NBA PM: Cavaliers Need Efficient LeBron James

The New Orleans Pelicans decided to fire head coach Monty Williams today. Why was Williams let go after making the playoffs, who are some coaches that could be candidates to replace Williams and what are some factors the team will consider as they go through this process? Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders and Noah Coslov discuss these questions and more in the above video.

Cavaliers Need Efficient LeBron James

There’s no arguing that LeBron James has been filling the stat sheet this postseason. Through eight playoff games, James has averaged 26.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, two steals and 1.4 blocks – all of which are higher than his 2014-15 regular season averages.

However, despite those jaw-dropping numbers and the clutch game-winner against the Chicago Bulls in Game 4, this has been one of James’ least effective and efficient postseasons.

He’s shooting just 41.8 percent from the field while attempting a playoff-career-high 25.4 shots per game. He’s shooting just 15.4 percent from three-point range through two rounds, hitting just six of his 39 attempts from long range thus far. Looking at his second-round averages only, they’re even worse: 37.7 percent from the field on 26.5 shots per game and 10.5 percent from three.

Compare this to last postseason, when James shot 56.5 percent from the field on 17 shots per game and 40.7 percent from three during the Miami HEAT’s Finals run, and it’s clear just how big of a drop off this is.

The only other times that James has shot below 42 percent from the field in a postseason was in his third and fourth seasons in the NBA when we was in his early 20s. And James’ 15.4 percent from three-point range is by far a career-worst; prior to these playoffs, he had never even shot below 25 percent from three-point range in a postseason.

Couple these shooting struggles with the fact that James’ has averaged a playoff-career-high 5.3 turnovers per game, and it’s evident that he is forcing things and trying to do too much to carry the Cavs.

With Kevin Love sidelined due to a shoulder injury and Kyrie Irving dealing with tendinitis in his left knee and a right foot strain, James has taken it upon himself to shoot way more than usual and try to do everything for Cleveland. He felt the need to be more aggressive, especially after the Cavaliers lost Game 1 to the Bulls and gave up homecourt advantage. Since that loss, he has taken 84 shots in the last three games.

While that strategy has worked in some games and has the Cavaliers two wins away from the Eastern Conference Finals, it is concerning for Cleveland because this approach is inefficient (James has a playoff-career-low 21.4 efficiency rating this postseason) and possibly unsustainable since they’re relying so much on one player. It becomes even scarier since James rolled his foot in Game 4 and is dealing with soreness, meaning he may not be at 100 percent.

Even James has acknowledged that he doesn’t like having to do so much and force things, but that he feels like he doesn’t really have a choice given the circumstances.

“That’s what my teammates want from me; I hate being this inefficient,” James said. “I don’t like it, but it’s what my teammates want from me. It’s the postseason and [I’ll do] whatever it takes.

“For our team now, we’re a little shorthanded. The extra shots I’m getting right now, that would be for Kevin. We’re a little short-handed. For me, I have to kind of change my approach. I had to change my approach, knowing how short-handed we are, and be ultra aggressive. Kyrie wanted me to be ultra aggressive, which I’m not accustomed to doing – especially taking that many shots. I’ve never been a high-volume shooter, but I have to respond to my teammates. What my teammates want me to do, I try to succeed at doing.”

Chicago’s Jimmy Butler definitely deserves some credit for James’ struggles shooting and protecting the ball. Butler is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and he has made things difficult on James, just as he has done to many players throughout this season.

However, it is worth noting that James was somewhat off during the first round against the Boston Celtics too, shooting 20 percent from three and averaging 4.8 turnovers. Being guarded by Butler has certainly limited him even further, but it does seem like James is in a bit of a slump.

James has obviously been putting up points, contributing on the glass, playing solid defense and getting his teammates involved as a facilitator, so saying that the Cavs need more from him is crazy. It seems what Cleveland really needs is for James to do a bit less – taking fewer shots and not forcing things quite as much on offense.

It’s understandable that he feels the need to shoot more and go into scoring mode, but being a high-volume shooter and settling for attempts he would normally pass up doesn’t help the Cavs. He is the first one to say that isn’t his game.

This approach also makes things easier on the Bulls, because Cleveland’s game plan becomes somewhat predictable when James is taking 30 shots and the team relies so much on him. After Game 4, Derrick Rose was asked about James and told reporters, “We knew he was going to come out firing.”

Being efficient and taking on more of the scoring load aren’t mutually exclusive. In order for Cleveland to contend and play their best basketball under their current circumstances, the solution may be for James to take smarter, efficient shots within the flow of the offense rather than taking poor attempts and forcing things as he has been doing at times.