LeBron James is currently in his 22nd season in the NBA, and he has seen the league evolve drastically in that time. James has had to adapt on the fly, and he spoke about just how much things have changed over the years in a preview of the second episode of his Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash.
“When I came into the league, it was the two bigs, it was pretty much one guy would handle the ball and then you had your two wings,” James said. “And probably up until about, I guess 2008, 2009, you start having more players handle the ball, but you still had the same two bigs things.
“And then you [co-host Steve Nash] went into Phoenix and changed the whole [thing],” James stated. “Two bigs? No, one big. I need one rim roller or one guy that can sprint down the floor, beat everybody down. If you’re down there, you beat the big, kick it ahead to you.
“If not, you come set the drag screen, we’re going to spread the game out,” James continued. “And we adapted that in Miami when [Chris] Bosh became the five. We see what the game is now, and now today, it’s almost five-out. Everyone’s shooting threes.
“So, I think when it came to the offseason, I always wanted to have the adaptability and the growth mindset to be able to change with the game,” James added. “Where I was still be productive no matter what the game call for.”
Steve Nash’s Phoenix Suns certainly played a big role in the NBA game evolving into what it is today. Back in 2004, when a lineup with two bigs was the norm, the Suns decided they were going to be an exception. Amar’e Stoudemire went from playing power forward to center while Shawn Marion took his spot at the four after previously playing at the three.
The Suns would be a force in the league from 2004 to 2007 with their new style. They won 62 games in 2004-05, 54 in 2005-06 (despite Stoudemire missing almost the entire season), and 61 in 2006-07.
Misfortune in the form of injuries and issues on defense led to the Suns never winning a title in the Nash era. It was clear, though, that this style would work with some tweaks, and more and more teams would start to steer away from lineups with two bigs.
As James pointed out, his Miami Heat teams would have Chris Bosh, who had predominantly played at power forward, at center, and the Golden State Warriors would well and truly usher in the small ball era in the mid-2010s. They brought an emphasis on the three-pointer and the five-out offense, which is so prevalent today.
James had to go through all of that, and he has adapted fairly well. He couldn’t really shoot from outside when he entered the league as the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. James worked hard to improve, though, and he has shot 39.5% from three since the start of last season.
The willingness to adapt and the determination to improve are reasons why James remains so great to this day. He has put up impressive averages of 24.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024-25. We might see James in action next when the Lakers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Tuesday at 8 PM ET.
