Rockets GM Daryl Morey says LeBron is the GOAT ‘by a bit of a big margin’

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey believes LeBron James is the GOAT, and he doesn’t need of his analytics to prove it. He may be right.

The Houston Rockets have been spearheaded by analytical guru Daryl Morey, in which he’s served as the team’s general manager since 2007. With his unconventional, numbers-driven approach to basketball, Morey, paired with Mike D’Antoni, has made the Rockets offense one of the greatest in NBA history.

But there is one unconventional opinion that Morey has on who the GOAT is in basketball.

(No, it’s not Brian Scalabrine.)

Morey dropped a juicy quote by not only saying that LeBron James is the greatest player in NBA history, but also thought it wasn’t even close, saying he deserved that honor “by a bit of a big margin.”

Talking Wednesday in an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Morey explained his thinking:

"You look at his ability to generate wins and championship probability over time, and you basically break that down. You don’t need all the numbers. You can watch as well and see that.But if you basically isolate that and also look at the career he’s had, frankly I think at this point it’s become a bit of a big margin, actually, where he’s come out ahead. I know that’s a little controversial."

If you don’t believe in political correctness, Morey isn’t far off with his claims. Championships and accomplishments aside, James has a physical and talent advantage on the general consensus GOAT, Michael Jordan. On the physical side, James made punishing opponents physically a routine part of his game. Talent wise, James is the far better passer, and arguably the better shooter.

Whether you agree with Morey’s assessment of James as the GOAT, you will be hard pressed to find another basketball player of James caliber. It’s like what Morey said: You don’t need stats to see the greatness of James.