How does LeBron James’ game look when deconstructed into its components? (Photo by Scott Mecum/Wikimedia Commons)
LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. The numbers say that is the case and in this case the numbers do not lie.
But at the age of 28 and now in his 10th NBA season, James took his game to new levels in 2012-13 as he led the defending champion Miami Heat to a franchise-record 66 wins and the top overall seed in the NBA playoffs.
So let’s deconstruct LeBron James in terms of his overall game broken down into its components and see how he grades out:
Scoring: A-plus
Few players in basketball can score in as many ways as James can. He can beat defenders off the dribble and finish with powerful drives to the basket. His mid-range game is steadily improving (more on that in a bit) and he is a legitimate threat from 3-point range. He is a nightmare defensive cover because he can literally beat opponents pretty much any way he wishes.
Low-Post Game: B-plus
James has gotten much better in the low post over the last two seasons, particularly from the left block. That would coincide with a visit to Houston after the Heat’s loss in the 2011 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. The purpose of the excursion, of course, was to work with the master of the low-post game, Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. The video below is from one of those training sessions and you can see the focus was on moves from the left block.
That change is evident from comparing shot charts from 2009-10 (his last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers) with this season’s shot chart.
The change in the percentages isn’t great—41.3 percent from the left block in 2009-10 compared to 42.2 percent this season and 71.2 percent at the rim then to 72.1 percent now.
LeBron James’ 2009-10 shot chart. (NBA.com graphic)
But look at the number of attempts. In 2009-10, James took 601 shots at the rum and 63 from the left-block area—that represented 43.5 percent of his 1,528 shot attempts on the year.
The shot chart for LeBron James during the 2012-13 regular season. (NBA.com graphic)
Fast forward to 2012-13. James took 102 shots from the left-block area and 642 at the rim. That’s 744 attempts from those two locations (a raw increase of 80 shots). Notably, however, that increase came at the same time his shot attempts went down by almost 200, so those two locations now account for more than half of James’ attempts—54.9 percent.
That change allows the Heat to work the inside-out game with kickouts to open shooters at the 3-point line—of his 551 assists, 196 of them were on 3-pointers.
Passing/Facilitating: A
This is an area where James separates himself from every other power forward in the NBA. He was 11th in the NBA this year at 7.2 assists per game (apg), which was far and away the best among NBA 4s. The next closest was Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks at 4.2 apg.
A look at the advanced numbers shows that LeBron is adept and willing when it comes to passing. His assist percentage this year was 36.4, 10th best in the NBA (the only non-guard in the top 20).
With the changes coach Erik Spoelstra made to the Miami offense this season, James has refined the position of point forward and made it an art form. Here’s some of LeBron’s best dimes from this season.
Rebounding: B-minus
For all of his leaping ability, size and strength, James is an adequate rebounder, not a great one. He averaged eight boards a game this season, 6.8 of those on the defensive window.
His overall rebound rate of 13.1 percent doesn’t come close to the league’s top 20 (Reggie Evans of the Brooklyn Nets led the league at 26.7 percent) and his offensive and defensive rebounding percentages of 4.4 and 20.8, respectively, are solid, but not spectacular.
Mid-range game: A-minus
James has developed an effective, if not often-used, mid-range game. He converts 42.9 percent of his shots in the 10- to 15-foot range and 44 percent from 16 to 23 feet. But he took fewer attempts from mid-range this season than at any point in his career—just 1.2 shots per game in the 10-15 area and four from 16 to 23 feet (per HoopData.com)
3-point shooting: B-plus
We’ve arrived at the area where James took the biggest leap in 2012-13, at least as far as his offensive game goes. James hit a solid 40.6 percent of his attempts from the land of 3 this season—by far the highest percentage of his career and part of what contributed to his career-best 56.5 percent overall field-goal accuracy. All of that efficiency contributed to a player-efficiency rating (PER) of 31.6—the best in the NBA (the sixth straight season James has led the league in PER).
That 31.6 mark is the second-highest of James’ career (he turned in a 31.7 mark in 2008-09) and the seventh-best in NBA history. The only names ahead of him on the list are Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan so, yes, he’s definitely in some rarified air.
Defense: A
James is a true hybrid on defense; a player physically gifted enough to guard every position on the floor. While his overall defensive rating of 101 (points per 100 possessions) doesn’t scream greatness, the Heat’s defense slips from an average of 104.2 points per 100 possessions (pts/100) when James is on the floor to 107.8 pts/100 when he sits, a difference of 3.6 points.
He is also Miami’s lock-down guy, regardless of position; when the Heat need to shut down someone in the fourth quarter, that guy becomes James’ guy—that is good enough for me.
Here’s a bonus look at LeBron James’ top 10 plays from 2012-13.