Former NBA forward Richard Jefferson played with NBA icon LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers and won a title with him in the 2015-16 season.
Jefferson recently shared that James avoided getting the “s— beat out of him” during the regular season before switching modes in the playoffs.
“LeBron didn’t like to post up in the regular season,” Jefferson said. “He liked to wait and post up until the postseason. Why? ‘Cause he didn’t wanna get the s— beat out of him posting up until it mattered, until it was like, ‘Alright, I’ll take this beating now. Let’s go. Give me these free throws. Let me go be big and strong.’”
James is one of the more physically imposing players in the NBA, but he’s clearly learned a thing or two about when to prioritize playing in the post and battling down low. After all, the Los Angeles Lakers star made eight consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals at one point in his career and has played in 10 NBA Finals overall.
James’ free-throw numbers have gone up in the playoffs in his career, potentially because he’s willing to battle more in the post.
During the regular season, James has averaged 7.4 free-throw attempts per game in his 23-year career. In the playoffs, his attempts jump to 8.5 per game for his career. That’s a pretty major difference, especially since James has appeared in the playoffs in 19 of his 23 seasons.
To break it down even further, James averaged 9.6 free-throw attempts per game in the playoffs as a member of the Cavs (nine playoff runs), but that number has dropped later on in his career with the Lakers.
James is averaging just 6.2 free-throw attempts per game in six playoff runs with Los Angeles. It’s possible the star forward isn’t getting as many calls, but he’s also adjusted his game as he’s gotten older so he can still be effective.
During the 2026 NBA Playoffs, James appeared in 10 games and averaged 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game for the Lakers.
It’s possible some players in the league right now will listen to Jefferson’s comments and consider employing some of James’ tactics in their own careers. However, it will be hard to replicate the success of arguably the greatest player of all time. James is so talented that he can succeed in other ways during the regular season, which was especially true in the prime years of his career.
