Second, a solo in a three-point bombardment
As the years go by, James' art of shooting is becoming more and more perfect, and the three-point line has become his big scoring weapon. As of this moment, he has shot 2,410 threes, ranking eighth in NBA history. If he hits another 151 in the upcoming season, he will pass Reggie Miller's 2,560 threes and jump to fifth place. However, given that only Ray Allen has ever honored the top five all-time, James will likely be sitting in fifth or sixth place.
In the realm of free throw shooting, James' 8,390 free throw attempts rank third in NBA history behind Moses Malone's 8,531 and Karl Malone's 9,787. By hitting 142 free throws in the new season, he will surpass Moses Malone as the second free throw master in NBA history. James made 303 free throws last season, reaching a personal high since the 2017-2018 season. If he can maintain that frequency, it's only a matter of time before he passes Moses Malone. But to catch up with Karl Malone's record of 9,787, he still needs to cross the gap of 1,398.
III. Guardians of the rink
As a forward, James has also excelled at rebounding, especially on the defensive end. His career defensive rebound total has reached 9,458, which ranks 10th in NBA history. With an average of 415 defensive rebounds per season, another 24 would move him past Moses Malone (9,481) and into eighth place. If he stays healthy this upcoming season, James is on track to pass Olajuwon (9,714) at the end of the season to become the seventh leading defensive rebounder in NBA history. And the goal of breaking 10,000 may take two seasons of hard work.
IV. Rhythmic mastery of the ball break
James has accumulated 2,275 career steals, eighth in NBA history. Despite having little hope of cracking the top five, he is still expected to break through in the upcoming season. He is currently just 33 steals shy of Pippen (2,307) and 36 steals shy of Maurice Chickens (2,310). At the pace of 70 steals per game over the past three seasons, James is on track to surpass those two predecessors in the new season. But to reach the level of fifth-place Gary Payton (2,445), he will still need to work twice as hard, and it could take two seasons.
