LeBron James was often criticized for “selling” fouls back when he played for the Miami Heat, but current Lakers teammate Jared Dudley thinks that more flopping might be in order.
Dudley stated that LeBron should make a greater effort to sell foul calls as long as the officials continue to swallow their whistles when he drives to the basket, via Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times:
“Until the refs can somehow figure out it’s really a foul when they grab into your arms, I think you should do it,” Dudley said. “And I told the ref that. That’s the new league, players talk about it.
“… So maybe I’ll guard LeBron in practice and have him work on his new flopping routine.”
James is averaging just 5.6 free-throw attempts per game this season — two fewer attempts than he averaged last season — and did not get to the line once during Saturday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
LeBron has still had plenty of success early in the season despite the lack of calls. James is averaging 25.2 points, 10.8 assists and 7.6 rebounds while still attempting to run the offense through Anthony Davis, and he has been more engaged on the defensive end as the Lakers boast one of the strongest team defenses in the NBA.
That said, his ability to get into the paint and draw contact is imperative for a Lakers team that continues to struggle from the perimeter. The Lakers rank 16th in 3-point percentage.
Will “LeFlop” return to action this season? Dudley is certainly on board.
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