Just how brilliant of a basketball mind is LeBron James? So brilliant that he apparently knows opponents’ plays better than some of them do.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin was on the “Bill Simmons Podcast” this week and shared a mind-blowing story. According to Griffin, last year in the playoffs LeBron helped tell the Toronto Raptors’ Patrick Patterson where he was supposed to go on a play.
“There’s literally nothing you can show him that he can’t do. There’s no play you’ll run against him he can’t name, and then go out there and teach your players how to do it better than anyone else,” Griffin said on a recent episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast.
“I was in the gym when I watched him on the floor against Toronto tell Patrick Patterson where he was supposed to go on the play they had called out of a timeout late in the fourth quarter. He was like ‘no Pat, you’re supposed to stand over there and set a pin down for DeMar (DeRozan) over here.'”
This story probably should not come as a huge surprise at this point. The stories about James’ knowledge of the game are legendary. Several years ago, another NBA star talked about how well James knew their plays. He’s only gained more knowledge in the five years since then.
The combination of his elite physical skills and his peak mental skills continues to make James the most dangerous player in the league.
