“Kobe struggled, Kevin Garnett struggled” – LeBron James GREATEST rookie in NBA history, claims Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley highlighted LeBron James as the best rookie not to have come from college while talking about Victor Wembanyama's rookie season.

“Kobe struggled, Kevin Garnett struggled” – LeBron James GREATEST rookie in NBA history, claims Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley (L), LeBron James (R) (via Imago)

LeBron James is one of the most impressive players ever in the league. He’s played 20 seasons in the league and continues to dominate even in his 21st season. LeBron came to the league directly from high school and was dominant from the start. He was only the third player after Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson to average 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in his rookie season. Recently, Charles Barkley talked about the struggles of Victor Wembanyama in his rookie year.

Barkley pointed out that he never saw anyone who came to the league and instantly dominated except LeBron James. He argued that judging Wenbanyama this early was unfair. Barkley cited the early struggles of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett during their rookie season.

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This is what Charles Barkley said:

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I've been in the NBA for 40 years - only one guy came and was great right away, that was LeBron. Kobe struggled. Kevin Garnett struggled.
Charles Barkley cia Inside the NBA.

LeBron James continues to dominate in his 21st year

LeBron James hasn’t missed a step in his game, even with him aging close to 40 years after playing over 20 seasons in the league. He can still single-handedly win his team a game at 38. With him coming into the 21st season, it was expected that LeBron would take a step back and take a lesser role. However, it did not seem like it’s going to happen.

Lebron is in prime position to win another championship for the Lakers
Lebron James (via Olympics.com)

LeBron’s expected minutes were 28 to 30, but he has averaged 35 minutes per game. In those 35 minutes, he has averaged 24.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. Recently, he carried the Lakers to a victory over the Clippers by scoring  35 points and snapped their 11-game losing streak against the Clippers. What LeBron is doing right now is unreal, and he makes it feel like it’s expected to play at such a high level at this stage of his career.

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