(Please Lock Thread) The LeBron James - 22-23 NBA Season Thread -All-Time Scoring Leader! (Part 2)

[VanWest82]

Hello. I come in peace. Am I crazy or is this new look Lakers team really good? I assume you guys have all gone back and deleted your Pelinka hate posts lol. That was quite a deadline!

I get you're now counting on a lot of young guys who haven't done it before, but assuming said young guys don't shrink in the moment, is there anyone you're really afraid of in the west? I kind of like Lakers to get to Finals. Bucks or Celtics will be a problem but no way Lakers had a chance at Finals before the deadline. Congrats.

They’re quite good esp if healthy

Suns tho lol

Suns appear very thin to me and that assumes Chris Paul holds up. The thing I like about Lakers now is they're pretty deep with talent. It's unproven talent in the plyoffs but a lot of guys of the right age and profile to play a role. Warriors are a threat too (if they make it).

[MyUniBroDavis]

Hello. I come in peace. Am I crazy or is this new look Lakers team really good? I assume you guys have all gone back and deleted your Pelinka hate posts lol. That was quite a deadline!

I get you're now counting on a lot of young guys who haven't done it before, but assuming said young guys don't shrink in the moment, is there anyone you're really afraid of in the west? I kind of like Lakers to get to Finals. Bucks or Celtics will be a problem but no way Lakers had a chance at Finals before the deadline. Congrats.

They’re quite good esp if healthy

Suns tho lol

Suns appear very thin to me and that assumes Chris Paul holds up. The thing I like about Lakers now is they're pretty deep with talent. It's unproven talent in the plyoffs but a lot of guys of the right age and profile to play a role. Warriors are a threat too (if they make it).

The Suns are scary just cuz at the end of the day they’re a 50 win team when healthy that added on KD I feel, but yeah their roster up and down they have like 4 good players lol

The Lakers look really good but cautious optimism ofc. Fixed the defense alot

[trickshot]

Hello. I come in peace. Am I crazy or is this new look Lakers team really good? I assume you guys have all gone back and deleted your Pelinka hate posts lol. That was quite a deadline!

I get you're now counting on a lot of young guys who haven't done it before, but assuming said young guys don't shrink in the moment, is there anyone you're really afraid of in the west? I kind of like Lakers to get to Finals. Bucks or Celtics will be a problem but no way Lakers had a chance at Finals before the deadline. Congrats.

Was there some other GM in charge when Lakers made the Westbrook trade? If it was LeGM solely responsible for the WB trade why not be consistent and also give him sole responsibility for the D'lo trade?

[VanWest82]

Hello. I come in peace. Am I crazy or is this new look Lakers team really good? I assume you guys have all gone back and deleted your Pelinka hate posts lol. That was quite a deadline!

I get you're now counting on a lot of young guys who haven't done it before, but assuming said young guys don't shrink in the moment, is there anyone you're really afraid of in the west? I kind of like Lakers to get to Finals. Bucks or Celtics will be a problem but no way Lakers had a chance at Finals before the deadline. Congrats.

Was there some other GM in charge when Lakers made the Westbrook trade? If it was LeGM solely responsible for the WB trade why not be consistent and also give him sole responsibility for the Russell trade?

I'm not here to go down that rabbit hole but suffice to say I disagree with you. (Edit: the quick response is Bron/AD held a bunch of war room meetings in the summer of 2021, picked Russ, and then Bron, AD, and Russ basically pressured all involved to get it done. This has been well reported on. These recent moves were all done in season. I highly doubt Bron/AD/Klutch were heavily involved in a bunch of fluid discussions between several FOs with numerous picks and players involved. Doesn't make sense.)

How do you like the new Lakers squad?

[Heej]

Hello. I come in peace. Am I crazy or is this new look Lakers team really good? I assume you guys have all gone back and deleted your Pelinka hate posts lol. That was quite a deadline!

