LeBron James, a Los Angeles Lakers combination forward and twenty-time NBA All-Star, holds a grudge against the league’s younger players. The 39-year-old veteran of 21 NBA seasons, who has played in the league more often than not, spoke about an aspect of NBA games that deeply bothers him on his brand-new podcast Mind The Game with former swingman and fellow sharpshooter J.J. Redick.
“Everyone now has this narrative of, ‘I have a bag,’ or ‘He doesn’t have a bag,'” James said. “It bothers the f— out of me. Everyone thinks that just because you get a favorable matchup, it means it’s one-on-one time. ‘Let’s play ones.’ That’s all you hear the kids talk about now…. “What the f— is this? This is not Jordan vs. Bird Nintendo. It’s five-on-five, and yes, if you have an opportunity to have a favorable matchup and you can beat your man, but realize this: most great teams are going to send help. Can you make the right reads? Can you inspire confidence in your teammates so that when you’ve scored twice in that favorable matchup, do you know that?
When James uses the term “favorable matchup,” he’s talking about offensive players that have an advantage in size, strength, or speed when facing defensive coverage. Given his physical attributes, James is naturally that precise player; nonetheless, he is renowned for being a fantastic distributor and was, if anything, criticized for being overly submissive early in his career. He’s averaging 8.1 dimes per game this season.
When James uses the term “favorable matchup,” he’s talking about offensive players that have an advantage in size, strength, or speed when facing defensive coverage. Given his athletic attributes, James is naturally that kind of player; nevertheless, he is renowned for being an excellent distributor and was once accused of being overly submissive, if
James went on, “And it takes time for guys.” Because they just want to play ones, some guys don’t want to study and won’t learn. Guys on the court have really asked me, “Why are you guys doubling me?” in the past. Let me play ones; stop doubling me.There are forty! “No, not only are you fantastic, but I know none of your teammates have had a rhythm throughout the game, so we’re going to double you and see if they can make a shot.”
It’s an amazing discovery. It is a bit concerning that the next wave of outstanding NBA players will rather focus on isolation ball than anything else.
Fortunately, there remains hope for the future. Today’s top young players are also among the best passers in the game. Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets are two of the best players in the league when it comes to creating opportunities. Along with those two more well-known talents, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a top MVP contender this season. In addition to his scoring prowess, Alexander possesses good passing instincts.