The "Los Angeles Derby" is on the verge, and it will also become a major theme in the western part of the league in the new season. The two teams may also stage a peak matchup in the western stage of the playoffs. To ask the real leaders of these two teams, the Lakers have to have LeBron James in the seat, and Leonard deserves to be the core leader of the Clippers. So who will be more capable between the two top NBA stars? Suddenly, it has become one of the hottest topics today. Next, let's explain it in simple terms and compare the comprehensive strength of these two stars in all directions.
Who is stronger, James or Leonard? The ruler is good, the inch is short!
James and Leonard played 24 games in their careers (regular season 12, playoff 12).
In these 24 games, James averaged 25.5 points 8. 1 rebounds 6.8 assists 1.6 steals 0.7 blocks, shooting 48.2% from the field, 36.7% from three-pointers and 76% from free throws. Leonard averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists10.8 steals 0.7 blocks, shooting 50.7% from the field, 38.9% from three-pointers and 82.3% from free throws.
As can be seen from the above data, James averaged 5.6 points higher than Leonard and had 4.3 assists in the confrontation. However, Leonard's overall shooting percentage will be better than James's, with a shooting percentage of 2.5 percentage points higher, a three-pointer percentage of 2.2 percentage points higher and a free throw percentage of 6.3 percentage points higher. More importantly, in the 24 encounters between the two sides, James won only 9 games, but Leonard won 15 of them. Among them, James and Leonard have a record of (4 wins and 8 losses) in the regular season and (5 wins and 7 losses) in the playoffs;
Summary: Because James and Leonard are in the same position, their frontal alignment data is of great reference significance. From the comparison of this set of data, we can see that although James is still a superstar with his physical talent and personal strength, as long as he wants to score, no one can stop him, but Leonard's targeted "death package" defense has relatively successfully restricted James in every game, and even become a nightmare for James for a long time.
From the analysis of this set of specific data, we can also see that James has achieved personal average data in their head-on confrontation so far, but Leonard's team has won more victories. Although the "GDP" combination was the real core of the team in the previous Spurs period, Leonard's contribution to the game is still indispensable, which is also the foundation for his gradual transformation into a superstar.
Comparison of personal data between James and Leonard this season:
So far this season, James has averaged 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds 10.6 assists 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks. The shooting percentage is 49.8%, the shooting percentage of three-pointers is 34.9%, and the shooting percentage of free throws is 69.7%. Advanced data: offensive efficiency value 1 14.2, defensive efficiency value10/0/.9, effective hit rate 55.5(eFG%), true hit rate 58.2(TS%), round share 30.8(USG%), and game contribution.
James shot hot spots and hit rates in specific areas.
So far this season, Leonard has averaged 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5 assists 1.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. The shooting percentage is 46.9%, the shooting percentage of three-pointers is 36.6%, and the shooting percentage of free throws is 88.9%. Advanced data: offensive efficiency value 1 12.6, defensive efficiency value 10/0/.5, effective hit rate 52. 1(eFG%), true hit rate 58.5(TS%), and round share 32.8 (.
Leonard shoots hot spots and hit rates in specific areas.
As can be seen from the above data, Leonard's scoring (eighth in the league) is ahead of James in steals, blocked shots, three-pointers and free throws, and defensive efficiency. However, James' overall shooting percentage this season is 2.9 percentage points ahead of Leonard's, and his offensive efficiency (leagueNo. 14) is also better than Leonard's. In particular, James's ability to connect teams in series, with an average of 10.6 assists per game and an assist rate as high as 48. 1% (the first in the league), is vividly reflected. Although Leonard's efficiency is 0.7 more than James's, James's game contribution value is as high as 20 (the second in the league) and his net efficiency value is 12.3 (the first in the league 1 1), which is also higher than Leonard's game contribution value 19.3 (the fourth in the league) and net efficiency value/kl.
Comparison of data modules between James and Leonard
Summary: By comparing the detailed data of the two men, it can be concluded that James has more ways to score on the court, which means he is more versatile. He can not only finish the game by scoring on his own, but also switch between the third position and the first position, so his number of assists is the highest in the league. This is the horror of James's "getting older and more demon". Leonard's data lead in other aspects is not obvious, but his contribution on the defensive end is indeed higher than that of James, which is the foundation of his career. His defensive ability is beyond doubt.
Comparison between James and Leonard's offensive and defensive ends: From the performance of their offensive ends, James will be slightly stronger, but basically neck and neck. But on the defensive end, Leonard has an advantage. With his unique physical talent (excellent wingspan and a pair of big hands), his defense coverage is extremely extensive, and the so-called "death package" defense has caused great headaches for many superstars, including James. In addition, Leonard, who is at his peak, is relatively young and has both offensive and defensive skills, which is his advantage.
On the other hand, James' performance on the defensive end sometimes seems inadequate. Although James has a positive defensive attitude, after all, his age is there and his weight and tonnage are relatively large. His physical agility and flexibility will certainly be affected. In addition, it is impossible for James to maintain abundant physical fitness throughout the game, which means that if the "30-year-old man" always goes all out on the defensive end, it is easy to cause subsequent weakness on the offensive end because of overexertion. Therefore, judging from the comprehensive performance of the offensive and defensive ends, Leonard's real-time combat power will be even better.
