LeBron James Practices Deep Three-Pointers So His Game Has No Holes

In the third quarter of the Lakers' 120-107 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday, LeBron James dribbled past half court and released a 36-foot three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining on the shot clock.

The shot swished through the net, shocking even his teammates. Anthony Davis, Danny Green and JaVale McGee literally went to the spot where James shot from to investigate.

"We just didn’t understand how he shot it that far and it barely hit the net," McGee said. "It just went straight in. Yeah, we were confused."

Added Howard: "That was a four-pointer."

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James, however, said that shot wasn't new for him.

"I don’t take no shots that I don’t work on," said James, who had 22 points and 14 assists. "I’ve never done it in my career. I work on it and I trust my mechanics and I’m able to let it fly with confidence no matter what’s going on on the shot clock."

James, 35, has made at least two three-pointers in the Lakers' last five games. In a game against San Antonio on Feb. 4, he made five-straight three-pointers, sending his teammates running onto the court to celebrate in a circle around him.

James said having a three-point shot is essential in the current NBA and he wants to make sure he doesn't have any holes in his game.

"Obviously, the game is played so much at the three-point line and beyond," said James, who is shooting 35.1 percent from that distance this season. "I just think for me, personally, I want to continue to have a growth mindset on however the game is changing, being able to change my game and also still be true to who I am at the same time. Just trying not to have any weaknesses."

Lakers' coach Frank Vogel encourages James to take those shots.

"I call him the best deep shooter on our team," Vogel said after James had 40 points, including five three-pointers, in the Lakers' 118-109 win over New Orleans on Feb. 25. "I think it’s an important shot for him to take and to make from a standpoint of defenses honoring that. You’ve got to make them pay if they’re to play soft defense on you. You’ve got to be able to beat them over the top. He’s been doing this for a long time."

That may be true, but McGee was still floored by his shot Tuesday.

McGee walked over to where James released the ball, stared at a mark on the court for a second and exclaimed, "Damn."

James didn't notice that until after the game.

"I just saw it," James said, laughing. "And it was pretty funny."