CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Philadelphia 76ers have all benefited from having LeBron James on the roster. The future Hall of Famer is somebody who can make a big impact in a number of ways as he's averaging 15.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists while also making an impact defensively and with his voice.
James has, obviously, seen a ton in his 24 years in the league. The No. 1 pick of the 2003 NBA draft is still a productive player and his IQ is something that stands out the most to the younger Sixers on the roster.
"I mean, it's pretty--it's crazy, you know?" said Dean Wade at practice on Saturday "Like playing against him, obviously his IQ is unbelievable. But when you're playing on him, you see him every day, like in practice. Like we had like a little
walkthrough, and he was just you know calling out what we should do, our different coverages, and just seeing his like the way he he thinks about basketball is it's insane."
James is one of those players who just knows and understands basketball at a different level than a lot of people. It's why he's been able to succeed in the league for as long as he has and is arguably the greatest player to ever touch a basketball. For the younger players on the roster, this is an opportunity to learn from one of the game's all-time greats.
"For me, I just ask questions," said VJ Edgecombe. "When I’m curious about something, I ask him the questions. I might know the answer to it, but he might just have a different perspective of it. And that goes for everyone, JB (Jaylen Brown), whoever. I just try to get their perspectives about the game. I’m not trying to see the game just through one lens. I’m trying to get much different lens and see through everyone’s point of view and how they’re reading the game, so that can help me."
One has to wonder if James is getting tired of Edgecombe asking him a ton of questions, though.
"Obviously with LeBron, I just ask him hella questions," Edgecombe laughed. "I think he getting tired of me. I don’t care, though."
Sometimes, when playing with a player as unique as James who can throw some elite passes and get his teammates involved even if they think he can't see them, it can be tough. A player is thinking one thing, but James sees another and all of a sudden, the ball is in their hands. That's something Wade is beginning to really learn about playing with him.
"I think it's actually kind of easy to play with him because like even if you're in the wrong spot, he still can find you," Wade explained. "His IQ is so so good. Even you're not in the right spot, he kind of knows where you're probably going to be. And so playing with him, you know, it's it's different. Like you've got to be, you know, he sees passes that you are like no way anybody can see me right here, and then the ball is just like in your hands. So you've got to have your head on a swivel, but you know playing with him, he kind of makes everything pretty pretty simple, pretty easy for everyone else."
The Sixers still have a long way to go as they continue to grow as a group, but there is no question that James is clearly making an impact despite not being the ruthless scorer he once was. His basketball IQ is off the charts and he makes the game easier for everybody around him.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Younger Sixers single out LeBron James for his high basketball IQ
