At the age of 39, when most players have retired, LeBron James continues to be regarded as one of the premier stars in the NBA. Just in the 2023/24 season, LeBron James averaged 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.2 assists with a shooting efficiency of 53.8%.

Certainly, while maintaining excellent form, LeBron James is inevitably affected by the passage of time. The superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers has been limiting powerful breakthroughs as he did in his youth, due to his reduced endurance and physical condition, which no longer allow him to do so frequently.

So why can LeBron James still maintain an impressive performance in the 2023/24 season? The answer lies in his three-point shooting, as the 39-year-old star continues to enhance this skill throughout his career.

According to information from coach Dave Hopla, who serves as a specialist in training basketball shooting skills for several NBA teams, he closely monitored LeBron James’ entire career since 2023. He admitted that LeBron James’ improvement in three-point shooting has helped him maintain peak performance in the NBA.

“Previously, LeBron James tended to lean to the left when shooting threes, affecting accuracy. However, he has improved on this in recent years, and that’s the difference in LeBron James’ games,” Dave Hopla shared with ESPN.

Looking back at the 2003/04 season when LeBron James first appeared in the NBA, he only had a 29% three-point shooting success rate. Even after improving this aspect over the years, LeBron James has never been considered effective in making long-range shots.

However, that has changed in recent years. Just in the 2023/24 season alone, LeBron James has a three-point shooting efficiency of 41.3%, significantly higher than the league average of 36.6%. Not long ago, LeBron James also made 9 out of 10 three-pointers against the Brooklyn Nets, an almost unbelievable performance even in practice sessions.

The last time LeBron James had a three-point shooting efficiency over 40% was in the 2012/13 season when he converted 40.6% of his three-point attempts into points. However, LeBron James only attempted an average of 3.3 three-pointers per game in that season, much fewer than the 5.2 attempts per game in the 2023/24 season.

Improving his three-point shooting ability has enabled LeBron James to pose a significant threat to opposing defenses alongside his trademark powerful drives. Moreover, it also helps him conserve energy better during games, which is crucial considering he is 39 years old.

LeBron James’ peak performance is a beacon of hope for the Los Angeles Lakers in surpassing the Play-In stage and advancing further in the NBA Playoffs of the 2023/24 season.