10 Harsh realities about LeBron James

#8 He could be a better free throw shooter

James taking a free throw against the San Antonio Spurs in 2017

Among all-time great players who were a comparable size to James, everyone in his competition has been a better free throw shooter. Larry Bird shot 88.6%. Michael Jordan shot 83.5%. Magic shot 84.8%. Kobe shot 83.7%.

Clutch games slowed down by fouling tactics are a great recipe for winning basketball matches, as Brad Stevens' Celtics have proved time and again this season. LeBron's great basketball mind is indeed aware of this, and he has improved his conversion by a percentage point over the last 6-7 years.

James' 73.9% conversion rate means that he does not look to draw fouls from his primary defender. It also causes a mental block to him from getting fouled in clutch moments even when his team is in the lead. If he converted 80% of his free throws, defenses would not get away with fouling him in clutch time as often as they have.

Of late, LeBron has tried a number of adjustments to his free throw shooting routine, but he is still making a similar percentage to his career figures. If LeBron were an 80% free throw shooter, he would close out games way better than he is doing currently (or has done through the course of his career).