LeBron James has drawn many comparisons to Michael Jordan throughout his entire career, but maybe comparing him to Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson would be a better example.
James’ dominance at the wing positions has been duly noted, with four MVP awards and 13 All-Star nods under his belt, but if he was officially considered a point guard where would he rank among the league’s best at the position?
The 6’8″ James has always been considered one of the best passers in the entire league and the best at his position, and this year continued to grow as a facilitator. James posted a career best 8.7 assists per night this season, finishing sixth in the league.
Only five players put up better nightly assist totals, with all five of those players full-time point guards. The man who led the league in assists per night was James Harden, who was moved to point guard at the beginning of the season. So it begs the question, if you moved James to the point guard spot, would he be the best the league has to offer?
James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Stephen Curry, Isaiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, and Damian Lillard come to mind when you think of the league’s best. Lets go ahead and add LeBron James to the mix and take a look at our top-ten ranking.
10. Damien Lillard
9. John Wall
8. Kyle Lowry
7. Isaiah Thomas
6. Steph Curry
5. Kyrie Irving
4. Chris Paul
3. LeBron James
2. James Harden
1. Russell Westbrook
Every Cavs fan, and myself, would love to be able to place LeBron James right at the top of this list. But being completely honest, you can’t discredit Harden and Westbrook for the incredible and historical seasons they just played.
Westbrook gave us a season that we never thought we’d see again, amassing more triple-doubles than any man in the history of the league. Harden was re-positioned at the beginning of the season with a brand new coach, adjusting to life as a point guard – moving from his regular position at shooting guard – doing so in style.
Over his storied NBA career LeBron James has been taken for granted. The NBA community has become so accustomed to his superior skillset that we just expect a near triple-double every night out of the Akron native.
Some may rank James differently at the point among the league’s best, but not many would have him outside of the top five. If a draft for a starting point guard was held tomorrow, where would you take LeBron James?