I get you're now counting on a lot of young guys who haven't done it before, but assuming said young guys don't shrink in the moment, is there anyone you're really afraid of in the west? I kind of like Lakers to get to Finals. Bucks or Celtics will be a problem but no way Lakers had a chance at Finals before the deadline. Congrats.

They’re quite good esp if healthy

Suns tho lol

Exactly lol. This is 2018 pt 2 the only way to beat the suns is if someone gets injured AND his supporting cast plays well (specifically AD!). If you're missing even 1 of those 2 it's over. LeBron had no chance against the Warriors even with Klay getting injured because that team required his guys to play out of their minds.

Other than that I'm happy they at least have made a decent team but not much to say beyond that. Healthy Milwaukee is probably not much worse than the Suns and would require the Lakers supporting cast to play their best basketball ever to beat a healthy bucks

[zimpy27]

Bev looked pretty useful on the Bulls.

[zimpy27]

Honestly 7th and 8th spot looks more appealing than 5th or 6th in the West.

I think Suns and Clippers will be in 3rd and 4th, not keen on playing those teams in the first round.

[homecourtloss]

For all his gripes I don't think passing is one of them. I think this is literally looking at who throws the best passes in a variety of ways right? Because imo Westbrook's one of the most technically skilled passers in the league. He misses some easy ones occasionally, so he randomly has that weird error rate at first glance but when you watch him you can really see how gifted he is as a passer.

He can do it all and with both hands. PNR passes, post entry passes, lobs over fronting defenses or to guys that have their defender sealed, cross court passes to shooters, outlets, through tight windows, placing the correct spin on the ball, just an overall great ability to lead players. There's a reason guys like PG Beal and LeBron have great scoring seasons next to him. He can make the right pass every time and place it where only his teammate can get to it and perfectly in line to store.

It's just all the other stuff that hurts with him.

But but but LeBron only makes kick out passes.

It’s also absolutely wild that you have two of the top five or six players on this chart on one team that has such a mediocre offense. That tells you something about the teams ability to make wide-open shots.

As for Westbrook, his playmaking was always good and LeBron benefited from Westbrook’s play making and some of their two-man game actions, and he did get LeBron a lot of easy baskets. When you take a look at someone like Westbrook, who has either been average efficient or horrendous efficient his entire career and you see that he’s had some really good ORPM/ORAPM/ORAPTOR seasons, you know it’s the playmaking. Even this year he was an offensive plus player, especially when playing with LeBron DESPITE having -8 to -10 rTS% numbers all year AND being turnover prone. This is pretty much impossible to do but he’s a great play maker.

If we were the same playmaker, and good defensively, things would be different. If he was that good of a playmaker and averagely efficient it would be different. But he’s not.

If he was just proficient at the rim and had all of his other flaws he would be a much better player. He's the best passer Lebron has ever played with, I think he's top 10 in assists to Lebron despite only playing with him for a season and a half. Lebron's scoring is going to be a lot more self-reliant now but the improved spacing is a worthy tradeoff.

Yes. You know what’s interesting is that when you look at the data you see just how bad he is in transition even in his prime because he would go too fast and miss layups and turn the ball over. On top of that now, he’s a poor free-throw shooter.

2023: 3.9 transition possessions per game (30th most), .75 points per possession, 5th percentile
2022: 4.1 transition possessions (11th most), .85 points per possession, 10th percentile
2021: 6.0 transition possessions (2nd most), .94 points per possession, 20th percentile
2020: 7.3 transition possessions (most), 1.01 PPP, 29th percentile
2019: 7.0 transition possessions (most), .87 PPP, 12th percentile
2018: 6.7 transition possessions (most), 1.01 PPP, 34th percentile (notice how 2018 and 2020 have the same PPP but Westbrooks’s in a lower percentile in 2020 due to an increase of threes shot in transition and the efficacy of them league wide in addition to random variance from season to season)
2017: 6.8 transition possessions (most), .99 PPP, 31st percentile
2016: 5.9 transition possessions (2nd most), 1.15 PPP, 59th percentile

[xb3at band1tx]

I don't miss Russ's defense lol

He's a consistent ball watcher that's for sure.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Hello. I come in peace. Am I crazy or is this new look Lakers team really good? I assume you guys have all gone back and deleted your Pelinka hate posts lol. That was quite a deadline!

