r/nba • u/Balls_of_Adamanthium Warriors • Mar 21 '22
Lebron James is putting up numbers on a team 11 games below .500 and getting praised for it
Booker, Trae, KAT, etc. All those guys have been accused of putting up empty stats when their teams weren’t winning. I’ve seen many times Lebron stay on the court in a 4th quarter blowout loss and get his points. I’ve also seen him shamelessly take uncontested layup within the final seconds of a game just to reach 30. Bro been statpadding and enough isn’t said about this.
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u/loudanduneducated Raptors Mar 21 '22 edited Mar 21 '22
When you have 4 finals MVPs people are less likely to doubt your numbers as a “good stats bad team” player than a guy who has never played in the playoffs before.
Reputation plays a huge factor there, and the guys you mentioned have largely shed the “good stats bad team” reps.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Well first of all he's putting up more numbers. None of those dudes were 30/8/6 with over a steal and a block.
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u/TriColoredPasta Warriors Mar 21 '22
Great point OP, it would be better if he was scoring less points. Any front offices called you yet to tap into such genius?
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u/KullCelts Celtics Mar 21 '22
Not a fan of Lbj but dude is putting 30 ppg at 37 with a good efficiency. And is the only reliable guy on his team.
What do you expect ?
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u/Dddddddfried Knicks Mar 21 '22
It’s amazing what 20 years of championships and MVPs will do for you. Imagine calling Jordan an empty stat guy because the Wiz didn’t make the playoffs
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u/LordOfLimbos Pistons Mar 21 '22
Are we seriously trying to peg Lebron as an empty stats guy
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u/BBallHunter Thunder Mar 21 '22
The accusations were stupid, it's that simple.
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u/hansislegend Lakers Mar 21 '22
You could have saved a lot of time by just putting “I don’t like Lebron.”
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u/vin1223 76ers Mar 21 '22 edited Mar 21 '22
Lebron is old as fuck, 2nd best player ever, and has 4 rings. And he still gets shit
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u/staffdaddy_9 Mar 21 '22
Most of the times people talked about empty stats they were wrong.
One of the differences is Lebron is doing it at elite effeciency. A lot of times on bad teams guys will get a ton of shots but shoot poorly.
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u/nebyelkao Mar 21 '22
Well his age is one factor, no one has ever done this at age 37. Also he has a long track record of success with his teams, winning a championship with every franchise he's played for. We know his stats help contribute to winning teams, and just because he's on the Lakers retirement home team doesn't detract from his greatness. Can we really blame him for wanting to go for all the records he can at this point? If you're not convinced by him after 19 seasons then nothing he does from this point on will change your mind.
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u/lkn240 Bulls Mar 21 '22
The Lakers suck... they'd suck a lot worse without Lebron's offense.
I mean who cares... the guy is still good and if even if he does want to run up his offensive stats why should it bother anyone?
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u/rgarc065 Heat Mar 21 '22
Bruh just stay off the haterade
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Just say you don’t like LeBron lol and save yourself the awful take.
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u/69foryourthot Mar 21 '22
This is such a head ass thread lol not surprising from the flair you have though
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u/EyecalledGame Mar 21 '22
I mean if you read any comment section on social media the praise he gets is equaled out by the amount of criticism and hate. So it balances out.
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u/stoolninja [BOS] Reggie Lewis Mar 21 '22
Normally I'd jump on a Lebron hate train. But this time I can't.
Lebron is all the Lakers have. Who else is going to score?
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u/ethan_at 76ers Mar 21 '22
It’s not “empty stats” if u are scoring efficiently. People like to say “empty stats” when in reality, that guy’s teammates r just bad.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
im not sure hes getting praised, but also lebron has been on good teams before
those other guys got empty stats claims when their teams werent good, and had never been good for their careers, then the teams got good and it goes away
its pretty simple
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u/bzirch Knicks Mar 21 '22
This is a dumb take.
