Lebron James is having another impressive start to the season. He has scored at least 20 points in each of his first 23 games this season. He’s the first player to do that since Karl Malone in 1989. James also hasn’t been whistled for a foul in five straight games. So which is more important to him? Read more after the jump.
“The foul thing is more impressive to me,” James said at Saturday’s shootaround ahead of the Heat’s matchup against the Utah Jazz. “I don’t care about scoring as much.”
James is averaging a career-low 18.2 field goal attempts per game this season and he admitted that he sometimes wonders what it’d be like to have 20 or 25 shots per game like some other superstars have taken over the years.
Currently, James ranks fifth in scoring with 25.2 points per game behind Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and James Harden. But Bryant and Anthony have a greater license to shoot this season, averaging over 20 field goal attempts per game.
James won the scoring title in 2007-08, the season after he reached the NBA Finals. He averaged 30.0 points per game that season and the Cavs lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics.
“If I wanted to, I could lead the league in scoring, but that’s not my job here,” James said.
“My job is to do a lot of everything — rebounding, passing and defending so that takes away from my scoring. I’ve done (the scoring title) before. I’m capable of doing it, but my game sometimes doesn’t allow me to have those big nights.”
