Since entering the NBA from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in 2003, Lebron James has been a force to be reckoned with in the NBA, combining unmatched athleticism with an elite basketball IQ. Despite his tremendous physical and mental traits, Lebron struggled to develop a reliable jump shot for the early part of his career. While James has been an elite playmaker since his first NBA minutes, his three-point shooting has been knocked as not elite for someone who is often dubbed the greatest of all time.
       During his first stint with the Cavaliers from 2003-2009, Lebron lacked a reliable three-point and mid-range game. This is shown by the fact that during the 2003-04 season he was over 10% worse than the league average for all three-point attempts, except for the left-wing where he was slightly above average. As one of the most hyped-up prospects to ever enter the NBA, Lebron met expectations during his rookie year, consistently knocking down shots from the left side of the court, while struggling on his right. Notably, though, this season was arguably his worst in terms of shooting, as he posted a true shooting percentage of 49%, the only time in his career he dipped below 54% in this metric.

       For the entirety of James’ career, his true shooting percentage has steadily increased, in part due to the gradual improvement of his jump shot, which allowed for the improvement of his mid-range and three-point games. Undoubtedly, James’ true shooting percentage is hampered by his infamously mediocre free-throw shooting, which has remained around 75% for the majority of his professional career. Despite this flaw in his game, Lebron’s true shooting has hovered around 60% since the 2005 season, a mark that ESPN describes as “great to exceptional.”
       Starting with his arrival in Miami in 2010, Lebron has gradually expanded his shooting range, making him a reliable if not respectable shooter from beyond the arc. Before joining the Heat, teams often conceded shots to Lebron from distance, fearing his power when driving to the basket. While this athleticism and strength certainly didn’t dwindle as Lebron has aged, he has shown a willingness to shoot from all areas of the court when he sees a chance rather than instinctively driving towards the paint. Lebron’s shot map during the 2019-20 NBA season reflects this trend, as he has knocked down three-pointers at a rate considerably above the league average from almost every area behind the arc.

       One prominent commonality in Lebron’s game throughout his career has been his adeptness at getting into the paint and efficiently converting on these opportunities. During James’ rookie season he converted at a range marginally better than the league average, and this superiority in the restricted area has only grown throughout his career, as these points have accounted for 36% of Lebron’s career scoring output.
       Furthermore, the one skill that has set James apart from his peers during his 17-year NBA career is his basketball IQ. This mental ability manifests itself in a variety of ways, most notably in terms of shot selection and playmaking. Mid-range shots in the NBA are notoriously inefficient, and as a result, James has largely avoided these jumpers throughout his career. Instead, Lebron has made ample use of more efficient shots from the paint and from the three-point line. Additionally, Lebron’s playmaking talent has allowed him to create opportunities for his teammates when he doesn’t have one himself, thus allowing for James-led offenses to run more efficiently and prioritize high percentage looks over weaker ones.

       While year 17 of James’ storied NBA career has shown no signs of his aging, this trend is sure to reverse itself in the coming seasons. The latter years of NBA veterans such as Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki’s careers have shown that NBA life expectancies can last past 40, but such age can prevent players from having the physical traits such as strength and agility that they once held in their prime.
       For Lebron, his improving ability to shoot from all over the court will allow him to sustain his career by avoiding contact from now physically superior players in the paint. Given James’ elite basketball IQ and the revolution of his own game as he has grown older, the coming years will show whether he will be able to continue his dominance in the NBA through smart basketball rather than physical dominance.