Max Kellerman: Lebron is a better offensive player than Kevin Durant

[Professor Emeritus]

That's the way a novice thinks

In basketball you need diff weapons to negate the def

So WHY DOESN'T DURANT GET BETTER RESULTS?

Ya'all make up these hypothetical criteria without explaining why they don't match the actual results on the damn court.

* If Durant's supposed "multiple weapons" are so much more lethal, then why was he 4-17 all-time against LeBron until he joined a 73-win team?

* If Durant's supposed "multiple weapons" are so superior, then why does LeBron have 10x as many classic dominant offensive games in the playoffs than Durant has?

Lebron's stats are impressive over the years, but the question you guys need to ask yourself is would he able to average those numbers without being the main ball handler. Give him point guards like Westbrook and Steph and the scoring and assist totals are going down. His shooting would be exposed because his off ball game being not as potent. KD is putting up similar numbers sharing the rock and driving less, which is far more impressive to me. The fact that he still averages a fg percentage at 51% and 41% 3 point % with so few attempts dividing the shots between his self, steph, and klay is outstanding. This is all without him having to dominate the ball. He also average about 5 plus assist and 6 plus rebounds last season effortlessly. He could be a walking triple double if he wanted to be.

You just said that a guy who averages 3.9 assists/game for his career and who has limited distribution skills could be a "walking triple double" if he wanted to be.

And LeBron's off-ball shooting is fantastic. His catch-and-shoot three is a better % than his three off the dribble, and he's deadly from the corner. The only problem is that outside of Wade he's never really had a teammate that could create shots for the rest of the team. When Wade was there LeBron was deadly off-ball. This is from 2013:

James spends a surprising amount of time in the right corner, a spot usually reserved for spot-up shooters like Battier or Rashard Lewis. LeBron says, “Our offense puts me in the right corner sometimes; in one of our sets I’m kind of in the right corner, or I’m running in transition and D-Wade is handling the ball so I’m kind of giving him space.” Although the sample remains small, James is hitting an obnoxious 53 percent of his shots from that right corner. The league’s most overqualified spot-up shooter is hitting those shots at an elite rate and providing yet another way for his team to succeed.

The Evolution of King James

He got even better the next year, making a ridiculous 57% of his threes from both corners in 2014. Overall for his career LeBron is a 40% shooter on corner threes. Also, nearly half of his threes for his career are assisted, as are about 30% of his dunks, so the idea that he never plays off-ball is just dumb. He's just typically been on teams where the team's best chance to win was to give LeBron the ball.

 

[Methodical]

Max better stick to the boxing.

 

[TheNig]

So if LeBron needs the "right pieces" to be effective, then why has he been effective with such a variety of lineups? And why has Durant only been effective with stacked teams?

Becuz he was in the East...

 

[IllmaticDelta]

When KD played iso ball against Hou his efficiency took a huge dip


Lebron whole game is iso ball and his efficiency = Durant’s in a system where he can legit only can shoot good shots within the offense

It’s just like when Bron was in Mia. It’s a luxury to be able to lay in the cut

a point many people are missing...if you look at their scoring from last season, lebron is way more eff in raw fg% while not being nearly as assisted as durant is. Lebron is basically getting buckets for dolo against set defenses that are geared in on him while durant is getting freebies against scrambling defenses (trying to stop curry)

we can go back to KD's mvp season and see a similar trend although not as drastic as now

...coach nick mentioned this 2 years ago when he analized the three's lebron takes and makes vs the ones durant and melo take and make

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Becuz he was in the East...

So LeBron's 17-4 lifetime record against Durant until Durant joined a 73-win team had to do with LeBron being in the East?

And both LeBron and Durant have slightly better career stats against the West than against the East. Over the last 15 years the East has had more of the elite defenses than the West has, while the West has more of the elite offenses.

Besides, LeBron has more epic, memorable games against the West in the Finals alone than Durant has in his entire playoff career.

 

[Osmosis]

. Watch Bron's postseason this last season on the talent deficient Cavs. KD would not be able to replicate that production.

 

[Dwight Howard]

Lebron's stats are impressive over the years, but the question you guys need to ask yourself is would he able to average those numbers without being the main ball handler. Give him point guards like Westbrook and Steph and the scoring and assist totals are going down. His shooting would be exposed because his off ball game being not as potent. KD is putting up similar numbers sharing the rock and driving less, which is far more impressive to me. The fact that he still averages a fg percentage at 51% and 41% 3 point % with so few attempts dividing the shots between his self, steph, and klay is outstanding. This is all without him having to dominate the ball. He also average about 5 plus assist and 6 plus rebounds last season effortlessly. He could be a walking triple double if he wanted to be.

Someone gets it

 

[DillaTUDE]

When KD was going up against the Clippers, Spurs, Mavericks, Grizzlies, et al. in the West, who was LeBron facing in the East?

Once he's retired and the dust has finally settled, people are really going to have sit back and reflect on his career objectively, look at some of the names on these teams he was racking up these wins and "dominant all-time playoff performances" against ('11 76er, '13 Bucks, '14 Hornets, etc.) and really have a serious discussion about whether his run in the East was truly that impressive.

Even some of the "legit" competition he faced during 8-year run looks real shaky ('11 Bulls, '13 Pacers, '14 Nets, '15 Hawks) when comparing them with the teams that KD faced in the West at the same time.

 

[DillaTUDE]

You are deflecting...make him beat you from in between was the Spurs blueprint & it works against him & his team hence shooting 36% outside of 3 ft

You didn't answer the question. Does he make the Finals 8 straight times in the West?

This is a legit question that never gets answered. Those teams in the West are whole different breed than the '11 Bulls, '13 Pacers, '15 Hawks, '18 Celtics. Once he retires his opposition in the East during his eight-year run is going to come under some serious scrutiny.

 

[GoddamnyamanProf]

Shame on you for thinking you were actually deserving of an actual rebuttal.

You ain't shyt.

Facts dont care about your emotions, casual. Run along.

 

[GoddamnyamanProf]

When KD was going up against the Clippers, Spurs, Mavericks, Grizzlies, et al. in the West, who was LeBron facing in the East?

Once he's retired and the dust has finally settled, people are really going to have sit back and reflect on his career objectively, look at some of the names on these teams he was racking up these wins and "dominant all-time playoff performances" against ('11 76er, '13 Bucks, '14 Hornets, etc.) and really have a serious discussion about whether his run in the East was truly that impressive.

Even some of the "legit" competition he faced during 8-year run looks real shaky ('11 Bulls, '13 Pacers, '14 Nets, '15 Hawks) when comparing them with the teams that KD faced in the West at the same time.

Prepare to be very frustrated and bitter if you think this is gonna be the discussion when Bron retires

 

[dave]

1-on-1 = KD
5-on-5 = LJ

 

[TheNig]

So LeBron's 17-4 lifetime record against Durant until Durant joined a 73-win team had to do with LeBron being in the East?

And both LeBron and Durant have slightly better career stats against the West than against the East. Over the last 15 years the East has had more of the elite defenses than the West has, while the West has more of the elite offenses.

Besides, LeBron has more epic, memorable games against the West in the Finals alone than Durant has in his entire playoff career.

Better than any LeBron Finals moment.

 

[TheNig]

Facts dont care about your emotions, casual. Run along.

The Suns sorry. LeBron on the Lakers and the Warriors gone 3 peat on yo ass.

You're an NBA season away from suicide.

 

[TheNig]

. Watch Bron's postseason this last season on the talent deficient Cavs. KD would not be able to replicate that production.

That's becuz KD would have found a way to make it work with Wade, Rose, and Thomas.