Nitro Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Remember all those Nike commercials over the summer about LeBron James working on his post game? Remember when James made the trip to see Hakeem Olajuwon? Remember before the season when he told ESPN's Rachel Nichols "I got a lot of tricks up my bag" when talking about his post game? It seems James is walking the walk, so to speak. On Monday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, James looked unstoppable from the block. He hit eight of his nine shots on post-up plays according to Synergy Sports, a tracking service that feeds data to NBA teams. James looked confident, powering his way from the perimeter all the way into the paint and hitting fadeaway jumpers like he had something to prove. As you can see in the above photo, the Bucks tried everyone from Stephen Jackson to Carlos Delfino to Shaun Livingston -- and James overpowered them all. This has been a growing trend this season. Since the Heat don't have a traditional roster, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has asked James to play more at the power forward slot than he ever has before and James has answered the call by turning his post game into one of his go-to weapons. How good has he been there? James has the highest field goal percentage on post-ups in the league. Among the 34 players this season with at least 75 post-up plays so far this season, James tops them all with a 55.4 field goal percentage on the block. Carl Landry, who is about as crafty as they come on the block, comes in second with a 51.9 percent conversion rate. Kobe Bryant (46.5), Dwyane Wade (46.2) and Dwight Howard (48.0)? All look up at James in the post-up rankings. Here's the top ten in field goal percentage (minimum 75 post-ups) from Synergy Sports tracking. Field goal percentage ranks from post-up (minimum 75 plays)Player Plays Plays/G FG FG% LeBron James 102 4.1 41-74 55.4 Carl Landry 101 4.4 40-77 51.9 Carlos Boozer 121 4.2 53-104 51.0 Roy Hibbert 216 8.0 87-175 49.7 Pau Gasol 145 5.0 54-109 49.5 LaMarcus Aldridge 269 9.6 103-208 49.5 Dwight Howard 368 12.7 119-248 48.0 Blake Griffin 176 6.8 57-122 46.7 Kobe Bryant 160 5.5 59-127 46.4 Kevin Garnett 128 4.7 45-97 46.4 Source: Synergy Sports Technology What's different? Put simply, James' comfort level. James can talk about all the "tricks up my bag," but the greatest trick he has discovered is a mental one: confidence. James has embraced the post-up game more than he has in his entire career. Last season, he sparingly used his post-up even though he was quite efficient in that department, but now it's a regular part of his arsenal. Compared to last season, James has just about doubled his diet of post-ups from 2.1 plays per game to 4.1 plays per game in 2011-12. But he's still not a finished product and still has plenty to work on. He still has a tendency to turn the ball over when he goes down to the block, which shouldn't be ignored. From an efficiency standpoint, he does not lead the league in points per post-up play. That distinction belongs to Landry, who has scored, on average, about 107 points every 100 post-ups. James still ranks third in overall efficiency in the post, but is dragged down by his high turnover rate (15.7 percent of his post-up plays). Nonetheless, James is just about the most effective player in the post this season after being embarrassed by J.J. Barea at times in the Finals. And it's true, the referendum on James will never come in the regular season and it still remains to be seen whether he is comfortable enough to depend on the post on the big stage. But after an offseason full of promises of a better post-up game, James is finally letting his game do the talking. And no matter how you feel about James, the results are impossible to ignore. Source- http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/12441/after-much-promise-lebron-thriving-in-post Surprising numbers for sure. Basically, he's doubled his number of attempts in the post from last year, and his FG% from there is significantly higher than Carl Landry, who is 2nd in the league in that regard. Also mentioned is that he is 3rd in efficiency overall due to his high turnovers, but that is still a huge jump after his weaknesses there became really apprarent last season and in the Finals, From my observation, he really hasn't improved a whole lot in terms of footwork or skill, but what has improved is his willingness to make it an effort to get in the post more often, and as opposed to last season he looks a LOT more comfortable in the post. He is taking his time and not rushing his moves or shot. Last year he was constantly getting great position by backing down anyone and everyone at will, but he would get antsy and blow simple hooks, layups and mini-fadeaways that he makes in his sleep off drives or in the face-up position. He still needs to use it a bit more often, as well as in 4th quarters where he tends to rever to bad, old tendencies, but it is definitely a big addition to his game, and a big reason his FG% has skyrocketed this season. FWIW, the Heat now have arguably the best post-up wing duo in the NBA, as Wade is absolutely sensational in the post. He is very, very patient down there, has tremendous footwork and is incredible with his touch around the rim. If these guys learn how to better pass out of the post and continue to incorperate more and more into their games', as well as learn to use it more in tight 4th quarters, they will extend their years of dominance considerably. For Heat fans, this is a huge development and major reason to be even more excited for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 IMO Wade is still the more consistent player with his back to the basket but that's because he's been doing it for a while. This is really the first time LBj has even tried going down in the post on offense but when he's on...its incredible to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YarnIdge Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Once LBJ gets more time in on the post, works on that footwork and getting comfortable he's going to be unbelievable. Once he gets to Wade or Kobe's level in the post, well wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Once LBJ gets more time in on the post, works on that footwork and getting comfortable he's going to be unbelievable. Once he gets to Wade or Kobe's level in the post, well wow. IMO Wade and LBJ's post games are built more on power and getting those shots in the paint whereas Kobe's is from about that 10-15 foot range and he just has so much touch and finesse that its tough to guard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted February 16, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Field goal percentage ranks from post-up (minimum 75 plays)Player Plays Plays/G FG FG% LeBron James 102 4.1 41-74 55.4 Carl Landry 101 4.4 40-77 51.9 Carlos Boozer 121 4.2 53-104 51.0 Roy Hibbert 216 8.0 87-175 49.7 Pau Gasol 145 5.0 54-109 49.5 LaMarcus Aldridge 269 9.6 103-208 49.5 Dwight Howard 368 12.7 119-248 48.0 Blake Griffin 176 6.8 57-122 46.7 Kobe Bryant 160 5.5 59-127 46.4 Kevin Garnett 128 4.7 45-97 46.4 Source: Synergy Sports TechnologyI'm not sure if I should be shocked to see Andrew Bynum's name missing from that list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I'm not sure if I should be shocked to see Andrew Bynum's name missing from that list. I'm more shocked that Boozer is so high on that list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 LeBron James 102 4.1 41-74 55.4 Carl Landry 101 4.4 40-77 51.9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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