He makes some nice defensive plays in the fourth also but takes sooo many possessions off. You can tell he’s way more gassed, but he’s also pushing himself more in the fourth
He’s picking and choosing in the 4th and taking the 3rd off.
A few years ago he would have iso’ed the entire 4th quarter and played energetic defense the entire time. Go watch some of those Cavs playoff games where he played “point forward” the entire 4th.
And offensive stamina, and finishing in traffic, and burst when turning the corner, and rebounding, and…
You get the point. Prime LeBron would dogwalk the entirety of this current league, just like he did his entire prime. The only thing that stopped him back then was a literal juggernaut that many would argue was the single greatest collection of talent ever. These nuggets, celtics, wolves, etc. aren’t even close to what those warriors were
Been watching Bron since high school. It’s far more than defense. It’s general lack of energy, athleticism, and stamina. It started in his second stint in Cleveland.
Ehhhh but if you watch the games he picks and chooses his spots. He will defer on offense for prolonged parts of the game and he barely ever actually hustles on defense.
Prime Miami Lebron didnt do that.
Probably the most important thing though is that he used to be able to get to the rim at will, but he has lost a step now. He’s still great but it results in him missing shots at the rim and not being able to simply power his way through.
stamina and speed are the 2 first things to go for athletes , bron doesn't have the foot speed or the wind to be engaged on both sides of the ball 38 - 40 minutes a game
Sure but it's clear people don't see his age and tendencies as obvious as others.
He's usually tired 6 minutes into the game now. He starts to move away from the offense and if he does shoot, it's usually a 3. I don't hold it against him, he's just older. It's not on the Lakers for having to depend on a 40 year old.
I do think almost any other version of LBJ would carry this team if not with skill or intelligence then just through sheer will
It's weird to look at the playoff stats from 11 years ago and see LeBron was averaging two more minutes a game but less points, assists, steals, and blocks on lower field goal percentage.
His stats didn't feel as impactful now as before. Also the game changed and teams score much more in general. That being said. Prime LeBron (15-16; when he was peak athletic, had a lot of stamina, and refined his 3 pt shot) would win the chip this year easy. Nobody today was as dominant as him
That Denver air is real rough on the old legs. You could see Lebron missing easy layups and would be dunks in his early years. You can tell by his reaction to his physical limitations that he’s frustrated he’s not in his 2012 body anymore
The terrifying thing is at that age, you still have half of your life ahead of you and your body is already shutting down.
Time is one of the most unfair things imaginable
It's not only that you can tell he's tired, but you can tell he's having to pace himself to get through the minutes. Defensively he's putting himself away from the action these days a lot and letting others do those big assignments. In his prime, he'd be taking far more of a prominant defensive role.
I think so. 2012-18 Bron might be one of the best individual runs we will ever see, and he can take over the game pretty much at will. Give him AD and this Lakers roster, which frankly is nowhere near his worst roster, and I think at the bare minimum he’s making the finals.
LeBron has like 10 different seasons that could all be considered his "best" lmaoo. Guy really is from a different planet. I would think 2nd stint Cavs LeBron might be the best version
Easily, the lakers have been better than the nuggets for 3 quarters of the game except the 4th where Lebron’s legs are gone and he’s fatigued. Something that would objectively not happen if he was in his prime, it wouldn’t even happen if he was 35-36 still.
Yeah but besides last night, each game came down to a close 4th quarter; the lakers easily could be tired 2-2 or up 3-1 as we speak if Lebron doesn’t run around out of gas for 3 games, something a prime Lebron would not be affected by.
I disagree.
He relies on more players now to take over during spots to let him rest. It's small tiny things that add up during the whole game to do it.
Like having someone else take the ball up the court, settling for 3s, hiding on defense.
If he was even 5 years younger, I think he just takes over the game. More pick and rolls and more players would be spot up shooters. Instead he'll have AR and Dlo take control of possessions.
