game 5 during the first half of Game 5 on Wednesday night in Memphis. Joe Vardon is a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, based in Cleveland. Eligibility restrictions apply. He shares that durability, plus creativity and talent, with Abdul-Jabbar, who played from 1969 to 1989. Some stats were available earlier in the ABA. We were told we wont be here in the first place, said Lakers coach Darvin Ham, whose team is the No. See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. James, with the good timing of being able to start this journey at 18 years old, is still proving every day just how much he has left, scoring 40 points on several nights this season and almost reaching 50 in a January game against Houston. James and the Lakers were getting avalanched. Tonight I was s, NBA playoff results: Jimmy Butler makes Heat history, LeBron James makes the tough shots. To finish off a comeback in this series, the Memphis Grizzlies are going to need a lot more of it. In every year of his career since 2004, James has averaged no fewer than 25 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Leslie described James as the most dominant point guard, two-guard, small forward and power forward all in one because of his size, speed, explosiveness and overall basketball I.Q. While people expect LeBron to take Dillon Brooks down the paint to put him on a poster, the chances of that happening is highly unlikely. And I kind of just relayed that same message to him tonight. Before you stop reading, this isnt another essay about how three is greater than two, the mid-range is dead, and the analytics are always right. He is a University of Maryland alum. 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.. Whos number one then? He has won the Rookie of the Year award, 4 MVP awards, 4 Finals MVP awards and 4 NBA championships. No other than His Airness Michael Jordan. Few 3-pointers were taken in the N.B.A. And on the biggest stage, Jordan always grabbed the Bulls by the horns as he led Chicago outright in scoring in 32 of his 35 NBA Finals games. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. 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. Is this just a blip driven by small sample size, or has LeBron struggled from the mid-range the last few years as well? The Lakers will only go as far as ageless wonder LeBron James takes them. Now that you've seen the cases laid out for five of the greatest ever, who is actually on top? No one has been able to consistently replicate his shot. Remember last year, when Anthony Davis turned into a mid-range assassin for the Lakers in the playoffs? While the 9-year veteran is a better shooter than this number suggests (33.0 percent a year ago), hes never proven himself to be a reliable long-range threat. 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. 10 scoring titles to one speaks for itself as does the all-time mark in both the regular season and playoffs. Where would LeBron go if he wanted to own the mid-range a la Kobe/MJ/KD? Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes)/MA/MD/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OH/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. 2. Hes not doing it by scoring 12 points a night and just hanging on, said Philadelphia 76ers Coach Doc Rivers, adding, Its just an extraordinary record and its an extraordinary way that hes gone about it., Of the top 250 scorers, share of each players made shots that were , How LeBron James Outscored Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and All the N.B.A. After Game 2 when I played like crap, I had my head down and he was telling me to keep my head up. So to get to see LeBron throughout his whole career and to be able to surpass someone like Kareem, whos more of a symbol of freedom for the United States of America, I mean, its saying something.. The Grizzlies staved off elimination in this first-round series by handling James and the Los Angeles Lakers, 116-99, in Game 5 on Wednesday behind 33 points from Desmond Bane. Click here to skip down to our full list of the top 15 greatest scorers in NBA history. Then known as Lew Alcindor, Abdul-Jabbar first spent four years at U.C.L.A., where he was one of the most dominant college basketball players in the country across three varsity seasons. 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. Buck Williams.5872: 58. Throughout his career, he has adapted his game to become a proficient scorer from 3-point range, mid-range and at the rim. It didnt seem like anyone could. 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. The man has proved his entire career he can score in spades. Can you name the 4 other players to do this more than 5 times? Among 219 players (min. By Half. In 17 regular season contests, he averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game while hitting 48.4 percent of his shots overall and 41.4 percent of his attempts from 3-point range. Davis started the postseason hitting an absurd 25-41 (61.0 percent) of his mid-range attempts. LeBron James jogged backward, lips pursed after another jumper rattled in and then bounced out. James had a head start on catching Abdul-Jabbar because he was drafted out of high school, which wasnt allowed in Abdul-Jabbars day. GS since 1981-82. It is what it is. Coach: Port Jervis (NY) High School. In 1984, when he broke the career scoring record, then held by Wilt Chamberlain, another former Lakers star, he did so with a sky hook. Ja Morant recovered from his rough Game 4 with 31 points on 13-of-26 shooting, 10 rebounds and seven assists. He couldnt stop it. His poor shooting the Lakers are essentially leaving him open, thus clogging the lane didnt hurt the Grizzlies on Wednesday. While his efficiency on threes (35.4%) is a little down from his percentage 10 years ago (36.2%), it makes sense that James averages would level out now that hes taking more than three times as many 3-point attempts (7.9 per game). That's not a very efficient way to distribute shots for a player who is best playing downhill. I've already broken down my thoughts on the top five but here are some quick hitters on the rest of the top 15. We are the original Soulmate Sketch and have been featured on TV, so you can expect high quality work from a real psychic with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. None of these changes were sudden. SEO: XL Media. He hasnt officiallyopted out of next year with the Cavs but that is the exception. He's also taking six percent fewer threes (excluding corner threes, where his percentages are roughly the same) than he did last year. Even if these shots have been inefficient, how much damage can roughly three shots per game really do? Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra once said of James: I just think you can book it every year 27, 8 and 7. You have the most points scored ever, youre the best basketball player to ever touch the court.. (Credit to NBA.com and basketball-reference for statistics and House of Highlights for GIF). 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. The result has been that LeBron is shooting 51 percent from the field, although his true shooting percentage has roughly stayed the game. They got within 12 with four minutes to go, but by then, James was on the bench and the rest of the Lakers were gassed. Your login session has expired. Of the 29 players, only one Julius Randle is actually shooting a better percentage from three than the midrange (41.7, 40.8), but some arent too far off. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Should he really stop taking them? When Abdul-Jabbar was 38, he was in just his 17th professional season. First and foremost, erase any notion that you may have about Kobe being a better scorer than LeBron. Robby Sabo is a co-founder, CEO and credentialed New York Jets content creator for Jets X-Factor - Jet X, which includes Sabo's Sessions (in-depth film breakdowns) and Sabo with the Jets. Bane hit his first shot, a mid-range jumper, to start the first quarter and fittingly ended it with a three, giving him 14 points in the quarter. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500(VA). Ja Morant, the guy the Lakers couldnt stop in Game 3, attacked and told them they were too small.. Its an interesting time to be a Los Angeles Lakers fan.
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