Steve Kerr says Lebron is way better now than he was in Miami.

[Kblaze8855]

“I think LeBron is actually a way better player now than he was six years ago when he played in Miami,” Kerr said. “It’s remarkable watching the offensive transformation since then, and his confidence in his shooting, and that’s what Miami has to deal with.”



There. You have something to fight about for the afternoon.

[Spurs m8]

There. You have something to fight about for the afternoon.

Amazing to think he has colluded 2 more times since Miami and couldn't make the playoffs without AD

[RRR3]

Lmao 2012 Bron is averaging 35/10/10 today are you kidding me.

[ArbitraryWater]

Lol

Unexpected from Kerr to use something so dramatic/exaggerated as „way“, but I do think an interesting discussion could be had, even if MIA LeBron was most likely better.

[Trollsmasher]

true

Miami LeBron still had plenty of holes to be exposed

Post '16 ring Bron has a complete mental mastery of the game

[RRR3]

true

Miami LeBron still had plenty of holes to be exposed

Post '16 ring Bron has a complete mental mastery of the game
12 LeBron was actually god.

[ArbitraryWater]

12 LeBron was actually god.

True, but he barely took a J in the finals.


17, 18 LeBron is easily the most supreme and refined offensive LeBron.

[RRR3]

True, but he barely took a J in the finals.


17, 18 LeBron is easily the most supreme and refined offensive LeBron.
So what. He was absolutely dominant in the post. UnstoppaBron :bowdown:

[Trollsmasher]

12 LeBron was actually god.

nah, his jumper completely abandonedd him aftetr G6 in Boston

same shit in '13 and those first 4-5 Finals games

[LoneyROY7]

2012 LeBron's athleticism was DIFFERENT.

https://media4.giphy.com/media/SURCNUZZmW4iMMIg7i/giphy.gif

https://media3.giphy.com/media/JpYcKCTmZ5zxSsFyjJ/giphy.gif

[scuzzy]

Quicker then, way better IQ now


I prefer the current version best, his court vision is awesome to watch.


His playoff approach is also way more meticulated. Especially controlling the pace and just know when to get himself involved vs get his team going.


But most importantly his leadership. The way he carries himself in the playoffs and the sheer focus, Lakers are up 10-20 points in games and never satisfied, always holding themselves accountable. That's starts from Lebron and it's contagious

[Wally450]

2013 Lebron was a god also. His efficiency was insane.

[RRR3]

2012 LeBron's athleticism was DIFFERENT.

https://media4.giphy.com/media/SURCNUZZmW4iMMIg7i/giphy.gif

https://media3.giphy.com/media/JpYcKCTmZ5zxSsFyjJ/giphy.gif
Remember when he jumped over John Lucas III?

[HoopsNY]

It's amazing analyzing his career. You have to literally divide his career into phases of greatness. Miami LeBron was incredibly smart, quick, and more athletic. LeBron's court vision has improved somewhat I think.

His IQ in Cleveland was better (second Cleveland phase) than it is now, despite him averaging more assists with LA. Hard to say but I think LeBron circa 2014-2018 was the best version of himself.

[Young X]

Lebron almost won defensive player of the year in Miami. If you have any type of defensive mindset, there's no way this statement can be true.

[Nike D'Antoni]

Kerr wants to give credibility to his GSW titles & championships.
Lebron prime was in Miami.

[1987_Lakers]

2012 & 2013 are his peaks for me, crazy athletic, at his defensive peak, his jumper was also at its best during the 2013 season.

I will say 2016-2018 LeBron was probably his peak offensively, his passing got even better and to me did a better job at taking over games with his scoring when needed too. Miami LeBron at times didn't know when it was time to just take over a game with his scoring, 2013 Finals is a good example, in the beginning of that series he was passing on open jumpers, it wasn't until mid series where LeBron just decided to attack more. 2016-2018 LeBron had a "fvck this, I'm taking over this game" attitude when they needed him to.

[ArbitraryWater]

2012 & 2013 are his peaks for me, crazy athletic, at his defensive peak, his jumper was also at its best during the 2013 season.

