LeBron James: 5 Ways the Miami Heat Star Can Improve His Game

Does a player with two MVP's, seven All-Star appearances, a scoring championship and two All-Star Game MVP's seriously need to improve?

When you watch the 2011 NBA Finals and your name is LeBron James, then yes, you really do need to improve at several aspects of the game.

He's one of the most talented and athletic players to step on to a basketball court, but there are still so many flaws and aspects to his game that he can improve.

After one of the most disappointing playoff series of his career where he averaged 18 points per game, 10 points less than his usual post season average, it's obvious that James has some gaps to fill if he finally wants to secure that first championship, and if he wants to be in conversations about being regarded as one of the best to play the game.

Because until he wins that championship, he'll still be the most ridiculed and criticized player in sports.

LeBron came two games away from obtaining the title that has eluded him for so long, and it was at that point that the pressure began to drape on him. The pressure was too much for James as he couldn't figure out the Dallas Mavericks defense, began laying back on defense and basically checked himself out of five of the six Finals games.

A career 28 points per game player in the postseason and he only scored over 20 points on two occasions.

For James, he needs to improve at these five aspects of the game if he wants to escape the constant criticism and win a title.

He's going to have an unusually long offseason to practice and perfect all of these, so we should expect James to come out and have the best season of his career once the 2011-'12 does actually pick up.

Learn to Move Without the Ball

An already prolific scorer, LeBron James has averaged as much as 31 points per game because of just how multi-dimensional of a scorer he is.

He's one of the best at driving as he utilizes his main strength with his freakish athleticism that is nearly unmatched by any player in the NBA today.

Once he gets a glimpse of an open lane and a head of steam, it's a guaranteed two points for James as he either slams it in with authority or ends up on the foul line as a result of a defender being forced to foul as to prevent him from an emphatic two.

It was his strength when he started playing and it still is today.

His jump shot can also be deadly if he begins to hit consecutive shots. He has unlimited range and can hit from just about anywhere on the court no matter what point in a game.

So how else can someone who is a career 28 points per game player improve on scoring?

As a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James was basically forced to take the ball up and dictate the offense on every possession. By doing so, it caused his game to be restricted by only knowing how to score when he is deciding how the offense will be run.

He played every position for the Cavaliers at all times on the floor, including point guard which he ran the majority of the game.

For James to become even more prolific of a scorer, he's going to need to learn how to play when someone else is deciding how the offense should be run.

Whether its Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole or Dwyane Wade running the show, James needs to learn how to move without the ball and how to be a legitimate part of the offense when he isn't the center of attention.

As difficult as that may be for a player of James' caliber, if he wants to improve and be a part of an offense that has three players who can score just as well as he can he's going to have to allow other players to run the show for awhile.

He'll need to move without the ball, find open opportunities and convert on shots that his teammate have created for him.

Make Quick Adjustments

If there was anything these NBA Finals proved, it's that LeBron James is human and has more flaws than we originally thought.

One of the main problems with James in the Finals, aside from his mental state, was his inability to break the Dallas Mavericks zone defense. It's a defense that's primarily used by college teams and only rarely by NBA teams.

It basically confines teams from driving and forces them to shoot. It's only seldom used by NBA teams because players of that level are too good of shooters and can break a zone once a player begins hitting outside shots.

The zone frustrated James enough to the point that he didn't even bother driving and was a non-threat on the offensive end of the floor. He was restricted to taking jump shots and the Mavericks were able to thrive in the fourth quarter because he wasn't attacking and putting the Mavs on their heels.

In series prior, the constant penetration of James and Dwyane Wade tired teams out to the point that the opposition wouldn't be able to withstand the Heat's fourth-quarter barrage.

When going against a zone defense or any one that causes James frustration, he needs to make the necessary adjustments so that he may have some sort of positive impact for his team.

Once he realized he couldn't figure out the Mavericks zone by driving or taking wayward jump shots, he was a non-factor on the court and had just as much an impact as any inconsistent bench player on the team.

James is a two-time MVP and one of the most consistent players in the league's history, but he needs to not get out of his element if he can't figure out an individual or teams defense. He needs to either find other ways to score or to find other ways to involve himself in the offense.

Admitting defeat and seeing your way out of the game won't win you a championship. It never has and it never will.

Make the Jumper Consistent

Over the past few seasons, LeBron has begun to develop a consistent jumper to go along with an already volatile driving game.

It has helped his two teams win on many occasions, including their series against the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls when James hit a number of jump shots to start and finish runs that gave the Heat two series victories in only five games apiece.

Once he begins to hit jump shots, he becomes the leagues best player as he becomes nearly unstoppable on offense. Defense's have to respect his shot, but they can't get too close as they allow James the high possibility of driving.