Comparison of leadership temperament between James and Leonard: James is more like a qualified team leader than Leonard. The Lakers have all kinds of trust in James and have seen his dedication to this team. Although James, now 35, can play in almost every game as long as he is not injured. This is his basketball belief for the team. Even though James may choose to concentrate on playing basketball in the regular season, which is called "healthy basketball" in the regular season, at least he is willing to be with his teammates at all times, and he can immediately start the "full-strength Zhan" mode when the team needs it.
It seems that leonard's position as the leader of the Clippers is not stable. Prior to this, he and Lu Wei and other teammates also had some contradictions, and even the news of disharmony in the dressing room came out. This is actually the biggest manifestation of Leonard's lack of leadership. The reasons can be roughly summarized into two points: personality reasons and the way of taking turns. Personality: Leonard's personality gives people a feeling of isolation, and he always lives in his own world. Being the core scorer of the team has little influence, but if he really wants to be the core leader of a team, communication skills are particularly important, and James has done a good job in this regard.
Rotation: Leonard's "rotation method" should also be one of the reasons why teammates are very picky. As the absolute core of the team, Leonard did not show his due leadership temperament. Generally speaking, Leonard holds the highest annual salary of $32.74 million in the team, but in the regular season, he often chooses rotation unconditionally for various reasons. Although this will help to prolong his career, his teammates will be a little unconvinced when he first integrates into a new environment. Regular season, let teammates "work hard" for the team. In the playoffs, teammates will inevitably be tired, but Leonard, who has enough rest in the regular season, can have a bright performance. There may be such consequences: all the credit for the team's victory goes to Leonard, and it is very likely that the team is the teammate who lost the game, and everyone will feel uncomfortable. Therefore, it is also a "healthy basketball". James's principles and strategies are more "both internal and external" than Leonard's.
Comparison of the ability of James and Leonard to lead the team;
The average score of the Lakers' regular-season lineup (from high to low): James 26.7, Bro Bro Bro 25.7, Kuzma 12.5, Pop 9.5, Bradley 8.6, Danny Green 8.2, Howard 7.5, Rondo 7. 1, McKee 6.8, caruso 5.4 and Cook 4.8.
Clippers regular season lineup scores (from high to low): Leonard 26.9, Paul George 2 1, Lu Wei 18.7, harel 18.6, Shimei 9.7, Morris Jr. 9.5, Reggie Jackson 9.4, Zubac 8, Beverly 7.9, JaMychal Green 6.5.
On the ability to lead the team, we must first look at what kind of strong teams the two lead respectively. Judging from the average scores of the two teams, the Lakers are more like a so-called "dual-core team", with James and Brother Thick Eyebrows as the main players, accounting for almost half of the average scores of the whole team. On the other hand, on the Clippers side, except for the dual-core effect of leonard and Paul George, the scores of other players are not inferior at all, especially the "bench bandits" Lu Wei and harel, who are almost two other "small core" players of this team, and their roles are vividly reflected in the team's "second lineup". Except for James and Brother Thick Eyebrows, the average score of other Lakers players is not as good as that of Clippers' rotation players.
On the whole, the Clippers' lineup integrity and comprehensive strength will be stronger than those of the Lakers, which means that the team led by Leonard will have a higher "lineup configuration" than James. Let's compare the current regular season record of both sides. The Clippers currently rank second in the West with 44 wins and 20 losses, while the Lakers rank first in the West with 49 wins 14 losses (the second in the league). Does this mean that Leonard, who is stronger in the team, lost to the Lakers led by James, thus verifying that Leonard's leadership ability is slightly inferior to James? Although the current regular season record can't explain everything, at least so far, James's comprehensive leadership ability is still relatively good.
Summary: From the detailed comparative analysis of James and Leonard's personal ability (comprehensive strength of offensive and defensive ends), leadership temperament and leadership ability, we can draw the conclusion that Leonard's comprehensive strength in personal defense is slightly stronger than James's, but in the more important comparison of leadership and leadership temperament, he always lags behind James. But for a team with the goal of winning the championship, the personal strength of the superstar is of course important, but the "key to winning the championship" is by no means limited to this. Only a core player can make a team unite in spirit and transform itself into a "soldier for all", which is the real king leader. Of course, both James and Leonard are rare superstars of this era, and now they are leading their own teams to advance bravely on the road to winning the championship.
Finally, I pay tribute to James. He is 35 years old, but he is still active on the basketball court. In a hurry 17 years of career, there has never been a shortage of strong competitors around. From the moment James entered the league, he faced Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, the rising star of Ran Ran, and leonard, the biggest threat today. Not to mention the difficulties James encountered in his career, such as the Spurs led by tim duncan telling him that "the future of young people is yours", and the story that it took him several seasons to climb the mountain of Celtic, but James never bowed to his fate in the face of these challenges.
James has experienced so much, his comrades-in-arms and opponents around him have withdrawn from the NBA historical stage one by one, and only the "30-year-old man" still stands. Whether the Los Angeles Lakers led by James rushed out of the west this season, or Leonard's Los Angeles Clippers had the last laugh, soldiers like James will always deserve our respect!