I'll be the first person to put forth my anti-Lebron opinions. Ask anyone who's ever watched Basketball with me and they can confirm this. With that being said, even I can't make the argument that he's not the best player in the league. Forget the fourth quarters, the lack of post up game, the iffy shooting, the narcism, and all the other shots that I have thrown at him, the unfinished product that is Lebron James is significantly better than any other player in the NBA today.
There are clearly guys with a more refined game than him. Dwyane Wade is a more creative finisher who also has one of the best midrange jumpers in the league. Kobe has worked on every aspect of his game to continue to be dangerous inspire of his rapidly deteriorating athleticism. Tim Duncan had mastered every technical aspect of the big man when he was younger than LeBron is now. None of those guys are ever going to be a better player than James ever again. Kobe and Duncan have lost too much due to age over the last few years that they lack the athleticism to compete with him. Wade still has enough left on his knees to stay around the same level as his teammate for the next few years, but would have to rapidly improve his game in that short time to surpass Lebron. Youth is key in the league. Youth means speed, hops, and strength. Lebron is so durable and such an athletic freak of nature that it seems incredibly unlikely he'll be overtaken for the throne by someone with more mileage than him.
There are obviously younger superstars the LeBron. His big man counterpart Dwight Howard is only a year younger than James, but bigmen tend to last longer than athletic wings historically so it seems possible that Howard will be able to extend his prime out longer. There's Kevin Durant, who's four years younger and already, albeit arguably, a better scorer than James, with his limitless range and more refined layup package. Other contenders to Lebron's crown are Blake Griffin, the next great power forward and dunk artist, and Derrick Rose, a point guard with scoring prowess. Unfortunately, I can't see any of them knocking James off the top spot anytime soon. Regardless of whether or not he improves his game, Lebron has shown a tremendous work ethic when it comes to taking care of his body. He has managed to pack more pounds onto his frame without slowing down much and staying healthy the whole way through. What's more, even without improving his game, his versatility allows him to compete with players at any position. It almost seems as if LeBron will be the best player in the league for the next decade.
This is where the average fan has a hard time liking Lebron in this day in age. Even before the Decision, there was already doubts as to whether he would reach his potential. He has struggled with "clutch" situations and staying engaged the way Michael, Magic, and Larry did. He has so much raw ability (athleticism, size, strength) and is miles ahead of most wings in other attributes (passing skill, rebounding, defense) that we can't help but see what could be if he mastered the intricacies of every position since he has the qualities of everything from a point guard to a center. His potential is so great that we expect him to be able to seamlessly transition to whatever his team needs. While this seems doable given all we've already covered, I don't think its manageable. So for the foreseeable future, Lebron will continue to be significantly better than his competitors, and we'll still consider him imperfect. It's tough to be the King.
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