Lars is nowhere close to the "best" drummer around, but his drum tone and feel cannot be separated from Metallica's best records.
Also, say what you want about the guy being a douche and not having any idea what he's doing on a technical level, but again, during Metallica's best years, the dude had killer stage presence and his playing was rock solid, even including those weird-ass fills he did. On stage, most drummers dress and act like they're just sitting at some piece of gym equipment banging out a few reps before work, but Lars managed to actually earn some spotlight. He always acted like he was having the time of his life behind the kit, and that's not nothing.