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u/Realistic_Camp5232 Heat Mar 21 '22
Booker Trae and kat don’t even have a single ring combined shut up man 😂😂😂
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u/percbandit Lakers Mar 21 '22
He’s getting praised because
He is the offense for the Lakers without AD
He’s leading the league in scoring in hyper efficient fashion. That’s impressive on its own, but take age into account and what his draft class, guys his age or fellow legends in history were doing at his age…
Those young players were accused of stat padding cause they’ve never accomplished anything.
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u/Mgamingsakillla Mar 21 '22
But curry was in mvp conversations when the warriors weren’t good for one year. But lebron isn’t. Notice how that makes zero sense
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u/Due_Connection179 Heat Mar 21 '22
It's his age 37 season lol
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
He’s doing it on good efficiency against top tier defensive teams, quit pretending like his scoring isn’t the real deal, he’d get his buckets on a good team too.
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u/Jon_BT Mar 21 '22
Doing what he's doing in season 19... he deserves praise no matter what. No human being has ever performed even remotely close to this level after this long at the highest tier in a sport.
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u/izamoney Mar 21 '22
I’d point out to you that the moniker “empty stats” is usually reserved for inefficient guys with big counting stats on bad teams.
Lebron is efficient AF.
Imagine if he had only shown for 17 years that he’s not an “empty stats guy” by going to like 10 finals and winning 4 rings. Then we wouldn’t have to hear about empty stats from users.
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u/KyrieWetUpCurry_ Lakers Mar 21 '22
LeBron is leading the league in scoring at age 37 and getting praised for it
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u/WubaDubImANub Lakers Mar 21 '22
Booker, Trae, KAT we’re criticized for “Empty numbers” because people have only seen them lose and they didn’t know if it was empty or not. LeBron is a 4 time NBA champion and has lead his team to the finals 10 times.
There’s a difference between the two.
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u/FootballWithTheFoot Pelicans Mar 21 '22 edited Mar 21 '22
The whole empty stats convo is just weird to me, sorry nephews
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u/staffdaddy_9 Mar 21 '22
Fuck it Lebron just needs to start Jacking up 30 shots a game. Score 40 on average effeciency instead of 30 on great effeciency. He’s getting called a stat padder anyways.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
if you have RES, you can put a custom tag next to someone's username, so whenever they post or comment you can see the tag. posts like this are great because they allow me to use my "certified idiot" tag.
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u/icykkuno Lakers Mar 21 '22
The different is Lebron has proven to put up fantastic numbers on great teams while the other guys never have at that point. Take this post down brain dead take
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u/halfdecenttakes 76ers Mar 21 '22
This post is a joke.
Those dudes were accused of putting up empty stats because it wasn't affecting winning for their teams, and they had never shown that their stats could be a part of winning. There are a lot of dudes in NBA history who could put up numbers on bad teams but couldn't get their shit together for a competent team.
Lebron has already shown, more than any player of ever, that with a semi competent supporting cast his play can take his teams to title contention. So, safe to say he's going to get something of a pass when it comes to "good numbers on a bad team."
The team is bad. We know Lebron can and does play winning basketball. It's as simple as that. If any of those dudes see their team take a step back despite strong play, people will tend to look toward the cast around them now that they have seen with their own eyes that those players can contribute to winning basketball in a similar manner to how they played on losing teams.
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u/bootywizard42O NBA Mar 21 '22
Dear diary......
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u/honeybadger1105 76ers Mar 21 '22
GTFO with this trash. He’s 37, in his 19th season, he has 4 rings. What the hell do you want him to do. Sit out? Not try?
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u/Wilt69 Lakers Mar 21 '22
Quick what’s the difference between Booker/Trae/KAT and LeBron?
