Worst Nightmare has just Happen Giannis

In the midst of the best long-distance shooting season of his career — an eye-popping 41.3% from deep on more than five attempts per game — it’s beginning to look as if the 39-year-old has found a way to stay in this shooting rhythm for as long as he wants.

It’s no accident. James’ shot has benefitted from significant biometric shifts and a quicker shot release — and they’re fueling a surging top-five offense for the Lakers.

ASK JAMES AND he’ll tell you: He’s shooting better this season because he’s been healthy enough to work on his game without as much injury interruption. This season, he’ll have played the most games since his 2017-18 campaign, when he suited up for all 82 contests.

“I’ve been able to be on the floor a lot more during non-game days,” James said recently. “My foot has felt a lot better. I didn’t have much time to really rep a lot last year because I couldn’t be on the floor running around or put much pounding on the floor with my foot. I’ve had a lot of opportunities to get on the floor. You probably see me before the game out on the floor working on my game, working on my craft, so that’s helped out a lot, too.”

But dig into the tape and it’s far more than just better health.

This season, James’ shoulder orientation when gathering for catch-and-shoot 3-pointers has shifted almost seven degrees from the left to the right, according to Second Spectrum tracking. His hips have shifted about six degrees from left to right since last season, too, allowing him to more fully square himself toward the basket. Both are among the biggest biometric shifts in the league among the league’s volume 3-point shooters.

He’s also sped up the release on his catch-and-shoot 3P attempts by 0.18 seconds, the second-biggest decrease in the NBA. He averaged the slowest release in the league on catch-and-shoot triples a season ago.

ESPN color analyst Doris Burke asked James about the adjustment before a game last month. “I said to him, ‘Is that by design?'” Burke relayed during a telecast. “And he just sort of smiled wryly and said, ‘Of course it’s by design — I’m trying hard to get my right arm and right shoulder aligned with the basket, more so than it was a season ago from [the left side] of the floor.'”