During his 15-season career, JJ Redick played against LeBron James 30 times and lost 19 of those games. Now as a head coach, he benefits from having the King and his offensive firepower on his side. Therefore, he is unequivocally certain of how James creates value.
Advertisement
After the Lakers’ 20-point win against the Raptors last night, Redick was asked in a press conference if he views LeBron’s offense to be more impactful as a scorer or a distributor. The Lakers superstar dropped 19 points and tallied 16 assists against Toronto, making the question somewhat relevant.
But LA’s head coach kept his answer short and succinct, “He’s a scorer.”
JJ Redick on LeBron:
“He’s a scorer”
pic.twitter.com/XeThnJMcYu— 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) November 11, 2024
So even though Redick acknowledges James as an elite passer, he believes nothing trumps the four-time NBA Champion’s scoring prowess.
To be fair, the King averaged over 20 points per game for 20 seasons to dethrone Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, making Redick’s point abundantly clear. But throughout James’ career, his playmaking has drawn comparisons to the likes of Magic Johnson as well.
LeBron has won one scoring title and one assist title each during his career, but his record of 1,096 consecutive double-digit scoring games proves how easily the 20-time All-Star can put the ball in the basket. He has the most points in NBA history by a teenager and by a player in his 20s. By the time this season concludes, he could also have the most points by a player in his 40s.
So far through the early 2024-25 season, the four-time MVP is averaging 23.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.9 assists, showing no signs of slowing down in Year 22.
Most of James’ points came at the behest of his superior athleticism and running back-like build as he could barrel through defenders with ease. However, with age, the Chosen One has become a better off-the-ball scorer with a greater focus on cutting to the basket and shooting from deep.
It’s probably his versatility that makes Redick so certain that LeBron is a scorer-first. Last year, when he was about to break the NBA’s record for all-time points, the former sharpshooter took to his podcast to make his stance clear.
“He’s got the fifth highest career scoring average all-time in the NBA…LeBron is 0.06 points behind Kevin Durant and 0.14 points behind Elgin Baylor. So, he’s essentially one of the three greatest all-time scorers, by scoring average…It’s not just a longevity thing. Better career shooting-percentage from two than Kevin Durant, way better than Kobe, better than Jordan,” Redick argued on ‘The Old Man and the Three’.
Impressively, with all of the above statistics in his favor, James is also 4th on the all-time assists leaderboard. However, it’s clearly LeBron’s impact as a scorer that enables him to draw defenders and create openings for his teammates at an elite level.
