What makes James so great in these situations is that he is never predictable, given that there are so many ways in which he can hurt a defense. He also never tries to play hero ball, passing up a great shot for a teammate in order to get a more difficult shot for himself. For the Lakers star, it’s the ability to almost manipulate time to his benefit that makes him so calm and collected in those situations. He discussed that concept on the latest episode of The Shop: “What’s going on in my head? Like you said it’s in slow motion, I slow it down as well. It’s just about trying to be patient, not try to be over-exertive or try to pre-determine what I’m going to do. It’s just kind of read and react. Even with the clock going 9, 8, 7, 6. If you look at a stopwatch, those seconds are ticking, like they’re going fast. But for some odd reason on the basketball court for myself, when the time looks like it’s going fast it’s actually slowing down for me. So I’m able to just slow it down and be able to see what’s going on on the floor. Will that always result in a make? No, I wish. I wish it would go in every single time, but I try to put myself in position that I make the right play or come home for the team every single time. That just comes with experience, the best teacher in life is experience and the more and more you get put in those opportunities and those moments, the better off you’ll be.” -via Lakers Nation / September 2, 2024