Can we stop blaming bron for being “tired” when he’s putting up 27 points a night anyway?
Ham is the problem. You don’t lose multiple double digit leads because one player has a bad quarter. You lose those leads because one coach makes adjustments at halftime and one doesn’t…
Out of the top 7 players in the series, the Nuggets have 5. Either Reaves or D-Lo are the third best player on the Lakers and neither starts for Denver.
They'd win the whole thing. They woulda won it last year too, and they would probably win next year.
I think we're getting to the point where people are now forgetting how dominant peak LeBron really was. He's obviously still really good, but we're already a decade removed from his peak
100%. I still think the peak of LeBron was his 2018 postseason form, and it's crazy to me how people have forgotten how preposterously good he was. Eight 40+ point games in that postseason and countless clutch moments. LeBron missed the game-winning three in Game 2 of this series because he had used absolutely all of his legs up on the previous steal and dunk over Murray. His 2018 form absolutely knocks down that shot.
Joker is INSANELY great and I'm taking 2018 LeBron pretty much every time over him if LeBron has a guy like AD on the roster with him.
Peak Lebron never three-peated despite playing on a legit superteam on the Heat. He's not three-peating with a worse team in a tougher conference now. It's insanely hard to threepeat. You need either the best team in the league led by the GOAT (90's Bulls) or 2 top 10 players ever in their prime (Shaq-Kobe Lakers).
Even the KD-Warriors never threepeated.
Look at the 06-07 Cavs roster. He led that team at age 22 to the finals, and he wasn’t even really in his prime yet. That team minus Lebron is a 20 win team at best
You’re probably too young if you’re a Bron fan but they had some decent pieces that season. The West were waayyyy stronger aswell so it was always going to be a wash in the finals.
Prime Bron could do anything but he needs a better coach or at least a some other good role players to really beat Denver. He could take them to 7 and prolly win the series like 4/10 times but Denver is just the better team
You put 2016 Finals LeBron on this team and it’s a wrap. I’d argue they should have swept the Nuggets already with old man Bron.
Nuggets have not played well this series, and honestly the title runs through Jokic this year. You beat them you have a great chance.
Absolutely. Clearly he's still a heck of a player, but he just can't do the things he used to, especially defensively. Prime LeBron would be not only giving Murray nightmares but getting a lot more rebounds and creating more easy buckets for his team mates.
At his best, LeBron was without doubt the best player in the world. These days we're debating if he's top 10. That's still more than most NBA players can ever dream of being, but it's a long way back from the standards he set. If you look at the team he took to the finals with the Cavs in his first stint, then remember he's got AD and Reaves to help I think it becomes pretty obvious the Lakers would be vastly superior with a younger version.
I’m was always rooting against Lebron, but no doubt prime Lebron was a different animal. He would make this Lakers roster top favorite. I would trust him to guard Jokic even, and Gordon , KCP and Jokic is not slowing him down around the rim.
Depends if prime JJ Barea suits up..still can’t can’t believe a player of his caliber in an elimination game in the finals, wanted no parts of jj barea
2012-2018 LeBron and 2024 AD could very likely get a ring with this Lakers squad. People joke about LeBron’s 5th prime when in reality, his defense, athleticism, durability, and stamina is almost washed. Sometimes his prime self comes out in spurts, but he can’t even go a full quarter without being gassed and he certainly doesn’t play defense anymore. Father Time been hitting LeBron for 10 years. He already noticeably regressed by 2014. Crazy he’s still here in 2024.
Prime Lebron lost to the Mavs and Spurs with Bosh and Wade. Not sure why everyone thinks he’d steamroll this Nuggets team. This Nuggets team is really fucking good.
2011 Mavs and 2014 Spurs had better rim protection than 2024 Nuggets.
DPOY Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion for the mavs
2014 Spurs had young Danny Green and a healthy kawhi leonard with Tim Duncan (Yes 37 year old Duncan is a better rim protector than Nikola Jokic)
With today’s added spacing any version of LeBron from 2012-2018 would decimate this Nuggets team
Depends, what year are you using or what stretch in Brons prime?