However, this jump shot only seems to fall when he's in the middle of a hot streak or has his confidence at an all-time high.

It's hit or miss for LeBron when it comes to if his jump shot is falling, and while it has greatly improved over the past few seasons, it was at its best with Miami, it still isn't consistent enough of a shot for defenses to recognize and actually make it a point of focus when playing James. In fact, teams will allow James to shoot as not to give him any hope of driving.

There's a problem even when James jump shot is falling as it results in LeBronhje becoming too reliant on his shot. After a hot streak and once he begins to miss a few, he'll continue to still take the jumper despite it not being a reliable aspect of his game.

He becomes too reliant on an inconsistent part of his game and will ignore the highly more reliable part of his game in his ability to drive and score around the basket.

Since he and the rest of the NBA will most likely have more time to hone their skills, James needs to dedicate this off season to perfecting his jump shot. It's a very deadly shot and has become more consistent over time, but he needs to perfect it and actually make it a consistent part of his offensive skill set.

It would also greatly help in the long run once he begins to age and his athleticism and health begins to wear down.

Having a consistent jump shot to rely on is a players best and most reliable friend, and it would be wise of James to begin to develop one.

Get in the Head of Your Opponent

As I wrote in a previous article dealing with LeBron James role in the NBA, his past wrongs have led him to become the villain of the NBA.

After scorning the Cleveland Cavaliers and a number of other teams during last year's free agency period, James popularity dropped off considerably.

In fact, he dropped out of the top ten most popular athletes all together after being ranked sixth last year overall and second amongst basketball players behind Kobe Bryant.

James lost a lot of respect from the people of Cleveland and a large number of NBA followers as they believed his arrogance overshadowed his game.

The fact that he didn't win a championship didn't help either. It only proved that this experiment of his has yet to work out in his favor.

LeBron needs to come to terms that people just aren't going to like him the same way they liked him in Cleveland. With the Cavaliers he was still an arrogant and egotistical player that still had yet to win a championship, but his antics were still accepted because he was giving it his all on the same team that drafted him years prior.

He was an extremely likable player, and it showed as fans from across the country suddenly became fans of a team in Cleveland that had never won more than 60 games before the arrival of James.

Now a member of the Miami Heat, James has received criticism from every end of the spectrum. Media outlets, analysts, and fans have all taken verbal jabs at LeBron mostly because the majority of NBA fans were against James and his quest for his first championship.

LeBron needs to take out this criticism on the court and unleash it on his opponents by becoming the arrogant and egotistical person that he is off the court and bringing it on.

Sure he runs around and yells a lot, especially after dunks, but he needs to unleash the pent up fury on opposing players by getting in their heads and basically playing themselves out of the game.

Much like how the entire Dallas Mavericks team would throw verbal jabs at LeBron on and off the court, James needs to do the same to throw off the psyche off his opponents and frustrating them into playing a bad game because of his words.

So far his words have only affected his social status. In the future, LeBron should actually do the talking on the court.

Always Look to Attack, Never Settle

At any sport and at any level, you need to utilize your greatest strengths to be a great player.

Ray Allen and Dirk Nowtziki have their jump shots and Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant have their uncanny ability to drive, LeBron James greatest strength when it comes to scoring on offense is not only his ability to drive, but the athleticism he uses when he drives and at every other aspect of the game.

There isn't a player in the league in the past and today that can match James' athleticism and by recognizing this, he has become a two time MVP, a perennial All-Star and a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.

While he does use this as his greatest strength, he sometimes tends to rely too heavily on his inconsistent jumper. He'll especially rely on this jumper once he sees a few of the shots drop and this greatly affects his psyche on the offensive end of the floor because it causes him to put the jumper ahead of driving and utilizing his greatest strength.

Until he continues to practice it until it becomes a consistent and reliable shot, he shouldn't rely on the jump shot unless it's for desperation purposes.

There were too many times during the course of this past season with the Heat that James was settling for jumpers rather than driving. Even if he forces the issue by penetrating the lane, it still keeps defenders on their toes and their attention always focused on the possibility of a James drive.

If he's not attacking, then defenses are loading up on the perimeter and they're not wearing themselves out because he isn't driving.

During their series against Chicago and Boston, the Heat did so well in the fourth quarter because the opposition was tired from having to chase around James and Dwyane Wade all night.

Once James begins settling for jump shots, the opponent has time to rest and gather its energy in time for the full 48 minutes rather than only the first 36.

By forcing the issue and driving, James makes himself a nearly unstoppable threat as well as giving his team a clear advantage in the fourth quarter.