CLEVELAND -- LeBron James has played in seven games for the Philadelphia 76ers thus far and he's averaging 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. The future Hall of Famer has been terrific as his impact goes beyond the box score for this group in ways both on and off the court.
James is one of the smartest, if not the smartest, players to ever play this game. He sees things before they even happen and that allows the Sixers to be in the best position to come up with stops defensively and then get out and run on that end of the floor.
This is something new for Sixers big man Dean Wade as he experiences playing with James for the first time.
"I mean, his IQ is otherworldly," Wade said of James. "Like, I've never met a person that has a higher
basketball IQ than him, and all the stories you hear on, like, social media of his old teammates calling out plays for other teams, and it's real. It really is. It's like shocking how, like, he can sniff out a play before they even get set. It's unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it."
When asked to provide an example, Wade brought up opening night in New York back on Oct. 20 when James realized what the Knicks were running. He then barked out defensive orders so the Sixers could make the right adjustments and get into position to get a stop. Wade was blown away by that.
"Like, a team came out of a timeout," Wade began to reflect. "I don't remember—it was early. I don't think I was playing. So, it was either against here (Cleveland) or the Knicks. I think it was the Knicks, but they came out of a timeout, and he was standing there, and they lined up. And as soon as they lined up, he's like, ‘Oh, it's backside! It's backside!’ And they ran play, and he called out every action of the play, and that was like his first game. We haven't even—it was crazy."
James is not the same ruthless scorer he has been plenty of times throughout his brilliant 24-year career, but the future Hall of Famer can still make plays with his passing and he's able to get his teammates going quickly. His unselfishness and ability to run offense in a way that allows Philadelphia to get into a rhythm is a huge deal.
At the end of the day, James is 41. He turns 42 on Dec. 30. He doesn't want to carry the scoring load he's had to so many times in his career. He can take a step back and take on a different role. That role is to be the elite playmaker this group needs.
"He's just an unbelievable teammate, and he's an unselfish player," Wade finished. "Like, the way he passes the ball and things he sees on the court is unbelievable. Like, it really is like a—it doesn't even feel real."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers big reveals what he's learned about playing with LeBron James
