Can LeBron be an effective scorer once he ages?

[franchise3]

Once again, it's Lakers fans who bring up numbers and say Lebron hasn't improved his game.

Like I said on page 2 or whatever, these same Lakers fans will look at two years ago Kobe's stats, and last years MVP Kobe's stats, see the exact samestats pretty much, but, will swear how 'Kobe is a different player now.'

But when it comes to Bron, from his rookie year until now, 'He's the same player, and once his athleticism wears off, its a wrap because he doesn'thave a j, post up game, etc.'

People forget dude is so young, and they act like he can't work on things and further improve his game. Like dude above me somewhere said, unlike Kobeearly on, Lebron has had to carry his team from jump street.

Abd he's still dominating the L.

 

[jsindaa]

1 I didn't bring up numbers
2 I never said Kobe is a different player based on his stats ever. He's always been this type of player...he just hasn't had the teammates(this is postShaq era)
3 I never said Bron hasn't improved at all....nor did I say he can't. I also didn't say he wasn't dominating.

You can't look at a career year...this is EASILY his best year so far....and say oh he's improving. If he had been showing that steady improvement overthe course of his career leading up to this....ok I'd agree. But when you have been showing a steady decline and all the sudden have a breakoutyear....usually doesn't mean more of the same is going to continue. Furthermore, in general, improvements more than likely won't show in stats. Anyonewatching Bron play should be able to tell he's improved on his already ridiculous ability to drive and finish. But as far as adding other aspects to hisscoring game...hasn't happened yet. Which is why the question was even posed in the first place. Wade has carried his team on his back and we've seenimprovements on his offensive game. Melo, sans the last couple years, had to carry his team on his back...and we've seen improvements on his offensivegame. So carrying your team isn't an excuse. It's great that he can dominate now with the game he has but for a continued career of dominance he'sgot to address the holes in his game. Of course because it's LeBron it's a sin to suggest that he has holes in his game. He's 24 so yea he hasplenty of time to improve but if he hasn't by now....whats to definitively say he will? Most of the time this far in a career you KNOW what you are goingto get from a player.

 

[starbury03]

You tell me..

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

He'll have to lose weight at some point though to remain effective

This caught me.

I've seen a couple guys mention his weight before, why is that? Dude is like 4% body fat right? Why the worry over his weight?

 

[CP1708]

RUDOLPH1996 wrote:

03-04	CLE	79	3122	622-1492	.417	63-217	.290	347-460	.754	130	58	273	99	333	432	465	1654
04-05	CLE	80	3388	795-1684	.472	108-308	.351	477-636	.750	177	52	262	111	477	588	577	2175
05-06	CLE	79	3361	875-1823	.480	127-379	.335	601-814	.738	123	66	260	75	481	556	521	2478
06-07	CLE	78	3190	772-1621	.476	99-310	.319	489-701	.698	125	55	250	83	443	526	470	2132
07-08	CLE	75	3027	794-1642	.484	113-359	.315	549-771	.712	138	81	255	133	459	592	539	2250
08-09	CLE	81	3054	789-1613	.489	132-384	.344	594-762	.780	137	93	241	106	507	613	587	2304
		G	MIN	FG	FG%	3P	3P%	FT	FT%	STL	BLK	TO	OFF	DEF	TOT	AST	PTS
Totals		472	19142	4647-9875	.471	642-1957	.328	3057-4144	.738	830	405	1541	607	2700	3307	3159	12993

Damn, 13K already.

That is just absurd.

3 grand assists and boards already as well.

His final stats are going to be just insane to look at. People gonna print them things off and frame em on their walls.

 

[bigmike23]

Originally Posted by CP1708

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

He'll have to lose weight at some point though to remain effective

This caught me.

I've seen a couple guys mention his weight before, why is that? Dude is like 4% body fat right? Why the worry over his weight?

u think when he loses a few steps and gets older he can carry that weight tho?

 

[prinse3]

I really wonder if some of you guys actually watch hoops. Get your League pass on MAMBA MVP.

