Why EuroLeague’s GOAT Scorer Failed In The NBA

[@DKM_Sports]

Watch EuroLeague Games Live Here For Free www.playback.tv/dkm

[@johnvaughan8239]

He is, in no universe, reality, dimension or imagination, better than Steph Curry. It is an absurd, flabbergasting and disrespectful comparison. It’s not even close.

[@Tarquin2718]

Haha agreed: Better than Curry. In what year did Mike score the EU equivalent of 402 3pt in one season? I think not I looked it up Curry is 4,5 made 3pt per game at ~41% Mike J is 2.6 3pt per game at 40% He is half as good as Curry, but since it is not a linear scale this means he is about 1000? times less good than Curry ❤

[@ernesto_guevara_che]

@@Tarquin2718 In what universe can you compare 82 games regular season to just 36 where every game counts, and also 8 minutes shorter games are played. Have you ever watched Euroleage?

[@eghoseisiramen1892]

@@ernesto_guevara_cheit doesn’t matter cause he’s still not even in the same level

[@PureGameHoops]

How does anyone know who's better? The only way to know who's better would require them to play 1 v 1.

[@coldwell830]

​@coachm.forrest8958 sorry you capped! Not necessarily. This dude can't be compared to SC in his sleep. He had his moments in the NBA, why he didn't score 30, 40 or hell even 25 in tow consecutive games lol

[@Razzlekhan-t4q]

The guy who just did a between-the-legs dunk is unathletic. Then wtf am I

[@Kill_Bill_007]

James is a very athletic player and always has been. Yeah, that comment made no sense.

[@liammcdonnell5632]

He's saying he's unathletic compared to his peers. A lot of pro-basketball players can do stuff like that in their sleep. Most can get their whole arms in the hoop

[@Kill_Bill_007]

@@liammcdonnell5632 Very few pro basketball players are as athletic as James. Very few NBA players are as athletic as James. It is just wrong to say that he isn't athletic.

[@kwii22789]

He's short.

[@gmailgmail6234]

Every basketball player can do that

[@phillycezaarr9963]

Ppl laughed at Luka bc they didn’t understand him, he was saying it’s easier to score bc there’s more spacing and you can’t camp in the paint bc of the 3 sec rule, which I think they should get rid of. But bc of the talent in the NBA it’s a lot harder to double team and leave others open bc everyone can shoot.

[@liammcdonnell5632]

Yeah, I hate seeing guys try to compare the nba and Euroleague. It's too different to make a meaningful comparison.

[@Gadgets20]

@@liammcdonnell5632 They're more similar than they are different.

[@osiris1071]

Nba isn't a league as it used to be and where defense isn't played as intense as in the euroleague. Also team play in euroleague is better than nba. It is a team game. La lakers in their championship year with Kobe Bryant lost a game to euroleague team back then and that team was up like 20 points. Even if you are the goat teamplay beats you when you have a shitty team and nba is lacking of it so yeah scoring in nba is easier than the euroleague. If you give a chance and watch eauroleague games you can understand what i'm saying. Or you can keep lamely name nba champions as the world champions 😂...

[@northofmainstreet7281]

@@osiris1071American basketball culture embraces iso basketball.. shot creation in a one on one situation carries a lot of value in the United States until you get to college level basketball.. In Europe you don't have the same history of basketball the United States has. Team play is a huge factor at the youth level in Europe not in United States.. some players in the United States are taught both sides but opt to play more iso ball due to the culture. This narrative that euro league players still in Europe are better than the players in the united states is false..

[@quann06]

No, he was just saying due to the rules not the players. Mike just isn't a good enough player to play with the talent of the NBA. Luka isn't the only one who said this. Many players have said it's harder to score in the Euroleague due to the rules. The NBA would be far better with Euroleague rules.

[@KT-pb6gf]

Him calling Steph one dimensional reeks of jealousy

[@Baguenaudeur]

It's simple, imagine Steph Curry without his 3pt shooting ability. It's still a very good player, but a legend? No. On the other hand, if you take one key element out of Jordan, he's still the goat. He had way too many ways to hurt you. I get what he was trying to say, even though "unidimensional" is way too strong.

[@georgeatte788]

@@BaguenaudeurBruh that's like saying imagine Kareem without his hookshot or Mutombo without his defensive ability. These are players that are masters of their skill. Steph doesn't need to go inside for the dunk/lay up cause he's just that good at shooting 3s and his team takes care of the rest.

[@bandito241]

@@Baguenaudeurtake speed or strength out of MJ and he’s not a legend either. Just stop it. Those guys are legends because they’re outstanding at what they do. Anyone can shoot threes but Curry can make >40% of those while shooting like 20 shots per game. Nobody right now is that good. Add his other abilities, like slashing and making amazing passes and that’s why Curry is a legend. MJ was an animal because he had the strength, hops and speed to outrun and outmuscle anyone from almost any position and the finesse to outscore guys stronger and bigger than him. Just stop it.

