Even though he’s been around the league for half of his life, somehow it still seems like LeBron James constantly finds a way to improve, reinvent himself, and perform at the highest level.
He’s gone from being the team’s go-to-guy at the three, to playing as a power forward, to running the point. He can do it all with ease, play, and guard one through five.
That’s thanks to his unprecedented basketball-IQ and savviness. He’s like a walking playbook, a guy that can pick apart an entire team’s offense and defense from the back of his head like he’s drawn their sets. And that’s why Mark Cuban believes that this version of LeBron is far superior to the one we saw during his stint with the Miami Heat:
“It’s night and day. He has the basketball-IQ level now; he’s just a basketball savant,” Cuban said on “The Rematch” podcast with Etan Thomas. “The way he sees and reads what’s happening on the court in real-time and stays three steps ahead is incredible. And that’s what makes him special – in addition to his athleticism. He didn’t have that [back in 2011]. We would run a zone against him and he would hesitate and not know what to do. He’s not going to hesitate now. He knows exactly what’s coming and what to do and anticipates it,” he continued.
Cuban was in awe with the way LeBron James can recreate in full detail every single play he’s seen, and that’s why he’ll always find a way to beat your favorite team:
“He can talk to you about a basketball game and every single play that’s happened like some of us would talk about a book that we just read. Those two things are enormous differences. He can now beat you in so many different ways. He’s still athletic enough. His skill-set has improved. His passing. But those all tie back to his basketball-IQ and that’s something that wasn’t as developed as it is now,” Cuban concluded.
It’s been said over and over. But the fact that a guy in his 17th season in the NBA is still impossible to contain is simply remarkable. He’s the ultimate basketball savant.
