Through the first four games of the season, LeBron James is on a hot offensive start as he’s scoring 27.3 points per game on a highly efficient 61.4 percent shooting from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
The 32-year-old revealed to Dave McMenamin of ESPN that his improved shooting has come to an alteration in his shooting form due to an elbow injury that came about during the offseason.
James told ESPN that his right shooting elbow mysteriously swelled to the size of a tennis ball a few weeks after the conclusion of the NBA Finals. It was concerning enough for James to have his elbow medically examined: X-rays came back negative, and an MRI showed no structural damage.
This has pushed James to make the adjustment to shoot with a higher release point to which he has continued to do despite the swelling in his elbow subsiding during the offseason.
“I shoot it higher,” James said. “When the swelling went down, I just continued to do the same motion, the same motion. My free throws, my 3s, my pullups, all that.”
James is at a career pace while shooting at an extremely efficient rate that only speaks to his work ethic and special offensive ability on the court. He has shot no lower than 53.3 percent from the field in any of the first four games while hitting for greater than 62 percent three times over that stretch.
His shooting efficiency will likely drop a bit as the season wears on, but it’s clear that the adjustment he made has helped him become a more effective scorer. It will be a crucial part of this season as he will look to lead the way for the Cavaliers once again.