[@philrosales7043]

@@Baguenaudeur nahhhh remove Jordan's scoring he's not the goat, sorry wrong explanation

[@omarwanace23_45]

@@georgeatte788 So? It doesn't change the fact that without his 3-point ability, he basically nothing

[@SunsMD]

I watched Mike James progressively lose his spot in the rotation during a Suns' tanking season. He was a chucker. He dominated the ball, took bad shots, and didn't play defense. His style of play did not help young players improve, and he certainly wasn't a leader. That team was a dumpster fire, and he still got himself waived.

[@cbreezy]

😂

[@khgbjknkopp]

Finally lol ppl act like euro league could compete with the nba when Bron Doncic (already did once) and Curry would son the whole league

[@soloro7112]

NBA Champions should play against Europe Champions every year

[@starwarz8479]

That's actually gonna be quite entertaining But What rules are they gonna play under?

[@troymiller1426]

Should alternate. One year NBA one year FIBA@@starwarz8479

[@nedajtesepasjimsinovima]

@@starwarz8479 The very rules under which majority of the basketball world plays.

[@starwarz8479]

@@nedajtesepasjimsinovima so fiba rules? not the NBA rules? It'd be interesting to watch regardless of which rules they play.

[@nedajtesepasjimsinovima]

@@starwarz8479 Preferably, FIBA rules.

[@Kill_Bill_007]

If the NBA tripled the length of its regular season, and someone then broke LeBron's scoring record, videos talking about it would definitely point that out and also how no one really cares about the record anymore because of that. It's the same case here with this record for EuroLeague and that should have been explained in the video. The video didn't make clear the difference in the amount of games the league plays. They just said he did it in less games than Spanoulis, which is true. What they left out is the regular season was 10 games long during almost all of the career of Spanoulis, while it is 34 games long during almost all of the career of James. So if they did not extend the regular season, it would have taken James many more years to come near the record, no matter what his average was, because he never would have made it to enough games played to break the record. Because when the regular season was 10 games long (Spanoulis era), you couldn't play more games unless your team advanced and James played on plenty of teams that weren't any good and would not have advanced. James is guaranteed at least 34 games every season now. So basically, if the regular season had not been extended, the chance that James would have ever broken this scoring record was virtually 0%. It was only broken because they changed the league's format and games played rules. The video really should have specified that. Since the league changed the regular season from 10 games to 34 games, the truth is no one in Europe really cares about the EuroLeague records anymore, as they are all being broken, just because of the change in games played. The video made it seem like this record was a big deal, but in reality, no one cares, and the EuroLeague records have lost all meaning because of that change to the number of games played.

[@lijah420]

damn 10mgames is crazy

[@rahjaejohnson]

W context

[@rahjaejohnson]

Kinda similar with the nfl adding a 17th game

[@benocarroll7683]

This guy always talks about Euroleague explains nothing just to bring people in it comparing to NBA masking he doesn’t watch any of it, minutes are wasted of your life watching him

[@KemalArdilGulez]

Euroleague regular season going from 10 games to 34 doesn't change a damn thing. Mike James still played way fewer *GAMES* to break the record. Unless Euroleague extended from 10 minute quarters to 34 minute quarters, Mike James' record is very much genuine.

[@SliteKonto]

If he was so good as you’re riding for him, he would’ve been more efficient in the NBA. Not to mention fred is better defensively which why he’s still here. I’m all for having your opinion but let’s relax on the he’d do a b and c when he got the opportunity multiple times and didn’t do it.

[@Infinitefire-w3]

So much you can do when you get only 19 minutes per game. And he averaged 9 in that season. Bruv please. The NBA is an entertainment league more similar to reality TV shows than it is to a sport league

[@SliteKonto]

@@Infinitefire-w3 his per 36 would be 17 points. Which is average, nothing special. the reality tv stuff, whatever makes you comfortable man

[@Tarquin2718]

@@SliteKonto Exactly. I am happy he is king in EU but he is nothing in US. Also If Luka or Jokic or Antetokounmpo would return to EU they would not even know who this Mike is and nobody would ever speak of him again haha

[@coldwell830]

Ameeeeeeeeeeen

[@coldwell830]

​@@Infinitefire-w3 I have no idea what you was sipping on at the time you wrote this comment, but you need to get tested for drugs usage immediately.

[@hayesc0]

You are overeating Mike James. 😂

[@prestonwitgaret]

Micheal James like Micheal Jordan and LeBron James

[@goxifoolz3576]

@@prestonwitgaret Nahhhhh get this mans nuts out your mouth

[@A.Wojnarowski]

No offense, Mike James is a very good scorer, but he has no business in Euroleague GOAT convo. One-dimensional, pure scorer, with zero titles (or even final appearences). He has a lot worse case than LBJ as NBA GOAT. Modern Euroleague GOAT status goes currently between Saras or Kill Bill.