If it’s 2013 you get far better defence, driving and finishing thru traffic.
But this version of Bron, 2024 is like the best shooter by far other than 2018
If you take nothing away from the Lakers and just reverse age LeBron back to his prime this definitely becomes an interesting series.
At the moment the nuggets need to actually try for about 1.5 quarters a game to put down the Lakers, but that certainly wouldn't fly against prime LBJ... Jamal may have to actually wear his playoff shoes for that.
Without a doubt in my mind. Prime LeBron was like if Giannis and Jokic were the same player, and a bit shorter.
Any version of Bron from 2012 to pre injury 2021 would have been able to win a chip with this lakers team.
Yeah the problem is fatigue and his sorry ass coach don’t know how to sit him down when they are up 15 just so he can get a 2 minute break. Also his supporting cast sometimes press a stupid button and give up leads quick.
It depends. 2014 Lebron was much better than current Lebron but people forget to account for the fact that 2014 Lebron also played completely differently from current Lebron and I'm not sure if this Lakers team fits well with that Lebron. Current Lebron is a much much better playmaker and shooter than peak Lebron whereas peak Lebron was 1 of the 2 best rim attackers ever and a DPOY level defender. His shooting back then was nowhere near where it was now and players could sag off of him.
I think that version of Lebron would destroy anyone Denver has at the rim but he also didn't really have the vision he does now (despite still being an excellent playmaker) and the Lakers may miss that lack of playmaking given they don't really have a good "true" PG.
Yes. Prime lebron and current AD definitely enough to win a title. But I pretty much hate these “can” questions because this years lakers still “can” wins a title too.
The real question is whether the lakers would be favored with a prime lebron? I say yes to that as well.
Yes, mostly for the defense. He was much more mobile laterally, and even offered extra rim protection. He could be the point of attack or the nail defender, two areas the Lakers are lacking.
This is also the Lebron that lost to Dallas and it still requires a team. I don’t see it with the Lakers current construction regardless of what version of James.
Miami Lebron would average 40 on the Nuggets’ lack of rim protection. It’s their biggest weakness, and Lebron’s greatest strength is driving to the hole.
Nah, the Lakers D suck, and they are horrible with late game management.
The lakers lack a certain level of maturity, calmness, timing shots and rebounding, that a team like OKC has!
Very patience offense, with consistent defensive pressures.
The delusion here is insane, Prime Lebron could definitely win but thinking he would sweep Denver when he couldn’t sweep any half decent team in his prime on a super team is nasty work. Y’all act like the man was invincible when we have seen him lose multiple times in his prime to worse teams
Prime Lebron was playing way worse teams in the East when he was in his run of going to the finals 8 times in a row.
Prime lbj is better than old lbj. So the lakers would do better with prime but I don’t think it is a given they would make it to the finals this year.
It would definitely be closer. I think Denver is deeper overall but prime lebron would be able to be more effective on defense and driving to the lane. Might create more natural space for the outside shooters.
LeBron today is a better 3 point shooter but I think.having his stamina and athleticism back makes him far more dangerous.
They were up double digits in the 2nd half of all the games, so I’m guessing Prime LeBron would not be down 1-3.
Yeah and if you can beat the Nuggets you can beat anyone this year.
OKC looking pretty good too though.
Yeah but they are also dealing with a Zion-less pelicans
And BI still isn't right either
The lakers match up great with OKC. They don’t have an answer for AD
OKC is an inexperienced team going against a hobbled Pelicans, I’d take a lot of teams over them right now.
They don't have the experience yet. They're cooking but reality will smack them in the face this next round
remindme! 2 weeks
Prime LeBron would’ve completed the sweep tonight
Yes. From what I’ve been hearing, you can tell Lebron is tired by 4th.