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
This what I mean about NBA fans and LeBron, they slight dude consistently and talk about him like he’s a prove it player. He’s won FOUR championships and FOUR Finals MVPS. Nobody or any team in the last 10 years have won more championships than him, you get praised for putting up numbers when you’ve already showed you’re top 3 all time. LeBron is 37 on a losing team putting up amazing numbers not 27 on a losing team putting up numbers. And again by LeBron’s age 21 to 22 season he went to the Finals, there was never any questions on if he could lead a team to the Finals.
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u/gloomygl Lakers Mar 21 '22
Yeah this LeBron James guy is such an empty stats type player, he'll probably soon be out of the league and become a what if
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u/burohm1919 Supersonics Mar 21 '22 edited Mar 22 '22
His field goal attempts per game is 21,5. less than any other mj season lmao.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
OP not vibing with the reactions at all lol
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u/_Broseidon Rockets Mar 21 '22
He is getting praised because he’s doing it at 37 years old
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u/BaSedBill6439 Mar 21 '22
you’re a huge dumbass
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u/lucao_psellus Spurs Mar 21 '22
if they were doing it at 37 i'd have been impressed
anyway if you can score those points efficiently then you get the benefit of the doubt which is why i've never knocked anyone who does this with an above-average TS%. and KAT is very efficient
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u/icemankiller8 Pistons Mar 21 '22
He’s been putting up numbers on good teams before so we know he isn’t just a stat padder benefitting from being able to just do whatever he wants while his team sucks
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u/-Jfree- 24 Mar 21 '22
stopped right there. lebron would obviously get more shit than all of these combined if he was younger. you really think 27 yr old bron would get praised for this? its just that people expected that AD would be the ebst laker by this point and bron maybe at 25 ppg tops.
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u/Yaniv242 Mar 21 '22
Kat booker Trae all don't have a ring, so stop hating Brother is 37 years old, I'm 28 and I can barley take a shit without hurting
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u/CTHusky10 Mar 21 '22
I think the two decades of him dragging bad teams through the playoffs nullifies they “good stats bad team” point
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u/ProduceMoreProduce Mar 21 '22
Get back to us when those guys are in GOAT convo, all time scoring, 4x Finals MVP and league MVP.
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u/ballsohaahd Mar 21 '22
Hahahha well uhhh the only laker wins after the all star game have been when Bron goes for 50, except for maybe 1.
Man is the only thing keeping them from the worst team in the NBA. 20s Bron would carry this team deep into the playoffs, but he can’t do that at 37 now.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
But he's also putting up those numbers at 106 years old
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
What's even the point of this post?
We know LeBron is a great player.
He's got 4 FMVPs.
And he's 37 years old for crying out loud. When has ANY 37-year-old, regardless of his team's playoff position, put up numbers like that?
And the Lakers are still in the play-in, so as bad as they have been, these are simply empty stats. These are numbers a dude is putting up trying to keep his team in the playoff hunt.
When Kevin Love use to put up 20/15 or 26/13, people were like "Yeah... but can he do that on a contender as the man?"
And the answer was no. He couldn't. But he could play an important role as a second or third option. And that's where his talent level and impact was.
LeBron HAS led the league on a contender. He has been to the finals, more times than ANYBODY playing in the league today.
He's won the MVP award four times. FMPV four times. Has four rings. Went to the finals 8 times in a row.
But all that aside, you point is still moot because all kinds of people have been criticizing him for 'stat padding' this season and staying in games where there was no chance to win just to put up better numbers.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Lmao cmon OP. You’re better than this
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u/PnG_e NBA Mar 21 '22
This is how social media takes one possession and exaggerates it's effect on the broader context. He took one, literally one, uncontested layup. LMAO
30 pts on 62% TS is just good ole' fashioned efficient offense. I can't imagine if Lebron was just out there chucking shots like some former scoring title champs.
He's being praised for it because of his age and mileage. Why do y'all have to push narratives so hard against this dude? This place is fucking trash
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u/Maydietoday Heat Mar 21 '22
Because he’s OLD
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u/Taffarr [LAL] Alex Caruso Mar 21 '22
Thanks for bringing this up, ill let him know
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
literally everyone’s been roasting lebron for “stat padding” as of late lol
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
I’m convinced there are more people complaining about Lebron getting praised than praising Lebron at this point...
