The Los Angeles Lakers are still mired in a mediocrity that has become commonplace over the past year and a half. Despite chaining two straight wins, they’re still not in the playoffs. Meanwhile, no one knows when Anthony Davis will recover. his foot injury. Since the hit, the Lakers have struggled on the field, particularly on defense. After losing to the Miami Heat, LeBron James has made it clear that he wants to fight for the NBA title.
“I’m a winner and I want to win,” James said at the press conference. “And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still fight for championships. This has always been my passion. Playing basketball at this level, just playing basketball, is not in my DNA. It’s not in my DNA anymore.
“Lakers COO Rob Pelinka is still trying to find ways to strengthen the team’s squad with players who are comfortable shooting behind the 3-point line and others who can help with the paint. Russell Westbrook has progressed from the bench to an active player but there is still work to be done if he is to challenge for the title.
LeBron Explains Deciding to speak publicly about his goals, the NBA star has also opened up, noting 47 points against the Atlanta Hawks on his birthday and 43 against the Charlotte Hornets earlier this week. James was accused of playing to improve his numbers as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s points record is just around the corner.
His contribution to defense isn’t the same as it was a few years ago and that change in mentality has affected his shots as well. The 2021-22 season was the one in which he attempted the most three-pointers of his career, averaging eight per game and scoring 36 percent of them. But this year is different.
LeBron started the season with the same momentum, even showing signs of physical deterioration considering he’s 38 years old. 10 games into the season before were injured, he was still shooting more than seven 3-pointers per game, but his average dropped to 23 percent.
During the same stretch, he averaged 24.9 points and only 4.8 free throws per game, a sign that he rarely attacked the rim. Back to his roots Since November 25, however, LeBron has reduced his 3-point attempts to 6.6 per game and has averaged 31 points per game.
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After Davis’ injury, LeBron attacks the rim again like it’s his first stint in Cleveland. He’s scored more than 10 points per game with the paint, which is double what he had in the season’s opening streak. He now makes 8.3 free throws per game and moves his points in color from 14 to 19 per game.
For the time being, LeBron has no plans to let the season slip away as he may have done at a certain point last season. He has realized that there is no stronger message to send to the Lakers directors than reminding them that they have a legendary player on their roster.