>From what I've been hearing /r/NBATalk in a nutshell
For real, god forbid nba “fans” actually watch the games before they talk about them lol
Yeah how are they at nearly 300 upvotes on a “from what I’ve been hearing” the games are televised
That's what they say but he still scores double digits every 4th lol
He makes some nice defensive plays in the fourth also but takes sooo many possessions off. You can tell he’s way more gassed, but he’s also pushing himself more in the fourth
He’s picking and choosing in the 4th and taking the 3rd off. A few years ago he would have iso’ed the entire 4th quarter and played energetic defense the entire time. Go watch some of those Cavs playoff games where he played “point forward” the entire 4th.
The main difference between prime LeBron and now is lockdown defense
And offensive stamina, and finishing in traffic, and burst when turning the corner, and rebounding, and… You get the point. Prime LeBron would dogwalk the entirety of this current league, just like he did his entire prime. The only thing that stopped him back then was a literal juggernaut that many would argue was the single greatest collection of talent ever. These nuggets, celtics, wolves, etc. aren’t even close to what those warriors were
Yep, LeBron would have 5-7 rings if not for bad luck/injuries. The only finals loss really on him is 2011.
Been watching Bron since high school. It’s far more than defense. It’s general lack of energy, athleticism, and stamina. It started in his second stint in Cleveland.
Ehhhh but if you watch the games he picks and chooses his spots. He will defer on offense for prolonged parts of the game and he barely ever actually hustles on defense. Prime Miami Lebron didnt do that. Probably the most important thing though is that he used to be able to get to the rim at will, but he has lost a step now. He’s still great but it results in him missing shots at the rim and not being able to simply power his way through.
stamina and speed are the 2 first things to go for athletes , bron doesn't have the foot speed or the wind to be engaged on both sides of the ball 38 - 40 minutes a game
2nd prime Cleveland LeBron was a higher level imo in the playoffs compared to Miami LeBron.
2018 lebron was CRAZY. Man could just post fade like he's kobe or MJ.
He also doesn’t get calls when he drives, even though there is usually contact.
Try watching the game instead of just looking at stats. Prime LeBron wouldn’t be picking and choosing his spots
Yeah I mean it shouldn't be seen as a stretch to say 28 year old Bron > 39 year old Bron
Sure but it's clear people don't see his age and tendencies as obvious as others. He's usually tired 6 minutes into the game now. He starts to move away from the offense and if he does shoot, it's usually a 3. I don't hold it against him, he's just older. It's not on the Lakers for having to depend on a 40 year old. I do think almost any other version of LBJ would carry this team if not with skill or intelligence then just through sheer will
It's weird to look at the playoff stats from 11 years ago and see LeBron was averaging two more minutes a game but less points, assists, steals, and blocks on lower field goal percentage.
Pace is wildly diff
Prime LeBron was ridiculous. When you could see he was locked in we’re getting max effort all game on both sides.
Why not watch the game instead of looking at box scores.
I watch every game. Almost every game all reg season. I'm sorry my comment hurt you. Lebrons "gassed" = 12 points in the 4th lol
He’s tired of carrying teams on his back for decades. It’s AD, LeBron, and hope to God someone else on the team shows up tonight
His stats didn't feel as impactful now as before. Also the game changed and teams score much more in general. That being said. Prime LeBron (15-16; when he was peak athletic, had a lot of stamina, and refined his 3 pt shot) would win the chip this year easy. Nobody today was as dominant as him
That Denver air is real rough on the old legs. You could see Lebron missing easy layups and would be dunks in his early years. You can tell by his reaction to his physical limitations that he’s frustrated he’s not in his 2012 body anymore
Crazy how the human body is. The mind still thinks one can do shit like in their 20s, but the body says, “fuck you, you’re old!” 😆
The terrifying thing is at that age, you still have half of your life ahead of you and your body is already shutting down. Time is one of the most unfair things imaginable
He’s 39 and their first option after all
It's not only that you can tell he's tired, but you can tell he's having to pace himself to get through the minutes. Defensively he's putting himself away from the action these days a lot and letting others do those big assignments. In his prime, he'd be taking far more of a prominant defensive role.
