LeBron James has improved his game so much that he really has no weakness. His defense is outstanding, his passing and rebounding is stellar like usual, he’s improved his offensive efficiency, and he’s even become a good outside shooter. But the one area James feels he needs to improve is free throw shooting.
James is a career 74.7 percent free throw shooter. His highest percentage of his career was when he shot 78 percent from the line in the 2008-2009 season. He’s never made 80 percent of his free throws for a regular or postseason, but he’s looking to change that.
“I need and I want to shoot in the 80s,” James said via the Heat’s website. “That’s my next goal, my free-throw shooting.”
James has been working with teammate Ray Allen, who is sixth all time in NBA career free-throw percentage (.8936), on improving his free throws. He’s even adopted his teammate’s routine at the line:
“I don’t know if he adopted my routine, I think he just goes to what’s comfortable for him. Looks good. He missed two free throws [last night] but he looks like he has a greater deal of confidence when he’s on the line,” Allen told the Heat’s website on Tuesday. “Just how he shoots it looks a lot more fluid. Our little free throw games, they’re definitely helping him.”
James and Allen compete against each other with shooting games at practices, and LeBron has even won their outside shooting competitions sometimes. He’s looking to make that happen with free throws, too.
He went 7-of-9 at the line on Monday doing the Allen routine. That’s not a bad number for him.
If you look at James’ career stats, you’ll notice that he has improved on his numbers almost year after year. It’s hard not to appreciate his desire to get better.