[@brandonbotley5209]

It says goat scorer not goat of the euro league which is two completely different things

[@abdiomar6987]

What happened to Kill Bill(Vassilis Spanoulis) when he went to the NBA to play for Houston Rockets?

[@mihailopavlovic2027]

​@abdiomar6987 He never got the chance or freedom he would need. Look at what happened to Micić after being traded and getting freedom. Coach didnt believe in him, and that's the worst thing that can happen to you. He played over 20 minutes only 2 games, and scored 13 points in both, now his last game he shot horribly (1/7) but shot 11/12 from the FT line, and in the first game he shot 4/9 which is not horrible. It's a process of adapting to a different kind of basketball. Look at Jokic, in his NBA debut he had 2 points and was a backup for Jusuf Nurkić, but Malone believed in him, he saw something in him, and now he is a 2x MVP and won Denver its first ever ring ofc being named a FMVP. If Kill Bill got a chance in 1 more season, getting time to adapt, he would have been much better. (Not saying he would have been as good as in Euroleague, but better than he was for sure).

[@Infinitefire-w3]

In the NBA you just get 3 games to try and score and do some silly signs and trend a bit or else you get cut

[@poppatheegoat]

Damn learn how to read, it said Euroleague Goat scorer not the Goat. So saying he a pure scorer that what video saying

[@sammith02]

Calling Curry one dimensional is kinda funny, seeing that all this guy can do is score. Doesn’t draw the defense’s attention like Steph and could never move off the ball like Steph. Curry’s passing is a little underrated as well as his ability to finish at the rim. “Better than Curry” stawp it 🙄

[@learningcurve3212]

Both are AWful on defense, We all agree!!!!!!!!!!1

[@kappakuppa7255]

@@learningcurve3212 Well this is more of a reputation thing, Steph had some years especially when he got stronger when he really wasnt that bad of a defender, he was more average, the thing is in the nba defense is about reputation, if you get the reputation of a bad defender early in your career people will almost never notice you got better unless you make an all defensive team or something

[@CHANNEL__MAC]

Glazing Euroleague as usual

[@alessandrodeboni8994]

stop crying and just admit how good euroleague is

[@Big01045]

@@alessandrodeboni8994 there great just not as good as the players in the NBA

[@rigobertoitachijohnson]

​@@Big01045they're great team players* the level of their isolation offense compared to American basketball is like comparing plumbers and athletes, its just not a fair comparison... I watch 1v1s of American streetballers (not even professionals) and it's just a night and day difference compared to other countries that play streetball... For this reason I'm stealing their moves XD. Players that I took note of are : Qel, Nas, Jleww, Uncle Skoob, Moon, etc. (I forgot the guy who's left-handed and can do fadeaways with either foot, and can also shoot) None of those dudes i mentioned went pro (or that I know of)

[@thehazardousgamerjr3119]

@@Big01045the current best players in the nba are from the euro league in u notice ☠️

[@ShrimpsonH]

@@alessandrodeboni8994yeah is so good that an American who wasn’t good enough for an NBA roster can set the all time scoring record in less than 300 games 😭😭🤣🤣

[@daarkengeist]

"he can't defend and isn't efficient but he's better than most of the NBA" Ok sure.

[@tigerjiang]

u dont understand lol

[@goxifoolz3576]

@@tigerjiang No you don't understand. We were in 3 NBA teams and couldn't make it out of bench warmer rotations cuz his skills are good in the Euroleague only, bro averaged 9ppg/4ast/2rb.

[@itslight8294]

Mike James would literally kill half the nba

[@ec7057]

​@@itslight8294He didn't do that with the nets bud

[@Jason-ty4nt]

Then tell us why he wasn't successful in the NBA then? What's your take on it@itslight8294

[@Kill_Bill_007]

