Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra witnessed the “genius” of LeBron James up close during The King's four years in South Beach, one that pivots on his ability to adapt to others' skill sets. While James had his share of trouble adapting to Kevin Love during his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he enjoyed a seamless fit with Chris Bosh in Miami and is now finding the same with another dominant big man in Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Spoelstra noted how this makes LeBron so special:
“I think that's part of [LeBron's] genius that he's able to morph into whatever he needs to be, to bring out the best out of the other players,” Spoelstra, whose team faced the Lakers last week, told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. “His connection with [Bosh] was pretty natural, and I think this is, this just fits like a glove. … When both guys want to do it, commit to the process of getting better with it, you're just going to see that improve dramatically as the season goes on.”
James has started the season by letting the younger, sprier Davis take over the offense, acting more as the facilitator instead of the dominant scorer.
Davis has the talent to be the top scorer and also a prime cog at the defensive end, which allows James to take some pressure off and focus on his mastery of dissecting defenses and making the best play.
So far their on-court chemistry looks good, with ample room for improvement over the course of a long season. James' body might wear down over time as he approaches his 35th birthday, but the genius in him will remain no matter how old he is.
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