Whether you believe he’s in a funk or that, it’s up to you. What I believe in is trends. The trend is showing is that LeBron’s outside shot is declining and it’s noticeable. Watching games, it’s not like he takes a ton of poor three point shots either. He misses some really good looks at the basket. Where he has been most effective is closer towards the basket.
Even at 31, LeBron is one of the most gifted athletes in the NBA. His size and athleticism can only be guarded by a select few in the NBA. If I could change one thing about how the Cavs are operating now it would be how LeBron James works in the offense. I’d love to see him be aggressive with the basketball.
When he drives to the paint, players will react and crash to him. JR Smith is shooting a career best 40.4% from behind the arc this season. Why not drive to the hole and draw in defenders that can leave a guy open on the wing or get fouled and earn it at the line the old fashioned way?
If there has been a consensus around LeBron it’s that he has a very high basketball IQ and makes players around him better. I think he can make the team better by changing the way he plays on offense. I’d love to see him average closer to 15 shots a game. If you’re not making your outside shots why not reduce the amount you take, set up your teammates and put them in a chance to succeed.
Even if the other person goes 2-4 instead of 1-4, the two or three points can make a big difference in the playoffs. The Cavs need to play smarter and it might be best to even put your best player in check and use him in a way where the team is best to succeed.
The other stand out thing for my recently has been when you examine most of the games the Cavs have struggled in, the common denominator tends to be a bad third quarter.
In the games I’ve watched, the third quarter struggle tends to happen early. The team comes out flat to start the third, giving up a run or playing lackluster defense causing an early timeout. The offense also tends to have one of three things happen.
Recent Comments