Just to clarify, Mike James was never the Greek League MVP. He was the Greek League finals MVP 2 times, but never the overall league MVP. Also, as far as Mike James being the EuroLeague GOAT if he wins 1 EuroLeague championship...no. No disrespect to Mike James at all, as he is a really, really good EuroLeague player. But there is no way he is even remotely close to being in the EuroLeague GOAT discussion with winning just 1 EuroLeague championship, if he is able to do so at some point. That does not even put him in the GOAT conversation at all. 1 EuroLeague title is nowhere near enough to be compared to modern EuroLeague players like: Vassilis Spanoulis Dejan Bodiroga Dimitris Diamantidis Sarunas Jasikevicius or also guys like: Juan Carlos Navarro Antoine Rigaudeau Theo Papaloukas Vasilje Micic Nando De Colo Ramunas Siskauskas If he won 1 EuroLeague title, James is still far away from Spanoulis for the GOAT discussions (not even close), or also Bodiroga, or also Diamantidis and Jasikevicius. In all honesty, Mike James isn't even as high on the EuroLeague GOAT ladder as players like: Sergio Llull Milos Teodosic Anthony Parker Sergio Rodriguez Then you have FIBA era EuroLeague players, and also Mike James is not as high as many of them for GOAT discussions either, like: Janis Krumins Emiliano Rodriguez Clifford Luyk Sergey Belov Wayne Brabender Bob Morse Manolo Raga Dino Meneghin Walter Szczerbiak Miki Berkovich Antonello Riva Epi Drazen Petrovic Bob McAdoo Nikos Galis Dino Radja Toni Kukoc Sasha Danilovic Sasha Djordjevic Panagiotis Giannakis Arvydas Sabonis This doesn't even mention players like: Radivoj Korac Drazen Dalipagic Kresmir Cosic Mirza Delibasic Dragan Kicanovic Ivo Daneu Zarko Paspalj Ibrahim Kutluay Carlton Myers Petar Naumoski Nikos Oikonomou Zeljko Rebraca etc. If we limit it to JUST American players, even then Mike James is not the GOAT American EuroLeague player. As players like: Anthony Parker Shane Larkin would be higher than him on the EuroLeague GOAT ladder for modern players, with guys like: Alphonso Ford Mike Batiste Trajan Langdon Kyle Hines JR Holden also in such a discussion. If we include the FIBA era Americans, then Mike James is also behind a whole bunch of other Americans on the GOAT ladder, like: Clifford Luyk Wayne Brabender Bob Morse Walt Szczerbiak Tal Brody Lou Silver Jim Boatwright Audie Norris Nikos Galis Joe Arlauckas David Rivers Tyus Edney In all honesty, while Mike James has had a really good EuroLeague career, he's not even remotely close to being in the EuroLeague GOAT discussion right now. Maybe IF he wins the EuroLeague MVP this season, AND the EuroLeague championship AND EuroLeague Final Four MVP this season, THEN maybe we can talk about maybe putting him in EuroLeague Top 30 all-time discussions. It's actually insulting and outrageous to so many previous EuroLeague great players that all of these Mike James EuroLeague GOAT videos are popping up everywhere. If we put it in terms of an NBA equivalency, putting Mike James in the EuroLeague GOAT conversation is basically the equivalent of saying Demar Derozan is in the NBA GOAT conversation.

[@ric05369]

The adderall was definitely bussin when you wrote this

[@dizzl3ee]

@@ric05369😂

[@alex4247]

.

[@Obstakill]

You better include Tyrese Rice for goat American euro league player

[@Regard-zt7gk]

....so thats what a ether looks like

[@dontaviusharvey5236]

My guy said he’s an undersized, un-athletic guard… proceeds to show Mike James insane athleticism and bounce

[@adam_in_the_world]

awakenbeerus predicted this

[@ncm2738]

Oh dear god. Mike James averaged 21 minutes a game in 32 games with the phx suns in his rookie year, that year he averaged 10.2 ppg 3.8 apg, 2.8 reb, and 1.5 tov, pretty solid numbers... until we get to his shooting splits, 38.8% on 9.8 fga, 26.8% on 3 3pa, and 76.2% on 2.6 fta. Usually rookies don't shoot very well so their FT% is usually a better indicator for their shooting ability. 76.2% isn't horrible but not outstanding either. In his second year he played just 4 games with the pels so nothing to really see there. In his third and FINAL year he played 18.2 mpg in 13 games with the bkn nets. He averaged 37% on 7.1 fga and 35.5% on 2.4 3pa, which isn't bad from 3 but horrendous from the field. Doesn't help that he averaged damn near the same amount of points as field goal attempts with 7.7ppg on 7.1 fga. Not to mention his plus minus was always a negative in all 3 seasons. Truth is, if he was really as good as this video and he says he is, then he would've been on a NBA roster in 2024. To compare him to Curry or even a good NBA roleplayer as of right now is blasphemy.

[@JohnDoe113]

@1:14 that was real lame to put Kemba's picture there. He blew his knee out and was no longer in the NBA because of injuries. So putting his picture there was a horrible example.

[@gabrielcleyet7052]

IT just got a 10 day contract with the suns. I guess the miracle finally came

[@fabianalbertobeltranbonill5495]

the miracle is if he sign multi year garanteed

[@tobe.moemeka]

IT was an MVP candidate. This guy….

[@Bkhouma]

This is how I find out Mike James went to my highschool😂

[@unrulyelchapo5338]

Huh better then curry wtf are u talking about

[@i_fuze_hostages6]

Mike James 😂

[@WoolzBroz]

He got something against the NBA for sure cause that gotta be the worst take I've ever heard

[@nathanielperryii296]

I'm guessing y'all missed the whole point on why he said that

[@petermuchiri6631]

You need to expand your understanding capacity

[@feesh6597]

@@nathanielperryii296 him saying that steph's game is one dimensional, which is quite dumb, considering giannis is a european player that is considered one dimesional yet he's still one of the best basketball players in the world.

