Is LeBron really a better passer than mj?

[Bronbron23]

On it's face I realize that this looks troll worthy but bare with me. Lebron is basically a ball dominant point gaurd that has his teams running everything through him. mj was a 2 gaurd that played in the triangle. Shouldn't he average more than 7 assists a game? He should get way more than 2 assists more a game than mj who was a 2 gaurd. he actually gets a little less than 2 more and it's closer to only one more in the playoffs. Even Westbrook and harden who are just average passers get more assists than lebron when playing the same ball dominant style.

When mj played a similar role in 89 for a quarter of the season he almost averaged a tripple double for those games and ended up with 8 assists per game for the year. It's safe to say if mj played that style his whole career he could of easily kept those numbers up or close to it.

So is LeBron actually a better passer or is it just that he's a point gaurd playing a ball dominant style which leads to more opportunities to get more assists?

[MrFonzworth]

Yes. Tl;dr.

[knicksman]

if youre insecure, you care about stats.

[sdot_thadon]

No Op, Mj's 11 game stretch where he averaged a triple double is irrefutable proof

Sarcasm aside, can we really classify a guy who averages 27 ppg for his career a pg in the same way we do guys who average 15-20? He's not a traditional pg at all. With your user name I'd figure you've seen enough game of his to know that his teammates can't always convert their opportunities, no one can. I'm sure he's created more easy opportunities for his teammates than Mj ever did that's the difference more than any stat can paint.

[StrongLurk]

Is Jordan really a better scorer than Lebron? Jordan really just shot the ball more per game

[Jasper]

ok enough of this boy shlt.
I saw both players play.

Mj took majority of shots and when the shot was not there he found the open guy.

Lebron see's the whole floor , so he might be the 2nd or 3rd pass to an assist , but he is the ultimate creator... seeing how everything will create.

Players as well as scouts have stated that Lebron is one of the smartest players in the history of the game.

MJ is the goat because of his offensive shot as well as his defense.

** I still feel that if Lebron would of stayed in one place / he would of had more titles.
** I still feel if MJ did not go to baseball , he would of won 9 titles.

[superduper]

if youre insecure, you care about stats.

/thread

[PP34Deuce]

ok enough of this boy shlt.
I saw both players play.

Mj took majority of shots and when the shot was not there he found the open guy.

Lebron see's the whole floor , so he might be the 2nd or 3rd pass to an assist , but he is the ultimate creator... seeing how everything will create.

Players as well as scouts have stated that Lebron is one of the smartest players in the history of the game.

MJ is the goat because of his offensive shot as well as his defense.

** I still feel that if Lebron would of stayed in one place / he would of had more titles.
** I still feel if MJ did not go to baseball , he would of won 9 titles.

THIS. MJ is very good passer but usually did it as a bail out or when he didn't have a shot.

Lebron passes: high post, low post, transition, drive and kick, etc....

[bizil]

I would say Bron is the better passer. For starters, he's a pass first player. Not as pass first as PG's like a Magic, Zeke, Stockton, Nash, Kidd, etc. But still looks to pass first. And from there, the passes with flair or passing guys open makes Bron and Bird the top passing forwards ever.

BUT among SG's or score first type players, MJ is among the best passers of all time. Most of today's PG's ACTUALLY think more like MJ, Kobe, and AI than they do pass first PG's. Which is being dominant scorers WHO ALSO have elite floor general skills. They just do it from a score first mindset.

BUT with these types of players, they aren't the passers/floor generals that Bron and the legendary pass first PG's are. Some guys are great passers, but can ALSO be great scorers. That's Bron. Some guys are great scorers, but can ALSO be great passers. That's MJ. The ONLY THING they really have in common is being true total packages in terms of freak athletic ability, scoring, passing, rebounding their position, and defense. BUT their body types and approach are TOTALLY opposite of each other.

[Phoenix]

BUT among SG's or score first type players, MJ is among the best passers of all time. Most of today's PG's ACTUALLY think more like MJ, Kobe, and AI than they do pass first PG's. Which is being dominant scorers WHO ALSO have elite floor general skills. They just do it from a score first mindset.

Modern rules facilitate your PG being a prime offensive weapon for your team now and it being in your teams best interests more often than not. They really 'think' that way because the game has become that way so the players are just following suite with the times. Rockets with Harden( he's basically a combo guard at this point). Warriors with Steph. OKC with Westbrook. Kyrie with Boston. Lillard with Portland. Of course, there's a few top teams that don't have elite 25ppg + PGs but most of the successful teams now feature that kind of player running the show.

[bizil]

Modern rules facilitate your PG being a prime offensive weapon for your team now and it being in your teams best interests more often than not. They really 'think' that way because the game has become that way so the players are just following suite with the times. Rockets with Harden( he's basically a combo guard at this point). Warriors with Steph. OKC with Westbrook. Kyrie with Boston. Lillard with Portland. Of course, there's a few top teams that don't have elite 25ppg + PGs but most of the successful teams now feature that kind of player running the show.

I agree! It's puts so much damn pressure on a defense. And it's evolution of the position quite frankly. There have always been combo guards in NBA history. But as u stated, the rules make having a dominant score first PG in today's game a premium type thing. PG's like CP3 and Simmons are the exception to the rule in today's game.

[sd3035]

MJ would have averaged at least 12 assists playing Lebron ball

Lebron is a poor man's James Harden when it comes to passing

[bizil]

Some posters are missing the point!! It's NOT ABOUT the number of assists! It's about the MENTALITY that's the difference a lot of the time. Bron and MJ ARE BOTH great passers for their positions! But's Bron floor vision AND pass first nature give him the edge in terms of passing. Westbrook and Harden HAVE PROVEN u can average 10 assists a night from a score first mindest. But do u ACTUALLY think they are just as good or better passers than a Magic, Kidd, or Stockton???

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

I used to say he was, but that's mainly due to volume (number of assists, willing to pass etc).

Technicality as a passer? They're equal imo. MJ is actually underrated as a passer. Most people talk about his scoring and defense, and rightfully so. His passing helped mold the triangle offense though. The triangle also neutered his cumulative totals.

Without a structured offense and 'free reign'? You saw the x/y/z stats Jordan put up. Checkout the 88 and 89 seasons. Doug Collins basically let Mike do whatever he wanted.

[jstern]

Jordan's team seem to average more assists, near the top of the league, while with Lebron's dominant style they're usually in the middle, or closer to last in the league.