It is OBVIOUS how much lebron has improved since he came into the league. He has made major strides in his shooting this year even compared to last year. Butwait im sure ur more knowledgable than vangundy and hubie brown and ACTUAL respected analysts who have been praising his improvement

**** stan

 

[outacontrol music]

Jordan's first 6 years in the League

.508 FG%

31.5 PPG

.217 3pt FG%

Kobe's first 6 years in the League

.451 FG%

19.8 PPG

.309 3pt FG%


LeBron's first 6 years in the League

.471 FG%

27.5 PPG

.328 3pt FG%


LeBron will get better.


And it will be scary.

 

[hampisaboss]

Bron will be cool
Smh for people thinking that he hasn't improved

 

[jsindaa]

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

Jordan's first 6 years in the League

.508 FG%

31.5 PPG

.217 3pt FG%

Kobe's first 6 years in the League

.451 FG%

19.8 PPG

.309 3pt FG%


LeBron's first 6 years in the League

.471 FG%

27.5 PPG

.382 3pt FG%

LeBron will get better.


And it will be scary.



Where did you get 38% from???

 

[bigmike23]

its 32% for lebron not 38%

 

[outacontrol music]

Originally Posted by JsindaA

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

Jordan's first 6 years in the League

.508 FG%

31.5 PPG

.217 3pt FG%

Kobe's first 6 years in the League

.451 FG%

19.8 PPG

.309 3pt FG%


LeBron's first 6 years in the League

.471 FG%

27.5 PPG

.382 3pt FG%

LeBron will get better.


And it will be scary.

Where did you get 38% from???



My bad, that's his career ASG percentage


His regular career # is .328

My dyslexia...

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by Bigmike23

Originally Posted by CP1708

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

He'll have to lose weight at some point though to remain effective

This caught me.

I've seen a couple guys mention his weight before, why is that? Dude is like 4% body fat right? Why the worry over his weight?

u think when he loses a few steps and gets older he can carry that weight tho?

Ok, I see what you're sayin. But it's not like he's gonna turn into Shawn Kemp or anything like that.

So at age 28-29, what is the ideal weight he should be at? He's what, 270 right now?

 

[theyoungestgun]

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

Jordan's first 6 years in the League

.508 FG%

31.5 PPG

.217 3pt FG%

Kobe's first 6 years in the League

.451 FG%

19.8 PPG

.309 3pt FG%


LeBron's first 6 years in the League

.471 FG%

27.5 PPG

.328 3pt FG%

LeBron will get better.


And it will be scary.





that's just a lame comparison... we all know jordan dunked more his first few seasons, so why are you comparing field goal percentage?

 

[outacontrol music]

Originally Posted by TheYoungestGun

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

Jordan's first 6 years in the League

.508 FG%

31.5 PPG

.217 3pt FG%

Kobe's first 6 years in the League

.451 FG%

19.8 PPG

.309 3pt FG%


LeBron's first 6 years in the League

.471 FG%

27.5 PPG

.328 3pt FG%

LeBron will get better.


And it will be scary.

that's just a lame comparison... we all know jordan dunked more his first few seasons, so why are you comparing field goal percentage?


What's your point?


I'm just showing that 6 years in LeBron's jumper is better than people think and there is room for improvement.


Just as Mike and Kobe improved their outside game who's to say LBJ cannot?

Natural progression fellas, and LeBron is ahead of the curve.

 

[cb94]

Originally Posted by kobe82410

Originally Posted by mogzz04

LOL he'll be fine. Y'all dudes talk like Bron doesn't have the work ethic to work on his game.

We've already seen him expand his repertoire..what makes you think he'll just suddenly stop working on his game and improving?

what do you mean hes expaned his repertiore?

statistically, he hasn't changed since his sophomore season

I mean, you can't get much better than "damn near the best".... cut him some slack

 

[jdb1523]

I think he's at the ideal weight right now. He can bowl people over on the dribble-drive and bang in the post. No reason to add/lose any. If anything, andonce his midrange game develops, I can really see him playing PF. I have no idea how this guy is going to age, whether he'll naturally gain MORE weight orwhat, but I do see LeBron playing until he's 35 or 36 easy, and that's utilizing his body coupled with a midrange game and/or post game. Oh ya...andhe's got plenty of time to do it.

