LeBron James is not spending a whole lot of time at the charity stripe this season. Through the first 10 games he’s played this year, James is averaging 4.8 free throw attempts per game, which is the lowest mark of his career. He has not registered double-digit attempts from the line in a game this season, and is in the midst of five consecutive games with five or fewer free throws attempted.
It’s a bit strange that this is happening to James, a player whose physicality and style of play has essentially guaranteed that he’ll score at least 5-6 points a night on free throws alone for the entirety of his career. But that has not been the case this year, and after Wednesday night’s loss to the Clippers in which James got up four shots from the line, he was asked whether the physicality of the games is making it harder for him to score.
James said no, but he does have a solution: flopping.
“I love physicality. But I also would like for the whistle to be blown when I get hit…I gotta learn how to flop or something. Seriously, I need to learn how to do that.”
LEBRON: 30 PTS (12/22 FG, 2/4 FT) in 32 MINS before leaving with groin injury
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 10, 2022
“I’m ok with that, I love physicality,” James said. “But I also would like for the whistle to be blown when I get hit. I mean, four free throws once again. I look at a lot of guys tonight, shoot a lot of jump shots, and they going nine, 13 times to the free throw line. I gotta learn how to flop or something. Seriously, I need to learn how to do that, swipe my head back or do something to get to the free throw line.”
James scored 30 points on 12-for-22 shooting in the Lakers’ 13-point loss, which dropped them to 2-9 on the season.