Other than that the closest you’ll get to James in the 20-10 category are the Carlos Boozer, Antawn Jamison, Kevin Garnett, Zach Randolph types, power forwards who are capable of working on the perimeter — but are not perimeter players.
James is truly a perimeter player. Averaging 20-10 for a season would be quite an accomplishment for him, Durant or any other of their ilk.
This isn’t to say that James has anything to prove. He’s clearly the best, most complete player in the game. It’d just be another level to add to his greatness.
James ended that Wizards blowout with 23 points and 10 rebounds in just 31 minutes. The third quarter was just another display of what could happen, of how James could become a 20-10 guy.
“He just got hot,” guard Dwyane Wade said. “At the end of the third he scored like eight straight. He started making some shots, we were up 20-something and he kind of pushed it even more to make sure we could get some rest in the fourth.”
The Heat is trying to resolve issues at power forward right now between Udonis Haslem and Rashard Lewis. The team seems to play better with Haslem starting. But he’s not enough to fill the size void that exists with a skinny center (Chris Bosh) and an undersized (Haslem) or non-rebounding (Lewis) power forward.
The Heat is 29th in the 30-team NBA in rebounding at 39.0 per game. They could actually use a few more rebounds from James. Haslem could help in that regard. His aggressive attitude is contagious.
“It does make you aggressive when you have someone who is going to attack the offensive glass,” Bosh said. “He (Udonis Haslem) is an easy player to get used to.”
Here’s another hurdle to James averaging 10 rebounds per game: he averages 6.7 assists per game.
Looking over the last decade, I couldn’t find the last guy who averaged 10 rebounds and six assists per game. Chris Webber averaged 10.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists for Sacramento in 2002-03.
Magic Johnson averaged 9.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists in 1981-82, his third season. Of course, in those days Magic came close to averaging a triple-double for a few years.
We’ll let LeBron get to 20-10 before we start that talk.
(MORE COLUMNS FROM CHRIS PERKINS)
Chris Perkins is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com, covering the NBA and the Miami Heat. His columns appear every Tuesday. Follow him on Twitter.
If James reallyyy wanted it he could easily average that true triple double people talk about. Thing is I don’t think he is too concerned with that, he just wants the win and if I’m gonna be a little conspiratorial, to keep Wade happy. He’s done a good job pacing himself this year, Heat just need to avoid playing down to opponents.