Cleveland Cavaliers: What we learned from LeBron’s 30,000 point night

LeBron is the youngest player to 30,000 points.

This game undeservedly takes away from an amazing accomplishment from arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time. No player younger than him has reached 30,000 point plateau and scoring isn’t even LeBron’s best attribute.

James came into the league with hype.

He was an athletic freak who proclaimed himself “The Chosen One.” Everyone knew he would be an excellent playmaker and a fantastic finisher at the rim, but many experts rightfully doubted his shot. His shot and overall scoring ability was his biggest flaw when he came into the league. Many thought that he would never be able to overcome this blemish.

As a result, James shot just 41.7% from the field his rookie year and a dreadful 29.0% from behind the arc. It appeared that his shot was going to keep him back from becoming one of the best players in the league.

However, LeBron wasn’t going to let his jump shot hold him back. He improved his jump shot, post moves, and footwork every year and became one of the best scorers in the league. By his third year in the league, James was averaging 31.4 points per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. The most impressive thing is he did all that without sacrificing any other part of his game.

As a result of this hard-work, James became the youngest player to score 1,000 career points. Then 2,000 career points. Then 3,000 career points. Then 5,000 career points. Then 10,000. Then 20,000. All the way to becoming the youngest player to score 30,000 career points.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeTAoFBBxbG/?taken-by=kingjames

It’s crazy to think that James is the youngest player to score 30,000 career points. Kobe Bryant’s greatest attribute was his scoring ability, but LeBron beat him to this mark in terms of age. Same as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Same as Michael Jordan. It’s even crazier when you realize that a scoring accomplishment like this won’t even be one of the top things on his career resume.

Besides joining the 30,000 point club, James also created a club of his very own. The 30,000 point, 7,000 rebound, and 7,000 assist club. LeBron is the only person in that club and could be the only person to ever achieve that milestone. Besides that club, it’s possible that James could even pass Kareem as the all-time leading scorer.

Who knows where LeBron will rank when his career is all said and done. James came into the league with more hype than any player before him and he surpassed those expectations by continuing to improve his scoring ability. The results speak for themselves.

We have witnessed greatness the last fifteen years. LeBron is still playing at the top of his game. You never know when the end is coming. But if I had to guess, it’s not anytime soon.

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The Cavs will look to get back on the right track Friday night when the Pacers come to Cleveland.