I will say 2016-2018 LeBron was probably his peak offensively, his passing got even better and to me did a better job at taking over games with his scoring when needed too. Miami LeBron at times didn't know when it was time to just take over a game with his scoring, 2013 Finals is a good example, in the beginning of that series he was passing on open jumpers, it wasn't until mid series where LeBron just decided to attack more. 2016-2018 LeBron had a "fvck this, I'm taking over this game" attitude when they needed him to.

not in the playoffs his J was at its best

not even close


2012 LeBron's athleticism was DIFFERENT.

https://media4.giphy.com/media/SURCNUZZmW4iMMIg7i/giphy.gif

https://media3.giphy.com/media/JpYcKCTmZ5zxSsFyjJ/giphy.gif

he was actually less explosive out of the half court than many other years

[oldtimer28]

It's amazing analyzing his career. You have to literally divide his career into phases of greatness. Miami LeBron was incredibly smart, quick, and more athletic. LeBron's court vision has improved somewhat I think.

His IQ in Cleveland was better (second Cleveland phase) than it is now, despite him averaging more assists with LA. Hard to say but I think LeBron circa 2014-2018 was the best version of himself.



Like different versions of the hulk

[Shooter]

12 LeBron was actually god.

He just truly has too many peaks to know which was his best

2009 was best raw stats and athleticism
2012 or 2013 was best 2 way version
2016 was most complete
2018 was most dominant offensive
2020 was best passing/scoring combo

LeGoat is so good he is confusing :lol

[LoneyROY7]

he was actually less explosive out of the half court than many other years

His first year in Miami, I do recall that, specifically that he had bulked up heading into that season...but especially towards the end of his Miami run the quickness was definitely there.

Those gifs I posted were actually from '13-14 season.

[999Guy]

Lebron almost won defensive player of the year in Miami. If you have any type of defensive mindset, there's no way this statement can be true.
And he shouldn’t have.

Kerr is talking about shit that’s hard to pick up on a boxscore.

You can’t scheme LeBron out of a series now. You have to just be better all-around as a team.

It’s seems he’s solved the NBA’s offenses and defense. He’s seen everything thousands of times and that’s where the increased confidence comes in.

Honestly the only Miami years I’d say are better are 12 and 13. Definitely better than 11 and 14.

But all this was true about LeBron’s new BBIQ in 2016-17. And he was better athletically and better as a shooter than right now.

2017 LeBron was the GOAT to me. I would never bet on another player to win a playoff series to save my life.

[SouBeachTalents]

And he shouldn’t have.

Kerr is talking about shit that’s hard to pick up on a boxscore.

You can’t scheme LeBron out of a series now. You have to just be better all-around as a team.

It’s seems he’s solved the NBA’s offenses and defense. He’s seen everything thousands of times and that’s where the increased confidence comes in.

Honestly the only Miami years I’d say are better are 12 and 13. Definitely better than 11 and 14.

But all this was true about LeBron’s new BBIQ in 2016-17. And he was better athletically and better as a shooter than right now.

2017 LeBron was the GOAT to me. I would never bet on another player to win a playoff series to save my life.
Just curious, why '17 over '18?

[ArbitraryWater]

Just curious, why '17 over '18?

That‘s what I‘d be curious about too.

18 is basically 17 only even better/more dominant

[Micku]

Not for me. Miami LeBron was his best version in terms of two way player.

His jumper was on point in the RS. Not on point in the playoffs tho. And imo, he played the post a lot more.

2016-2018 Lebron was an offensive monster. He still couldn't really shoot as well as he did in Miami, but he picked his spots better and attack the paint more.

[tpols]

“I think LeBron is actually a way better player now than he was six years ago when he played in Miami,” Kerr said. “It’s remarkable watching the offensive transformation since then, and his confidence in his shooting, and that’s what Miami has to deal with.”

Steve Kerr's reasoning makes no sense.

In Lebron's last playoff run with Miami in 2014, he shot 41% from 3pt range and 42% from 16ft-3pt. This year with the Lakers? He's shooting 36% and 23% respectively from those ranges. If he talked about his improved veteran composure, or QB control maybe he'd have a point, but shooting? Lebron shot way better with the Heat.

