“MJ’s FINALS record is not relevant” Nick Wright believes ‘GOAT’ LeBron James to be a better defender than Michael Jordan
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Nick Wright talks on LeBron James and Michael Jordan defenses
LeBron James and Michael Jordan had many virtual battles on the court. They are constantly pitted against each other in a GOAT debate, while MJ is considered the greatest player to ever play in the NBA in most cases. LeBron James is also not far behind the great, as he is now closing in on every stat with impressive performances night after night. But one argument still gave MJ a slight edge over LBJ is their defensive comparisons. Die-hard LeBron fan Nick Wright weighs in with his assessment on the same as he breakdown the stats.
Nick Wright, one of LeBron’s biggest fans, doesn’t think that Jordan is a better defender than the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. Here’s what he said on his “What’s Wright” podcast”, “The idea that because Michael Jordan has a Defensive Player of the Year award, that he was a better defender than LeBron… You can argue he was a better defender than LeBron, I think you’re wrong, but you can make that argument.”
While both players have similar offensive explosiveness on the court – their defensive importance in the team sets them apart. LeBron, playing more seasons in the league certainly gives him more numbers in each category, but per averages would be a fair comparison for the megastars.
A defensive battle between LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
As mentioned earlier, both players have the capability to destroy opponents with their flawless offense. But GOAT should be a great player on both ends of the floor. So, let’s make a comparison between their defensive abilities.
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In his 15 seasons in the league, Michael Jordan managed to break many records with his scoring prowess. But his defensive abilities were under-rated, not neglected. He was a fantastic two-way player who completely dominated his opponents during his prime. But most importantly, he was a winner. MJ won the Defensive player of the year award in 1988.
LeBron James too proved to be an offensive juggernaut on the court. He did play defense well for his teams and even has his famous chase-down-block shots making highlight reels over the years. Unlike MJ, LeBron managed to finish 2nd in the DPOY award, when he had the best two-way season averaging 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks per game for Miami Heat.
So while talking about the DPOY award, analyst Nick said, “But the fact that Michael won it in the late 80s and LeBron came in second, was three votes short of winning it in 2013, that doesn’t move me, that’s not resonant.”
LeBron did make to 5 All NBA defensive teams from 2009 to 2013, but since then the graph on the defensive end has not been much impressive. In his 19-season career, LeBron averaged 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game; while MJ bettered him with 2.3 steals and an equal number of blocks per season.
It is interesting to watch that LBJ has a clear height advantage and is positioned near the rim, should have allowed him to rack up his defensive stats also. During LeBron’s second stint in Cleveland, his defense progressively declined.
After missed drives on offense, he often dawdled back on defense while complaining to the referees; he provided less help off the ball and was less aggressive in switching. But LeBron James himself admitted to taking plays off at times, referring to this approach as “chill mode”.
Nick Wright, who put Michael Jordan 3rd in his list of best-50-in last- 50 years, has his theory to give LeBron defensive superiority. What Wright didn’t point out, however, is that Michael Jordan was selected to the All-Defensive team in nine of his 15 seasons in the league. That right there could be a difference maker.
Well, the GOAT debate and better defensive ability is again a subjective matter, especially when comparing players of two different eras. But statistically, MJ has won this war against LBJ.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)