LeBron James’ dismal three-point shooting during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets had fans pleading with him to stop shooting from beyond the arc.
James went 0-from-6 from three-point land in the Lakers’ 108-103 loss. This saw one of the Lakers’ fans take to Reddit to express visible frustration.
“If we lose this game, there will most likely be a multitude of 3’s, but for someone with such a high IQ, STOP with the f******g 3-pointers, please! Christ! This dude is built like a bull and can get to the rim any time he wants, but he settles for the 3. I just don’t get it man – someone please explain. And don’t give me that ‘He has the most points in NBA history’ nonsense. That’s low IQ ball right there.”
This was seconded by another who said, “I literally threw my hands up like, ‘BRON STOP!’ I’ve seen him make some incredible shots – fadeaways, layups, and-1’s, but the amount of 3’s he took in the 4th straight-up angered me…”
The venting continued. “This was an inexcusable performance and I can’t even defend him,” one of the fans commented.
“I’m Lebron’s biggest stan but even that s*** was pissing me off,” a fan opined.
“That’s the thing. In the 4th, when we’re up. Momentum swing. That’s what that was. Ridiculously low IQ ball by one of the greats the game has ever seen. Inexcusable.”
Clearly, this was a rant that most fans on the thread agreed to. Just to elucidate, here’s a breakdown of James’ three-point shooting against the Nuggets.
In Game 1, he went 0-from-4. The second game saw him attempt two more than the first, but with no success as he went 0-from-6.
Moving the focus to his career three-point shooting, the 38-year-old has a three-point percentage of 34.5 in his career and has shot 33.0% in his playoff career. And according to ESPN, while he is third in the all-time playoff three-pointer list, James could rely more on his skills of barrelling through the paint as head coach Darvin Ham expects him to do to maximize the Lakers’ scoring opportunities.
This regular season also saw a decline in his three-point shooting as well. James propped up 32.1% compared to his previous season’s 35.9% and the trend was seen in the playoffs too. The last time he played the postseason during the 2020-21 season, James shot 37.5%, while it dwindled down to 23.3% this time around.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, James has missed a substantial 19 straight three-pointers in the fourth quarter since the Lakers’ Game 2 in their first-round matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. This also marks the longest streak but any player in the last 25 postseasons.
Can LeBron James Fix His Offensive Woes Before Game 3?
It’s safe to say that James has struggled to get going offensively in the postseason this time. At the time of writing, he averages 23.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists — numbers that are usually not associated with a player of his caliber.
While every player goes through a slump where the ball swishing through the net becomes an odd occurrence, the Lakers and James cannot expect to see this slide continue. Together with Anthony Davis, who has been a bit inconsistent himself, James will need to come good on his offensive struggles before it becomes too late for LA.
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