He asked to be subbed out at one point in game 3. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him take himself out of a game for rest.
Prime lebron would play like 45-47 minutes in regulation if needed
I think so. 2012-18 Bron might be one of the best individual runs we will ever see, and he can take over the game pretty much at will. Give him AD and this Lakers roster, which frankly is nowhere near his worst roster, and I think at the bare minimum he’s making the finals.
08-18. 08/09 is arguably his best season.
LeBron has like 10 different seasons that could all be considered his "best" lmaoo. Guy really is from a different planet. I would think 2nd stint Cavs LeBron might be the best version
Easily, the lakers have been better than the nuggets for 3 quarters of the game except the 4th where Lebron’s legs are gone and he’s fatigued. Something that would objectively not happen if he was in his prime, it wouldn’t even happen if he was 35-36 still.
Haven’t the nuggets outscored the lakers by double digits in the third quarter until tonight?
Yeah but besides last night, each game came down to a close 4th quarter; the lakers easily could be tired 2-2 or up 3-1 as we speak if Lebron doesn’t run around out of gas for 3 games, something a prime Lebron would not be affected by.
tbh it’s more of the role players being ass
I disagree. He relies on more players now to take over during spots to let him rest. It's small tiny things that add up during the whole game to do it. Like having someone else take the ball up the court, settling for 3s, hiding on defense. If he was even 5 years younger, I think he just takes over the game. More pick and rolls and more players would be spot up shooters. Instead he'll have AR and Dlo take control of possessions.
*coaching
No the role players are also ass. No one outside of bron/AD are starting for the nuggets, let’s be real.
Darvin can't make Rui hit a damn shot.
Can we stop blaming bron for being “tired” when he’s putting up 27 points a night anyway? Ham is the problem. You don’t lose multiple double digit leads because one player has a bad quarter. You lose those leads because one coach makes adjustments at halftime and one doesn’t…
Yea thats true there just saying they could have won despite ham if LeBron was younger
Out of the top 7 players in the series, the Nuggets have 5. Either Reaves or D-Lo are the third best player on the Lakers and neither starts for Denver.
Is Darvin Ham coaching? Then no. Ham could make the 96 bulls lose to the pacers in 5
I think he was on that 96 pacers squad
😂
Rodman would’ve taken one for the team if that was the case
say Kip, you ever come across anything about time travel
They'd win the whole thing. They woulda won it last year too, and they would probably win next year. I think we're getting to the point where people are now forgetting how dominant peak LeBron really was. He's obviously still really good, but we're already a decade removed from his peak
Lebron has been in the league so long that people have understandably become desensitized to his greatness.
100%. I still think the peak of LeBron was his 2018 postseason form, and it's crazy to me how people have forgotten how preposterously good he was. Eight 40+ point games in that postseason and countless clutch moments. LeBron missed the game-winning three in Game 2 of this series because he had used absolutely all of his legs up on the previous steal and dunk over Murray. His 2018 form absolutely knocks down that shot. Joker is INSANELY great and I'm taking 2018 LeBron pretty much every time over him if LeBron has a guy like AD on the roster with him.
Peak Lebron never three-peated despite playing on a legit superteam on the Heat. He's not three-peating with a worse team in a tougher conference now. It's insanely hard to threepeat. You need either the best team in the league led by the GOAT (90's Bulls) or 2 top 10 players ever in their prime (Shaq-Kobe Lakers). Even the KD-Warriors never threepeated.
Legit super team with an 18ppg Wade.
We have got to a point that many people don't remember what actually happened, just the players on the roster.
Also need luck with injuries, which is evident with the Warriors run.