[hold this L]

Kerr says a lot of things, doesn't mean he's right. Miami Lebron is the best version, especially his 2 middle seasons after he got LeHumbled in 2011.

[AlternativeAcc.]

2016-2020 LeBron (aka third prime) is my favorite and overall best version of LeBron imo

His mastery of the game is on a level we've never seen from a player. He still gets you 30ppg but without as many explosive plays

He's also dominated every playoffs and finals during this time, that's no coincidence

[AussieSteve]

I just the other day watched games 6 and 7 of the 2013 finals, and was actually thinking that Bron looked better now. But its amazing how much the game has changed in only 7 years. Much easier for a player like him to score today than back then. More space etc.

His defense was phenomenal in 2013 though.

[RRR3]

Steve Kerr's reasoning makes no sense.

In Lebron's last playoff run with Miami in 2014, he shot 41% from 3pt range and 42% from 16ft-3pt. This year with the Lakers? He's shooting 36% and 23% respectively from those ranges. If he talked about his improved veteran composure, or QB control maybe he'd have a point, but shooting? Lebron shot way better with the Heat.
He doesn’t take those shots a lot anymore. Layups and 3s mostly unless he needs to bail out the offense late in the clock. It’s not that he suddenly forgot how to shoot from there he just doesn’t play in the midrange much anymore.

[Doranku]

Steve Kerr's reasoning makes no sense.

In Lebron's last playoff run with Miami in 2014, he shot 41% from 3pt range and 42% from 16ft-3pt. This year with the Lakers? He's shooting 36% and 23% respectively from those ranges. If he talked about his improved veteran composure, or QB control maybe he'd have a point, but shooting? Lebron shot way better with the Heat.

2014 was the anomaly. I think it's actually the best he's ever shot on jump shots at 44% for the playoffs.

2011 - 38%
2012 - 36%
2013 - 38%

This year he's at 40%.

[tpols]

2014 was the anomaly. I think it's actually the best he's ever shot on jump shots at 44% for the playoffs.

2011 - 38%
2012 - 36%
2013 - 38%

This year he's at 40%.

So basically if you average all 4 years he's shooting about the same efficiency but on lower volume. Miami Lebron never took this proportion of attempts at the rim which is wild to think since most people are saying he's a shell of his former athletic self. (which I never agreed with) I don't have a problem with Kerr's statement, its his reasoning that is faulty.

[RRR3]

So basically if you average all 4 years he's shooting about the same efficiency but on lower volume. Miami Lebron never took this proportion of attempts at the rim which is wild to think since most people are saying he's a shell of his former athletic self. (which I never agreed with) I don't have a problem with Kerr's statement, its his reasoning that is faulty.
LeBron is a snail compared to his prime self. Idk how you can’t see that.

[tpols]

LeBron is a snail compared to his prime self. Idk how you can’t see that.

If you think that you're basically admitting that spacing in this era from the supporting cast has a game breaking positive impact on star players output. Despite a supposed massive athletic decline, Lebron never averaged his current proportion of shots at the rim with the Heat in the playoffs.

[RRR3]

If you think that you're basically admitting that spacing in this era from the supporting cast has a game breaking positive impact on star players. Despite a supposed massive athletic decline, Lebron never averaged his current proportion of shots at the rim with the Heat in the playoffs.
Yeah no shit. I’ve said before young LeBron is averaging 35/10/10 easy.

[tpols]

Yeah no shit. I’ve said before young LeBron is averaging 35/10/10 easy.

In the other thread youre saying spacing doesn't matter.

:oldlol: :facepalm

You can't even keep your story straight.

[RRR3]

In the other thread youre saying spacing doesn't matter.

:oldlol: :facepalm

You can't even keep your story straight.
That’s not what I said you absolute clown. How are you this stupid? It’s literally making me mad trying to explain simple concepts to you :lol. You’re twelve mentally

[tpols]

That's exactly what you said.


LeBron has had the worst spacing in the league all year

Exposed.

You said that ^ 5 minutes ago.

And here you're saying prime Lebron would do 35/10/10 with this spacing.

:facepalm

[red1]

probably not. he could expend far more energy during the game back then. his help defense was incredible.