[@jefejefe1751]

I was actually comparing his game to Van Vleet's. Then I saw it in the video good stuff

[@ericeiserloh8170]

Euro league definitely deserves more respect, but manipulating information to create propaganda is not the way to go about it. Numerous Euro stars have had NBA trials, like Mike James, numerous trials. In fact most of the current Euro stars have all failed in the NBA. It'd be more interesting to honestly explore the reasons for that. One thing thing to keep in mind is that there are only 450 NBA roster spots,* and almost all of them are locked up by guaranteed contracts given to players signed initially through the NBA draft or free agency. *There are only 90 spots for smallish guards, most of whom are bigger than James. The reasons he was cut by Phoenix exemplifies what I am talking about (check out his performance for Brooklyn when he was signed as insurance for Kyrie during the playoff run in 2021 and you'l discover another reason). Another thing to keep in mind is that there are very few scorers who are efficient enough at the NBA level to be handed those keys (1-2 starters and maybe one reserve per team), and short of winning one of those spots an NBA player has to find a supporting role- a niche that helps him carve out a real NBA career, and these players tend to be relatively long and athletic for their position (something James isn't). And they can usually defend NBA players (can James?) You need to ask yourself how Mike James would be useful to an NBA team? Is he really good enough to be a starting or reserve NBA small guard. There aren't very many guys that small in the NBA, and those that are are either better than James or have the advantage of a guaranteed contract. Just consider what happened to NBA smalls like Ty Lawson, Isaiah Thomas, and more recently Kemba Walker once they lost their edge and ability to be efficient enough on the court. There was a 6'5 scoring guard I used to like by the name of Jordan Crawford, but he also couldn't make it n the NBA because he couldn't defend very well and his offense was too streaky (when this guy was on he was unstoppable), nor did he seem to understand how to carve out a niche that NBA teams could believe in. Ever heard of Jimmer Fredette, or 2024 G-league MVP Mac McClung? They are a lot more comparable to James than Curry is.

[@BigTeletubby]

He’s a 6’1” ball dominant guard who relies on making tough shots against less athletic defenders in Euro that’s really it

[@Mr3Run4Fun]

erm Jalen brunson?

[@chefboyrgee4142]

@@Mr3Run4Funyou must not watch basketball

[@Mr3Run4Fun]

@@chefboyrgee4142 I'd strongly advise you to either read what I said carefully or delete your comment.

[@Axzide]

@@Mr3Run4Fun jalen brunson can make those shots against nba comp l;ol

[@Mr3Run4Fun]

@@Axzide That's exactly what I'm saying.

[@lazywallstreetnews7234]

From the tape, his playing style can best be described as ‘What if LiAngelo Ball hadn’t tried to steal from that store in China and developed properly?’

[@SkinNbonez555]

No

[@jackslammer]

To answer your final question... My answer is no, I would not go back to the NBA. When you cross the age of 30, you start to gain better perspective on life, and start to see things for what they are and not what you want them to be. If I went to the NBA and was treated like I was expendable, but I had an opportunity in Europe to cement a legacy, while earning MORE MONEY than I would in the NBA. I'm staying in Europe.

[@Tarquin2718]

It is very difficult to earn more in EU. But you are right that if you make 1m in EU and you like it here, I would also not go to the US, not for 10m 🙂 Unless you feel you have something to prove. but that is where you're 30 years age comes in.

[@Kill_Bill_007]

@@Tarquin2718All of the good EuroLeague players that are veterans make way more money playing in Europe than they could playing in the NBA, especially in the cases of the best EuroLeague players.

[@outforthecount7027]

your a nobody though

[@outforthecount7027]

you cant make it in eithe rleague . what am i missing here? are you mike james?

[@bandito241]

⁠point @@outforthecount7027

[@BBallRambling]

Great to see you uploading! I am a Suns fan so I saw him play back with that team. The offensive system was bad, the coaching staff was allergic to in-game adjustments, the GM wanted to tank, the players were mostly non-NBA caliber and were looking to get-theirs, and it's tough to get any sort of rhythm going in such brief opportunity. It was a shame to see him get waived. If he wanted to stick it out in the US, I am certain he would have been a good player.

[@michaellockhart6632]

I would have kept MJ over Isaiah Cannon. I remember that season too and I'm not sure as to exactly why I remember it. I believe that I was just following Booker.

[@Nix-7741]

Mike James’s game is perfect for the Euroleague just like Jimmer Fredette in China.

[@richardhsuh]

Net fan favorite Mike Jamessssssssssss

[@sharpshooter0174]

He just a scorer, not a complete player

[@davidechiorlin1043]

I'm from omegna Italy Mike james played for my team in 2012 just after college My 11 y/o mind couldn't understand the greatness of this player, he was doing things I have never seen

[@dylanseiler2694]

I laughed at all your takes 😂

[@ProfeE1990]

Never even heard of this dude, but thanks for this video. He game is dope!

