Who Is The Greatest SF Of All Time?
Today, I will be continuing the series where I name the greatest player to play each position. Today, it is the SF position.
Today, I am continuing the series of naming the greatest player to play each position. We will be covering the small forward position today. Here are the candidates for this debate:
Lebron James
Scottie Pippen
Elgin Baylor
Larry Bird
Julius Erving
And, the player that I have decided is the greatest SF of all time is… Lebron James. Now, let’s see why Lebron is the greatest small forward of all time.
Play-Style
James is a 6-8 menace weighing 250 pounds. Although James is meant to be a bully down low, he is quite the opposite. James is gifted with perhaps the best court vision the game has ever seen. Combine this with his height and strength, and James is able to through full-court passes with perfect accuracy, cross-court passes to open shooter. He also has the Magic Johnson likeability to get the ball to his teammates with no-look passes, bullet passes, and every other conceivable pass known to basketball.
James is a nightmare coming down the lane. James is an excellent ball-handler for his position and size, and he just powers through people on his way to the rack. James is also very athletic, one of the best dunks of this era. He just muscles through people like they are not there, and just dunks on them for good measure (sorry Jason Terry).
James is not the greatest shooter from either the mid-range or the 3-point line, he has shown the ability to shoot from Curry range. James might not shoot great from 3, defenses still respect him enough to guard him out there. In the mid-range, James is going to his fadeaway shot, which seems to hang in the air forever before dropping in. He has his baseline fadeaways from the block, and he has his end of shot clock fadeaways that make you question whether he is human.
James might not be the most complete player offensively, he uses his driving ability and play-making ability to his advantage, as he has been torturing the NBA with his elite playing level for 17 seasons.
Stats/Consistency
James has been known as one of the most consistent players in NBA history, putting up the same numbers year after year, and even in his 17th season, he is putting up the same incredible numbers.
This season, Lebron is averaging 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 10.6 assists. He is shooting 49.8% from the field and 34.9% from 3. James is 35.
For his career, James is averaging 27.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. He is shooting 50.4% from the field and 34.4% from 3.
James puts up very similar numbers each year, and he has been at a steady rate with the stats that he puts up. Here are some amazing facts about James’s stats.
James has averaged 7+ rebounds in 13 season (out of 17)
James has averaged 6+ assists for 16 straight seasons
James has averaged 25+ points for 16 straight seasons
James has shot 50%+ from the field 9 times, and he did it in a 10 year span (2009-2019)
So, yeah. Lebron is perhaps the most consistent players in the NBA. From the time he was a teenager to where he is now, James has been filling up the stat sheets.
Winning/Accolades
James has become one of the most decorated athletes since the turn of the century.
James is a 3x Champion and 3x Finals MVP
James is a 4x Regular Season MVP
James is a 16x All Star and a 3x All Star Game MVP
James is a 12x member of the All-NBA First Team
James is a 5x member of the All-Defensive First Team
James was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003-04
James won Gold Medals at the 2007 Las Vegas FIBA Americas Championship, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the 2012 London Olympics
Along with all the accolades, James is on a lifetime deal with Nike, and has owned over $1 billion dollars throughout his career.
Along with all the accolades and the career earnings, James has amassed a regular season record of 870-489, giving him a winning percentage of 0.64, or 64%.
In the playoffs, James has a record of 156-83. This gives him a playoff win percentage of 0.65 or 65%.
I hope all of this information that I have given you can help you see why Lebron James is the greatest SF of all time.
But, what do you think? Is Lebron the greatest SF of all time? If not, who is? Leave all of your comments down below.
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