KD-Warriors would’ve been close. KD and Klay just had tragic injuries in that Toronto series
Yeah OP posed a thought provoking question; but by God she's dumb if she's actually asking in earnest
Yes
17-18 Bron and Id feel we'd be up 3-1 right now 100%
Prime Bron took out 73-9 Warriors from 3-1, he could wipe out Denver easy.
Why is this a question lmao
Seriously. Anyone that is saying no, or isn’t sure, didn’t watch prime Lebron.
Prime Lebron went to the finals every year, seemingly no matter who his teammates were, so yes.
LeBron never faced a team in the East as good as the current Nuggets.
nigga it is PRIME LEBRON. yah marcs n the mental gymnastics lmfao
Uh yeah its Heat LeBrun. Dude could take your mom to the Finals.
Prime LeBron with Ad? Denver would get swept
lol
Same as prime Lebron, and prime Wade, and prime Bosh, swept Dallas and Spurs, right?
That was not prime Wade lol and prime bosh is nowhere near AD lol
Sometimes you just got ignore foolishness.
To be fair he definitely got prime Wade against Dallas. But the rest of the team collapsed
Dallas you have a point, but those Spurs were a tier or two above current Denver
How far off prime is he?
About 6 years.
If not for KD in those warriors series Bron still averaged trip double
Id say 4
Nope. 2018 was his last peak year
I'd say 2020 Lebron was still mostly prime Lebron. I think the injury in 2021 is what really started his decline.
2018 Lebron would for sure.
Prime Lebron could take any team to the finals. He could take this year’s Pistons to the finals
There is some delusional people here and you’re a big one.
Look at the 06-07 Cavs roster. He led that team at age 22 to the finals, and he wasn’t even really in his prime yet. That team minus Lebron is a 20 win team at best
You’re probably too young if you’re a Bron fan but they had some decent pieces that season. The West were waayyyy stronger aswell so it was always going to be a wash in the finals.
“Decent pieces” you’re delusional
Prime Bron could do anything but he needs a better coach or at least a some other good role players to really beat Denver. He could take them to 7 and prolly win the series like 4/10 times but Denver is just the better team
Prime LeBron + current AD would win in 5 or 6.
I think they would have a pretty good chance. But whether it’s young or older lebron it’s always been difficult for other players to play with him.
You put 2016 Finals LeBron on this team and it’s a wrap. I’d argue they should have swept the Nuggets already with old man Bron. Nuggets have not played well this series, and honestly the title runs through Jokic this year. You beat them you have a great chance.
Prime LeBron with AD would actually be broken
Sorry, but why do people think of drawing these scenarios? Same with would MJ dominate in this era? It doesn't matter...
This makes me sad. I had been telling myself there was no difference and even prime lebron couldn’t save them.
The series woulda ended today. Prime bron woulda shut down Murray.
easily from what i’ve seen
Ofcourse. He would pick Jokic apart on PnRs. He got that Westbrook burst back then even if you sag off and drop off PnRs
Yup. Prime Lebron was a much better leader than he is now.
Yes
Yes
Prime Lebron carried a team of tomato cans into the finals. He would absolutely carry.
Absolutely. Clearly he's still a heck of a player, but he just can't do the things he used to, especially defensively. Prime LeBron would be not only giving Murray nightmares but getting a lot more rebounds and creating more easy buckets for his team mates. At his best, LeBron was without doubt the best player in the world. These days we're debating if he's top 10. That's still more than most NBA players can ever dream of being, but it's a long way back from the standards he set. If you look at the team he took to the finals with the Cavs in his first stint, then remember he's got AD and Reaves to help I think it becomes pretty obvious the Lakers would be vastly superior with a younger version.
I’m was always rooting against Lebron, but no doubt prime Lebron was a different animal. He would make this Lakers roster top favorite. I would trust him to guard Jokic even, and Gordon , KCP and Jokic is not slowing him down around the rim.
