After beating Brazil in the quarterfinals, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr realized LeBron James. Throughout four games in the 2024 Olympics, there's no questioning James' greatness on the hardwood. However, coach Kerr is more impressed by his team captain's ability to lead the team. While he put up an incredible scoring performance against Serbia in the first game of the group phase, James also created several opportunities for his teammates.
Looking at James' stats within four games, he's averaging 7.7 assists. While he may be the NBA's all-time leading scorer, James is once again proving to the world that isn't his main play style. Even coach Kerr came to the realization that his team captain is naturally a pass-first player.
After their 122-87 blowout win against Brazil on Tuesday, Kerr expressed his thoughts on James. The head coach now realizes that LeBron is a natural point forward. He's impressed by how a pass-first guy managed to become the NBA's leading scorer. While on paper he is listed as one of the forwards in the lineup, Kerr revealed that he's letting James run the point.
That's who LeBron is,” Kerr said. “To me, for a guy who truly is a point forward at heart. For him to be the leading scorer in NBA history, well that's kind of a secondary thing that he does. It's crazy, but that's LeBron. He's kind of our point guard with this team, and he's playing at such a high level.
Looking at LeBron James' evolution in the Olympics
For the fourth time in his career, and probably his last, LeBron James is competing in the 2024 Olympics. He made his debut in the Olympic games at the young age of 19 in 2004. At the time, he was still a rising star in the NBA trying to prove his worth on the hardwood.
Fast forward to 2008, James alongside notable teammates Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade formed the Redeem Team and brought the gold medal back to the USA. LeBron won two consecutive gold medals when Team USA won the gold in 2012. However, during those years, James played a different role with the team. This was during his prime when he was one of the most dominant scorers in the NBA. While James was always showing off his playmaking prowess, his offensive abilities shined brighter.
But looking at the way James is performing in the 2024 Olympics, it seems that he has embraced his role as the floor general. To be clear, LeBron is still more than capable of dominating the court on offense. But with talent like Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, and Steph Curry by his side, he no longer has to worry about carrying the offensive load. In fact, some could argue that everyone in Team USA are lethal offensive threats.
With all that said, it's no wonder LeBron James has taken the back seat on scoring and is now focusing on creating plays for his team. As of this publishing, he is averaging nearly double digits in assists and is only scoring 13.7 points per game. While some may see this as LeBron's decline, it's more of him finally playing the way he naturally plays. Having an offensive-oriented squad, Team USA is in need of a leader who can create opportunities for them and James is delivering on that role.
Follow Us
Subscribe