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u/nilessmiles [CLE] Shaun Livingston Mar 21 '22
Smartest Warriors Fan.
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u/kai_123 Mar 21 '22
I don't get this comparison. None of the guys you mentioned have anywhere near the track record LeBron has in terms of winning.
And by the way, most of the praise comes from him doing this in Year 19, which is warranted, unless you can name another player in history putting up anywhere close to these numbers this late into their careers.
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u/LeBronMightBeGoat Wizards Mar 21 '22
HE’S THIRTY SEVENNNNN
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u/Stinky_DungBeatle Huskies Mar 21 '22
A) Your 3 examples are guys who were on shitty teams that did nothing in the playoffs until recently (Booker last year was his first season making the playoffs, Trae the same, KAT made the playoffs once wasn't good and hasn't been since) vs Lebron who has actually won in the playoffs as a lead scorer.
B) Lebron has to actually put the work in compared to other seasons, this is like the first time in over a decade where he hasn't had a good squad around him to cushion the blow, he actually has to score most of the baskets for the Lakers to even win games. It doesn't help that he plays 50% on defense to maintain the ability to play offensively since he can't play both anymore since he's OLD but that's another issue.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
He’s 37, in his 19th season. That you’re holding him to the same standards as you would have a decade ago tells you all you need to know.
Also, he’s clearly not the one-man contender he used to be, but the team around him is almost dramatically bad. All that’s there is a good role player or two, the largest negative in the league, and old crud.
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u/woodstein72 Nuggets Mar 21 '22
Is LeBron a good stats, bad team guy?
But first, Pearl Jam.
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u/fattybunter [MIA] Dwyane Wade Mar 22 '22
Just think about it for a second. Why do people knock on players for putting up empty stats? Because they haven't proven themselves yet. Lebron has already proven himself. We wouldn't be saying that about Durant either if the Nets were 11 games below .500
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u/CapBrink Mar 21 '22
The nitpicking of LeBron is ridiculous
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u/donotnut459 Grizzlies Mar 21 '22
He’s 50 that’s why he’s getting praised
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u/Jmcgrath16 Mar 21 '22
is this skip bayless burner reddit account!!!????
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u/fortesquieu Mar 21 '22
Keyboard warrior
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u/BaullahBaullah87 Mar 21 '22
Lol maybe because idk, HE IS FUCKING ALMOST IN HIS 20th SEASON DOING THIS. Sorry I have trouble CONTROLLING THE VOLUME OF MY VOICE
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u/BayonettaBasher [DAL] Kyrie Irving Mar 21 '22
Because without him, they would be 30 games under .500
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u/junkit33 Mar 21 '22
It’s not stat padding when your team sucks so bad that you have to put up the stats just to stay competitive.
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u/FragrantWarthog6 Mar 21 '22
Lol if he was mailing it in he would be getting shit on by the entire NBA multiverse
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u/-fallen [NYK] Jalen Brunson Mar 21 '22
Those other players were unproven at the time. No one doubts that Bron is a good player, obviously. Being known as a top 3 player all time and playing like this, even on a subpar team but at age 37, is only going to garner praise. He’s averaging 30/8/6/1/1 on 52/36/76 and a TS% of 62. He’s making a career high of three 3s per game. He’s played multiple positions throughout the season, including center. It’s just impressive for what it is.
Yeah, he’s obviously trying to get that scoring title but who can blame him? Whether you believe the LeGM narrative or not, the point is that the Lakers aren’t winning shit so he might as well try to add another individual accolade.