I get you're now counting on a lot of young guys who haven't done it before, but assuming said young guys don't shrink in the moment, is there anyone you're really afraid of in the west? I kind of like Lakers to get to Finals. Bucks or Celtics will be a problem but no way Lakers had a chance at Finals before the deadline. Congrats.

They’re quite good esp if healthy

Suns tho lol

Exactly lol. This is 2018 pt 2 the only way to beat the suns is if someone gets injured AND his supporting cast plays well (specifically AD!). If you're missing even 1 of those 2 it's over. LeBron had no chance against the Warriors even with Klay getting injured because that team required his guys to play out of their minds.

Other than that I'm happy they at least have made a decent team but not much to say beyond that. Healthy Milwaukee is probably not much worse than the Suns and would require the Lakers supporting cast to play their best basketball ever to beat a healthy bucks

I don’t think the Lakers beat those teams but it’s not as bad as 2018 lol the Warriors were just some BS

[rk2023]

Hello. I come in peace. Am I crazy or is this new look Lakers team really good? I assume you guys have all gone back and deleted your Pelinka hate posts lol. That was quite a deadline!

I get you're now counting on a lot of young guys who haven't done it before, but assuming said young guys don't shrink in the moment, is there anyone you're really afraid of in the west? I kind of like Lakers to get to Finals. Bucks or Celtics will be a problem but no way Lakers had a chance at Finals before the deadline. Congrats.

I come back with said peace. With his career in some question and scrunity, Pelinka pulled it off to muck up a beyond abysmal roster call in trading for Westbrook. It was quite a deadline, and I am beyond thrilled for the youth movement here and having a core with age 23-27 players (along with Max Christie and whomever is picked R1 this summer). That said, I’m high on this team’s potential but just want to see the team ride it out 1 game at a time and continue to build good habits (winning will take care of itself after that ). Contention or not, there could be a great foundation for next year and onwards / whenever the James era ends.

[Homer38]

Hello. I come in peace. Am I crazy or is this new look Lakers team really good? I assume you guys have all gone back and deleted your Pelinka hate posts lol. That was quite a deadline!

I get you're now counting on a lot of young guys who haven't done it before, but assuming said young guys don't shrink in the moment, is there anyone you're really afraid of in the west? I kind of like Lakers to get to Finals. Bucks or Celtics will be a problem but no way Lakers had a chance at Finals before the deadline. Congrats.

The lakers are still in a hole in the standing..No margin of error but yeah the trade was great!

[Homer38]

The thunder lost, the wolves lost (against the hornets, which is a huge bonus) and the warriors won against the rockets, which was expected so overall good night for the lakers

[Heej]

They’re quite good esp if healthy

Suns tho lol

Exactly lol. This is 2018 pt 2 the only way to beat the suns is if someone gets injured AND his supporting cast plays well (specifically AD!). If you're missing even 1 of those 2 it's over. LeBron had no chance against the Warriors even with Klay getting injured because that team required his guys to play out of their minds.

Other than that I'm happy they at least have made a decent team but not much to say beyond that. Healthy Milwaukee is probably not much worse than the Suns and would require the Lakers supporting cast to play their best basketball ever to beat a healthy bucks

I don’t think the Lakers beat those teams but it’s not as bad as 2018 lol the Warriors were just some BS

Yea the Warriors were odee but I think the gap between this team and the healthy Suns is fairly similar. The Lakers are not beating that team unless they have injury problems imo. Only team I can see even having a prayer is Milwaukee or maybe Boston.

[Heej]

A few thoughts watching that Warriors game

-Beasleys the first guy since KCP I can see being a legit third option that's liable to erupt for 1-2 20pt games in a series

-Vanderbilt's hustle really stands out on screen. I know that's his biggest trait but it's really impressive. Almost Westbrook-esque but Russ is an all time hustle player imo. He's different

-Rui gets up to near his max vert with very minimal effort. Some of the ease and consistency in his finishes really impressed me. His 1-2 dribble mid range pullups are actually pretty nice to see imo.

