“Unlike the King” - Skip Bayless lauds Luka Doncic's braveness to draw fouls in the clutch, takes shot at LeBron James for not doing so
Skip Bayless praised Luka Doncic for being brave enough to draw fouls in the clutch. He also took a shot at LeBron James, adding that 'The King' avoids doing so due to his poor free throw shooting. Doncic and James have identical playing styles, especially in offense, but both have struggled from the charity stripe in their careers.
Doncic oozed confidence in the Dallas Mavericks' comeback win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. He led the team's charge with 34 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 11 of 12 from the free-throw line. He scored nine points in the fourth quarter, knocking down five of his six free throws. The Mavs outscored the Dubs 33-13 in the final frame of the game, erasing a 21-point deficit to win 107-101.
Bayless was impressed by Doncic's heroics, and didn't shy away from taking a shot at James on Twitter. Here's what the Fox Sports analyst tweeted:
"Luka is an even worse free-throw shooter than LeBron this season, yet at Golden State, Luka was not afraid to keep running TOWARD the in-bounds passer, demanding the ball, getting fouled, make the closing free throws. Unlike the King."
Bayless has always been critical of LeBron James for not closing out games on his own. 'The King' always relies on making the right plays, and creating the best scoring opportunities, in the dying moments of games. That has also led to James avoiding drawing fouls in late-game situations due to his inconsistent conversion from the free throw line.
@luka7doncicLUKA vs Warriors!
34 puntos
11 rebotes
👀 @luka7doncic https://t.co/VIr46lSs84
LeBron James and Luka Doncic have never shot 80% or above from the free throw line
LeBron James and Luka Doncic are two of the most solid all-around players in the league.
They can bag triple doubles for fun, making them unguardable for opposition defenses. Both have a similar weakness, though, which is their poor conversion rate from the free throw line.
Kyrie Irving clowns LeBron James after he misses a free throw
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James has made 73.4% of his shots from the foul line, while Doncic averages 73.4%.
Neither of them have shot 80% or above from the line in their careers. James' career-high free throw shooting percentage is 78% when he was with the Cavaliers in 2008-09, while Doncic's best is 75.8% in his sophomore year during the 2019-20 campaign.
Nevertheless, the two have continued to be a threat during clutch moments due to their ability to make some great decisive reads.