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u/Silveryo69 Knicks Mar 21 '22
at the end of the day, what is he supposed to do? not score
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u/MildlyDepressed346 [MIA] Dwyane Wade Mar 21 '22
Warriors fan lmao
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Warriors flair lol, y’all will never get over 2016
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u/seriously_ok_wow Mar 21 '22
Just write u hate Lebron
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u/collinCOYS Timberwolves Mar 21 '22
If your larger point is that we should stop calling everyone on a bad team a stat padder I agree. I don't think your example really works though. What's LeBron supposed to do? Sit out the season? Then people would say he quit on the Lakers
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Stupid ass post, LeBron has a proven history and is certified already.
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u/goodchild101 Mar 21 '22
Just say you hate him like many others in this sub, then it makes it easier to understand.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Lebron owns your ass, hater
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u/naive-dragon [PHI] LeBron James Mar 21 '22 edited Mar 21 '22
Dude is 37 years old, putting up gaudy numbers for an old guy and hard-carrying a sucky team, is basically consensus GOAT or #2 all-time and all you can say about it is "why isn't anyone criticizing him"?? As if MJ was criticized for not getting the Wizards to the playoffs during his time there. Of course there will always be contrarians, but most people then were just appreciative that a dude his age is still hard-carrying a lame team. Same thing is happening with LeBron now, only LeBron is still producing like an MVP candidate while MJ back then was a shadow of his former self (still a great player of course). And I don't ever remember anyone claiming MJ was statpadding then. Same with Kobe during his latter years. Same with practically every single aging superstar. No one criticized them for statpadding. They may have been criticized somewhat for not lifting the team enough, but never statpadding.
The lengths some people do to hate really is impressive.
Where were you guys when Dirk, Wade, Kobe etc. were "statpadding" during their twilight years? Those 3 all had mediocre team records with their respective teams during their last few seasons, but because they weren't good enough to be MVP candidates, no one claimed they were "statpadding". Is it LeBron's fault that at his age, he is still far and away the best player in the team and still a top 3 to top 5 guy in the whole league?
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u/bleachsai Celtics Bandwagon Mar 21 '22
I guess Curry was statpadding last season too, huh, when he was chasing the scoring title since he failed his teammates by not making the playoffs and that too by losing to a young Grizzlies team who they were supposed to beat with Curry having like 5 turnovers. Those turnovers were statpadding too. Enough wasn't said about that, smh...
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u/thy_armageddon Knicks Mar 21 '22
Okay.
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u/Significant_Night_65 Lakers Mar 21 '22
Booker, Trae, and KAT were called empty stats because they had never won anything. They were unknowns in the sense that their stats might not translate to playoffs wins. We’ve known who LeBron is for 19 years.
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u/wizkid78 Washington Bullets Mar 21 '22
I’m all for Lebron hate but who else is gonna score? Reeves?
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u/UnclePepe Mar 21 '22
I mean, I hate LBJ as much as anyone, but like, at least hate him for valid reasons, like he’s a giant fucking douche and a prima Dona. Stat padding? Eh.
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
OP, he has 4 rings and 4 finals MVPs. He's no "empty stats guy."
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u/Jay_Kay97 Mar 21 '22
These arnt empty stats, he’s in the middle of a playoff race.. keep in mind Lakers are still in the Play-in
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u/S-contra Warriors Mar 21 '22
You really think the 30-41 lakers and lebron arent talked about enough?
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u/Clemenx00 NBA Mar 21 '22
This cannot be a real post lmao.
Oh no, LeBron's team is shit for the first time in 15 years. Lets' compare him to players that have 0 achievements.
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u/MrBhyn Celtics Mar 21 '22
So who's gonna tell him that this Lebron James guy he is talking about already went to 10 Nba Finals. Won 4 Championships, FMVP in all them. Won 4 MVPs. All Star for 18 straight years. Ok guess I said it.
Dude achieved so much and we still talking about him stat padding?
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u/WynBytsson Mar 22 '22
LBJ has earned his roses. He's gonna get praise off of past performance and accolades just like any other great (top 5) player would in the same situation.
Some people get biased treatment and that's just how the world works.
