Ray Allen Comments on LeBron James’ “Bag” Remark With Proper Context

Ray Allen, who was teammates with LeBron James for the final two seasons of his career, was loath to correct him, but did so anyway.

Ray Allen Comments on LeBron James’ “Bag” Remark With Proper Context

Ray Allen, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James

There has been a lot of conversation around how LeBron James hasn’t had a scoring skillset to match that of the greatest scorers in league history. The Lakers superstar is now over 50,000 points for his career in the regular season and postseason combined. But he doesn’t have a signature move or a set of moves and counters that he has consistently scored using.

This has led to a lot of narratives around his ability to score. James went on his podcast platform Mind the Game to talk about how this perception is incorrect and unfounded recently. His comments were received with a mix of approval and apprehension as a lot of people noticed that he didn’t paint a full picture. James also received support from Giannis Antetokounmpo after the fact.

However, Ray Allen brought a different perspective to this discussion. Speaking to Dan Patrick on his radio show, the former Celtics and Heat champion first laid bare the basis on which NBA fans judge ‘bags’ and scoring skillsets:

I think over the course of a player’s career, you kinda consistently see on a regular basis what they can do. You pay to see them play, you go watch em play, and they do that move that they do consistently and nobody can stop it. When you look at the NBA today, you’ve lost a lot of skill from that standpoint. Because even when I came into the league, we had mid-range players, we had great pick-and-roll players, we had great post-up players.

He then switched to talking about how the OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers are playing in this year’s Finals, using a strong mid-range game and not relying on analytics-friendly shots. Ray Allen eventually switched to talking about James’ scoring skillset.

LeBron has always been an unstoppable, undeniable force. If you put a bigger guy on him, he can’t keep up with him because he doesn’t have the footwork. You put a smaller guy on him, he doesn’t have the size. So LeBron’s never really had to have a pet move because he can just go downhill and score over everybody.

How does LeBron James’ bag compare to the greatest scorers ever?

Make no mistake – LeBron James undoubtedly has a scoring ‘bag’, whether or not his detractors admit it. He was undoubtedly not a skilled scorer for his first few seasons in the league. But over the years, he has developed sweet spots where he can make jump shots from, on at least a semi-regular basis. Specifically, he has a high volume of fadeaway shots from the left low post and step-back shots from the left wing.

James is also a deep 3-point shooter with extended range, and has been so for most of the 2020s. He is a prolific scorer who still has the ability to take it to the rack and slam it through traffic. There are many critiques of James, but his scoring certainly stands up to nearly all of them. Now when it comes to comparing his skill level to other legendary scorers, however, James undoubtedly falls short.

He cannot hold a candle to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry or even Kyrie Irving in the size, variety and artistry of his skillset. These players all have some of the greatest highlight reels for any player in any sport. James doesn’t even knock on the doors of Tracy McGrady, Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant, who are a similar size to him. Nevertheless, his scoring skillset is effective enough to have won him four championships, and that should be enough.

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