Lebron says he could averge 35-40 ppg if he really wanted too

[HoopsFanNumero1]

Really? The guy that scored 8 points in 1 finals game? The guy that averaged something like 2 points in 4th quarters? The guy that went phantom- he was more involved in the offense, and That guy played better?

Stats don't lie. As bad as Lebron played, he was still better than Kobe in '04.

[aj1987]

Combine all of those and it won't even touch 2011.
Oh, and people usually forget this year or give him a pass for it.. but have you actually looked up his stats against the Spurs in his first final appearance? Atrocious.. he even shot below 30%. Look it up.

'00 - 16/5/4 on 41% TS
'01 - 25/8/6 on 50% TS
'04 - 23/3/4 on 46% TS
'08 - 26/5/5 on 50% TS
'10 - 6/24 shooting in Game 7 of the Finals.

Lebron in '11 - 18/7/7 on 54% TS
Lebron in '13 - 25/11/7 on 53% TS

[Trollsmasher]

'04 is easily the worst superstar performance in the history of NBA

I don't really get how many people forgot it.

[EnoughSaid]

If LeBron only focused on scoring night in and night out, I think you can say he'd realistically average around 37 points. Think about it. He averaged 27 and 8. Take those assists and let's say at least half of them resulted in 8 points or more. That's 35 ppg. He could definitely do it.

[3peated]

Not on the Heat. Not with the amount of talent he has on his team, and how they blow teams out.

Not with his current first step, and not as impressive explosion or finishing ability. He gets a ton of points in transition now. Super cherry picks FG attempts.

With his diminished athletic abilities, he plays smarter, but not near as dynamic or explosive. He's never been a guy scoring off incredible footwork, and offensive scoring skill set like MJ showcased at 33, 34, 35, 38, 39 and 40, or Kobe at 32, 33 and 34.

He'd have to chuck, his FG% and efficiency would decrease dramatically. 40 is absolutely out of the question.

LeBron said he could get 35 ppg, which I believe he could plausibly under the right conditions.

Chris Boussard, arguably as big of a LeBron nut gobbler as ISH's own: pauk, NumberSix, RG, secundtonone, KingwillBall, plowking, aj1987, madmax, Hoopenumber1fan ... egged him on to say 40 ppg.

He would not be able to do that, even on a bad team. He just doesn't have the scoring skill set for that, and without his athleticism he had from 2006 - 2010, he's not even coming close.

dude wtf is wrong with you? did u witness a slower and physically broken down lebron that no one else saw?

[ripthekik]

If LeBron only focused on scoring night in and night out, I think you can say he'd realistically average around 37 points. Think about it. He averaged 27 and 8. Take those assists and let's say at least half of them resulted in 8 points or more. That's 35 ppg. He could definitely do it.

basketball doesn't work like that.
When you go all out trying to score, the defense can play you in a way that tries to make you pass all the time and give you no open looks. The really good offensive players like Kobe still manage to score through a variety of moves. Lebron really doesn't have an offensive arsenal, he's like Dwight. Hell, I think something like 30% of his points come off the fastbreak. Kind of how like how dwight scores off putbacks and open dunks.

Point is, if he tries to go all out to score, he'll be easily stopped because the defense will focus on him, and he doesn't have that much footwork, offensive moves to skillfully score.

[SamuraiSWISH]

dude wtf is wrong with you? did u witness a slower and physically broken down lebron that no one else saw?

That's not what I'm saying. His first step in the half court is dramatically slower than pre 2011. His explosion towards the rim in the half court off the dribble is no where near where it once was. Same goes for his leaping ability. That's why we never saw him rise up over Hibbert and dunk, even though he had many chances. You don't see plays like when he posterized the entire Celtics squad anymore. LeBron now requires a full head of steam to get by his man, usually off a pick in order to take them off the dribble, or explode at the rim.

[TheMarkMadsen]

LeBron in 2011- 18\7\7 on 47% shooting
Kobe in 2004- 22\4\4 on 39% shooting.

So basically LeBron was involved in more offence, rebounded better, and was more efficient from the field.

Kobe has never matched LeBrons 2013 Finals Numbers in any of his 7 appearances lol.

Not that this makes Kobe look any better but..

If you really think Lebron in the 11 finals was more INVOLVED in the offense than Kobe in the 04 finals.. Then damn. I question wether you know what you're talking about

[Droid101]

Kobe has never matched LeBrons 2013 Finals Numbers in any of his 7 appearances lol.

Finals?

How about the real Finals of the early 2000's, the Western Conference Finals.

[Hoopz2332]

Lebron could avg 35 easily if he chucked some more. The year kobe avg 35ppg on 27 FGA's lebron avg a shade under 32ppg on 23 FGA's.

[Soundwave]

Averaging over 32 ppg in a season is incredibly exhausting, it's not just as simple as "chucking", you have to work your ass off to get your shot off in the NBA and take punishment getting hacked all the time for free throw attempts.

Over 82 games, it wears on a player, it's simply not that easy to pull off.

[Snoop_Cat]

Seriously? He used to average basically 30 a night for the longest time. He could (even more likely a few years back) certainly average 35 a night at a low 40's % clip.

[LA_Showtime]

That's not what I'm saying. His first step in the half court is dramatically slower than pre 2011. His explosion towards the rim in the half court off the dribble is no where near where it once was. Same goes for his leaping ability. That's why we never saw him rise up over Hibbert and dunk, even though he had many chances. You don't see plays like when he posterized the entire Celtics squad anymore. LeBron now requires a full head of steam to get by his man, usually off a pick in order to take them off the dribble, or explode at the rim.

I just think it's unbelievable how LeBron James is still the best athlete in the NBA and yet he's clearly not the same athlete he was 3-4 years ago. I'm not sure he has what it takes to be the GOAT, but he's definitely got a shot because he's got a body built for longevity.