There’s no denying that LeBron James is the true definition of ‘point-forward. He’s one of the few players in NBA history with the size and strength of a forward and the passing skills of the best playmakers in the game.
Even though he has only played as a point guard for one season in his career, he’s always been near the league leaders in assists per game, as most of the offense runs through him.
James has one of the highest basketball IQs in the history of basketball. He has a near-perfect memory when it comes to breaking down his rivals’ sets in real-time, and seems to know where his teammates have to be on every single play, acting as if he had eyes at the back of his head.
Also, he’s one of the players who thrives and enjoys the game while making everybody around him better, setting his teammates up, and helping them get easier looks at the basket.
That’s why it’s not a surprise to find out that he’s actually got the five highest assists-per-game season averages for a forward in NBA history:
He averaged 8.3 assists per game during his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-19, 8.6 assists per game in the 2009-10 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and 8.7 assists per game 7 years later during the 2016-17 season.
James then seemed to peak as a playmaker with 9.1 assists per game during the 2017-18 season, just to outdo himself one more time with a league-leading 10.2 assists per game in 2020-21 – which was the only season he spent most of his time running the point.
To put it in context, his 7.4 assists per game career average is way above other great passing forwards like Larry Bird (6.3 APG), Kevin Durant (5.3 APG), Grant Hill (7.3 APG in his prime), or Scottie Pippen (5.2 APG).
LeBron James is one of the smartest players to ever do it and his passing skills are perhaps the only thing about his game that’s more impressive than his physical dominance.
His playmaking is one of the reasons why a lot of people think that he can prolong his career in the league even into his 40s, assuming he has a good supporting cast around him.
