All Star Weekend is just a few days away and for this week’s edition of the Dynamic DNA Updates we will be looking at the biggest stars of the NBA who will be taking part in the festivities for the game this weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the big names shall we:

To get this going we’ll take a look at this year’s top vote getter and arguably the leading candidate for league MVP, LeBron James. We took a look at LeBron’s DNA earlier in the year so let’s take a look at how he’s doing right now. To begin let’s take a look at his scoring tendencies:

LeBron is a guy that can get it done in so many ways. He’s quickly catching up to Kobe and could become the most versatile player in the game. Looking at his scoring tendencies he is another player that is in love with his jump shot as it provides 59% of his scoring. Looking back at LeBron’s career, when he entered the NBA one of the biggest criticisms that scouts had towards him was his lack of a good jump shot. It’s incredible looking at him now almost seven years later and seeing where his jump shot is now. We will look to break down his jump shot later but let’s take a look at his perimeter tendencies:

LeBron is easily the most exciting player in the game when he has the ball in the perimeter. You have no idea what he is going to do when he has the ball in his hands. Looking at his perimeter tendencies he loves to utilize his jump shot without using the dribble. When he attacks the basket to finish with authority he is more likely to drive left than driving right. Regardless of the direction that he goes you know that he is looking to finish with thunderous authority in a way that only LeBron can. We talked about his jump shooting before so let’s break down how his jump shot has been looking up to this point this season:

As we mentioned earlier in this report, LeBron’s jump shot has really come a long way. That’s not to say that it’s perfect but it’s definitely better than it was when he first entered the league. What’s really impressive is the improvement to his three point shooting. He’s currently shooting 38% from downtown which is a solid percentage. He’s been improving his mechanics and it shows by the numbers that he has been able to amass this season. While his mid and long range jump shots are on point, the same cannot be said about his short range shots which are currently at 31%. Knowing LeBron he will find a way to improve on that and he will be an even bigger force than he is already which is pretty frightening when you think about it.

Next up is Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers. Without questions the best all-around player in the game today, Kobe has been another candidate for league MVP with his Lakers’ team sitting in first in the Western Conference. He has had a solid year so let’s take a look at what has been working for the Black Mamba this season:

Although Kobe relies on his jump shot for his scoring, he is capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Whether it be him slashing towards the basket or posting up on a defender, he can beat opponents in so many ways that he’s virtually impossible to stop one on one. You only have to ask his victims that he has lit up in the past. Let’s take a deeper look at his DNA by looking at his perimeter tendencies:

Kobe for many years has been considered the best perimeter player in basketball, but with LeBron’s emergence in this area that doesn’t diminish what Kobe is capable of when he has the ball in the perimeter. Looking at his DNA Kobe Kobe loves to drive right with the ball in the perimeter and only drives left 30% of the time. He will use his no dribble jumper 31% of the time but he’s more likely to drive to the basket. Considering that he has great ball handling skills and is a great finisher at the basket it makes sense why he would like to drive to the basket in the perimeter.

Looking at Kobe’s shooting success, his numbers have gone up from where they were in the beginning of the season. Kobe was struggling with his jump shot and had to rely on his post-ups for the bulk of his scoring but now there is a better balance of success for shooting. His jump shot brings him 39% of his scoring which has definitely improved over the course of the season and his ability to score at the basket at 53% of the time is a number that cannot be ignored. Kobe has the complete package of varied skill sets which sets him apart from his rivals and with him in the Lakers lineup, they’re definitely looking like the team to beat this season.

The last player we’re taking a look at is Dwayne Wade. Although the Heat have been struggling and are free falling down the Eastern Conference standings, D-Wade has been doing whatever he can to bring his team back up. Taking a look at his DNA, let’s see what’s been working for him so far this season:

Like the other two players that we have featured this week D-Wade loves his jump shot. When he looks to score, 57% it’s going to be with his jumper and 35% he will slash to the basket and score from there like only he can. Since he is so in love with his jump shot let’s break that down further shall we:

When looking at it in full detail, Dwayne has some work to do with his jump shot. Although he is just off the overall shooting guard average in the NBA, when taking a look at different aspects of his jump shot he needs additional work. His three point shooting percentage is the most telling stat that Dwayne needs to work on as he’s only shooting 27% from downtown. Both LeBron and Kobe are shooting better at that distance but Dwayne can be better than 27% and it remains to be seen what he can do to turn it around in the second half of the NBA season.

With All Star Weekend just a few days away it will be interesting to see how these three players featured will perform in the contest. One thing is certain, one of these three players could walk away with MVP honors when the night is over.

See you all again next week.