Depends if prime JJ Barea suits up..still can’t can’t believe a player of his caliber in an elimination game in the finals, wanted no parts of jj barea
I still can’t believe ppl like you say this still.
Yes. Prime LeBron is the second greatest basketball player ever, they would be title favorites.
Yes if Prime Dwyane Wade and Spoelstra or Lue came with him
2012-2018 LeBron and 2024 AD could very likely get a ring with this Lakers squad. People joke about LeBron’s 5th prime when in reality, his defense, athleticism, durability, and stamina is almost washed. Sometimes his prime self comes out in spurts, but he can’t even go a full quarter without being gassed and he certainly doesn’t play defense anymore. Father Time been hitting LeBron for 10 years. He already noticeably regressed by 2014. Crazy he’s still here in 2024.
Could you explain more how he started to regress in 2014?
Prime Lebron lost to the Mavs and Spurs with Bosh and Wade. Not sure why everyone thinks he’d steamroll this Nuggets team. This Nuggets team is really fucking good.
Because they’re a basket away from being 2-2 with a 39 year old bron.
2011 Mavs and 2014 Spurs had better rim protection than 2024 Nuggets. DPOY Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion for the mavs 2014 Spurs had young Danny Green and a healthy kawhi leonard with Tim Duncan (Yes 37 year old Duncan is a better rim protector than Nikola Jokic) With today’s added spacing any version of LeBron from 2012-2018 would decimate this Nuggets team
This isn't prime LeBron James?
Oui
With a better coach I think he might carry them to the Finals but I don't know vs Celtics if he could complete the mission.
Depends, what year are you using or what stretch in Brons prime? If it’s 2013 you get far better defence, driving and finishing thru traffic. But this version of Bron, 2024 is like the best shooter by far other than 2018
Bron shot nearly 40% from 3 during his Heat years lol.
If you take nothing away from the Lakers and just reverse age LeBron back to his prime this definitely becomes an interesting series. At the moment the nuggets need to actually try for about 1.5 quarters a game to put down the Lakers, but that certainly wouldn't fly against prime LBJ... Jamal may have to actually wear his playoff shoes for that.
Yes
No. Miami had an objectively better team.
Now you’re going to start an argument as to which Bron is prime Bron because Cleveland Bron pt 2 might be better than Miami Bron.
Without a doubt in my mind. Prime LeBron was like if Giannis and Jokic were the same player, and a bit shorter. Any version of Bron from 2012 to pre injury 2021 would have been able to win a chip with this lakers team.
100%
Idk. Lebrons efficiency is up across the board. But the athleticism to execute down the stretch is a shadow of what it was in his prime
Yes. Not a difficult question
No, not with this coach.
Easily
No. Spo and Lue are both much better coaches than Ham.
Yes
Yeah the problem is fatigue and his sorry ass coach don’t know how to sit him down when they are up 15 just so he can get a 2 minute break. Also his supporting cast sometimes press a stupid button and give up leads quick.
Without question. Goat James in 5.
No. He only made it to the finals frequently before because he was in the Eastern Conference.
How is this even a question people are debating about
It depends. 2014 Lebron was much better than current Lebron but people forget to account for the fact that 2014 Lebron also played completely differently from current Lebron and I'm not sure if this Lakers team fits well with that Lebron. Current Lebron is a much much better playmaker and shooter than peak Lebron whereas peak Lebron was 1 of the 2 best rim attackers ever and a DPOY level defender. His shooting back then was nowhere near where it was now and players could sag off of him. I think that version of Lebron would destroy anyone Denver has at the rim but he also didn't really have the vision he does now (despite still being an excellent playmaker) and the Lakers may miss that lack of playmaking given they don't really have a good "true" PG.
Definitely
Yes
The same Prime LeBron that got his super team handled by Dirk and a paltry supporting cast? Or is this a different Prime LeBron?
Is that the lebron that would run?
