"He has turned into a high-volume, below-average 3-point shooter" - Skip Bayless' scathing criticism of LeBron James as LA Lakers continue to struggle
Skip Bayless does not miss any opportunity to throw shade at LeBron James. The long-time NBA analyst continued with his criticism of James as the LA Lakers fell, 113-107 to the Miami Heat on Sunday night. The loss put the Lakers' regular-season record at 23-24 for their 2021-22 campaign.
Brooklyn
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LeBron James finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the contest. He shot 12-of-22 (54.5%) from the field and went 8-of-11 from the charity stripe. He also scored 11 of his 33 points in the final quarter as the Lakers cut a 23-point deficit early in the period down to a four-point game with about a minute left to play. By any objective standard, this stat line would be considered a fairly efficient all-around contribution for the Lakers.
Skip Bayless, however, chose to focus on James' poor shooting game from long-range to continue with his long-standing criticism of the 19-year NBA veteran. With James making just one of his eight attempts from downtown versus Miami, Bayless took to Twitter to post the following message after the game:
"Lakers nearly pulled off their greatest comeback in 20 years, at Miami vs Heat without Lowry or Herro. LeBron had 33 but shot just 1-8 from three. Ouch. He has turned into a high-volume, below-average 3-point shooter. Hard to win that way. Lakers are a game under .500."
Lakers nearly pulled off their greatest comeback in 20 years, at Miami vs Heat without Lowry or Herro. LeBron had 33 but shot just 1-8 from three. Ouch. He has turned into a high-volume, below-average 3-point shooter. Hard to win that way. Lakers are a game under .500.
LA Lakers lose despite LeBron James posting 21st 30-point game of the season
The match against the Miami Heat saw LeBron James register his 21st 30-point game of the season. That is the most by any NBA player this campaign. It was also the 13th 30-point game posted by James in his last 17 appearances for the LA Lakers.
Back-to-back possessions for @KingJames. 👑 https://t.co/zsto5HTsnD
However, the Lakers have a losing record when James has scored 30 or more points in a game this season. After their latest defeat in the matchup against the Miami Heat on Sunday night, the Lakers are now 10-11 when James tallies at least 30 points and 7-10 in the last 17 games he scored more than 30.
Despite the losing record, one thing is clear. LeBron James cannot be slowed down even at age 37, playing in his 19th season. The 17-time All-Star is averaging 29.0 ppg, putting him in second position behind Kevin Durant in the race for the league scoring title. His 29.0 ppg is also the most points James has averaged since the 2009-10 season when he tallied 29.7 ppg while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.