In this conversational YouTube segment, host Corwin CJ Moneyway Johnson and a co‑host (Speaker B) dissect the current NBA landscape, focusing on LeBron James’ perceived decline since moving to Los Angeles compared with Luka Dončić’s ascendant impact in Dallas. They argue that LeBron’s reduced facilitation and occasional low‑IQ plays contrast with Luka’s ability to create space, force defenses to collapse, and open opportunities for teammates. The discussion expands to compare Luka’s shooting volume to that of Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander and Nikola Jokić, noting differences in perimeter shooting and play‑making styles. The hosts also delve into MVP voting history, questioning the closeness of Shai’s win over Jokic and drawing parallels to past eras (Jordan’s dominance, Karl Malone’s 1997 MVP, the Showtime Lakers, and the Bad Boys Pistons). Historical defensive philosophies are examined, highlighting how past teams (Boston Celtics, early Lakers, Detroit’s “Bad Boys”) emphasized physicality, and how modern stars like LeBron and Jordan navigated contact. Throughout, the tone remains informal and nostalgic, mixing critique of LeBron’s current performance with enthusiasm for Luka’s prime and reverence for classic NBA moments.
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That was prime LeBron in Miami though, right? That's probably the best we've ever seen of him, right? But in LA, it's been different. It hasn't been great. I mean, everybody, you know, does, you know, does him up for the numbers and all that stuff, but it, it has been a somewhat steady decline little by little, right? And I didn't think he'd take a backseat because they're too alike, right? Their games are very similar. He did, but it was— it still didn't blow exactly. Like, there was times where LeBron was making mistakes where I'm just like, damn, that was bad. Like, you don't see him do that. Like, these inbound plays that just go haywire, I'm like, this guy's supposed to be one of the smartest basketball IQs in the league or ever, and he's doing these little things. I'm just like, what is going on with him? It's like he was off because he was so used to being that facilitator, you know, having the ball in his hands all the time.
All the time. Yeah.
And it just— it was better to put the ball in Luka's hands. Because Luka could shoot. I mean, not saying LeBron can't completely shoot, but Luka's a way better shooter than LeBron, right?
And shoot it deep too.
So it changes the defense and the way that they attack. So like, they, they're gonna just totally go after Luka right when he passes half court, unlike LeBron where they give him some space. Yeah. And they can, they can defend some guys. So that's why you had other guys like DFS, right, who said he was butt naked wide open, right? That was his famous quote because Luka just makes it so where defenses don't know what the hell to do. They're just so focused on trying to contain him that it opens up everything for everybody else. And like, other guys like Gabe Vincent got going, you know, DFS got going, uh, Reeves at times got going. It just— that's what amazed me about that guy. He, he just creates so much space and so much havoc for opposing defenses that you could pretty much put any— anybody around him. But the only problem is then there's the other, the other side of the basketball floor, right? The defense is just non-existent. You know, for— I mean, for damn near the entire team. So they have to address that. If they don't, it's just gonna be more of the same. You're gonna waste another year of Luka's prime, you know.
Yeah, you know what, and, and as you said that, I was telling my son yesterday as we was watching OKC and Minnesota, and I'm just watching Alexander, man, I'm just watching him just out there just dissecting the defense, just going to work. And I say, man, he don't let no— cause you know my son play basketball, so we actually, we coming to a summer league game this year because you was talking about earlier before we came on. I want him to see the different speeds at the different levels, you know what I'm saying? Like, man, yeah, it's different. So I wanna— so we coming up there in July, man. So I want to show him that aspect of the game and everything because he fit to go to high school now. But I was telling him, I was like, man, he don't make nobody speed him up. He gonna go at his pace when he want to go, and he gonna do his thing. And you brought up Luka, and I'm thinking about Joker too. All three of them go at the same thing, snail pace, you know what I'm saying? But they get to where they want to on the court and get buckets. That's for sure.
It's a hell of a thing, man, to be able to, to, to have the entire game go by your speed, right? And, and it— Shai's different because he, he's got a different kind of penetration, right? The way he gets in there in the paint and he does these floaters and these little, you know, jumpers. I wouldn't call him prolific from outside like, like Luka. But then again, Jokic is like that too, right? Because he doesn't really shoot from outside very often either because he doesn't need to, right? Neither does Shay, really. But Shay can hit them. He just doesn't do it to the volume of Luka. Like, Luka's jacking up like 8 to 10 threes a game, right? That's where Shay is probably like 5. I want to say 5, 5 to 7.
You know, and I'm going to be honest, and it's just me, it's just me. Shay won the MVP, man. If a man averaged a triple-double throughout the year, man, that's kind of hard. I want to know how close that vote was, man, because that's hard to deny, man.
I don't think it was as close as it should have been. I, I remember seeing the votes, and I think Shay just killed Jokic in first place votes, and that's what did it. But it's, it's like, it's, it— that happened in the Jordan era too, remember? Because remember when Jordan was just winning it every year? Oh yeah. And then, and then that one year that Karl Malone won it, and he got pissed off and he was so mad that he goes in the Finals and just kills him, right? He's like, okay, you can have that, I'm gonna take Finals MVP.
Magic snuck a couple of them in in the '80s too, you know, because—
yeah, that was before, that was before, uh, Jordan was Jordan, right? Like, I think it was that year that Jordan won Defensive Player of the Year, right?
And MVP, something like that.
And the scoring title and like just every accolade you could possibly have for a guard, right? Um, that's when it just— he just took off after that. That was it. And then got Pippen, and, and then it just was over.
Yeah, he got Pippen to stop getting all them headaches when they went against them Bad Boys, man, you know what I'm saying? Once he stopped getting them migraines and started getting out there balling, you know, because them Bad Boys, and they was out there for them boys' heads, man. We was talking about defense earlier. That's what they—
but even, even the old Laker teams, you know, the, the early Lakers team They were Showtime, of course they were Showtime, but they played defense though, Cooper, because they, they had to, because if they're gonna, if they were gonna contend with Boston, because Boston played defense, and then New York, New York had their stretch. Remember when Riley went over there and they became a bruising team? Like, they took basically Chuck Daly's, you know, page out of Chuck Daly's book and like, hey, look, we gotta play physical if we're gonna beat, beat Jordan. But then Jordan just figured it out, figured out how to play through contact. That's when I, when I see guys nowadays that they're like on the floor like, you know, LeBron does it every once in a while, I'm like, dude, what are you doing? Get up. Like, I just— so many times I, I saw as a kid, like, Jordan just going through all the contact. Like, my favorite Jordan play of all time is that against the Knicks, and he's on— but like, okay, so we look at from the baseline.
I know exactly what you talk about.
Yeah, on the right side. Yeah, I think— was it—
yeah, he reversed.
Yeah, and it's like right here on the rim, right? And he throws it down like that, and just— I'm like, that was just, just incredible.
