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LeBron is only a shell of his former self athletically? Really?

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LeBron is only a shell of his former self athletically? Really? 

Post#1 » by TheOUTLAW » Thu Nov 12, 2015 1:21 am

As much as people like to argue that LeBron isn't as athletic as he once was, he sure has a knack for do things that make you say damn!!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6SdDJ1zPNs[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCAZGm6jvfI[/youtube]

IMO both of these were remarkable
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Re: LeBron is only a shell of his former self athletically? Really? 

Post#2 » by yoyoboy » Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:53 am

LeBron is still absolutely elite athletically. He just doesn't have the energy to get his head up at the rim on every play like he used to.

But occasionally he still drops plays like this…

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0h8bBCFUEM[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKJs4_cAxfs[/youtube]
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Re: LeBron is only a shell of his former self athletically? Really? 

Post#3 » by yoyoboy » Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:57 am

Plus, he had a few crazy dunks in the Finals, like the lob from Delly over Klay Thompson that he took to the sky to finish. LeBron is still an absolute freak, and if anything, he actually looks better athletically this season so far than he did last year in the regular season.
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Re: LeBron is only a shell of his former self athletically? Really? 

Post#4 » by Nitro1118 » Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:12 am

Where LeBron has dropped off isn't really vertical jump or top speed...it's his first step, strength through contact (due to dropping weight since Miami days), and stamina to carry the entire load for entire games and series'. To me, what has effected his game the most is his stamina.
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Re: LeBron is only a shell of his former self athletically? Really? 

Post#5 » by Dupp » Thu Nov 12, 2015 9:16 am

I still believe that statement to be somewhat true. Not so sure about "a shell of his former self" but he's definitely declined athletically somewhat.

Still lebron at 70-80% of his former self still more athletic than 90+ % of the league.

The biggest noticeable difference is actually in his first step and initial acceleration.
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Re: LeBron is only a shell of his former self athletically? Really? 

Post#6 » by yoyoboy » Thu Nov 12, 2015 6:13 pm

Nitro1118 wrote:Where LeBron has dropped off isn't really vertical jump or top speed...it's his first step, strength through contact (due to dropping weight since Miami days), and stamina to carry the entire load for entire games and series'. To me, what has effected his game the most is his stamina.

Yeah I agree with that. To be fair though, his quickness actually looks better than it did last season.
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Re: LeBron is only a shell of his former self athletically? Really? 

Post#7 » by tidho » Fri Nov 13, 2015 4:27 pm

Really. He has lost a significant portion of his athleticism.

He's noticeably slower and appears to have lost several inches off his vertical. He's still capable of making spectacular plays, and is certainly a plus athlete, but he's not the same athlete he was at 24.

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