There is no debating that LeBron James is one of the smartest players in NBA history. While his incredible physical talent and gifts are hard to look past, many fans are in agreement that LeBron has been able to find success for much of his career due to his basketball IQ.
So it should come as no surprise to fans that LeBron James prepares heavily ahead of any game, not just physically but also mentally. In an article from his time with Miami, it was revealed that LeBron James would receive a scouting report of his opponents that would be twice as long as the one his teammates would receive.
James was very particular about wanting every detail and statistic of all his opponents available to him so he could prepare for the game and use those details against them on the court:
The standard scouting report given to Heat players before games is two pages. The one James receives is four, filled with the kind of advanced stats reserved for coaches, bloggers and Shane Battier. “I want to know that this guy drives left 70% of the time, or pulls up when he drives right, or likes to cross over after two dribbles,” James says. Even when he is with friends, he’ll geek out in the middle of casual conversation: “Remember when I drove and kicked to Ray at the four-minute mark in the second quarter? If he’d have drifted into the corner, we’d have had a better shot.”
Even Gregg Popovich, one of LeBron James’ closest friends in the NBA, and a man who has coached against him in the NBA Finals has attested to how difficult of a player he is to guard, and how smart he is on the court.
James is an incredibly smart player, who knows how to get the better of his opponents not just with his body, but with his mind, too. And he will use his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses against them to find the most advantageous situation in a game.