[HoopsNY]

Lebron almost won defensive player of the year in Miami. If you have any type of defensive mindset, there's no way this statement can be true.

That's a good point.

[highwhey]

he;s more savvy but in his prime, his athleticism+energy was at a much different level. he's still plenty athletic but in shorter spurts.

[RRR3]

That's exactly what you said.



You said that ^ 5 minutes ago.

And here you're saying prime Lebron would do 35/10/10 with this spacing.

:facepalm
1. He’d average 35/10/10 with the emphasis on spacing and the pace and the rule changes
2. That spacing is still good compared to what most teams had in 2012 :roll:

[Phoenix]

Mentally better. This version of Lebron would have won in 2011. Still think as an all around 2-way force 2013 Lebron is his apex.

[Horatio33]

Don't know who to believe, a multiple title winning player and head coach or a bunch of incels.

Tough choice.

[ArbitraryWater]

Don't know who to believe, a multiple title winning player and head coach or a bunch of incels.

Tough choice.

Solid Logic

Checks out

[Overdrive]

Steve Kerr's reasoning makes no sense.

In Lebron's last playoff run with Miami in 2014, he shot 41% from 3pt range and 42% from 16ft-3pt. This year with the Lakers? He's shooting 36% and 23% respectively from those ranges. If he talked about his improved veteran composure, or QB control maybe he'd have a point, but shooting? Lebron shot way better with the Heat.

Confindence in his shot doesn't have to mean better %. Just means he doesn't doesn't pass up shots he should take.

[TheGoatest]

The fact that this is even debatable is really impressive. But without concluding whether LeBron is better and worse now, we can certainly conclude that he has evolved into a different player than he was with Miami. He focused more on scoring when he was with Miami, and was a more efficient scorer, whereas now he is a playmaker, who led the league in assists and had by far the highest assists average of his career.

Now let's look at Jordan at 35:

28.7 ppg - second lowest ppg of his career, after his rookie season
.465 fg% - lowest fg% of his career
5.8 rpg - third lowest rpg of his career
3.5 apg - by far the lowest apg of his career
1.7 spg - tied for the lowest spg of his career
0.5 bpg - tied for the lowest bpg of his career

He was basically the same player that he always was, just a significantly worse version. He retired just in time because unlike LeBron, all of his numbers were going way south and he did not have the capability to evolve his game in the same manner.

[ThatCoolKid]

Lebron has evolved so much since his Miami days. He's lost his athleticism, but his control over the game and BBIQ and willingness to just say **** it and go aggro a la 2015 finals Lebron make it harder to say he's clearly declined overall. His mental growth and increased skill is compensating his physical decline very well.

[3ball]

kerr is correct

2015 playoffs is what gave him some pure scoring street cred - he learned how to gun - aka take high shot volume and not give a shit

for lebron, you can tell when he's planning on taking a lot of shots when he goes to bully-ball - that's when he's in gunner mode and he never had this pre-2015.. since he's learned what being a "gunner" feels like, he's been a handful because the ability to gun enhanced his ability to "takeover" - nothing takes over a game like scoring

nonetheless, his gunner-mode is mostly bully-ball, not raining jumpers.. he avoids contested jumpers because he lacks jumpshooting skill of other stars like kyrie, curry, kobe or mj

think of it this way.... lebron was beaten by record amount while taking 17 shots a game in 2014... in 2015, he took 2 games off a BETTER team by taking 33 shots (double the previous year)... people simply don't understand that if he had that volume against the Spurs, it would've made the Spurs work harder defensively and taken away from their offensive capacity... teams only get "hot" when they don't have to work defensively

[SouBeachTalents]

think of it this way.... lebron was beaten by record amount while taking 17 shots a game in 2014... in 2015, he took 2 games off a BETTER team by taking 33 shots (double the previous year)... people simply don't understand that if he had that volume against the Spurs, it would've made the Spurs work harder defensively and taken away from their offensive capacity... teams only get "hot" when they don't have to work defensively
I don't disagree with most of what you said, but you can't factor out the Spurs playing at a SIGNIFICANTLY higher level than the Warriors did in those two series. Imo LeBron taking more shot attempts doesn't necessarily stop the Spurs from going absolutely nuclear those final 3 games

[RRR3]

I don't disagree with most of what you said, but you can't factor out the Spurs playing at a SIGNIFICANTLY higher level than the Warriors did in those two series. Imo LeBron taking more shot attempts doesn't necessarily stop the Spurs from going absolutely nuclear those final 3 games
He’s also ignoring the fact that Spoelstra didn’t let LeBron dominate the ball the way he’s been allowed to everywhere else.