What baffles me is that people are ARGUING in here as if they can read the future. I'm not saying he's the GOAT by any means or any $+%$ like that, butthe fact of the matter is that at 24 years old, as the league MVP, nobody even remotely knows how good he can be. Even if he retires at 33 he's still got 9years of improving his skills. 9 $*!%$*$ years. How can you tell somebody they're wrong when predicting the future?

 

[AIR J XIII]

�

JD617 wrote:

---

I always laugh when this topic comes up. Do you guys realize that when MJ was 24 years old, the highest 3P% he ever had in a season was 18%? That was his HIGHEST. MJ was FAR from a complete offensive player at 24. He relied heavily on his athleticism and ability to get to the basket just like Bron does now. I'll be absolutely shocked if Bron doesn't develop a midrange game and post game and more consistent outside shooting by the time he starts to lose his athleticism. He's gonna be fine.

Somehow, MJ's ability to kill teams from the outside later in his career has led to this silly misconception that early on he couldn't shoot.If you go and watch games from his first 4 seasons (Air Ship through the Fire Red IIIs against the cavs/pistons on '8, you will see that even at 21-24years old, he had a jump shot�and�that a SOLID percentage of his points came�from�mid-range jumpers.
Highlights from Mike 3rd season in whichhe turned 24 halfway into.

 

[mister friendly]

Lebron will be fine when he ages. His basketball IQ is off the charts so he'll still find a ways to effective on the offensive end well into his 30s.

 

[rudolph1996]

Originally Posted by JsindaA

1 I didn't bring up numbers
2 I never said Kobe is a different player based on his stats ever. He's always been this type of player...he just hasn't had the teammates(this is post Shaq era)
3 I never said Bron hasn't improved at all....nor did I say he can't. I also didn't say he wasn't dominating.

You can't look at a career year...this is EASILY his best year so far....and say oh he's improving. If he had been showing that steady improvement over the course of his career leading up to this....ok I'd agree. But when you have been showing a steady decline and all the sudden have a breakout year....usually doesn't mean more of the same is going to continue. Furthermore, in general, improvements more than likely won't show in stats. Anyone watching Bron play should be able to tell he's improved on his already ridiculous ability to drive and finish. But as far as adding other aspects to his scoring game...hasn't happened yet. Which is why the question was even posed in the first place. Wade has carried his team on his back and we've seen improvements on his offensive game. Melo, sans the last couple years, had to carry his team on his back...and we've seen improvements on his offensive game. So carrying your team isn't an excuse. It's great that he can dominate now with the game he has but for a continued career of dominance he's got to address the holes in his game. Of course because it's LeBron it's a sin to suggest that he has holes in his game. He's 24 so yea he has plenty of time to improve but if he hasn't by now....whats to definitively say he will? Most of the time this far in a career you KNOW what you are going to get from a player.

The only thing in this rant worth mentioning...

I can clearly recall ( but not on NT.) folks questioning Kobe and MJ at this age and saying the same thing about limitations, areas of improvement.... they didpretty well as they got to 28,29,30... ect.

And, as someone else said... Bron will have the eye popn stats when it is said and done... He will be judged by championshipS that are won or not.

 

[uter zorker]

at people criticizing Lebron's game. Dude is already the best,even added some defense, statistically he can only get SO much better

 

[knightngale]

Originally Posted by RUDOLPH1996

Originally Posted by knightngale

Originally Posted by nyk buc

umm, i see him taking more jumpers year by year so he understands the importance of it. he's taking 5 3s a game so he's slowly making his game more perimeter to save his body for the wear and tear that will come as he goes through his career.

and his jumper IS getting better. his range IS getting farther. kobe wasn't really a great shooter until he was 5 years into the L, although he was a better shooter than lebron from the start.

and i don't see his athletic ability declining anytime soon, unlike for most. dude works hard, and he's a genetic freak. when he gets older, i'm sure his post game is more refined and by then, he's still bigger and faster than most at his position.

don't worry, dude will have a long dominant career till like 32-33, then play PG on a very good team until he retires at the age of 35-37.

Kobe already had a legendary jumper by age 24...that was during his 9 game 40 point streak
lebron is not even close

U act like Kobe shot ALL JUMPERS during that streak???? %#%%+. Kobe was not carrying his team his first 5 years in the league and could polish his
game


Fact is Bron is some 50lbs bigger than Kobe... and is not a guard.
He had improved and will continue to improve.


for the stat folks...