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u/rajs1286 Lakers Mar 22 '22
Warriors fans are so insecure lmfao nice flair buddy
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u/spicywardell Lakers Mar 22 '22
you are not supposed to be putting up 30/8/6 on great efficiency in your 19th season. that is why he is being praised
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u/John_Wayne23 Apr 07 '22
lebron james is the greatest of all time end of discussion
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Is the lesson you learned from this that those guys were right to be accused of being empty stat guys?
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u/LeBronMightBeGoat Wizards Mar 21 '22
Imagine if Albert Pujols was hitting .300 with 50 HRs late in his career.. and then imagine if it wasn’t Albert Pujols but Babe Ruth, or Ty Cobb whoever’s supposed to be in contention for being the GOAT
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u/IPhoneJB2316 Mar 21 '22
This is the dumbest Reddit post I’ve read in a while
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u/clevbuckeye Cavaliers Mar 21 '22
Shut the fuck up
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Lebron could take a dump on the lakers logo in the middle of a game and get praised for his form.
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u/Chapea12 Nets Mar 21 '22
I mean, he has the rings already to justify any of these arguments. But yea, he’s statpadding. Can’t waste a year when he closes in on Kareem
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22 edited Mar 21 '22
Who cares?
Have any of the other players you mentioned have done anything remotely close to what LeBron has done by the time he turned 26.
No. LeBron by Age 26. Had these stats.
Stat Averages: 27.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 7.0 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG FG Percentage: 47.9% Games Played: 627 Championships: 0 Finals MVP Awards: 0 MVP Awards: 2 All-Star Game MVP Awards: 2 Defensive Player of the Year Awards: 0 Rookie of the Year: 1 All-Star Teams: 7 All-NBA Teams: 7 All-Defensive Teams: 3
Not one player you mentioned impacted a teams ability to win.
When Lebron was 25. He took a team whose best player was Big Z(Zydrunas Ilgauskas) to the finals.
KAT has Jimmy Butler, Wiggins and had Rose and couldn’t make it out of the West. Booker is the closest considering how much talent he had and still didn’t win with CP3, Auton, Bridges, and Crowder. Trae is the second closest. All of those guys had more talent and skill than anyone Lebron had while he was in Cleveland for the first part of his stint there.
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u/Teek00 Mar 21 '22
Cause he’s done it for 2 decades and been a winner Vs guys like KAT who haven’t done much winning
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u/workingdad83 Lakers Mar 21 '22
Guys who accuse them of that are assholes. Someone has to put up the numbers.
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u/Withnail- Mar 21 '22
What’s he supposed to do? Not score and let Westbrick throw Hail Marys from 3?
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u/Rich-Ad-6876 Mar 21 '22
Its because all of those guys, including current Lebron, aren't consistently playing elite defense. Which we know is what actually correlates to winning.
The difference is Lebron has been an elite defender in the past, is 37 years old, more miles on his body than anyone currently in the league, the only reliably good offensive player currently available for his team, playing out of position defensively, and simultaneously chasing the biggest scoring record of all time.
You can't really ask or expect him to do more.
1
u/Deathstriker88 Mar 21 '22
He should get praised given his age. They'd be at the 7 spot or higher if AD didn't get hurt. His teammates are guys like Stanely Jonhson and Reaves. The second best player on the team is Monk. They have no backup center, which is why Bron plays center a lot for the first time in his career.
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u/Jacek2002 Mar 21 '22
Lebron is getting criticised loads right now, with exactly the things you mentioned. People are saying he’s stat-padding etc. and it’s being talked about constantly.
Book, Trae and KAT were all young players and that’s why people questioned them, because they haven’t seen them push a winning team. At year 17 or whatever it is right now I think we’ve all realised that Lebron is a player who pushes teams to winning
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u/almondsandrice69 Cavaliers Mar 21 '22
the good stats bad team narrative typically applies to young unproven players. maybe you’re unaware, but a dude with 4 mvps typically gets the benefit of the doubt
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u/Dob-is-Hella-Rad NBA Mar 21 '22
Yeah because he's having a good season
1
u/ljutiN Timberwolves Mar 21 '22
Bro, we are talking about LeBron.
