Lakers: How LeBron James should attack Kawhi Leonard
Evolution as a shooter?
In that Game 7 back in 2013, LeBron made Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs pay for daring him to shoot, hitting 5-10 from three and several clutch midrange jumpers (including the series dagger).
In many ways, this game represented LeBron’s emergence as both a capable and comfortable shooter. The man himself has even credited San Antonio for helping develop his jumper. But although LeBron remains both capable and comfortable in this regard, there are a few things worth noting.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
1. LeBron James still isn’t elite from downtown. He’s shot between 34 and 37 percent the last few seasons, although a significant portion of his attempts have come contested or off the dribble.
2. As noted, he is elite and more comfortable attacking the basket.
3. He’s a playmaker by nature and is therefore reluctant to launch every open jumper (unless it’s a heat check). If a defense concedes a fairly open 3-pointer on 10 consecutive possession, one could argue the right basketball play would be for LeBron to shoot ten straight threes. This is difficult to actually implement, however. From an individual perspective, it’s surely challenging both mentally and physically. From a team perspective, running offense/getting others involved would have to be sacrificed.
The bottom line is this: LeBron James can and will make defenses pay when they try to turn him into a shooter. But for a variety of reasons, he might not always be willing to take as many threes as he should. This is of little consequence against almost every opponent. But against defenses and defenders as good as the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, his ability to hit (or not hit) threes matters more.
As a team, the Clippers can make it challenging for LeBron to get into the lane (fourth in NBA in defensive rating). And with Kawhi going way under screens, he individually makes this all the more challenging.