[insidious301]

I don't disagree with most of what you said, but you can't factor out the Spurs playing at a SIGNIFICANTLY higher level than the Warriors did in those two series. Imo LeBron taking more shot attempts doesn't necessarily stop the Spurs from going absolutely nuclear those final 3 games

LeBron averaging 35 a game wasn't going to beat the Spurs. They were too good of an offense. So, unless LeBron scored 35 and became a one-man zone on defense, or what we call doing the impossible, Miami still gets their butt kicked.

[SouBeachTalents]

LeBron averaging 35 a game wasn't going to beat the Spurs. They were too good of an offense. So, unless LeBron scored 35 and became a one-man zone on defense, or what we call doing the impossible, Miami still gets their butt kicked.
While obv basketball doesn't work this way, it's a game of momentum and runs etc., based on how those games did turn out, LeBron would've had to have averaged 47 ppg for the Heat to have (maybe) won those final 3 games. His scoring was not the Heat's biggest issue in that series

[3ball]

LeBron averaging 35 a game wasn't going to beat the Spurs. They were too good of an offense. So, unless LeBron scored 35 and became a one-man zone on defense, or what we call doing the impossible, Miami still gets their butt kicked.

why didn't Miami get hot?... oh wait... they can't because their best players can't shoot (lebron/wade).. so I suppose the heat could've done better (fought fire with fire) if they had mj/kyrie instead of bricklayers like lebron/wade... :facepalm:

so ultimately, it's a skill-deficit - the Spurs were going off and the Heat bricklayers couldn't respond in kind and literally have up... b-b-b-ut goat doh.. :rolleyes:

even without the jumpshooting skill required to keep up, the heat still could've kept up if lebron averaged 40 via bully-ball... infact, 35 was enough in Game 2 to make the Spurs work, therefore curbing their offensive capacity.

finally, we all know that bron-ball killed Bosh - if Bosh was still a star (like FMVP Worthy, Parish, or 37-point Klay - all were superstars), the Heat would've been an entirely different team and the Spurs would be the team on their heels and unable to keep up

[RRR3]

Imagine being dumb enough to say 14 LeBron couldn’t shoot. This is what happens when you don’t watch basketball.

[3ball]

Imagine being dumb enough to say 14 LeBron couldn’t shoot. This is what happens when you don’t watch basketball.
kerr said lebron's jumper wasn't as good back then

lebron has never been an elite shooter at any point in his career, and his jumper has always been an option for the defense to exploit

compared to players with all-time jumpshooting skill (guys like mj, kobe, kyrie, curry), lebron's jumper is literal garbage... trash.... if any of those guys woke up one day and had lebron's jumper, they'd look for the nearest ledge

[insidious301]

why didn't Miami get hot?... oh wait... they can't because their best players can't shoot (lebron/wade).. so I suppose the heat could've done better (fought fire with fire) if they had mj/kyrie instead of bricklayers like lebron/wade... :facepalm:

so ultimately, it's a skill-deficit - the Spurs were going off and the Heat bricklayers couldn't respond in kind and literally have up... b-b-b-ut goat doh.. :rolleyes:

even without the jumpshooting skill required to keep up, the heat still could've kept up if lebron averaged 40 via bully-ball... infact, 35 was enough in Game 2 to make the Spurs work and therefore curbing their offensive capacity.

finally, we all know that bron-ball killed Bosh - if Bosh was still a star (like FMVP Worthy, Parish, or 37-point quarter Klay - all superstars), the Heat would've been an entirely different team and the Spurs would be thed team on their heels and unable to keep up