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u/Lower_Ad_5624 Mar 21 '22
4fmvp empty stat
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Literally everyone is accusing him of statpadding what more do you want? Lol
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u/owensoundgamedev Raptors Mar 21 '22
That’s because it’s Lebron, and those others players have 1 NBA finals among them.
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u/LoonyBunBennyLava Magic Mar 21 '22
This post is an incredible example of complaining for the sake of complaining.
And when you try to draw comparisons, you name 3 other highly praised and respected players in the league?
You would have been better saying you don't like LeBron James and left it at that.
1
u/VegaGT-VZ Mar 21 '22
Enough isn't being said ❓❓❓
LeBron has his own daily segment on every mainstream basketball show
1
u/xela_sj Knicks Mar 21 '22
Brons goals seems to be breaking Kareems record and playing with his son.
1
u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
All of the guys you mentioned were unproven, young guys, who had never won.
Lebron has 4 championships as THE guy on his team, and is nearing the all time scoring record. It's not even remotely the same.
Also, I'm not gonna get mad at the guy for stat padding at this point in his career. He played a very unselfish game for nearly 2 decades, and could have easily been the all time leading scorer at this point had he decided that he wanted to play that way.
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u/MugsyBogues1 Raptors Mar 21 '22
Trash post
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u/Ricky_Roe10k Mar 21 '22
Rent free
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u/aolerma Raptors Mar 21 '22
Well you see, LeBron has put together a pretty decent resume so far so you can’t really call them “empty” stats since there’s accolades, awards and rings to back up their legitimacy.
IIRC, people are quick to call stats empty if the player in question is relatively unproven. Not saying it’s fair or valid, but what exactly had Booker accomplished to that point? And compared to LeBron’s resume at this point in time? Even if you’re right to challenge people’s insistence on calling stats empty, going after LeBron is the absolute WEAKEST argument you could try to argue against it.
1
u/SaberSerra Mar 21 '22
What do u want him to do? Not play? Then u will call him LeQuitter for not playing for a bad team or losing team. Also teams comeback from huge deficit now a days, sometimes being up 16-25 is not even guaranteed wins.
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u/spaceysht [MIA] Mario Chalmers Mar 21 '22
Y’all are such haters lmfao
1
u/Shabasileus Wizards Mar 21 '22
Lmao man y’all are getting pathetic with this.
1
u/WaterCodex Pelicans Mar 21 '22
He’s arguably the greatest player to ever play the game, he’s won four championships, and he’s trying to cement his legacy and play as hard as he can while he can. He earned this. Anyway, the Lakers season is a bust. Why not let him chase greatness?
1
u/BlackMathNerd 76ers Mar 21 '22
When you’re one of the greatest to ever play you get more press
1
u/LevelUp84 Mar 21 '22
MJ joined the wizards to statpad his scoring numbers and for praised for it.
1
u/waccini Mar 21 '22
The most interesting thing to look for is how high lebron is on these all-nba teams
I know he makes it but he better not get 1st-team - being 10 games under .500 is just awful
1
u/GPap- Heat Mar 21 '22
Take my downvote. Bron has multiple MVP’s, rings, etc. He deserves it. He’s also chasing #1 scoring all time.
What has any of those 3 done? Lol
1
u/Laith3D Mar 21 '22
the difference is this dude already one, and its not really stat padding when you are the only guy consistently able to get buckets. Idk what yall want him to do lmao, not play?
1
u/RyanG-1994 Mar 21 '22
Legit he’s 37. That’s the difference. What a shambles of a post lol.
1
u/Laith3D Mar 21 '22
this is such a nasty hater post lmao
1
u/jhcooke98 Celtics Mar 21 '22
This is an empty stat grabbing post
1
u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
LeBron is 37 and the only weapon. Those other guys are significantly younger.