-Draymond finished inside really well vs AD haha. He'll be a nice addition to the Lakers next year

-Bamba needs to get better at rolling and finishing around the rim. There was a contested lob he fumbled that AD finishes. But tough to compare him to the greatest Lob finisher in NBA history haha

Thought it was kinda cool how Chris Haynes was talking about how the Lakers players feel the weight of LeBron's legacy on their shoulders and they really play for him to try and get that next ring. I feel like the only other guy you've ever heard that about in sports was Tom Brady. Bron really got that GOAT aura lol

[homecourtloss]

A few thoughts watching that Warriors game

-Beasleys the first guy since KCP I can see being a legit third option that's liable to erupt for 1-2 20pt games in a series

And do so in the natural flow of the game like KCP did. KCP was sneaky good in transition as well and the Lakers would find him for threes in transition or he could finish on his own. Beasley is even better at this—he was shooting 66%+ eFG in transition in Utah and now a few games for the Lakers is shooting 96% eFG, 1.80 points per possession in transition.

KCP is a better defender, though, but looks like Beasley is taking direction well and trying to be part of something.

-Vanderbilt's hustle really stands out on screen. I know that's his biggest trait but it's really impressive. Almost Westbrook-esque but Russ is an all time hustle player imo. He's different

-Rui gets up to near his max vert with very minimal effort. Some of the ease and consistency in his finishes really impressed me. His 1-2 dribble mid range pullups are actually pretty nice to see imo.

-Draymond finished inside really well vs AD haha. He'll be a nice addition to the Lakers next year

-Bamba needs to get better at rolling and finishing around the rim. There was a contested lob he fumbled that AD finishes. But tough to compare him to the greatest Lob finisher in NBA history haha

It’s no surprise that Vandy is the type of player who excels on court with James and it’s working out so far. Rui has bought into a role and has done well. Bamba looks like he wants to buy in and become something and is making quicker decisions on rotations. Obviously very limited sample sizes but what’s been impressive is the defensive output

James + Vandy, 30 minutes, +29.5 per 100, 131.1 ORtg 101.6 DRtg
James + Rui, 130 minutes, +21.8 per 100, 115.7 ORtg 93.9 DRtg
James + Bamba, 20 minutes, +45.1 per 100, 129.5 ORtg 84.4 DRtg
James + Beasley, 32 minutes, +21.1 per 100, 111.1 ORtg 90.0 DRtg

Thought it was kinda cool how Chris Haynes was talking about how the Lakers players feel the weight of LeBron's legacy on their shoulders and they really play for him to try and get that next ring. I feel like the only other guy you've ever heard that about in sports was Tom Brady. Bron really got that GOAT aura lol

This can’t be true because “LeChoke,” “diva,” etc.

[zimpy27]

LeBron, Beasley, Reaves, Vando, Bamba

That would be a nice on-court combination for LeBron to work with

[Heej]

A few thoughts watching that Warriors game

-Beasleys the first guy since KCP I can see being a legit third option that's liable to erupt for 1-2 20pt games in a series

And do so in the natural flow of the game like KCP did. KCP was sneaky good in transition as well and the Lakers would find him for threes in transition or he could finish on his own. Beasley is even better at this—he was shooting 66%+ eFG in transition in Utah and now a few games for the Lakers is shooting 96% eFG, 1.80 points per possession in transition.

KCP is a better defender, though, but looks like Beasley is taking direction well and trying to be part of something.

-Vanderbilt's hustle really stands out on screen. I know that's his biggest trait but it's really impressive. Almost Westbrook-esque but Russ is an all time hustle player imo. He's different

-Rui gets up to near his max vert with very minimal effort. Some of the ease and consistency in his finishes really impressed me. His 1-2 dribble mid range pullups are actually pretty nice to see imo.

