Basketball IQ
No disrespect to Steph, as his basketball IQ is great, but LeBron’s is legendary.
The casual onlooker just doesn’t understand.
They see the complete physical package. They see this force of nature who was born with unfair talent most dudes would give their left arm up for. (Well, if the left arm is gone, the talent wouldn’t really matter.)
Anyway, fans see and drool all over James. Envious could be a word frequently used.
What often goes hidden in the complete package that is a LeBron James, is just how damn smart he is on the court.
His on-court IQ makes Magic Johnson blush. It’s that simple.
The only area Steph owns LeBron in is perimeter shooting. There’s really no contest. Steph’s shot is picturesque.
When you delve into the numbers, however, each shoots at a certain extraordinary percentage.
LeBron has shot at a .498 clip for his career from the floor. This past season he shot at a ridiculous .520 mark. Steph went .504 from the floor this season in comparison to his .477 percentage for his career. James has averaged 26.9 points per game to Curry’s 22.4.
Folks, it doesn’t matter how you get the points. All that matters is the percentage for which you’re getting them. This directly supports James’s basketball IQ.
Another stat supporting his smarts comes to sharing the basketball. In no way, shape or form is Curry anything less than stellar when it comes to dishing and diming, but James is better. Both guys have an identical 6.9 dimes per game to their career slate, and LeBron is doing it from a forward position.
After ranking ninth in the league in assists per game, James has ranked in the top ten in that category in seven of his thirteen seasons.
Both guys are equipped with extraordinary sharing abilities and court vision.
Where the IQ portion really separates is when defense comes into play. James’s defensive mind would be sorely disrespected if you, in any way, compared it to Steph’s.
