Why LeBron Isn't Clutch*

*This statement comes with a huge qualifier, of course. I don't mean to stay that LeBron can't be clutch, or has never been clutch, or is not clutch every once in a while (like against the Bulls), but rather why LeBron can't consistently be clutch to the level that we have come to expect from him based on his talent. And so with that...here's why LeBron isn't clutch...


In the clutch everyone falls back on the one thing they're great at. They do what they are most comfortable doing. Dwyane Wade slashes. Dirk shoots fadeaways. Jason Terry hits 3's. Etc.

But what does LeBron do? What is the one thing that he does best? The one thing that he feels most comfortable doing?

Ummmmmm...It's hard to say.

He can score 40 when he wants to.
He can get 15 assists when he wants to.
He can lock down an opposing player when he wants to.

But what is the one thing he always comes back to when it matters most?

I don't know.

And I don't think he does either.

After 8 years in the league and more than enough opportunities to craft his clutch identity, LeBron still doesn't have one.

Part of his problem in crunch time is that he's too good at too many things. He has too many options. The opportunity cost to LeBron of him choosing any one option is much greater than anyone else's. Nobody else has as much to lose by focusing on one thing as LeBron does.

You might say, well then why doesn't he just do all of them at once? This, I think, is because of the difference between crunch time and the rest of the game.

Crunch time is a chess match. Each play is separated from the next. Every player's strengths and weaknesses are magnified. They turn into the most stripped down, raw versions of themselves. Kobe becomes a gunner. Jordan a killer. Robert Horry a spot up shooter.

But what about LeBron? Which chess piece is he? Should he be the bishop of basketball and set up his teammates, or should he become the rook and look to score himself?

Or maybe his moniker is more fitting than we know? Maybe he's the king. Maybe he can move in any direction, but only so far.

Maybe he's paralyzed by options. The so-called paradox of choice.

It can be debilitating.