Los Angeles Lakers: Erik Spoelstra sheds light on the ‘genius’ of LeBron James

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra recently shared what he thinks makes Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James so great.

Very few people have gotten the privilege of being alongside Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James to a greater extent than Miami Heat skipper Erik Spoelstra.

Of course, during their union in Miami, much success transpired. James led the way and was part of a renowned “Big Three” that included Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

In the four seasons James spent in South Beach, the Heat made it to four consecutive NBA Finals. They won it all two of those times.

In spite of that success, it is not like things were always smooth sailing. That is what makes the start to the Lakers’ season so amazing. When LeBron came to Miami, for example, the team was not bad at first blush, but far from a polished product.

A large part of the problem boiled down to establishing chemistry. When Bosh in particular is considered, his role diminished to some extent. He was no longer the number one option like he was as a member of the Raptors. Frankly, the lanky power forward did not need to be “the man.”

Nevertheless, the matter of trying to get a “Big Three” to get along was not this overnight process. It took time for things to get in sync and for James, Wade, and Bosh to understand one another’s tendencies on the court.

When that Miami group is thought about, they did not enjoy the fruits of their labor until their second season together. Now, there was a key reason as to why things became more harmonious the second time around.

James learned that he, too, needed to fine tune his game for the greater good of the team. Upon doing so, the Heat became the most dominant force in the league.

There came a point where The King started to realize that even he did not always need to be “the man” night after night. On the contrary, ensuring his teammates were kept happy was the more important ingredient.

Spoelstra recently shed light on this aspect of James with Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Per transcription from Bruno Manrique of ClutchPoints, the Heat coach revealed more detail as to why he believes James is a “genius.”

"“I think that’s part of [LeBron’s] genius that he’s able to morph into whatever he needs to be, to bring out the best out of the other players,” Spoelstra, whose team faced the Lakers last week, told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “His connection with [Bosh] was pretty natural, and I think this is, this just fits like a glove. … When both guys want to do it, commit to the process of getting better with it, you’re just going to see that improve dramatically as the season goes on.”"

Spoelstra brings up an excellent point when it comes to the team James is currently representing. The Ohio native and fellow big man, Anthony Davis, have practically been a match made in heaven thus far. To use his vernacular, it definitely appears like “both guys want to do it.”

Signs of this came to fruition well before the season even began. For example, there was a point this summer when James tried to gift Davis his iconic No. 23.

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Although money-related matters nullified the gesture, it was a nice thought on James’ part. It demonstrated that he wanted his new teammate to be as comfortable as possible in Los Angeles.

Moreover, The King has also invited Davis over to his neck of the woods for his now famous taco Tuesdays. Likewise, this suggests that James really wanted to build a connection with the former Pelican.

That connection has been quite perceptible on the court. With only about one-eighth of the season in the books, James and Davis have boded together as well as pancakes drizzled with maple syrup.

As Manrique indicated, James has been more of a facilitator for the Lakers, whereas AD has been the team’s top option on offense.

What is strange is that LeBron has sometimes deferred to Davis too much arguably. Despite that, it proves that the former wants those alongside him to do well above all else.

Per Windhorst, the three-time champion asserted that the relationship between him and Davis will only get stronger with time.

"“I think it’s getting better and better as the days go on, just like with any relationship,” James said. “The relationship on the court, the relationship off the floor. The more and more time you spend together, if you guys have the same goals in mind, you have the same drive, then it organically happens.”"

The “off the floor” component James brings up further validates this “genius” notion Spoelstra previously echoed. The two are in it to win it and want to ensure they click on a deeper level than just basketball.

That being said, when the two actually hit the court, it makes the basketball side of things that much easier. The results have been indicative of that notwithstanding it being relatively early in the season.

Regardless of the small sample size, though, the James-AD combination has been a thing of beauty. To think that this deadly duo could become even more lethal as the season progresses is a scary thought for the other 29 teams.

It is not impossible to think James and Davis will experience issues here and there. No relationship is absolutely perfect.

However, as Spoelstra said, James will likely do all he can to modify his game if problems emerge. He has done it before, so it is safe to assume he would be willing to do the same again. Heck, he has already done that in some measures by allowing Davis to be the number one option. One could contend that is a first for LeBron and that is saying something.