As such, one would expect James to turn the ball over more often than Jordan did (if only slightly so) because LeBron spent more of his time passing.īut what made Jordan so good for so long, and what figures to extend James' reign atop the NBA, was his post-up game. LeBron, on the other hand, has shifted spots on the floor over the course of his career, but has always been either Option 1 or Option 1a to run the offense, as his. Jordan spent much of his career as a scorer with some distribution duties in the Triangle offense, with an assist percentage of.
Jordan was less prone to turnovers (9.3 percent for his career) than James has been (12.1), though that difference likely has more to do with disparate roles on their respective teams. Both MJ and LBJ have been known to do everything well, from handling and distributing the ball to attacking the basket and posting up. Of course, the strengths of their respective games extend far beyond long-range shooting. James has hit better than 30 percent of his threes during each of the last eight seasons, while Jordan never did so for more than four seasons at a time.Īnd, with improved shot selection and steadier form, James' percentages only figure to creep upward as his career progresses. Even without the benefit of a wise, old jumper, LeBron's career three-point numbers (.331) are still a shade above Jordan's (.327). Keep in mind, though, that those years encompassed MJ's late 20s and early 30s, a point in life that the 27-year-old LeBron is just now entering. The latter three of those marks came between 19, when MJ converted 38.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Jordan was never a consistent three-point marksman, though he did post season-long percentages of. LeBron registered career-highs in field-goal percentage (.531) and three-point percentage (.362) last season, with the latter number marking his first foray above the league average in his nine years as a pro. Neither would be considered a "shooter" by trade. Each entered the league as a physical specimen who dominated the NBA by sheer force of will but, as time wore on, developed his repertoire and adapted his style of play to the changing realities of his body and of the league around him. Throw in James' superior wingspan, which came in at a shade over seven feet, and the difference in jumping ability dissipates amidst a greater equality of reach:Īs is the case with great players, James and Jordan are/were both students of the game. Jordan could attack the rack, but never with quite the same blend of seismic ferocity and poetic brilliance that LeBron has demonstrated in his time. The fact that there's more of him to move, and that he does so while maintaining near-perfect balance and control, makes LeBron's athleticism that much tougher to comprehend. It's another entirely for him to do so at his size-6'8, 260 pounds-and with such apparent ease.
It's one thing for James to be able to run as fast and jump as high as he does. In these regards, LeBron has few (if any) equals at any position in NBA history. Power and agility also factor into the equation quite prominently. There's more to world-class athleticism than just running and jumping. There are no official records of LeBron's vertical leap, but by all accounts, the number rests somewhere north of 40 inches.ĭoes this mean that Jordan was the more freakish athlete? Not necessarily. LeBron James is no slouch in this regard. If nothing else, it helps to explain how MJ was able to hang in the air for what often felt like an eternity:
Mical jordan professional#
At his athletic apex, MJ checked in with a staggering vertical leap of 48 inches, placing him among the most impressive leapers in the history of American professional sports. Jordan was a speed demon if ever there was one, though he wouldn't have earned nicknames like Air Jordan, His Airness and Jumpman if not for his exploits off the ground. By the same token, Jordan's chiseled frame afforded him an abundance of flexibility, which he put to good use on both ends of the floor. He was strong and muscular, but not necessarily overwhelmingly so. As far as size is concerned, Michael Jordan was the prototype at shooting guard-a 6'6, 216-pound beast on the wing. Setting aside the ghosts of basketball's past, present and future for a moment, though, how do LeBron and Michael measure up against one another? Then again, there's still plenty of time left for LeBron to catch up to Jordan in the historical rat race, assuming injuries don't derail his career.
0 kommentar(er)
