LeBron James used to be one of the most feared forces of nature the NBA has ever seen when driving to the rim. The only player in NBA history who could even come close to James' ability of making defenders sweat at the basket is Shaquille O'Neal.
In his seasons of being a senior citizen of the NBA, that much has changed. The Los Angeles Lakers star was already on the decline in terms of how often his offense would be coming from down low. The start to 2025-26 has revealed the biggest drop-off yet.
Thus far, James is only shooting 19.6 percent of his total field goal attempts from 0-3 feet. That is easily the lowest mark of his career, further dipping from last year's career low of 24.2. For context, LeBron has shot 34.9 percent of his attempts from that range throughout his career, and a whopping 40.2 percent during his peak as a freight train from 2012-13 through 2018-19.
James has embraced a more perimeter-oriented brand of basketball as his 41st birthday approaches. His vintage takeover performance down the stretch of the tight 112-108 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday served as evidence of the adjustment in his approach.
LeBron James' shift to the perimeter should help preserve his aging body
James' 10 straight points in crunch-time against the Sixers were all long perimeter looks. There were two 3-point shots, and two deep 2-point makes. LeBron leaned on the improvements made to his game in the back half of his career.
It has been a massive shift for a player who used to just play the role of bowling ball, crashing his way through defenders, and finishing at the basket despite a ton of contact. The latter point there should hint at a big reason as to why James is no longer taking that approach.
LeBron has often been one of the tougher players to officiate throughout his career. Due to his strength and size, the future Hall of Famer has made life tough on referees when searching for reasons to blow the whistle on his drives to the basket. Defenders were given a green light to rough him up as a result.
It's not that James could not still deliver those baskets at an acceptable rate. It's more so about the wear and tear that approach would put on his body.
The Lakers are near the bottom of the NBA in drives per game, and James has been a big part of that. The aging star is only averaging 5.3 a night. By comparison, LeBron posted 12.4 during his first season in Los Angeles.
Is there really any surprise here that James is adapting to a more sustainable approach? Not at all. Is it still incredibly captivating to see the proof of that shift in the data? Absolutely.