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‘Wasn’t Like Hating’- CJ McCollum Opens up on Mocking LeBron James For Shooting an Airball

Published 02/21/2021, 10:31 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

LeBron James has become a trigger-happy shooter. While he started the season shooting well above 40% from three, the team has fallen into a rough patch. After three consecutive OT games and a win, the Lakers have dropped two consecutive after Anthony Davis was injured.

LeBron has been taking an especially heavy load, but sometimes still has fun on the court. A lot of the fun he has is by making audacious shots, including logo-threes. While LeBron has a good record from there, he completely air-balled a logo-three against Minnesota. CJ McCollum made fun of it on Twitter, but has now clarified why he said what he said.

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“I know Bron, so it’s different. When people see me make jokes and stuff, they’re on the outside watching. These are all things I’d say to him because I’ve known him since I was 13 years old. It wasn’t like hating. It’d be the same if Dame was to shoot an airball, I’d be like logo Dame. But I love how he held it up.”

LeBron James: Should he tone down the shots?

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LeBron James is earning his respect as more than just a respectable shooter in the league. However, his shooting is still very streaky. He can have games where he misses one shot on five attempts, but he also has games where he will miss five consecutive threes in one half of a game. This inconsistency could be worrying.

USA Today via Reuters

While LeBron struggles to make regular three-pointers when he is struggling, taking logo-threes may be a bad idea. While he can knock them down, he isn’t a sniper-like Steph Curry or CJ’s teammate Damian Lillard. He is still a man that makes his money inside the paint.

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As he gets older, LeBron will struggle to just barrel into the paint and score like he did way back when. Now he plays with skill and finesse. Adding a respectable jumper was crucial and LeBron has done a good enough job, regardless of a jibe from CJ. James will do what he does best and hope the shots start falling soon enough.

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Written by:

Ishaan Bhattacharya

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub.
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