-Draymond finished inside really well vs AD haha. He'll be a nice addition to the Lakers next year

-Bamba needs to get better at rolling and finishing around the rim. There was a contested lob he fumbled that AD finishes. But tough to compare him to the greatest Lob finisher in NBA history haha

It’s no surprise that Vandy is the type of player who excels on court with James and it’s working out so far. Rui has bought into a role and has done well. Bamba looks like he wants to buy in and become something and is making quicker decisions on rotations. Obviously very limited sample sizes but what’s been impressive is the defensive output

James + Vandy, 30 minutes, +29.5 per 100, 131.1 ORtg 101.6 DRtg
James + Rui, 130 minutes, +21.8 per 100, 115.7 ORtg 93.9 DRtg
James + Bamba, 20 minutes, +45.1 per 100, 129.5 ORtg 84.4 DRtg
James + Beasley, 32 minutes, +21.1 per 100, 111.1 ORtg 90.0 DRtg

Thought it was kinda cool how Chris Haynes was talking about how the Lakers players feel the weight of LeBron's legacy on their shoulders and they really play for him to try and get that next ring. I feel like the only other guy you've ever heard that about in sports was Tom Brady. Bron really got that GOAT aura lol

This can’t be true because “LeChoke,” “diva,” etc.

Seriously I loved watching those KCP movement sets, and Beasley looks like he'll be even more dangerous shooting off them. Like you said tho KCP was a stronger rim attacker than Beasley and a legit 2-way guard. He was able to take it to the rack and dish on those little elbow sets. I must've underrated Monk tho from looking at last night's game haha. That was ridiculous

That's super encouraging to see LeBron doing that well with Rui in all the minutes they've played together. I gotta see more of Bamba tho cuz idk if I even noticed all that much about him that stands out on defense but clearly he's effective.

I'm still wondering about that choice tho. We could've kept Bev and Bryant instead of trading them for Davon and Bamba.

[PistolPeteJR]

A few thoughts watching that Warriors game

-Beasleys the first guy since KCP I can see being a legit third option that's liable to erupt for 1-2 20pt games in a series

And do so in the natural flow of the game like KCP did. KCP was sneaky good in transition as well and the Lakers would find him for threes in transition or he could finish on his own. Beasley is even better at this—he was shooting 66%+ eFG in transition in Utah and now a few games for the Lakers is shooting 96% eFG, 1.80 points per possession in transition.

KCP is a better defender, though, but looks like Beasley is taking direction well and trying to be part of something.

-Vanderbilt's hustle really stands out on screen. I know that's his biggest trait but it's really impressive. Almost Westbrook-esque but Russ is an all time hustle player imo. He's different

-Rui gets up to near his max vert with very minimal effort. Some of the ease and consistency in his finishes really impressed me. His 1-2 dribble mid range pullups are actually pretty nice to see imo.

-Draymond finished inside really well vs AD haha. He'll be a nice addition to the Lakers next year

-Bamba needs to get better at rolling and finishing around the rim. There was a contested lob he fumbled that AD finishes. But tough to compare him to the greatest Lob finisher in NBA history haha

It’s no surprise that Vandy is the type of player who excels on court with James and it’s working out so far. Rui has bought into a role and has done well. Bamba looks like he wants to buy in and become something and is making quicker decisions on rotations. Obviously very limited sample sizes but what’s been impressive is the defensive output

James + Vandy, 30 minutes, +29.5 per 100, 131.1 ORtg 101.6 DRtg
James + Rui, 130 minutes, +21.8 per 100, 115.7 ORtg 93.9 DRtg
James + Bamba, 20 minutes, +45.1 per 100, 129.5 ORtg 84.4 DRtg
James + Beasley, 32 minutes, +21.1 per 100, 111.1 ORtg 90.0 DRtg

Thought it was kinda cool how Chris Haynes was talking about how the Lakers players feel the weight of LeBron's legacy on their shoulders and they really play for him to try and get that next ring. I feel like the only other guy you've ever heard that about in sports was Tom Brady. Bron really got that GOAT aura lol

This can’t be true because “LeChoke,” “diva,” etc.

