Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has seen it all during his basketball career and has been able to mold his game to fit the times.
Since James came into the NBA in 2003, the offensive game has evolved dramatically. Nowadays, teams are incentivized to hunt layups and 3-pointers, which has drawn criticism from some fans and analysts because the every possession looks nearly identical.
LeBron has heard the fans’ criticism and assured them that the league is doing its best to make games a better viewing experience.
Analytics is the most common refrain when discussing the offensive evolution in the NBA and James offered his honest thoughts on the topic during the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash:
“Me and the analytics department, we’re not like great friends. I get it, I get it. This is what they do. There’s a feeling on the court that there’s nobody that’s not on the court could ever understand. And there’s momentum plays and momentum shots that does not show up in the analytic data. You’re able to…the Anthony Edwards dunk last game over Kevon Looney is a just different momentum play. In Game 1, the Draymond 3s that he was making in Game 1 in Minnesota is a different momentum shot than if somebody else made it. If Quetin Post made that, OK. It’s certain passes, there’s certain…the way you take a charge, the hockey assist which doesn’t show up in analytics. Hockey assists, they’re not tracking those. Or maybe they are. But it’s just a certain feel that the ball, the court, the crowd, the energy, you out there you know, ‘Oh shit, that was a momentum play.’ And if you got one more on there…when you catch fire, he’s on fire. Boom, boom, boom, boom. You start seeing that happen, you see it changing right in front of you eyes. As a card player and someone who gambles a little bit, sometimes you don’t see the table turn. And hopefully you’re on the other side when you able to see it. You do not want to be the last one to find out when the table has turned. And those are just things that don’t show up in analytic data.”
James also explained that analytics has come at the detriment of team building and player development:
“You also have to…I mean shit, you have to have the right personnel to fit the data too. I understand that more 3s, layups, all that stuff, but there’s certain coaches and certain rosters that doesn’t always fit the criteria but they’re trying to meet it because they’ve hired this department. And you get out there and there’s times where I’ll be on the floor and there’s teams out there doing things, there’s certain guys that’s out there that’s doing things that I know don’t benefit his game. So is there a line where it’s like, it’s not benefit to where he is today but this is what he has to do because that’s what they’re telling him to do. And now this individual is not looking as good as he should look.”
How much a team should use analytics is open for debate, but James does have a point that some things on the court can’t be measured or captured numerically.
LeBron James blessed to make All-NBA Second Team at age 40
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