Does the best player in the world actually have anything to improve?
Yes, the reigning regular-season and Finals MVP can indeed grow into an even more destructive force on the basketball court, even with a title in hand. If you compare just the 2011-12 season with previous seasons, James has displayed the work ethic and talent to add skills to his game. So how can he take his game to yet another level?
This two-part series will examine three facets -- shooting, post-ups and free throws -- of LeBron James' game that if improved even slightly could translate into increased production. The first part will tackle shooting, including 3-point shooting, and offer a technical breakdown of what James can do to improve. The second part will deal with how James can improve his free throw shooting and post-up game.
Small change, big impact
Look at the chart to the right. Which player is the better shooter?
Making Comparisons
Shots made (%) 3-9 ft. 10-15 16-23 3-point
Player A 45 39.5 46 38
Player B 47 47 39 36
By these numbers, it's fair to conclude Player B is the better finisher from inside 16 feet and Player A is the better long-range shooter. But it's not as if Player A is a brilliant shooter and B is a slouch.
Player B is James, and Player A is Kevin Durant. Durant made just 39.5 percent of his shots from 10 to 15 feet this season, way off his career-best 47.1 percent two seasons ago. James made 45 percent of his 16- to 23-foot jumpers in 2010-11, only slightly below Durant's personal best of 46 percent this year.
For comparison's sake, Dirk Nowitzki, who in a sense shoots almost every long jumper uncontested since he is so tall, made a career-best 52 percent from that range last year. So we must acknowledge James is not just a unique package of passing, dribbling and explosively athletic skills in a 6-foot-9, 260-pound body, but he is also a brilliant finisher and a "pretty good" shooter. Which is why, if he learns to shoot the ball a bit better, he'll have an even easier time destroying his competition.
Dissecting his shot
I have been coaching basketball since 1987 and have worked as a shooting specialist since 1992. After watching, dissecting and studying shots for the past 25 years, I can say for certain LeBron James' shooting flaws are commonplace.
His most alarming mistake is not mechanical, but mental. You have to go back to his days at St. Mary-St. Vincent High School in Akron, Ohio, to find the root of that problem. I remember watching his team destroy all the top-rated teams from around the nation on ESPN, with James performing like no high school player had ever done. Even then, he could make perimeter shots.
Yet against the teams from in and around Akron, he and his team looked far more ordinary. James often settled for fadeaway shots for no reason at all. I asked one of his coaches why this happened, and he responded, "LeBron just gets so bored sometimes."
It made perfect sense. I once watched Amare Stoudemire get beaten up by a bad team with no player taller than 6-foot-3. I remember thinking Stoudemire had no chance to play in the NBA. Just 16 months later, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.
Some of these high school habits have stayed with James. Too often he chooses to arch his back as he shoots, which lifts his legs up (sometimes one leg, oftentimes both) and forward. So as he releases the ball, his head is significantly behind his feet.
This awkward position is not conducive to accuracy or consistency. Yet James often makes this mistake when he shoots, and it's because he is not locked into the proper form. (The exception would be when he must fade back to get his shot off against a strong contested shot as the shot clock expires.)
It's this lack of concentration, which can indeed stem from boredom, that causes more of his problems than anything else. James also has issues completing his shot, which means he does not extend his follow-through to its natural conclusion. He'll flick the ball out and snap his arm back. Again, this is not the natural or proper way to deliver the ball. Think of a pitcher or a quarterback completing their throw or a golfer holding his club perfectly behind him well after the action is completed. The same can be said of the NBA's top shooters.
Certainly not all players always hold their follow-throughs every time, nor do they always get full extension, but they do both far more frequently than James does. If James can learn to stay focused on the shot itself more often, this will help him deliver the ball more cleanly and consistently. When he is focused, his shot looks clean, which is evident on most of his makes.
Take for example, the dagger he shot late in Game 4 of the Finals when his legs cramped up. That shot is a good lesson in how important a strong follow-through is. It's best for a shooter to keep his head over his hips and his hips over his sneakers and land on both feet. But sometimes a player will arch his head back a bit to get a better launching angle to get the shot over his defender's hand. This often causes the player to land on one leg, as he'll kick up the other slightly to counterbalance his head being thrown backward. Such was the case on that big 3-pointer. James' follow-through, which he held until the ball reached the rim, helped get the ball over the front rim.
Many average shooters still have to learn how to shoot the ball with proper mechanics, but that is not the case with James. All he needs is to concentrate more on shooting the ball the way he knows how. A subtle change for an immense talent such as James should amount to a world of difference.
