ISH, where would you rank this NBA player as a passer?

[dubeta]

Are we gonna act like Durant didnt try padding his assist count this season??

He played with 2 Goals: Get as many FT's, and as many assists as possible
This is cause he knew the only way to catch Bran for MVP was to pad his assists.

How many times did he hold the ball, run down the clock, and pass it to the corner for a 3?

And this guy purposely drives and dumps it to Perkins or Adams right under the basket for open layups

Its all forced, notice how in the playoffs his assists drop dramatically? because hes not thinking about assists then, its not natural for him

[MP.Trey]

So if KD passed the ball as many times as LeBron did, he'd average well over 7 assists per game? (And this isn't even accounting for KD's teammates being less efficient scorers...)

Interesting.

If he passed as many times as LeBron did, he'd probably be averaging over 4 turnovers as well and be averaging less points but take the good with the bad.

[russwest0]

Just imagine if OKC had a capable big man



At least Ibaka can catch and finish now....

[russwest0]

If he passed as many times as LeBron did, he'd probably be averaging over 4 turnovers as well and be averaging less points but take the good with the bad.

Are we talking KD with LeBrons supporting cast or with his OKC one?

I must say, I was shocked that KD has a better passing/turnover ratio than LeBron considering that OKC is mediocre at 3pt shooting and that the lane is usually clogged with Perkins being a non-factor on the inside.

[MP.Trey]

Are we talking KD with LeBrons supporting cast or with his OKC one?

I must say, I was shocked that KD has a better passing/turnover ratio than LeBron considering that OKC is mediocre at 3pt shooting and that the lane is usually clogged.

Both. Durant isn't, and doesn't need to be the ball dominant player that LeBron is. He has a more than capable point guard and his skillset works the best if you put him in positions to score/make a play right away. Rather than LeBron who will, at times, dribble for 10 seconds of the shot clock in order to survey the court and try to calculate his move. If Durant was asked to do that on any team, his numbers would not be flattering. They're two different players, so the comparison is asinine imo.

[aj1987]

Are we talking KD with LeBrons supporting cast or with his OKC one?

I must say, I was shocked that KD has a better passing/turnover ratio than LeBron considering that OKC is mediocre at 3pt shooting and that the lane is usually clogged.

Except for the '13 season, Miami and OKC have pretty had the same 3pt %'s.

'14: Miami - 36.4% OKC - 36.1%
'13: Miami - 39.6% OKC - 37.7% (OKC was #3 in the League, BTW)
'12: Miami - 35.9% OKC - 35.8%

[JT123]

Are we talking KD with LeBrons supporting cast or with his OKC one?

I must say, I was shocked that KD has a better passing/turnover ratio than LeBron considering that OKC is mediocre at 3pt shooting and that the lane is usually clogged with Perkins being a non-factor on the inside.

The Heat were a very mediocre 3 point shooting team last season. Chalmers and Lebron were their best shooters percentage wise at 39 and 38 percent. For all the talk about Bosh's development as a 3 point shooter his actual percentage last year was very mediocre.

[russwest0]

Except for the '13 season, Miami and OKC have pretty had the same 3pt %'s.

'14: Miami - 36.4% OKC - 36.1%
'13: Miami - 39.6% OKC - 37.7% (OKC was #3 in the League, BTW)
'12: Miami - 35.9% OKC - 35.8%

Yeah but in OKC's starting lineup I don't know if anyone other than Durant even shoots over 36% from 3pt land. Our percentage this year were saved by some of the bench guys like Fisher and Butler who don't play a lot of their minutes with Durant.

[JT123]

Except for the '13 season, Miami and OKC have pretty had the same 3pt %'s.

'14: Miami - 36.4% OKC - 36.1%
'13: Miami - 39.6% OKC - 37.7% (OKC was #3 in the League, BTW)
'12: Miami - 35.9% OKC - 35.8%

Russ gets ethered again!
12 was kind of a weird year though, as Lebron and the whole team made a concentrated effort to shoot as few 3 pointers as possible.

[aj1987]

Yeah but in OKC's starting lineup I don't know if anyone other than Durant even shoots over 36% from 3pt land. Our percentage this year were saved by some of the bench guys like Fisher and Butler who don't play a lot of their minutes with Durant.

LeBron and Chalmers are the only two players who shot over 36% for the Heat as well.

[russwest0]

This is some interesting stuff being discussed here actually. I didn't come in here intending to discuss Durant but I must say you guys have me convinced; Kevin Durant is a better passer than LeBron James.

He turns the ball over less on his passes than LeBron does and he also gets assists at a far more efficient rate than LeBron does despite playing in a less efficient offense.

So now that we know that Durant is a better passer than LeBron, to revert back to my question in the OP, where do you guys rank LeBron as a passer?

[TheMarkMadsen]

Is this the same guy that had like 20 assist and 19 turnovers in the 2014 finals?

[aj1987]

This is some interesting stuff being discussed here actually. I didn't come in here intending to discuss Durant but I must say you guys have me convinced; Kevin Durant is a better passer than LeBron James.

He turns the ball over less on his passes than LeBron does and he also gets assists at a far more efficient rate than LeBron does despite playing in a less efficient offense.

So now that we know that Durant is a better passer than LeBron, to revert back to my question in the OP, where do you guys rank LeBron as a passer?

2 tiers over KD.

Oh, BTW... KD - 5.5 APG and 3.5 TOV's; LeBron - 6.4 APG and 3.5 TOV's.

[JerrySeinfeld]

This is some interesting stuff being discussed here actually. I didn't come in here intending to discuss Durant but I must say you guys have me convinced; Kevin Durant is a better passer than LeBron James.

He turns the ball over less on his passes than LeBron does and he also gets assists at a far more efficient rate than LeBron does despite playing in a less efficient offense.

So now that we know that Durant is a better passer than LeBron, to revert back to my question in the OP, where do you guys rank LeBron as a passer?

The way you already know how people will respond to your thread and have a prepared response to their response is hilarious.

You still a bitch though.

[JerrySeinfeld]

2 tiers over KD.

Oh, BTW... KD - 5.5 APG and 3.5 TOV's; LeBron - 6.4 APG and 3.5 TOV's.

After looking through the stats I honestly don't see a big difference in playmaking from them at this stage in their careers. Durant has come a long way in terms of being a passer.

In terms of turnovers, LeBron is no doubt safer with controlling the ball while dribbling. I don't think that his passes are any safer at all though, and the stats someone above posted show that.

I'd honestly call it a wash. Both are pretty comparable passers at this point. Though I'm sure with the offense LeBron will be in next year, he'll average anywhere from 7 to 8 assists per game. Durant could probably do the same if allowed to play point in that offense though.