[@saltybrackishfresh]

Making 2-3 mil in Monaco tax free sounds WAY better than scraping for 10 day contracts or one year minimums. Also, taxes take half your money here so that’s like making 5 mil in the nba

[@weball4l]

please do a video on micic hes been playing amazing on the hornets

[@Imaf2020]

That last part... Yeah, Mike James is living the dream! Sometimes life works out differently than you expect, and your back up plan ends up being your best life.

[@ElverGalarga69brrr]

“As a defender how do you stop that” … ummm ask NBA defenders 🤯

[@svenlechtenberg8119]

Undersized and unathletic shouldn’t produce those kinds of dunks 😶

[@vernonherb]

Great video 📹 bro i think ima keep up with mike james

[@LeeeWai]

Luka was teenager in Euro League ( he was under 18 when played in EU ) :) don't compare Luka as a kid to grown up man.

[@innosanto]

Luka was years ahead in development, at that agr he was like 22 yearsild as player

[@saltybrackishfresh]

I think Demar Derozen would average like 5 points on 10% shooting in the euroleague

[@lamarpalmer25]

Iq of a walnut

[@Ashened0]

Calling Steph Curry one dimensional is extremely ignorant and shows a lot of sour grapes.

[@mugensharp]

I definitely see some of the similarities between james and vanfleet. I would even go as far as to say james is a better pure athlete. I think the thing for me though is that fred does a lot of those sneaky little things on defense that make him a more reliable asset when he is at his best, and like you where saying james has a much more iso heavy game and fred is better at operating off ball efficiently. I dont see myself in almost any situation taking a james over vanfleet though. I think another interesting topic would be asking what a prime fred would look like in the euro league. I'm not so sure he would end up being the all time scoring leader, but because of his tool set there is a chance he would have more team success at the highest level. idk it is what it is, good vid.

[@benitofranklyn4237]

I live in Switzerland/Europe and been playing/watching basketball since '92. Anybody over here only watches the NBA because the players are so much better. I couldn't tell you who our National Champion is. There's not even news coverage or any games on TV. Our best athletes become soccer players, the tall one's goalkeepers. Second best athletes become Tennis players or Track and Field athletes, then Hockey, Cycling, Skiing and so on. It's very rare someone really talented becomes a Basketball player. Europe has double the population of the US, if our Basketball teams were any good 2/3 (66%) of the NBA players would be Europeans. In reality it's not even 15%. Since '92 there have been 8 Olympic Summer games. USA won 7, Argentina, which is not in Europe, 1 and every time they send their A-Team the US wins the World Championship as well.

[@kehubbard4386]

Compelling Argument. Great Segment!!

[@pablobenito4635]

i remember wathing him at Baskonia when i was a kid, i loved how he danked and the speed he played with. So happy for him now that he got his flowers

[@SliteKonto]

I’m still in shock how outrageous and bias this video is

[@danmac456]

Great video really helps Americans understand some more stuff going on in the European basketball world

[@LmMighty14]

How are you comparing lebron’s record to Mike James record? Mike James is the all time leading scorer with over 4,000 points. Wilt Chamberlain scored that much in ONE season

[@Azem2005]

compare nba players who have 90 games in a season and EL players who have 34 min and max 41 games, that's a big difference, as the second game in the nba lasts longer than the third, in the nba defenses only start playing after the playoffs and in the EL it is from 1 to 34 matches very important and in every match you have one player who is glued to you and does what he wants, it is not for comparison el and nba.

[@innosanto]

NBA has inflated numbers

[@jared9669]

@@innosanto most euroleague players never make an impact in the NBA. All they have are washed NBA players as their best talent. Doesnt matter how many games in a season to average 16 PPG is not very good.

[@EnjoiTanner]

DKM out here cooking

[@TLFcubing]

such a great video bro

[@DKM_Sports]

Glad you enjoyed

[@pierovittori1076]

I personally don't like mike james' play style but i liked this video, very well made. I'd pick Parker over him any day of the week, but different times, different teams and even more different basketball

[@floatgamehoops3117]

I'd pick Coby White & Holmgren over mike james in the NBA 👍

[@JamesSKessler]

This dude calling Steph 1 dimensional is a joke lmao.

[@52cm]

I remember him a couple years ago this guy was a BALLER!

[@jithias]

Bro just said Mike James is undersized and unathletic while showing us clips of him doing self-alley oop dunks in game. Im dead lmao

[@chuchuchuchia]

Is this Mike James youtube channel

[@offthegrident]

I can show u 10 mins of kyrie fade aways from the post, mike james is nice but his skill set is not close😂

[@akken2112]

When asked so far, who is the best player he's played against, Victor Wembanyama named "Mike James".

[@saltybrackishfresh]

He definitely got kicked from the nba for politics. It’s so obvious and if you know nba politics yk what’s up

[@phillycezaarr9963]

Also Luka’s rookie year in NBA he averaged 21 a game which isn’t as big a jump as the 32 currently.

