Former NBA Player Drops Harsh Truth Bomb on Lakers’ LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is one of the greatest players in NBA history. No one would deny that. Heck, many even have him placed as high as No. 2 all-time behind Michael Jordan.

At the same time, James has his fair share of detractors. There are some who respect James’ all-around game and definitely feel he is one of the best ever, but also think there are certain aspects that are missing from his repertoire. Particularly when compared to other legendary players.

Former NBA guard Austin Rivers made note of this in a recent podcast episode, stating that while James may be the all-time leading scorer in league history, he isn’t really the smoothest scorer around.

“LeBron’s No. 1, but his game doesn’t match a prototypical scorer,” Rivers said. “It’s also not sexy. LeBron’s game is built on force, sheer will, dedication, his mind, his IQ, the way he is able to dissect and control a game, and power, above anything else. He wills himself to the basket.”

Rivers then went on to contrast James’ offensive skill set with that of Kevin Durant’s, and he doesn’t think the two are all that close when it comes to being able to put the ball in the basket.

“For instance, LeBron has scored more points than Kevin. Kevin can score in a much more variety of ways than LeBron,” Rivers added. “You can argue with a wall, but that’s just the truth. LeBron doesn’t have half the offensive bag that Kevin has.”

Austin Rivers makes a very good point about LeBron James

It’s actually pretty hard to argue with Rivers’ assertion. James is unquestionably a terrific scorer, but his jump shot has always been inconsistent, and he has also never been the greatest free-throw shooter.

Meanwhile, Durant is one of the smoothest bucket-getters ever, owning lifetime 50.2/39.0/88.2 shooting splits. That’s good for a career true-shooting percentage of 62 percent, which is truly remarkable. That’s especially considering Durant’s NBA career began when efficiency and analytics were not necessarily at the forefront of anyone’s mind.

James’ ability to score the basketball is unquestionably mostly based on his physical talents more than his actual offensive skills. His brute strength and otherworldly athleticism has allowed him to become of the most dynamic forces to ever set foot on the hardwood. Meanwhile, Durant’s bag is almost second to none.

Obviously, this does not take anything away from LeBron James’ accomplishments. He will always remain one of the greatest ever. But when it comes to being able to get a basket in a variety of ways, he isn’t quite on the same level as Durant.