3. LeBron James hits 150 threes for the first time in his career
Yes, in a year in which LeBron James will average the fewest minutes per game of his career and will be on the All-NBA Second Team I have him setting a new career-best in three-pointers made. It might sound insane, but all signs are trending in that direction and it makes sense when you really think about it.
LeBron made the second-most threes of his career last season, sinking 148 shots from beyond the arc. He was well on his way to surpassing 150 if the season would have finished normally as he was averaging the most threes per game of his career.
His total career-high is 149 threes made in the 2017-18 season. Over the last four years, LeBron’s threes attempted per game has steadily climbed.
That is not by accident. LeBron is a freak of nature that can get to the rim almost whenever he pleases but that also is a lot of physical exertion. He cannot be that bulldozer every single night that he was earlier in his career.
Instead, he is settling for more outside shots and with him being cautious this year, I think that number continues to grow despite the slight dip in minutes per game. I would not be totally shocked if for the first time in his career he averages seven three-point shots per game.
I think LeBron will play somewhere around 60 of the 72 games, which means that he has to average 2.5 three-pointers made per game. That means, on seven shots per game, he has to shoot 35.7% from beyond the arc.
He shot 34.8% from beyond the arc last season but has shot above 35% several times in his career. It certainly is possible.