"He is not a natural jump-shooter" - When George Karl criticized LeBron James' shooting and lack of clutch

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"He is not a natural jump-shooter" - When George Karl criticized LeBron James' shooting and lack of clutch originally appeared on Basketball Network.
One of the things George Karl is known for is his penchant for sharing his unfiltered thoughts on certain issues in the NBA. During an interview back with Jim Rome in 2012, Coach Karl assessed LeBron James' shooting and unsurprisingly came up with an intriguing conclusion.
According to Karl, James wasn't like most NBA superstars who were gifted with a reliable and consistent jump shot. For the veteran coach, it's also the reason why LeBron's form and moves weren't sexy.
Moreover, Karl also criticized James' ability to take the biggest shot of the game. He broke down James' approach on scoring and ultimately reckoned that he had no clutch game at all.
"He is not a natural jump-shooter," Karl said of James' game. "He's kind of a self-made jump shooter. He makes the ball go in, the ball goes in, but it's not pretty, his balance isn't perfect. It's not going to look like Kevin Durant or Ray Allen. It goes in but at the end of the game that extra extra special player."
"Sometimes I don't know if he trusts his jump shot," Karl added. "He needs to get to the rim. If you take away the rim, he's probably going to pass the ball more often than not."
Like any other NBA personality, Coach Karl will always be entitled to his own opinion. Though some may agree with him regarding his take on the holes in James' repertoire, many still put "The King" on the same footing as some of the best scorers and clutch players in NBA history, specifically Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Over the years, James has improved his shooting and also has had his fair share of game-winning shots. However, like Karl, NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen also thinks LeBron doesn't have what it takes to step up for his team and take the final shot.
Pippen admires James' overall game but candidly speaking, he doesn't see LeBron joining the ranks of Jordan or Kobe in that category.
"When I look at LeBron, he's not what Michael was as a player. He's not even what Kobe Bryant was as a player," Pippen once assessed. "So, when you talk about trying to compare Michael's instinct, his ability to take over games, his ability to want to have that last shot. LeBron doesn't have the gene. That's not in him. Kobe has that gene."
"I am not taking it away that he don't know how to win and he's not willing to have the ball in his hands," Pippen added. "But the players that got that gene, they are going to get that ball."
While player comparisons are very inevitable in the NBA, many believe that James is one of one. As opposed to his critics, those who admire James argue that his game is unique which invalidates comparisons such as Coach Karl's and Pippen's.
For them, James came in and showcased a combination of skills that had never been seen. They recognize that his overall game is different from some of the all-time greats, as he could score, facilitate, and dominate on both ends of the floor. Many fans, however, insist that James is beyond comparison. If anything, they are convinced that LeBron is in a category of his own.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.