[@MAXIMUSWE]

Hes had a very nice SL scoring wise. Even the other opportunities hes got at the NBA level he was generally a pretty damn good scorer. He just doesn't do much else outside of scoring. He'd be perfect on a team in like a Lou will / Jamal Crawford role.

[@frankdux3605]

It’s not impressive because the best of the best Euro players leave to the NBA after a few years. A comparison is a 5th year college senior who breaks an NCAA record. The best college players already left to the NBA after a year.

[@streetsomnia]

Can't believe every NBA team passed on Mike James even after of proving he could be a perfect backup PG.

[@saltybrackishfresh]

Damn near most of the nba players couldn’t survive in the euro league. It’s basketball based rather than entertainment based like the nba. NBA is politics, daddy’s money, and nepotism over everything.

[@rafacullera23]

LOL if Mike James is a legend in Euroleague... Imagine a career in Europe of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and if we talk of Lebron, Curry, Durant... Who stop players like them?

[@emc3150]

NBA Players would shit on the euroleague, heck, even the pistons would clear most of euroleague teams.

[@ce2167-n1t]

A statement that he is better than many NBA players is crazy. His performance in the NBA fails minimal standards. Taller opponents can easily guard him, making him inefficient, plus he is a below-average defensive player.

[@klipklapklop3359]

Yea he's the all time leading scorer because all the good ones went to the NBA 😂

[@charmsjs26]

I agree on the Fred Vanfleet comparison...Their around the same height and games our very similar...Vanfleet got a ton of money and shoot low percentages from the floor, is all about situation and timing

[@Larrykph4style]

NBA Cup Champs vs EuroLeague Champs would be great to watch and wouldn't even interfer with the Finals.

[@donatopastore9021]

Bob McAdoo played in the euro league, just to mention one (you showed him in this video)

[@Xcoming2]

all that traveling back and forth would have stressed me out.

[@swingAE86]

I liked this guy alot when he played in BK I wished at the time they went further and he stayed. Happy he found sucess somewhere

[@tahriisaedanse]

Nikos Galis is the one and only undoubtable GOAT of the euroleague

[@PygmaApril]

The reason you don't see many people having 4.400 career Euroleague points, is because all the great scorers already declared and went to the NBA. Mike James was simply not good enough for the NBA, no other way around it. He couldn't defend a cone, his three wasn't falling and NBA defenders were too big/long/strong and bullied him. I literally watched every single one of his games as a Net.

[@terqia6438]

I honestly think you basketball fans come up with every excuse in the book for who don't make it NBA. Bro, even if Mike was waved, he was clearly NBA level. Especially with the caliber of mediocre (below average to average) players who are currently in the NBA today. There are many NBA caliber talents who haven't been accepted into the NBA simply because they weren't given the opportunity. Plus, even if you consider Mike James not that athletic & D3 league level. The fact that he managed to have success in the NBA for his short stint is amazing.

[@PygmaApril]

@@terqia6438 He has NBA-level talent. But he is only an offensive minded player, with no defensive tools and unable to score efficiently against NBA-level defenders. Most mediocre/below average players are on rookie deals, and will not get another contract. Mike is too old for that, so it's nearly impossible for him to have a career in the NBA right now. All those "below average dudes" are based on potential. We have seen the best version of Mike, and it is not good enough.

[@innosanto]

It can also be they played in better euroleague teams.

[@nowdoyouunderstandpain6066]

@@terqia6438he’d be playing if he was good simple 😂

[@ncm2738]

@@terqia6438 NBA level talent and being NBA ready are 2 very different things.

[@ImmaReact]

Mike James isn't a point guard. That's the reason he's not in the NBA

[@BrandonRuffin-tj1fs]

Crazy part is …suns are still looking for a guard to this day ..smh they had one and didn’t work wit it

[@PeterAnosike-c5b]

Mike James is a good player, but he has never won a Euroleague tiltle so u can't call him a GOAT

[@joseloreto1]

Luka at 18 > Mike James all EuroLeague career. Don't get it twisted, this guy has been playing on the EuroLeague his whole career and Luka by far, was a better player and he only played like 5 years when he was a teenager. Even somebody like Kyle Hines has a better argument to be the goat. This guy tries to make Mike James the goat case and that is false.

[@BigPlasticPlant]

2:20 that’s not a 3rd of the time 😂, it’s over two 3rds of the time.

[@epicfeminist]

These crispy jump 3ps 😮‍💨

[@psideTXdude03]

I remember when Mike was at Lamar University he came off the bench scored 52 and put a guy on a poster, me and my homie lost our shit on that dunk

[@jeffreybixler1406]

he says the euro league dude and the all time scoring but its no where near the amount of points that lebron had to reach to beat so how about instead of comparing the final score you compare the points on an equal playing field like making it to 4000 points and how long it took and the amount of games

[@T1Earn]

Living proof you can do literally everything right and not get what you want.