Yes, the reigning regular-season and Finals MVP can indeed grow into an even more destructive force on the basketball court, even with a title in hand. If you compare just the 2011-12 season with previous seasons, James has displayed the work ethic and talent to add skills to his game. So how can he take his game to yet another level?
This two-part series will examine three facets -- shooting, post-ups and free throws -- of LeBron James' game that if improved even slightly could translate into increased production. The first part will tackle shooting, including 3-point shooting, and offer a technical breakdown of what James can do to improve. The second part will deal with how James can improve his free throw shooting and post-up game.
Small change, big impact
Look at the chart to the right. Which player is the better shooter?
Making Comparisons
Shots made (%) 3-9 ft. 10-15 16-23 3-point
Player A 45 39.5 46 38
Player B 47 47 39 36
By these numbers, it's fair to conclude Player B is the better finisher from inside 16 feet and Player A is the better long-range shooter. But it's not as if Player A is a brilliant shooter and B is a slouch.
Player B is James, and Player A is Kevin Durant. Durant made just 39.5 percent of his shots from 10 to 15 feet this season, way off his career-best 47.1 percent two seasons ago. James made 45 percent of his 16- to 23-foot jumpers in 2010-11, only slightly below Durant's personal best of 46 percent this year.
For comparison's sake, Dirk Nowitzki, who in a sense shoots almost every long jumper uncontested since he is so tall, made a career-best 52 percent from that range last year. So we must acknowledge James is not just a unique package of passing, dribbling and explosively athletic skills in a 6-foot-9, 260-pound body, but he is also a brilliant finisher and a "pretty good" shooter. Which is why, if he learns to shoot the ball a bit better, he'll have an even easier time destroying his competition.
Dissecting his shot
I have been coaching basketball since 1987 and have worked as a shooting specialist since 1992. After watching, dissecting and studying shots for the past 25 years, I can say for certain LeBron James' shooting flaws are commonplace.
His most alarming mistake is not mechanical, but mental. You have to go back to his days at St. Mary-St. Vincent High School in Akron, Ohio, to find the root of that problem. I remember watching his team destroy all the top-rated teams from around the nation on ESPN, with James performing like no high school player had ever done. Even then, he could make perimeter shots.
Yet against the teams from in and around Akron, he and his team looked far more ordinary. James often settled for fadeaway shots for no reason at all. I asked one of his coaches why this happened, and he responded, "LeBron just gets so bored sometimes."
It made perfect sense. I once watched Amare Stoudemire get beaten up by a bad team with no player taller than 6-foot-3. I remember thinking Stoudemire had no chance to play in the NBA. Just 16 months later, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.
Some of these high school habits have stayed with James. Too often he chooses to arch his back as he shoots, which lifts his legs up (sometimes one leg, oftentimes both) and forward. So as he releases the ball, his head is significantly behind his feet.
This awkward position is not conducive to accuracy or consistency. Yet James often makes this mistake when he shoots, and it's because he is not locked into the proper form. (The exception would be when he must fade back to get his shot off against a strong contested shot as the shot clock expires.)
It's this lack of concentration, which can indeed stem from boredom, that causes more of his problems than anything else. James also has issues completing his shot, which means he does not extend his follow-through to its natural conclusion. He'll flick the ball out and snap his arm back. Again, this is not the natural or proper way to deliver the ball. Think of a pitcher or a quarterback completing their throw or a golfer holding his club perfectly behind him well after the action is completed. The same can be said of the NBA's top shooters.
Certainly not all players always hold their follow-throughs every time, nor do they always get full extension, but they do both far more frequently than James does. If James can learn to stay focused on the shot itself more often, this will help him deliver the ball more cleanly and consistently. When he is focused, his shot looks clean, which is evident on most of his makes.
Take for example, the dagger he shot late in Game 4 of the Finals when his legs cramped up. That shot is a good lesson in how important a strong follow-through is. It's best for a shooter to keep his head over his hips and his hips over his sneakers and land on both feet. But sometimes a player will arch his head back a bit to get a better launching angle to get the shot over his defender's hand. This often causes the player to land on one leg, as he'll kick up the other slightly to counterbalance his head being thrown backward. Such was the case on that big 3-pointer. James' follow-through, which he held until the ball reached the rim, helped get the ball over the front rim.
Many average shooters still have to learn how to shoot the ball with proper mechanics, but that is not the case with James. All he needs is to concentrate more on shooting the ball the way he knows how. A subtle change for an immense talent such as James should amount to a world of difference.
is right around the corner for LeBron
. When he's completely focused (see my avy), he drops 45 on nikkas on 19/26 shooting
