LeBron James 'jealous' of Kevin Durant
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| Credit nbamate.com |
"I get jealous sometimes when I look over at KD and he's like 16 for 32 and then 14 for 34," said James.
The athletic specimen that is LeBron James is--to put it lightly--efficient. The 29 year old forward is shooting a career-high 59 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc, good for 26 points per game this season. Obviously, it is not as though he isn't shooting the ball.
James continued to express his jealousy:
"But there are games where I have it going, and then at the end of the game, I'm like, damn, I shot just 12 for 16? Why don't I get up at least six or seven more? I definitely notice it."
Well Mr. James, maybe it is because you aren't supposed to just score. I mean, that's almost exactly what you said about a year ago offering, "I don't care about scoring as much" and that your job is "to do a lot of everything." Ring a bell?
Of course, James does much more than score. He's the best player in the world, averaging 26 7 and 7 in about 37 minutes per game.
Regardless of LeBron's shifted perceptions and newfound desire to score more, he is still tied for 18th in the league for field goal attempts at 580.
Still, that number pales in comparison to Durant's 711 attempts (third most overall), and certainly is modest for a player with his scoring capability. Though, these figures may largely be attributed to the make up of each team. Durant is fully expected to launch a plethora of shots on a nightly basis, especially with Russell Westbrook out. Conversely, LeBron plays the role of both scorer and distributor.
James continued to talk about the different mindset required to carry a heavy scoring load:
"First of all, you have to have an unbelievable mindset to get up 30 shots," he started." I always think about it, though. If I get up high-20s, 30 shots a game, what could I do today, with the way I'm playing?"
Perhaps this is foreshadowing? Admittedly, I would love to see what LeBron could score if given the ultimate green light. Back in 2005 James dropped a career high 56 points on 18 of 36 shooting. Nine years and four MVPs later, LeBron James is a much better player. Nevertheless, he still seems to have trouble saying the right things to the media.
It is no secret that James consistently says things that draw scrutiny and even ire. This specific subject is not even particularly palpable, but it still makes me wonder the same thing--why do you continue to speak so much LeBron? Why do you continue to bring more scrutiny upon yourself?
James' narcissism is well documented. Hell, the dude told the media he wanted to clone himself. And to be honest, I don't blame him. I'd take a pair of 6'8 250 versatile guys who can play the 1-5 too. However, you just can't say that kind of stuff to the media and act disappointed when people don't like you. Ironically enough, perhaps he'd be much better off playing the role of that relatively quiet, less controversial star.
Agree? Disagree?
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