03-04	CLE	79	3122	622-1492	.417	63-217	.290	347-460	.754	130	58	273	99	333	432	465	1654
04-05	CLE	80	3388	795-1684	.472	108-308	.351	477-636	.750	177	52	262	111	477	588	577	2175
05-06	CLE	79	3361	875-1823	.480	127-379	.335	601-814	.738	123	66	260	75	481	556	521	2478
06-07	CLE	78	3190	772-1621	.476	99-310	.319	489-701	.698	125	55	250	83	443	526	470	2132
07-08	CLE	75	3027	794-1642	.484	113-359	.315	549-771	.712	138	81	255	133	459	592	539	2250
08-09	CLE	81	3054	789-1613	.489	132-384	.344	594-762	.780	137	93	241	106	507	613	587	2304
		G	MIN	FG	FG%	3P	3P%	FT	FT%	STL	BLK	TO	OFF	DEF	TOT	AST	PTS
Totals		472	19142	4647-9875	.471	642-1957	.328	3057-4144	.738	830	405	1541	607	2700	3307	3159	12993

^ The highted areas shows that his game is improving.... and will get better//

most of his shots were ridiculous jumpers
I think it is safe to say that 80+% of his shots were jumpers

did you even watch those games?

ONCE AGAIN, LEBRON IS NOT EVEN CLOSE WHEN IT COMES TO OUTSIDE SHOOTING AT THE SAME AGE

 

[irishbaz]

Lebrons jumper is fine, his 3 point jumpers are effortless cus he's just so strong. I reckon he will lead the upcoming generation of NBA players now thatVC/Dunkan/KG/TMAC/SHAQ are getting on in years.

I just hope he dosent relay too much on his power/strength cus that can slow you down a lot as you get older, I think that's one of the things that Kobehas controlled well, he never really got too big and was more cardio fit than weight room fit.

I remember LJ his final years was having a lot of back problems cus he was carrying weight/muscle his whole career and it eventually caught up with him. Now imnot making any comparison here as a lot of NBA players have been heavy their entire career and had still kept fit Karl Malone comes to mind here. But moreoften than not carrying extra weight as you get older can cause more injury's as the body tissue gets older and you need to train 20% more over the age of30 to maintain the muscle memory!

 

[outacontrol music]

Originally Posted by knightngale

ONCE AGAIN, LEBRON IS NOT EVEN CLOSE WHEN IT COMES TO OUTSIDE SHOOTING AT THE SAME AGE

Somebody is mad

Reeeeeally mad.


LeBron's strength is not his shooting, but he is still very good at it. LeBron has a better ALL-AROUND game than Bean could have dreamed of at 24.That's truth that cannot be denied.


Now when Lebron gets into his mid-thirties, he will be probably be one of those players more in line with a Karl Malone type game.

I wouldn't be surprised if in his 34-40 years old part of his career, he's a consistent top 5 rebounder in the league, as he brings his game moretowards a pure PF type game.


Dude has so much potential.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by outacontrol music

Originally Posted by knightngale

ONCE AGAIN, LEBRON IS NOT EVEN CLOSE WHEN IT COMES TO OUTSIDE SHOOTING AT THE SAME AGE

Somebody is mad

Reeeeeally mad.


LeBron's strength is not his shooting, but he is still very good at it. LeBron has a better ALL-AROUND game than Bean could have dreamed of at 24. That's truth that cannot be denied.


Now when Lebron gets into his mid-thirties, he will be probably be one of those players more in line with a Karl Malone type game.

I wouldn't be surprised if in his 34-40 years old part of his career, he's a consistent top 5 rebounder in the league, as he brings his game more towards a pure PF type game.


Dude has so much potential.

02-03

LAL

82

82

41.5

10.6-23.5

.451

1.5-4.0

.383

7.3-8.7

.843

2.2

0.8

3.5

2.7

1.3

5.6

6.9

5.9

30.0

Kobe did this at 24 WITH another guy on his team takin 20 plus shots a game. 30, 7 and 6 at 45 percent with 38 from 3, and 84 at the line. 2.2 steals a gamejust for fun also.

Kobe couldn't DREAM of this huh? Truth can't be denied?