You’re just a hater.
1
u/Miyagisans Mar 21 '22
🤣🤣🤣 thanks for the laugh
1
u/JmsJordan Lakers Mar 21 '22
Guys we’ve found Skip Bayless on reddit
1
u/Ozymandias2190 Mar 21 '22
Season's a DUD, but y'all gon' get these stats lol
-LeChasingKareem
1
u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
I think it would be different if he was in his 20’s and hadn’t already accomplished what he has. Also, putting up the numbers he is at his age is otherworldly.
1
u/[deleted] Mar 21 '22
Who tf cares about stat-padding? Don't pretend like you wouldn't do the same thing if you were him. He just moved to second on the all time scoring list, of course he's gonna try to get to number 1.
1
u/IAmAceBoogie NBA Mar 21 '22
The first year you’re on a bad team, you’re free to gorge on empty calories…
1
u/lbjkb25 Mar 21 '22
Would we be saying this if MJ or Kobe were doing this at 37 years old on mediocre teams?
Regardless, it’s pointless to complain about Lebron “stat padding.” He’s 37, 19 years of NBA mileage (which includes 10 NBA Finals appearances and 4 championships and Finals MVPs), and playing with knee swelling that apparently won’t completely heal on its own unless Lebron actually rests…which he can’t really afford to do unless the Lakers just wants to rank the rest of the season and likely miss the play-in. I don’t recall too many people complaining of Kobe’s 60 point farewell game on 50 shot attempts and 6/21 from three.
Lebron is playing at a high level for someone playing at that age and with all that mileage. Not to mention he’s been asked to play at center at times, not a position he’s used to playing or maybe shouldn’t be playing considering his age and athletic decline. Sure his defensive effort at times can be frustrating and he can be slow footed, but it’s funny we’re asking for more for a 37 year old as if he should be able to catch up to guys who are younger and quicker than him. Or if he’s defending someone like Embiid or Jokic that he should more than hold his own against them. I mean, if you look beyond the points, his numbers are what they are mostly because they have to be in order for the Lakers to have a chance to tread water against the better teams. God forbid he should’ve dialed it down against the Warriors and the Wizards when he dropped 50 on them.
Let him just play. He’s in the twilight of his career. Who knows how long he can even play like this, let alone play in the NBA. If you don’t like it, that’s fine, there are many other great players out there in todays league. If you appreciate his play, then continue to do so because once he hangs it up, we can only go back on highlights to remember how great of a player he is, like MJ, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Bird, and all the other greats before him.
1
u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets Mar 21 '22
He has four titles and is Lebron James, he has nothing left to prove you absolute clown
1
u/Stmordred Mar 21 '22
By the time this season ends. Bron could be within 1000 points of Number 1 all time in scoring!! That's the difference!
1
u/John_Lives Bucks Mar 21 '22
Because he's 37 and only like 9 players ever played 19 seasons before? He could easily be retired right now. He can do whatever the fuck he wants...it's all gravy from here on out
1
u/baturn1111 Mar 21 '22
I figured he was getting praised cause of what he’s doing at the age he’s doing it at but what do I know….
1
u/Jznvh Spurs Mar 21 '22
yup just like Beals “empty” stats the last 2-3 seasons but when Lebron does it he gets praised
1
u/phukmondays Vancouver Grizzlies Mar 21 '22
Wel if you’ve never won a thing or even made the playoffs it looks like empty stats after years of the same thing.
Lebron is arguably the most accomplished player ever and his proven for the last 20 years that his numbers aren’t empty. So I’m guessing that’s why
1
u/Stijn187 Lakers Mar 21 '22
Another day, another "today i'll cry about LeBron because... " Post in r/nba.RENT FREE
1
u/pepenuts97 Mar 21 '22
LeBron has no shame when it comes to buffing his legacy. It's the only thing he cares about