There are those who think Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James tends to flop and try to draw questionable fouls by acting.
One of those critics is San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan, who took to social media during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between L.A. and the Denver Nuggets to express that view.
Why does ‘King’ James flop so much?
— Jeremy Sochan (@JeremySochan) May 19, 2023
There was a time several years ago when James did, on occasion, flop, to the point where it sparked a social media meme known as “LeBroning.” However, in recent years, he hasn’t really relied on that tactic to get calls in his favor.
He doesn’t get to the free-throw line quite as much as he used to, and it’s likely a direct consequence of him driving to the basket less often and shooting more 3-pointers. In five seasons with the Purple and Gold, he has attempted at least 5.9 treys a game, and prior to coming to L.A., the highest number of such attempts he averaged for an entire season was 5.1.
As this year’s playoffs have worn on, James has started driving to the basket more often. In Game 2 versus Denver, he shot 9-of-19 from the field and was extremely effective when attacking the paint.
But he missed all six of his 3-point attempts, and as a team, the Lakers shot just 26.7 percent from that distance, which was a big reason they fell to Denver 108-103.
James has the luxury of two ball-handling, shot-creating guards in Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell who have been taking plenty of pressure off him lately. On Thursday, Reaves had 22 points after putting up 23 points in each of his prior two contests, and he has also become an effective facilitator as well.
Los Angeles will look to make this a competitive series when it heads home for Game 3 and Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena.