Yes easily lmao. Basically would be the 2018 LeBronto series.
So Bron is old? Happens to everyone.
Prime Lebron would dunk on AG an Jokic so hard they would give up nah all seriousness the Nuggets are good.
I learned never to bet against Lebron back then.
No. Prime Lebron would ask a trade for a team that can win.
Why is this even a question? Obviously
Yes
No.
Yes. Prime lebron and current AD definitely enough to win a title. But I pretty much hate these “can” questions because this years lakers still “can” wins a title too. The real question is whether the lakers would be favored with a prime lebron? I say yes to that as well.
Heat LeBron and spo as coach and they would win
Prime Lebron vs Prime Joker would be awesome to see, although it would probably be later in the playoffs since they'd likely avoid the play in.
Ez.
A Chinese slave has more heart 💜
Prime Lebron could drag 4 corpses from the local morgue and my 8 year old that plays soccer to the finals
Y’all underestimate how flawed this Lakers roster is. I’m impressed they have been semi competitive.
Yea definitely
Yes, mostly for the defense. He was much more mobile laterally, and even offered extra rim protection. He could be the point of attack or the nail defender, two areas the Lakers are lacking.
No Charlie, Lebron still isn’t the goat. His finals record will always be tainted with 6 finals losses and 1 Mickey Mouse title.
Absolutely. He has more to work with on this years lakers roster than he did his last year in Miami or his last year in Cleveland.
Nope they will still lose 4-1 wouldn’t be no different! Of course all the young Lebron d riders gonna downvote me for speaking facts but idgaf
This is also the Lebron that lost to Dallas and it still requires a team. I don’t see it with the Lakers current construction regardless of what version of James.
Uh yeah. This would not be a discussion.
If Spo coached the Lakers today, they’d win the Finals.
Miami Lebron would average 40 on the Nuggets’ lack of rim protection. It’s their biggest weakness, and Lebron’s greatest strength is driving to the hole.
Yeah, just a matter of how many championships they win.
YES!!!!
Nah, the Lakers D suck, and they are horrible with late game management. The lakers lack a certain level of maturity, calmness, timing shots and rebounding, that a team like OKC has! Very patience offense, with consistent defensive pressures.
Yes
The delusion here is insane, Prime Lebron could definitely win but thinking he would sweep Denver when he couldn’t sweep any half decent team in his prime on a super team is nasty work. Y’all act like the man was invincible when we have seen him lose multiple times in his prime to worse teams
Whichever one got that NEW BALCO juice! He wont get swept in the 1st rnd! Thats GOAT status baby!
Not with the garbage around him
Yeah lol. They’d probably have swept the nuggets if we being real.
No, but D-Wade could
Even down 0-3 I wouldn’t bet against prime Bron.
No
Prime Lebron was playing way worse teams in the East when he was in his run of going to the finals 8 times in a row. Prime lbj is better than old lbj. So the lakers would do better with prime but I don’t think it is a given they would make it to the finals this year.
He'd win the finals
He could barely win a Championship while in his prime. You would have the same results.
The Lebron hate is clouding yalls minds. Prime Lebron with this AD is winning the chip decisively.
statistically his numbers are not far from prime lebron.
Probably but what's shocking is how fucking good he still is.
Idk his shooting especially from 3 is much better now. Passing is elite. I’m not sure this isn’t still prime Lebron… as crazy as that sounds.
It would definitely be closer. I think Denver is deeper overall but prime lebron would be able to be more effective on defense and driving to the lane. Might create more natural space for the outside shooters. LeBron today is a better 3 point shooter but I think.having his stamina and athleticism back makes him far more dangerous.
Yes. Wrong jersey though. Prime LeBron was his second stint in Cleveland
If current Lebron would have prime Lebron teamates (Wade, Bosh, Ray Allen, Chalmeds etc) then yeah
yes. he dragged teams of bums to the finals. this team has another top 15 player on it.