Former number one pick Kwame Brown, who played for the Lakers in the mid-2000s, believes that LeBron James’ game has not evolved over his 21-year career in the league.
“That’s the same way he’s been playing,” Kwame stated on Swish Cultures recently. “He’s a cutter, slasher, and he’s developed a bit of the three. But the issue is, when he faces teams like Chicago or Boston, who have solid principles, he struggles. The old-school players wouldn’t have trouble with LeBron because, at 39, he should have developed a mid-range and post game by now, but he hasn’t. He still relies on his athleticism to go the full length of the court, which is remarkable. But without his athleticism, his game hasn’t really evolved beyond shooting threes and driving to the basket. He doesn’t have the pull-up game like Paul Pierce, where he can get to a spot and shoot. These are things you expect from a superstar player.”
LeBron’s improvement in three-point shooting is worth mentioning. In the 2022-23 season, he shot just 32.1 percent from three, but last season he increased his percentage to 41 percent.
As LeBron approaches 40, he continues to outperform many players in the league with his skill and athleticism. His contributions were pivotal in Team USA’s gold medal win in Paris over the summer.
Therefore, the critique from Brown should be taken with caution, given his reputation as one of the biggest busts in NBA history.
Brown also appears to be critical of the James family as a whole, as he recently called out LeBron’s son Bronny James.