[@saltybrackishfresh]

There are so many nba meat riders in the comments it’s unbelievable

[@kwok42069]

Is this video satire or something? If he were better than most NBA players he wouldn't be so inefficient. Earl Boykins is 5'5" and even he had a better shooting percentage in the NBA than James.

[@aesirgaming1014]

I mean, it boils down to the Euro League and NBA are very different leagues. I mean, the big competition for Mike James was Shane Larkin, a guy that was a decent bench player at times for the Celtics but never really cracked the roster. Having watched both leagues, I'd say that Luka is correct. The NBA is easier to score in as the pace is faster and the rules tend to favor offensive play more than defense. Euro League, from what I saw, tends to be a slower pace, more ball spreading with less iso and more physical play especially in the paint. What impressed me is that Euro League defenses seem harder to crack, as the emphasis is on coordinated team defense although the NBA has more talented defenders. I think that this may be a key component here. The overall individual talent level in the NBA is significantly higher (hence why the best European players go to the NBA). However, the team play in the Euro League looked a lot better to me. These are two different ways of playing the game and are a key factor in why some players struggle crossing between. An iso-heavy NBA player might struggle to crack a roster in a team-centric Euro League team. Conversely, a Euro League player might struggle with an NBA offense that expects better performance in isolation against more skilled defenders. Similarly, we've seen good American players on the national team struggle to figure out some European defenses as team defense takes a different approach to crack (look at Boston, which has consistently struggled to break Miami's zone defense).

[@extremistikovoutiro2877]

I just dont understand why no lottery team didnt take the time to invest in him adjusting to NBA basketball.I mean here is a guy 26 years old averaging 20 a game on Euroleauge, there is definately potential for something special, and if i was managing a bottom tier team , i would definately take a gamble on him.Unlucky for him, he is now 33 and he renewed with an underwhelming monaco team, who at best can make the final four , but are nowhere near close to real madrid/panathinaikos level

[@kantfoo]

Basically in Euroleague, you can use team defense to hide one bad matchup. The NBA rules is more geared to 1-on-1 play and Mike James would get eaten alive.

[@Anonymous--Troll]

This guy has a great 1x1 game, he’s legit especially for his size

[@FinessedJones]

comparing him to Fred who shot 38% from 3 while he shot 28% is laughable

[@Blackmagic404]

I love his game, but Mike James' biggest issue is that he's not a great ball distributor/facilitator. With his scoring ability, if he could give an efficient 8-10 assists per game, he's pretty much a more athletic Fred VanVleet. His court vision is limited and he defaults to one on one iso ball which doesn't work well in the NBA for 6'0" guards who aren't elite outside shooters or passers.

[@yahirzavala-nm9ur]

“As a defender how do you stop that” gee idk ask the nba guys who clearly had him a rope hold not being able to score at a high clip

[@datrendsetta]

Based on this video, the basic eye test alone tells me why he didn’t have a great NBA career. It’s hard to put into words, but it appears like the game is hard for him, like the opposite of the spectrum of someone like KD for example. To me that’s a sign that he is playing at his highest level and would struggle against better defenders and defensive teams.

[@BonesSpyda]

Without watching the video, the reason he failed cus he went into European basketball as an american basketball player with keeping his game the same. That's why he scored the highest points, but when he came to the nba, unlike luka nikola and Giannis, he didn't grow up around European basketball, which makes you use fundamentals and also playmaking being a thing what mike james doesnt have. The reason why luka Nikola and Giannis score so much is because they're passing/playmaking what they learned in european basketball. In the same way, if you were raised in brazil, your ball handling being the best and most skilled cus they were learned that way and played pick up games like that.

[@willcarlton3906]

Great video DKM! You spent way too long making Ball Bros videos. More stuff like this.

[@DKM_Sports]

More to come!

[@willcarlton3906]

@@DKM_SportsI watched the entire thing. These in depth videos really flex your knowledge of the game 🏀. Good chit!

[@Tarquin2718]

You can't take this seriously? If you know anything about stats you know this is cherry Picking combined with lies at Trump level 🙂

[@RETROESKIMO3ATC]

I think it falls to back offices and coaching staff giving players chances to shine, in NBA when a star or starter is out due to injury or whatever, you see a bench or reserve player step up and put up respectable all star splits, some borderline mvp stats. I think the NBA still outshines euro basketball for the moment due to the money and marketing behind it, but next 20 years euroleague basketball will be on top

[@motokavsvlog7737]

New Subscriber here

[@more2lifeworldwide921]

Bro averaged 16.5 over 258 games, if Bron played in this league he'd average 35. KD would average 38

[@brandonvalentine767]

If he didn’t make it in the NBA that tells you alot, especially playing along side KD, if you are good you do more than help out, your produce!!!!

[@Evelynfunnyvideo]

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