SUMMARY
- LeBron James and the Cavs faced Dwight Howard and the Magic in the 2009 ECF.
- King James recently revealed that his younger self took bad shots and relied greatly on athleticism.
LeBron James recently had quite an introspective moment during the latest episode of his podcast alongside JJ Reddick. Almost every single NBA fan should know a fair deal about King James. After all, the 4x NBA champion can be considered a celebrity and is increasingly being recognized as the greatest player of all time.
The Lakers star decided to engage in a podcast alongside former NBA star JJ Reddick called “Mind the Game.” In it, LeBron revealed more about his thoughts regarding the early stages of his career and the differences between a past version of himself and the player he is today. That said, fans must certainly want to know more about what King James had to say on this subject.
LeBron James admits that his younger self played in an ineffective manner
It must be difficult for young fans to comprehend the amount of time that LeBron James has spent competing in the NBA. After entering the league with the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, James did his best in order to establish the Cleveland Cavaliers as championship contenders.
When LeBron and the Cavs made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009, they ended up losing to Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Although LeBron played incredibly in that series, he recently revealed that his playstyle in that matchup was flawed and ineffective.
— LeBron James on his 2009 series vs the Magic, via Mind the Game.
“To think that I averaged damn near 40/8/8 with no space. I lived in the paint. I did not have my signature move yet. I was not a disciplined jump shooter at the time. I would shoot fadeaways for no reason. I was… pic.twitter.com/ayKOpBenWu
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) April 3, 2024
“To think that I averaged damn near 40/8/8 with no space. I lived in the paint. I did not have my signature move yet. I was not a disciplined jump shooter at that point in time…I would shoot the fade away for no reason, I would be off balance for no reason. I would make shots difficult for no reason and I envied guys who could go straight up and down or shoot the same shot every time. It was just discipline. I was so athletic that I could just will myself…”
Since the 4x NBA champion relied heavily on his athletic abilities in his early years, it is no surprise that he took tougher shots and willed them through thanks to his physical skills. However, one must wonder if his claim about not being a disciplined shooter has changed in the present times.
How did King James’ jumper improve over the years?
LeBron mentioned that he was undisciplined when it came to shot selection and even envied others who could shoot consistently with perfect form. Over the years, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer clearly addressed these flaws in his game. In fact one could argue that LeBron tends to make the right play and only attempts makeable shots.
While there will also be a fair amount of unlikely shot attempts that every NBA star takes, LeBron’s shooting abilities have increased over the years as his athletic abilities decreased. His shooting form and motion have also become more consistent and King James recently made 9 of 10 three-point shots in a recent game for the Lakers. Therefore, it is safe to say that his jumper improved significantly over the years as a result of his work ethic.
