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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is one of the greatest scorers of all time. He is already the leading scorer in NBA history in regular season and playoff points combined, and he only trails Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone for the regular season record.
Simply put, he wouldn't be able to score more than 36,000 points if he is not a great scorer.
However, why is it that when fans and media personalities alike talk about the greatest scorers of all time, LeBron is barely or never mentioned alongside the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, James Harden and more? The Lakers forward admitted recently that it “pisses” him off he's not even in the conversation among the scoring elites despite everything he has achieved in that department.
“The crazy thing is, I’m not, like, a natural scorer,” James said. “I love getting my guys involved, I’ve always been that way. I’ve always … the point of seeing my teammate succeed off my pass, I’ve always been that type of guy. And to sit at the top of the food chain in the most points scored in the history of the game is like, it’s weird to me. They don’t ever call me … when they talk about the best scorers of all time, they never mention my name.”
Interestingly, after making that confession, James put on a show against the Golden State Warriors and exploded for 56 points. He even banked three straight triples in the fourth to lead the Lakers' comeback win and break their four-game skid. It was definitely a statement game as if he's making a point to prove he can score as many as he wants if he chooses to.
James definitely has a valid argument and every reason to be frustrated why he is not getting the respect he deserves. By just looking at the numbers alone, he should be there in the scoring GOAT debate. However, there are a few reasons as well why he might have been overlooked as a great scorer.
3 Reasons Why LeBron James Is Overlooked As A Great Scorer
3. LeBron James is not a great shooter
LeBron can score at will with his physical tools and basketball IQ, but one major knock on his scoring ability is his shooting prowess. Of course he can get hot from downtown from time to time, but in this day and age where the ability to shoot efficiently from beyond the arc is given more premium and a lot of attention, it's not surprising James falls behind
The Lakers star has never been a great shooter, breaking the 40 percent 3-point shooting mark just once in his career. He is a career 34.8 percent shooter, which is decent but not great by the modern NBA standards.
LeBron had an o/u of 2.5 three-pointers today vs. the Warriors
With his back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers he technically hit the o2.5 3PM in just 1:16. 🤯pic.twitter.com/w54mIxKMq0
— ClutchPoints Betting (@CPBetting) March 6, 2022
One argument against this is that both Kobe and MJ had worse 3-point shooting percentages, but the two basically played in a different era where there wasn't much emphasis to shooting like it is today. If you compare LeBron to Durant, who is often called the best scorer of his generation, KD's ability to score on different levels separates him from James.
2. Just 1 scoring title
James' all-around game might have also played a role in him being underrated and underappreciated as a scorer. As he mentioned, he loves getting his guys involved, but that also comes with sacrificing scoring opportunities.
Take his 56-point performance against the Warriors for example. He definitely showed he can score A LOT, but one other glaring stat is that he only had three assists in the game. Now in the grand scheme of things, had LeBron focused more on scoring, no one could deny his place among the greatest offensive players in the history of the NBA. He could have averaged more than 30 or 35 points in a season after all.
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It is also worth mentioning that most of the best scorers in the NBA have multiple of such scoring explosions, like Jordan who scored over 60 points four different times and Bryant who had 81 points among many others.
LeBron also has only one scoring title in his career, way back in the 2007-08 season when he averaged 30.0 points per contest. It was just his second time to put up over 30 a game, the first one being in 2005-06 when he recorded 31.4 but finished third in overall scoring behind Kobe and Allen Iverson.
The King is now the 4th player to score 50 points past the age of 37. A lot of buckets in this short list 🙌
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Jamal Crawford
Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/RcQ1NHKNDU— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 6, 2022
He has never averaged more than 30 after that campaign and failed to won another scoring title as well. While the award is certainly not a measuring stick, it plays a role on how a player is perceived. If you're not competing for the scoring title yearly, it's easy to forget how great of a scorer you are.
1. He lacks one-on-one moves, relies on athleticism
Perhaps one of the best arguments why LeBron is underrated as a scorer is the way he gets his points. He makes it look easy and effortless with his combination of basketball IQ and athleticism, but that also highlights his lack of moves.
LeBron thrives in transition (like a freight train who attacks straight to the rim without care and regard to the defenses) and off cuts, but he was never really the one-on-one monster who can dominate opponents with a mid-range shot or find his way to the basket with his footwork and other moves. James' way is more efficient, but it doesn't get a lot of fame points in the eyes of the fans.
It's flashy from time to time, especially when LeBron throws down a massive dunk, but a move outsmarting the defense and more “hard-earned” hits differently.
LeBron is great at what he does, but with too much greatness comes higher expectations.
There is no doubt that James should be in the conversation as one of the best scorers in NBA history. He has the numbers to back it up, not to mention his longevity. In 19 years in the NBA, he has never averaged less than 20 points a game. Nonetheless, it is also understandable why some don't see him that great of a scorer, especially with the standards that the previous and current generation have set.