Seriously I loved watching those KCP movement sets, and Beasley looks like he'll be even more dangerous shooting off them. Like you said tho KCP was a stronger rim attacker than Beasley and a legit 2-way guard. He was able to take it to the rack and dish on those little elbow sets. I must've underrated Monk tho from looking at last night's game haha. That was ridiculous

That's super encouraging to see LeBron doing that well with Rui in all the minutes they've played together. I gotta see more of Bamba tho cuz idk if I even noticed all that much about him that stands out on defense but clearly he's effective.

I'm still wondering about that choice tho. We could've kept Bev and Bryant instead of trading them for Davon and Bamba.

I honestly think I prefer Bamba short and long-term if he’s a Frye-type with some defense. Also, Bev = less Beasley/Reaves/DLo/Schroder, which I’m not sure I like especially with Vando being present.

[MyUniBroDavis]

A few thoughts watching that Warriors game

-Beasleys the first guy since KCP I can see being a legit third option that's liable to erupt for 1-2 20pt games in a series

And do so in the natural flow of the game like KCP did. KCP was sneaky good in transition as well and the Lakers would find him for threes in transition or he could finish on his own. Beasley is even better at this—he was shooting 66%+ eFG in transition in Utah and now a few games for the Lakers is shooting 96% eFG, 1.80 points per possession in transition.

KCP is a better defender, though, but looks like Beasley is taking direction well and trying to be part of something.

-Vanderbilt's hustle really stands out on screen. I know that's his biggest trait but it's really impressive. Almost Westbrook-esque but Russ is an all time hustle player imo. He's different

-Rui gets up to near his max vert with very minimal effort. Some of the ease and consistency in his finishes really impressed me. His 1-2 dribble mid range pullups are actually pretty nice to see imo.

-Draymond finished inside really well vs AD haha. He'll be a nice addition to the Lakers next year

-Bamba needs to get better at rolling and finishing around the rim. There was a contested lob he fumbled that AD finishes. But tough to compare him to the greatest Lob finisher in NBA history haha

It’s no surprise that Vandy is the type of player who excels on court with James and it’s working out so far. Rui has bought into a role and has done well. Bamba looks like he wants to buy in and become something and is making quicker decisions on rotations. Obviously very limited sample sizes but what’s been impressive is the defensive output

James + Vandy, 30 minutes, +29.5 per 100, 131.1 ORtg 101.6 DRtg
James + Rui, 130 minutes, +21.8 per 100, 115.7 ORtg 93.9 DRtg
James + Bamba, 20 minutes, +45.1 per 100, 129.5 ORtg 84.4 DRtg
James + Beasley, 32 minutes, +21.1 per 100, 111.1 ORtg 90.0 DRtg

Thought it was kinda cool how Chris Haynes was talking about how the Lakers players feel the weight of LeBron's legacy on their shoulders and they really play for him to try and get that next ring. I feel like the only other guy you've ever heard that about in sports was Tom Brady. Bron really got that GOAT aura lol

This can’t be true because “LeChoke,” “diva,” etc.

Seriously I loved watching those KCP movement sets, and Beasley looks like he'll be even more dangerous shooting off them. Like you said tho KCP was a stronger rim attacker than Beasley and a legit 2-way guard. He was able to take it to the rack and dish on those little elbow sets. I must've underrated Monk tho from looking at last night's game haha. That was ridiculous

That's super encouraging to see LeBron doing that well with Rui in all the minutes they've played together. I gotta see more of Bamba tho cuz idk if I even noticed all that much about him that stands out on defense but clearly he's effective.

I'm still wondering about that choice tho. We could've kept Bev and Bryant instead of trading them for Davon and Bamba.

Losing Bev is fine because ham wanted him on wings and it stops the three guard lineups

Losing Bryant is fine cuz he’s ask bad on defense

I think bamba >>> them by alot for us all things considered