Bretrobert1 wrote:In response to triple threat, what player in today’s game-that plays for a competitive team-doesn’t need shooters and at least one other person who can get their own shot?
There are some unpleasant distinctions in LBJ's game. Unfortunately the "Nike narrative" demands only sports pundits to talk about how awesome he is all the time ( while he travels with his crab dribble relentlessly)
First, he is a truly one in a generation player. No doubt. No one should be that big and move that fast and be that strong all at once. His teammate, Big Z, said it best, the guy is literally a video game character. No one can take that from him.
However, he is "offensively dominant", he is not however "offensively complete" Melo is actually offensively complete from a skill set standpoint. Inside, outside, left hand, right hand, low post, transition, mid range, half court set, long range from three, above the rim. Pure mechanics on every level. Pure footwork on offense that came naturally to him. Melo was built to score a basketball. Melo however could only be offensively dominant in spurts. Maybe in streaks of games or quarters, but never like LBJ could. When I say offensively dominant, I mean a player who can impose their will on the other team, even when the other team knows what is coming and does everything to sell out to stop it.
LBJ, for all his dominance, is not a complete player when compared to the elite group of modern era players around his generation. This is of course relative. His "weaknesses" though don't stop his dominance most of the time. He's that much better from a physical/athletic standpoint than most other NBA players. But his offensive style, the only way he can play and the only way he wants to play, becomes problematic deep in the playoffs.
He's not an elite three point shooter. He's not an elite free throw shooter. He has some pretty bad shot selection at times. He freezes out his teammates far too often. The reality is he makes certain "type" of players better but also certain types of players worse. Most NBA players need to get into their offensive rhythm. They can't just keep sitting around behind the three point line twiddling their thumbs for 6-9 minute stretches, let LBJ charge into 4 defenders, then get a pass sometimes with 4 seconds left and be expected to hit a three point shot.
He's not easy to defend, but he's not impossible to neutralize. There is a difference. The reason why he needs shooters is in part because he's not a great long range shooter. But he needs the type of shooters who can bail him out when he's forced to pass while functioning with being frozen out for long stretches of the game. He needs another shot creator because as the playoffs get deeper, defenses sell out to stop LBJ from attack the rim, betting on his non elite free throw shooting and that he's not an elite long range gunner himself, and the only offensive hope then is to have another Cavs/formerly Heat player score in isolation because the defense would rather let Irving/Love/Wade/Bosh get clean looks. The methodology being those guys can't torch you all by themselves consistently. (Irving might be the on/off exception there)
Other teams do need shot creators and long range gunners. But the cream of the crop teams, the better ones, are NOT RELIANT ON ONE STYLE OF OFFENSE AS THEIR ONLY FORM OF OFFENSE. It's why LBJ lost to the Mavs, the Spurs and the Warriors. Free flowing offenses that let the game/situation dictate the offensive tempo and push/pull.
This is why Spolestra was almost fired. He wanted LBJ to play a more free flowing/passing oriented type offense. Instead he had to make a deal with the devil. (LBJ could do whatever he wanted offensively, as long as he played Spolestras style of defense)
How LBJ plays is effective against marginal teams. Fringe playoff teams. Eastern cannon fodder. It doesn't work very well against the elite teams.
No one plays HARDER than LBJ. He burns the candle at both ends ( mostly because he's a lousy de facto GM) But plenty of teams PLAY SMARTER. The common complaint is he does it all by himself and he doesn't get much help. Well if you freeze your team mates out and kill their offensive flow/rhythm, what do you think is going to happen?
Steph Curry makes EVERYONE around him better. He makes the game easier for himself, not harder. He could be ball dominant to his own detriment, but he make a good decision when needed and passes the ball. Sadly LBJ would still "get his" if he played a more open balanced type of team ball. But maybe his fragile ass ego can't handle that.
Not the same situation, but look how so many former Thunder players are thriving away from Westbrook. LBJ makes his team better (via overwhelming individual talent), he doesn't however make all his teammates better (because you can't win alone, esp not against the elite teams deep in the playoffs), there's a difference.