“LeBron James Must Be Protected!”: Skip Bayless Berates Lakers Star for Abysmal 3-point shooting vs Nuggets

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are facing off against the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. The series has shifted back to Los Angeles and helped the home team play a better brand of basketball. LeBron James, after struggling to shoot the ball from the perimeter, is making a conscious effort to get to the cup, but Skip Bayless has still decided to criticize him.

LeBron is having the worst three-point shooting stretch of his career. In the 2023 playoffs, he has been abysmal with 23% shooting and ranks 137 out of 151 players who have made a three this playoffs. In his 20-year career, it has never gotten so poor for the superstar. With a minute remaining in the third quarter of Game 3, LeBron has missed 13 consecutive threes and is yet to make one for the series.

Skip Bayless criticizes LeBron James again

A harsh critic of LeBron, NBA analyst Skip Bayless has refused to give him a pass throughout his career, and he isn’t letting up now. Before Game 3 of the series, Skip had tweeted multiple times about James’ pathetic shooting while focusing on the 17 straight playoff threes missed. That number stands at 20 right now, and Skip is back at it. Here is the latest tweet:

“LeBron James has now missed 20 straight playoff 3s, now 4 more than Tobias Harris for the all-time record. But is anybody talking about that on TV. Nope. LeBron must be protected.”

“LeBron James has now missed 20 straight playoff 3s, now 4 more than Tobias Harris for the all-time record. But is anybody talking about that on TV. Nope. LeBron must be protected.”

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 21, 2023

LeBron started the playoffs slow, shooting 19% from beyond the arc against the Memphis Grizzlies. Things improved during the Golden State Warriors series, where he managed a respectable 33%. However, it has been a brick show since then. He was yet to make a three against the Denver Nuggets, and it is starting to hurt his team. By the end, he had made just 3 of his 9 attempts from deep during this contest.

What do LeBron and the Lakers need to do to win Game 4?

This LA team is in a dire situation at the moment. They are currently down 0-3, on the brink of being swept, the worst way to go. LeBron James and the Lakers need to realize that they are not a three-point shooting team. Of course, the occasional shot from deep is important. However, the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and even D’Angelo Russell need to stop launching shots, and instead focus on their strengths. And by focus, we mean, almost do nothing else.

For James and Davis, that means pummelling their way to the rim just about every time. Not only is it their strong point, but the Nuggets don’t have any rim protectors either.

For Russell, this means he needs to turn to his mid-range game a lot more. He came into the NBA as a shifty mid-range shooter, and still looks comfortable being that way. Using those strengths, not only would he be able to make more shots, but he could draw more fouls too.

In essence, the Lakers need to start doing what they’re best at, instead of doing what most other teams in the NBA do. However, even then, it’s hard to say if LA can climb its way out of this one. Only time will tell what happens next.