3. LeBron can play off the ball more
According to FOX Sports 1’s Chris Broussard, LeBron was looking to play off the ball more wherever his free agency decision took him. This should come as a slight surprise for the normally controlling James, but it also makes sense given the mileage on his odometer coupled with his advancing age.
Now playing in Los Angeles, James will be able to give up the basketball and trust his teammates to make plays.
Lonzo Ball averaged 7.2 assists as a rookie, and playing with a high IQ guy like LeBron should only make him better. The same goes for Ingram and Kuzma, who’ve both shown flashes of ball-handling capabilities.
Father Time may be undefeated, but James is certainly giving him a run for his money. Even so, with the King turning 34 in December, there will come a time where LeBron’s greatness begins to diminish.
Playing alongside such capable ball-handlers and facilitators will allow the four-time MVP to conserve clumps of energy during the regular season to push that inevitable decline further away.
There also shouldn’t be a doubt in anyone’s mind about James’ ability to play off the ball, after shooting 36.7 percent from distance this past season while always possessing impeccable timing on off-ball cuts to the bucket.