LeBron James: Poor Talent Evaluating Above All Else Is Hurting His Legacy
Even though, NBA media and casual fans believe that LeBron James's on court performance will alter his "legacy", it is actually what happens in the off-season that is altering his "legacy". This is because he has done a poor job at identifying the type of player he needs to win a championship. Since LeBron likes to run an offense where he would have the paint relatively empty so that he is able to put pressure on the defense to make a decision on whether they will double-team him or not. If the defense double-teams LeBron will most likely pass it to the perimeter for an open shot or pass it to a player who is cutting towards the basket. If they do not he will shoot a jumper or drive depending on whether the defense sags off or plays close to him. As a result, LeBron should surround himself with players who are very good to great at moving without the basketball and/or shooting the three. Instead, he decides to recruit players who have the ability to shoot the three-pointer but are used to playing in the paint. A perfect example of this is Kevin Love, during his tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves; he had a diverse plan of attack when it came to scoring the basketball. For instance, Kevin Love would stand around the low post area at the start of a play and then run out to the three-point line where a teammate would pass him the ball for him to shoot the ball. Another example is when a teammate would bring the ball up the floor until he gets up to the three point line, then passes it to Love in the mid to low post. From there he would face up and shoot over his defender if he has a smaller defender on him. If he has a bigger and/ or slower defender on him, he would drive to the basket. Kevin Love would also get near the basket as his teammates were going to shoot so that he could get in position to grab the rebound and put the ball back into the basket.
However, the versatility that he had with the Timberwolves was taken away once he was traded to the Cavaliers because of the way LeBron James likes to play offense. In fact, As a result of this, Kevin Love has been mostly a spot-up shooter who doesn't put the ball on the floor in fact during his 2 regular seasons with the Cavaliers he is taking 42.9 percent of his shots from behind the arc according to basketball reference. During his 6 seasons with the Timberwolves, he only took 36.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc. The 6.7 percent increase in three point shot attempts has almost eliminated one of the best aspects of his game which is offensive rebounding. As Love has been averaging 1.9 offensive rebounds per game with the Cavaliers, which is 1.8 rebounds, less than what he averaged with the Timberwolves. This is because Kevin Love is farther away from the basket when he is shooting the ball as a result of this he does not have enough time to get in position to grab the rebound.
If LeBron wants to maintain and/or improve his basketball "legacy" he should play with players like JJ Redick who excels at shooting the three-pointer and/or moving without the basketball. In fact, during this tenure with the Clippers he has done a great job at getting his defender to chase him in the paint where he is able to get separation from his defenders because the defender has a difficult time getting around other players thus giving him a wide open look. As a result, this would allow the Cavaliers to get easier baskets because players like JJ will find a way to get open or fill wide open gaps with their constant movement thus giving them a better opportunity to win. But he most likely will not because he does not seem to know how to identify what type of player should be in his supporting cast at this point which is playing a factor in NBA final performances thus he should strongly consider excusing himself from making decisions about the roster.
