LeBron James has meticulously harnessed his game throughout an iconic 19-year-career. At this point, the Future Hall of Famer might not have much area for improvement.
Perhaps that’s why he’s turning his attention to enhanced deception skills.
After the Los Angeles Lakers ended a wildly disappointing 33-49 season, James discussed his plans for next year. Per NBA.com’s Mark Medina, he has one specific objective.
“I want to get to the free-throw line,” James said. “I want to learn how to trick the refs.”
LeBron James on one of his goals next season: “I want to get to the free-throw line. I want to learn how to trick the refs.”
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 11, 2022
James attempted 6.0 free throws per game last season, down from his career average of 7.8 but higher than the 5.7 he tallied in each of the previous two seasons.
He did, however, convert 75.6 percent of those opportunities, his highest rate in 10 years.
Perhaps James can spend the offseason working with James Harden and Trae Young, two of the NBA’s stars most skilled at drawing contact and extra trips to the charity stripe.
Just about everything went wrong for the Lakers this season, but James nevertheless trailed only Joel Embiid — also the leader in free-throw attempts and makes — with 30.3 points per game. At age 37, the four-time MVP also accumulated 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per contest.
James will have a longer offseason than usual, as the Lakers missed the playoffs. It’s only the fourth time he hasn’t reached the postseason.
Yet if Magic Johnson’s claims are true that the Lakers passed on signing DeMar DeRozan because James chose Russell Westbrook, the superstar’s biggest room for improvement might be on the player personnel front.
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