AP/MINNEAPOLIS LeBron James is having a terrible shooting slump, particularly when it comes to long-range shooting.
In Monday night’s 109-80 loss to Minnesota, James missed all four of his 3-point attempts, extending his run to 0 for 19 from beyond the arc in the previous four games.
James was asked to consider the Lakers reaching the quarterfinals of their 2024–25 calendar at 12-9 after going 4 for 16 from the field overall and committing six of his team’s 20 turnovers for a season-low 10 points against the Timberwolves.
I’m not sure I’ll accept it. James remarked, “I would never want to say that.” It is what it is. This is our record. All we need to do is keep improving on both sides of the court.
James, the four-time NBAMVP, has the lowest average of 22 points per game since he was a rookie 21 years ago, especially offensively.
We simply aren’t playing well offensively at the moment. According to him, we spent so much time attempting to improve our defense that our offensive suffered and became less important.
Since tying Kyle Korver for ninth place on the league’s career list (2,450) last week, James has not made a 3-pointer. The fans at Target Center sent out an audible gasp when he made an air ball on his fourth attempt from behind the arc against the Timberwolves.
He’s having trouble with more than just the long ball. He also has the mid-range on his list.
“Just everything,” James remarked. Only a beat. The past few games have just made me feel out of rhythm.
How does he make things better?
Work. Simply put, work. “That’s all,” said James.
His stated goal of playing in all 82 games this season is still intact, but his recent performances have raised the question about whether such a quest would be wise.
We are measuring the players, and we can tell if a guy is running hot or whatever, Redick said. He does a remarkable job of taking care of his body and getting recovery. I don t know if that s in the best interest of us and him if he does that, but if he s feeling well and good then he should play.
James said the 82-game achievement remains a goal for him in his age-40 season his birthday is Dec. 30 but he declined to discuss the possibility of resting.
The much bigger issue for now is getting the Lakers back on track offensively in this continued adjustment to Redick s system and a new staff. Their 80-point output at Minnesota was the team s lowest since a 122-73 loss at Dallas in 2017, according to Sportradar.
Sometimes we look like a team that can compete with anyone, and sometimes we look like a team that is terrible and not going to do anything this season, co-star Anthony Davis said. We ve just got to figure out what team that we want to be the rest of the season.
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