The NBA offseason is in full swing right now. While teams are trying their best to improve their rosters, players are back on the grind. Superstars like LeBron James are no exception to this. Coming off of a season where the Los Angeles Lakers could not even make it to the playoffs, the 2021-22 season wasn’t that impressive for the 37-year-old.
While he did average 30 points per game for the second time in his career, LBJ showed signs of being injury prone as he missed over 20 games for the second season running. Given how last season panned out, James is determined to bounce back next campaign.
Recently, a clip of ‘King James’ training went viral. Knocking down three-pointers all around the court, LBJ showcased some pinpoint shooting skills.
Year 20 incoming 👑@KingJames (via @ChrisJHoops) pic.twitter.com/x7NAL1W3UF
— Overtime (@overtime) July 15, 2022
But many fans took this as an opportunity to troll the veteran forward. While ‘King James’ is known for his thunderous dunks and exceptional playmaking, fans claimed it was rival Stephen Curry’s influence due to which Bron was refining his shooting skills.
Steph’s influence on the game crazy. https://t.co/uHeTUruEoM
— 𝐋• (@clarkkent415) July 15, 2022
Yea everyone knows Steph is the first guy who ever decided to shoot step back 3s while training and do dribble moves
— Isaac Webb (@1playforhim) July 15, 2022
https://twitter.com/sonofsamuels/status/1547969445783515136
As a huge Dubs and Steph fan: pic.twitter.com/bTZtNb3O9T
— SonOfSuns (@SonOfSuns1) July 15, 2022
Steph Curry so inspirational.
— who*I*am (@JoyPerfection) July 15, 2022
Only way to beat GSW😆
— Ricmaister (@ricmaister01) July 15, 2022
Steph Curry so inspirational.
— who*I*am (@JoyPerfection) July 15, 2022
Look like steph
— janmeigus (@MuslihShobir) July 15, 2022
While fans might clown ‘King James’ for his shooting drills right now, it is easy to forget that the Lakers superstar is a 37-year-old now and, as the past seasons have shown, he has become injury prone.
He might still drive to the basket and score an easy basket, but given how much contact a player takes in these scenarios, chances of James injuring himself increases. Shooting three-pointers, though, are a great alternative for the forward. Although LeBron was never seen as a lethal shooter, he has transformed his game over the years developing a decent enough jumper.
Over the past three seasons, his 3-point attempts have also increased as he is attempting about 7 threes per game and has a better than league average 3-point percentage of 35.7. While we still see a classic LeBron who can drive to the basket and dominate everyone in the paint in the playoffs, he has become conservative in the regular season.
If LeBron James can really improve his perimeter shooting for the upcoming season, it can be a game changer for the Lakers. With a couple of trades and a revitalised LeBron James, the Lakers might become an immediate threat to many teams and rest assured ‘the King’ might get back his crown.
