LeBron’s 3 Steps To Hacking The Playoffs

LeBron James may not have the stats but he has been dominant in the NBA Playoffs so far.

The conversation was supposed to be about Stephen Curry‘s dominance not the Cleveland Cavaliers’ recent affinity for brooms. Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant were supposed to show their progression towards the top and how long it will take them to dethrone the King. Yet, here we are and LeBron is grandstanding.

On the verge of cementing himself as one of the top 2 basketball players who ever played the game by shattering statistical records, he’s running through the competition undefeated. Here’s how James has taken over in these playoffs on their way to a 9-0 start.

1. Making his teammates better

There are elite players who have empty assists with little tangible effects on the win total, like James Harden, or legends who notoriously didn’t pass like Kobe Bryant. A stat that should be a point of intrigue involved the two best lineups for the Cleveland Cavaliers: one lineup is the starters, the second lineup is the rest of the playoff rotation and LeBron. A recent infographic has shown the numbers the bench puts up off of LeBron’s passes and they’re astounding.

We’ve seen how the assist numbers and the efficiency drops when LeBron isn’t playing. LeBron manages to mix precise, once-in-a-generation passing ability and unrivaled, once-in-a-lifetime basketball IQ perfectly while recognizing his own elite standing and how it draws attention and effects defenses.

After drawing the attention of two, three, sometimes four or five defenders, he blends his skills and awareness in ways that greatly enhances the performance of his teammates. For instance, Richard Jefferson shoots 94% off of LeBron passes while mostly taking threes, and stretch center Channing Frye shoots 85% off of LeBron passes as LeBron surges into the paint. He’s finding his teammates in the paint when being guarded tough on the arc. He sets up plays on the court. Later in his career, I fully expect LeBron to average double-digit assists per game.

2. Attacking without needing the ball

When LeBron is the free-roaming defender in lineups he plays terrific off the ball, as evidenced by his deflection numbers. Defending at a high level has ignited the Cavaliers transition offense. Often you see LeBron racing towards the rim in transition to dunk himself or receive one after a deflection and a steal. When he sees an offensive player struggling against his teammate he runs over aggressively, suffocating them into coughing up the ball.

In these playoffs, LeBron is being assisted on 42.2% of his two point attempts and 83.3% of his threes. He’s taking 47.7% of his shots by the rim, by far the most of his career. While his midrange and three numbers are down, he’s an efficient catch-and-shoot three-point shooter at 40%.

He’s shellacked other teams by looking for the rim or teammates as soon as he touches the ball. His teammates are finding him consistently after a nifty double screen he sets on the low blocks. He’s aggressively rebounding for put backs and finishing defensive possessions. Not needing the ball has also opened up a terrific three-man game between he, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. All three of them can score at any level and they have a true shooting guard to pass it to and a center who’s as much a glue-guy as any player in the league with his rebounding, hustle, and screening. It’s hard to stop.

3. Scoring from anywhere on the court with any move

In the paint, LeBron scores from drives or a post-up that lead to layups or fadeaways, from the high post he utilizes a Michael Jordan fadeaway or a sweeping/spot-up pull-up from the elbow. In the midrange he might do the Dirk or he might hit his patented sidelong jumper.

He could pull up from three or shoot it while spotted up from behind the line. In transition defenders are just going to move out of the way. He dunks with tomahawks, reverses, 360s. He hits video game spins from everywhere to score including when posting up for better position.

His finesse around the rim is beautiful and his power would shatter countless rims.

James shot above 49% from the field, 33% from the three, and 70% from the line in four months this season. Interestingly, his splits suggest he only shoots under 30% from the three on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The day everybody hates, the day everybody relaxes, and the day everybody wants to go out. That might just make him human.

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In these playoffs, he’s three field goals away from shooting 50% in the midrange (11-28). From the three, he may be shooting 30.7% overall but that includes just a couple of misses from the long two area. The fact is, he’s shooting 36.4% on threes from 25+ feet away. His three’s not broken. In the restricted area he’s shooting 68.2%.

LeBron has an 18.1 net rating and a 24.8 net rating at home, meaning the Cavaliers outscore opponents by 18 points with him on the floor anywhere and by 25 with him on the floor at home. The other two members of the Big Three: a 10.2 net rating and 14.2 net rating at home for Kyrie Irving, and a 13.8 net rating and 19.0 net rating at home for Kevin Love. Dominant at all levels but LeBron’s dominance is amazing.

LeBron’s responsible for a team high 35.8% of the team’s assists, an insane 48.4% of the team’s steals, and a near-third 30.3% of the team’s made field goals. It seems simple, move the ball, attack the paint but pick your spots to shoot, and play terrific defense. This postseason, LeBron has done the “simple” steps magnificently.