LeBron James, the standout player for the Los Angeles Lakers, had an open conversation this week with former NBA point guard JJ Redick, revealing details of the team’s early-season setbacks in the 2023–24 NBA season.

In a Mind the Game Pod episode, James and Redick discussed the Lakers’ offensive shortcomings, especially their difficulties making accurate shots:

“We couldn’t shoot,” James remarked. “We always said the law of averages is going to even itself out. The first month-and-a-half, two months, we couldn’t hit the side of a f–king cow’s ass from three points. We couldn’t.”

The Lakers had a dismal 24-25 record by January 30 after experiencing severe inconsistency more than halfway through the season. Their offensive shortcomings were a major factor, but they were able to turn things around in the second half of the season and end up with a respectable 23-10 record.

The Lakers went from being a mediocre offensive club to one of the best in the league because to this incredible turnaround. At the conclusion of the NBA season, they had the eighth-best three-point shooting percentage (37.7%), second-best field goal percentage (49.9%), sixth-best scoring average (118.0 points per game), and second-best free throw percentage (18.9).

James was a major contributor to this improvement, hitting a career-high 41.0 three-point shooting %. James did not, however, receive all the credit for the team’s accomplishment; D’Angelo Russell (41.5 percent), Rui Hachimura (42.2 percent), and Anthony Davis (55.6 percent) all made significant contributions.

The Lakers’ postseason adventure started in the play-in tournament, when they earned a spot but had to contend with the tough Denver Nuggets, the reigning NBA champions, in the first round despite their late-season comeback.

James and his teammates were eliminated from the postseason early despite the Lakers’ heroic attempt. The Nuggets won in five games.