A scoring threat anytime he touches the basketball? Yes.
A more-than-willing passer who sets up his teammates for a better shot than the one he is looking at? Check.
A forward with the speed of a guard capable of chasing down opponents and blocking their shots away from the hoop? Definitely.
Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James is a lot of things on the basketball court, but the one he is most proud of is being consistent when he takes the floor.
Adamant about his craft, James rededicates himself to the game every offseason, and that consistent effort has proven fruitful, as he has raised his shooting percentage from the field and three-point range, as well as increased his assists and steals-per-game totals in the three years he has been back with the Cavaliers.
“I take pride in having a growth mindset and still trying to improve even in the later stage of my career,” James said on the recent road trip.
“Just being consistent for my teammates every night, that means a lot to me. I take pride in just trying to keep my body fresh, keeping my mind fresh, keeping my game polished, stay working on my craft and going out and producing.”
That consistency has come with 12, and soon-to-be, 13 straight All-Star Game selections, multiple regular-season and playoff Most Valuable Player awards and a career that will likely lead to the National Basketball Hall of Fame as well as a retired number hanging in the rafters at Quicken Loans Arena.
But James is far from focused on those accolades right now.
“It’ll mean something at the end of my career,” James said. “Right now, it’s all about the process, and that’s just trying to get better and better. I could care less about my individual accolades at this point. I just want to win and put our team in a position to be successful.”
James came back to Cleveland in the summer of 2014 following a four-year stint with the Miami Heat, and since that point, the Cavaliers have been committed to winning.
From more than a dozen trades to free-agent signings, the Cavaliers have doggedly pursued the NBA Championship, and were successful in attaining Cleveland’s first major-sports title in 52 years when they defeated the Golden State Warriors last summer.
But despite a lopsided loss to the Warriors at Oracle Arena Monday night, James is hungry for another championship in Cleveland.
“I knew how much I had grown,” James said. “I knew the type of person I was. I knew the type of basketball player I was. I knew the type of leader I am, and I knew the type of man I was, and I trusted myself. The organization has rallied around me and I appreciate that.
“In order to win, you have to have talent around you. It’s not like we’re one of the most talented teams ever assembled. We’ve got guys that play their roles, and we’ve got a couple stars in Kyrie and Kev that do their jobs at a high level, but we’re a team that also does the dirty work when need be. The best thing about our team is the other guys that don’t get mentioned a lot do their jobs at an all-time high, and I appreciate that from them.”