LeBron could've dropped 40 like SouBeachTalents said, and it wouldn't matter. Scoring is only going to have so much momentum if you cannot stop the other team defensively. That's a big reason why individual scoring in general is overrated, and why BPM properly measures impact. We know that in BPM, LeBron is the highest impact player of his generation. And even bests some of Jordan's titanic years. Speaking of Jordan, no version of him would dethrone that Spurs team either. Not unless he could disrupt their entire offense which we know wouldn't happen. Jordan wasn't moving the needle like a bigman defensively.


kerr said lebron's jumper wasn't as good back then

lebron has never been an elite shooter at any point in his career, and his jumper has always been an option for the defense to exploit

compared to players with all-time jumpshooting skill (guys like mj, kobe, kyrie, curry), lebron's jumper is literal garbage... trash.... if any of those guys woke up one day and had lebron's jumper, they'd look for the nearest ledge

More misinformation. LeBron's midrange and three-point shooting were all elite that season. Look it up.

[3ball]

LeBron could've dropped 40 like SouBeachTalents said, and it wouldn't matter. Scoring is only going to have so much momentum if you cannot stop the other team defensively. That's a big reason why individual scoring in general is overrated, and why BPM properly measures impact. We know that in BPM, LeBron is the highest impact player of his generation. And even bests some of Jordan's titanic years. Speaking of Jordan, no version of him would dethrone that Spurs team either. Not unless he could disrupt their entire offense which we know wouldn't happen. Jordan wasn't moving the needle like a bigman defensively.



More misinformation. LeBron's midrange and three-point shooting were all elite that season. Look it up.

no, lebron's jumpshooting stats have never been elite.. not even close

[SlickRick]

why didn't Miami get hot?... oh wait... they can't because their best players can't shoot (lebron/wade).. so I suppose the heat could've done better (fought fire with fire) if they had mj/kyrie instead of bricklayers like lebron/wade... :facepalm:

so ultimately, it's a skill-deficit - the Spurs were going off and the Heat bricklayers couldn't respond in kind and literally have up... b-b-b-ut goat doh.. :rolleyes:

even without the jumpshooting skill required to keep up, the heat still could've kept up if lebron averaged 40 via bully-ball... infact, 35 was enough in Game 2 to make the Spurs work, therefore curbing their offensive capacity.

finally, we all know that bron-ball killed Bosh - if Bosh was still a star (like FMVP Worthy, Parish, or 37-point Klay - all were superstars), the Heat would've been an entirely different team and the Spurs would be the team on their heels and unable to keep up
Very accurate insight. I actually agree with all of this and im sure Lebron wishes he could go bo back and run that series back.

[insidious301]

no, lebron's jumpshooting stats have never been elite.. not even close

Again you're wrong. In the playoffs, LeBron shot 49% from close midrange & 42% from 16-22 feet. LeBron also shot 41% from three-point range. That is elite shooting by every measure.

[8Ball]

Kerr is correct.

LeBron basketball IQ through the roof now. Destroys the zone right away when Boston took 3 games to start doing.

[Im Still Ballin]

It's a really hard question.

We have to consider the fact that scoring has gone way up post 2014/2015. Pace -- obviously -- as well.

Looking at the raw stats, alone, is not enough.

Now. What version of LeBron do I think is/was best?

2012-2013 and 2013-2014 LeBron.

Here's my reasoning...

- 2nd in DPOY (2012-2013)
- 2nd in spot-up shooting efficiency (2012-2013)
- 1st in post-up scoring efficiency (2013-2014)

LeBron's overall skillset, on both ends of the court, was never better.

He could score from anywhere, any play or set -- efficiently. At an elite level.

BTW: here's the proof about those stats...


He crushed the rest of the league in PER last season with a 31.7, just shy of his career high. He shot a ridiculous 56.5 percent from the field. He scored more points in the paint per game than anybody else in the league. He dished out more assists than most point guards. He registered a higher rebound rate than Marc Gasol and Robin Lopez. Defensively, he's tall, quick and strong enough to guard just about anyone in the league, and he almost did.

And if all that wasn't enough, consider this: He now wields one of the most potent jumpers in the league. Only Jose Calderon averaged more points per spot-up play than James, according to Synergy Sports.

