LeBron James is used to being on top. The reigning NBA MVP has racked up awards lately, but when it comes to scoring, he is taking a backseat to Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant. The Miami Heat forward admitted he was jealous over Durant's recent scoring numbers, something Durant himself is just laughing off.
Statistically speaking, James attempts 16.2 shots per game, ranking in at 19th in the league. Durant shoots 19.5 shots per game, good for third in the league. Durant accounts for 35.8 percent of the Thunder's points while James produces 32.4 percent of the points. Durant's numbers have increased since the injury to Russell Westbrook, while James is busy distributing to the Heat's multiple playmakers. That did not stop James from expressing a little jealousy.
"I get jealous sometimes when I look over at KD and he's like 16-for-32 (from the field) and then 14-for-34. ... Man," James said, via ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh."But there are games where I have it going, and then at the end of the game, I'm like, damn, I shot just 12-for-16? Why don't I get up at least six or seven more? I definitely notice it. First of all, you have to have an unbelievable mindset to get up 30 shots. I always think about it, though. If I get up high-20s, 30 shots a game, what could I do today, with the way I'm playing?"
Durant caught wind of the comments made by James, blaming the media for blowing up one quote.
"What he say?" Durant said, via The Oklahoman. "How can I not see it? It's been on CNN. It's been on ABC, FOX Sports. Man, it's been everywhere. Ya'll blowing that out of proportion, man. I mean, I'm pretty sure, matter of fact, I'm 100 percent sure LeBron can do whatever he wants."
Durant is exactly right, James can do whatever he wants. If James wants to toss up the shots, he certainly can. James is working to play within the offensive system of the Miami Heat, but the MVP is indicating that he would love to toss up a few more shots on the court. However, he does have two NBA championships to his name, so the system must be working.
