One of the few weaknesses in LeBron James’ game is his free-throw shooting. Despite being a superstar extraordinaire, and one of the best players in the history of the NBA, LeBron has never been able to make his free-throws well enough on a consistent basis. But that hasn’t stopped him from making some history.
Last night, LeBron James surpassed Oscar Robertson to take 4th place on the NBA’s all-time free throws made list. LeBron James now has made 7695 free-throws and is behind Karl Malone, Moses Malone, and Kobe Bryant, who occupy the top three spots on the list.
Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for moving up to 4th on the all-time FREE THROWS MADE list! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/CTi7PawJwF
— NBA (@NBA) January 3, 2022
James has never been a great free-throw shooter in his career. In fact, the highest free-throw percentage he has had in his career is 78%, which he had in his penultimate season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This season, he is coming close to those numbers, averaging 77.4% from the line.
This is a significant improvement from his last few seasons, where James has been averaging less than 70% from the free-throw line. This is his first season in Los Angeles where he is averaging above 70% from the free-throw line. Given how long there is left in the season, James will be hoping to maintain this percentage for the rest of the campaign.
James and the Lakers really need to improve their form going forward. Once considered a championship team, they are now considered underdogs. Many have suggested that this is the LeBron process, where he gets great talent and forms a superteam, but they underperform, thus leaving James to help them.
The Lakers have seen drastic improvement over the last few games since LeBron James was moved to the center position. With Anthony Davis out injured, and Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan proving to be unreliable to play big minutes for them. With LeBron at the center, the Lakers can play with a small-ball unit and be more effective.
