LeBron James has been criticized for a long time over his play. A good portion of that criticism is centered around James’ shooting. Many feel that James is a poor shooter, and is not able to make his jump shots on a consistent basis.
James entered the league during a time when interior play and physicality were the primary emphases. And initially, James seemed like the perfect blend of size and speed for that era.
But as James has been in the league, he and many others have witnessed a drastic shift in the style of play in the NBA. With the rise of more skillful shooters like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the NBA has become more focused and concerned with scoring three-pointers.
Teams now prioritize three-point scoring. And any player in the NBA is expected to be able to knock down open shots, at the very least. Despite never being a strong shooter, James has shown an ability to adapt to the times.
Over the years, LeBron has been able to improve his shooting and has been able to make his three-point shots on a more regular basis. In fact, in the Los Angeles’ Lakers game against the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James made 5 of his 11 attempted three-pointers.
These shots helped LeBron James make a little bit of history. LeBron James surpassed Dirk Nowitzki for the most three-pointers scored in NBA history. James now sits at the 12th position on the list with 1983 three-pointers made. But James will have to do a lot of work to come to the top three of Ray Allen, Steph Curry, and Reggie Miller.
Going forward this season, James could plausibly surpass Jason Kidd, and maybe even Paul Pierce to crack the top 10. While this is an accomplishment worth being proud of, James will be worried about how the Lakers, specifically Russell Westbrook performed in their opening game loss.
LeBron told Russ to go watch a movie with his family after the game to try and help him forget about the poor game. Now, LeBron will try to get Westbrook better integrated into the Lakers squad. If LeBron can get the best out of Westbrook, the Lakers will become the outright favorites to win the NBA championship.
