LeBron James has never been afraid of contact. For most of his career, he has been one of the NBA’s most dominant finishers at the rim, showcasing part power, part skill, and part sheer will. But last season marked a turning point. Just 35 percent of his shot attempts came at the rim, which is the lowest percentage of his career.
LeBron James' days of living at the rim are quickly fading
For a player who has built his offensive game around paint touches and high-efficiency finishes, that drop matters. According to Jovan Buha of Buha’s Block, that number not only ties for the second-fewest in LeBron’s 22 seasons, but also puts him “in just the 29th percentile of all bigs," despite playing more minutes at power forward and center than ever before.