Most efficient spot-up players, 2012-13 regular season(Min. 100 plays)

Player Plays Points PPP
Jose Calderon 187 281 1.50
LeBron James 143 195 1.36
Kyle Korver 224 301 1.34
Steve Nash 114 153 1.32
Stephen Curry 226 294 1.30


James' name pops up near the top of all the jump-shot leaderboards for last season. And that includes the unguarded catch-and-shoot category, in which he effectively shot 73.1 percent once you account for the added value of 3s. Only five players were more lethal with open shots. While he couldn't find his shot in the Finals until the very end, he ended up converting 37.5 percent of his 3s in the postseason, which is well above average. (For perspective, Kevin Durant shot 31.3 percent from deep in the playoffs.)


POST-UP POWERS
Most efficient post-up players in 2013-14 season, according to Synergy (minimum 125 plays).

Player Plays Points FG% %FT Pts/play
LeBron James 261 283 55.9 21.8 1.08
Kevin Durant 207 221 47.8 20.8 1.07
Dirk Nowitzki 534 568 50.8 15.5 1.06
Dwyane Wade 145 153 53.7 17.2 1.06
Carmelo Anthony 420 427 49.4 16.7 1.02
Al Jefferson 840 813 51.0 11.0 0.97
Arron Afflalo 173 167 49.6 14.5 0.97
Blake Griffin 541 517 47.8 22.7 0.96
Joe Johnson 244 233 50.8 12.3 0.96
Brandon Bass 241 229 44.8 17.0 0.95

Not surprisingly, this was the period of time he put up his career high of 61 points.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5PRGB1Khts

That was the year KD won MVP, carrying OKC when Westbrook was injured.

LeBron almost stole the award after this performance...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tMQsCX0z74&ab_channel=NBA

But Miami packed it in post all-star break.

And don't forget his playoff numbers that year too.

27/7/5 on 57%/41%/81%

The free throw percentage speaks volumes to how "in the zone" he was.

Never did the game, offensively, come so easy to him.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HbFGpyUV8k

[Im Still Ballin]

The only other argument to me would be his last two years in Cleveland -- 2017 and 2018.

His shooting was about the same, but his volume was greater in the playoffs.

I'm not sure if this suggests he was better...

2017 and 2018 was a different league than 2013 and 2014.

Pace up around 4 extra possessions per game

eFG% up from 50% to 52%

[3ball]

The only other argument to me would be his last two years in Cleveland -- 2017 and 2018.

His shooting was about the same, but his volume was greater in the playoffs.

I'm not sure if this suggests he was better...

2017 and 2018 was a different league than 2013 and 2014.

Pace up around 4 extra possessions per game

eFG% up from 50% to 52%

you think stats will tell you if he's better?.. no way

kerr wasn't looking at stats when he made the comment. he was thinking eye test.. lebron was capable of "taking over" more because his scoring improved, primarily his bully-ball that allowed higher volume and also a refined jumpshooting strategy (he understands the kind of jumpshots he can make and readily takes them.. his actual jumpshooting volume and efficiency hasn't changed)

here's one statistical fact that we know - lebron shoots poorly on jumpshots at high volume - all his high volume jumpshooting years show weak efficiency on jumpers in those years, while his jumpshooting efficiency increased in years with lower jumpshooting volume.. otoh, Kobe and mj had elite jumpshooting efficiency in their high volume years (twice the jumpshooting volume of lebron) because they have goat jumpshooting SKILL, while lebron is a pedestrian jumpshooter..

[light]

The basic gist of Kerr's comment is that LeBron is still in his prime, even at 35, but he's wiser now. At age 35 he is intellectually in his prime while still being physically dominant.

Also:

LeBron's 2012-13 playoff PER at age 28 was 30.0.
LeBron's 2019-20 playoff PER at age 35 is 31.4.

LeBron's 2012-13 Finals PER at age 28 was 29.2.
LeBron's 2019-20 Finals PER at age 35 is 34.6.

LeBron currently has the highest playoff PER of any player in history over the age of 34.

In fact, if you remove LeBron's previous seasons, 35 year old LeBron James currently has a higher playoff PER than any other player in history over the age of 31.

(Michael Jordan, for example, had 3 playoff seasons over the age of 31 and he maxed out at 28.7.)

Playoff PER data taken from RealGm Stats Finder