Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey believes that LeBron James has firmly established himself as the best player in NBA history.
The halfway point of the NBA offseason often turns into a time to reflect on the past and project for the future. Whether it be future rankings or historical debates, this time of year seems to bring out opinions from the NBA community.
This time around it’s Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey dipping his toes into the summer dialogue.
Despite missing out on LeBron James in free agency, Morey had some high praise for the most dominant player of his generation. On The Dan Patrick Show, he weighed in on the debate over who the best player in NBA history is:
"At this point, it's become a bit of a big margin that [LeBron James is the best player in NBA history.]" - Rockets GM Daryl Morey on how LeBron stacks up if you look at analytics on @dpshow
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) August 15, 2018
While I am not surprised Morey has this opinion, I am surprised at how strongly he stated it. As someone that values advanced statistics and process over results, it’s not surprising that he would discount things such as LeBron’s lackluster record in the NBA Finals.
LeBron has only been a betting favorite in the NBA Finals just twice in his career — in 2011 where his individual struggles helped facilitate a Dallas Mavericks championship, and in 2013 against the San Antonio Spurs. Someone like Morey likely factors the odds that LeBron has faced to win his three championships, rather than focusing solely on the record in the Finals.
At his best, there are only few players that have ever come close to what LeBron James can do on a basketball court. Ever since he added the outside shot to his game, he has become an unstoppable force offensively. When you combine that with his vision as a passer, skill as a rebounder and instincts as a defender, you are left with one of the most complete players to ever play.
The debate over who the greatest of all time is ultimately is incredibly subjective. There is no set criteria for people’s opinions, nor is there a way to adequately factor in the changes to the game and competition various players have faced.
From a perspective of talent and physical tools, it’s hard to find many players that compare to LeBron James. His impact on the game is astronomical and he is undoubtedly the greatest player of his generation. If you look solely at individual impact and regard team accomplishments as such, there’s nothing left for LeBron to prove.
With that being said, to say that he is the greatest player by a big margin is a claim that will likely receive some backlash. It’s a statement that’s so hard to quantify and difficult to not view as a dismissal of his predecessors.
To feel conviction that LeBron James is the greatest player ever is not an outlandish opinion. But a good rule of thumb is that when someone says that a debate isn’t close, it usually is closer than they are giving credit for. While Daryl Morey may be correct, the inability to prove his claim will likely cause his strong statement to be met with backlash.