LeBron James has established himself as one of the best offensive players in league history, even cementing his spot as the league’s all-time leader in points. But, in a recent episode of the “Mind The Game” podcast, James revealed that there was a move that even he struggled to master.
While speaking with Kevin Durant and Steve Nash, Durant acknowledged how the Lakers forward had extended his shooting range and increased the number of shot attempts from the midrange as well as the perimeter. James agreed with this observation, but added:
“To be honest, it’s something I haven’t been able to master in my career. I work on it- improved. But when you talk about going left and then going right and being efficient, like going left with my middie, I feel really effective with that. I feel like I got great balance with it.”
“You talk about the speed of how you pick the ball up as it comes off the ground, where the pocket is, you know exactly how to get it back to that pocket.”
“I feel like I can go straight up and down going left, I can fade out, all the power is over there. Going right,” James continued, “Has always been a little, like, sometimes my balance is off. Sometimes I don’t know if I should fade on the shot. I don’t know if I should go straight up and down, and it’s always kind of f***ed with me mentally, even though I work on all of them.”
The superstar acknowledged that the challenge lay in the options provided by the defense. While there were ways to get to the spots he wanted to get to, utilizing the pocket to get the best shots was a challenge due to the innate discomfort.
Even with 22 years of experience behind him, along with several scoring accolades, it is difficult to imagine James having struggles while dictating offense. While it humanizes the superstar in a way, it also becomes a depiction of his greatness, having managed to accomplish so much even with such a glaring shortcoming.
Last season, James, even at 40 years old, remained an incredibly productive player. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists while shooting at a clip of 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc. Considering that James is a career 34.9% shooter from three-point range, he has shown a massive uptick in efficiency.
James’ ability to remain effective even at this stage in his career is awe-inspiring, and with the forward returning for another season, several fans will be excited to see him in action.
But there appears to be some controversy regarding which team he will represent next season. Since the star opted in to his contract, there has been growing suspicion about whether he will request a trade.
With some sources suggesting that James will act in his best interest and join a contender if the Lakers can’t put together a team to contend for a title, his future is shrouded in mystery.
The Los Angeles Lakers‘ offseason effort has been far from impressive. With very limited avenues to form a competitive side, the Purple and Gold may have to explore trade options for their superstar.
