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Lakers LeBron James is better than Cleveland or Miami LeBron

By Eric Hirsch

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 15, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 15, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images /

LeBron James, the genius facilitator

LeBron James has long insisted that he has never been a score-first player. While that assertion is up for debate, he unquestionably transitioned to a pass-first playing style in the 2019-20 season.

He led the league in assists for the first time in his career by averaging 10.2 per game, a noticeable increase over his previous career-high of 9.1 two seasons prior (for the first 12 seasons of his career, he generally averaged between 6-7.5 APG).

His emphasis on making the game easier for his teammates helped co-star Anthony Davis shine in his first season in the purple and gold. For the very first time, a LeBron teammate averaged more points per game than the King himself (26.1 for Davis compared to 25.3 for James).

In the playoffs, James’ calculated facilitation allowed Davis to average 27.7 points per game on an incredible 57.1 FG% (including 38.3 3FG%). Suffice it to say, many of those points were dunks or open threes off feeds from LeBron. Plus, with LeBron on the court, opposing teams couldn’t double team Davis. For a scorer of Davis’ caliber, consistent single coverage is the best gift he could ever ask for.

Moreover, James created open three-point shots for teammates at a clip rivaled by only James Harden. Suddenly average outside shooters like Rajon Rondo, Markieff Morris, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope found themselves with a world of space and time with the ball in their hands from beyond the arc. Just look at their 2020 playoff three-point field goal percentages versus their career averages. The data speaks for itself.

  • Rajon Rondo
    • Career: 32.3%
    • 2020 playoffs: 40.0%
  • Markieff Morris
    • Career: 34.1%
    • 2020 playoffs: 42.0%
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
    • Career: 35.5%
    • 2020 playoffs: 37.8%

These players deserve some credit for improving their outside shot over the years. But when an entire cohort of supporting guys become knockdown shooters, it’s safe to say they are getting great looks. They have LeBron to thank for that.