"After going to the Lakers, I understand how a player can be a player-coach" - LeBron James receives praise for his basketball IQ from former teammate Javale McGee

Los Angeles Lakers v San Antonio Spurs

Lakers star player LeBron James is highly rated by many for his incredible basketball IQ. The four-time NBA champion is a student of the game and is known for his brilliance during the postseason. This time, his former Lakers teammate Javale McGee came to heap praise on LeBron James and his vigilant attitude towards business at the end of the season.

In the 18 years since LeBron James has been a part of the league, he has made it to nine NBA finals. During all of his four championship-winning seasons, he was crowned as the Finals MVP. To put this statement into numbers, he averages 28.4 PPG in the 55 final games he has played throughout his career.

While talking about how insanely gifted LeBron James is on Club Shay Shay's YouTube channel, Javale McGee said:

"I definitely think people take him for granted, for how great he really is. Just the things that he has done, going to what was like nine NBA finals, eight in a row. And then you like some of those teams, you're like, who else did he have to really help him, he had a couple, maybe if you count Dwayne Wade. But it was a lot going on for him to still make it to the finals in those years."

Javale McGee believes LeBron James is more of a player-coach

Javale McGee played a vital part in the Lakers team that won the championship in the bubble. Playing as the starting center for the Lakers, McGee was pretty familiar with LeBron's way of getting things done. He went into Purple and Gold after already winning two NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors.

Coming into the Lakers with loads of experience on his back, McGee was amazed by LeBron's style of play and he very quickly got accustomed to the Lakers way of playing, all thanks to the wizardry of LeBron James. The four-time Finals MVP has the smartest basketballing brain in the league and is known to get the best out of every player on his team. While talking about his former Lakers teammate, McGee said:

"LeBron's pretty great, there is nothing you can say about that. Because when I used to hear things like Bill Russell was a player-coach one year, I was like how can you be a player-coach? how is that a thing? But after going to the Lakers, I understand, how a player can be a player-coach. Because he's not only playing the game when LeBron plays the game, he is thinking the game too and he is low-key thinking about two other players also. Like you need to be there, you need to be there, we need to do this, if we need to win this series, we need to change this and he's a major part of that. So I definitely think he is more of a player-coach than just a player when it comes to the cerebral part of the game."

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How important is this year for LeBron James and the Lakers?

Phoenix Suns v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Six

Last year, LeBron James was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career. Even during the regular season, he sat for quite a bit, due to the injuries he faced during the year. This year, though, LeBron James is definitely going to go all out for the championship.

After successfully adding players like Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard, the Lakers look all stacked for the 2021-22 season. Although critics may claim the team is too old to win a championship, there is no doubting that each person on the team is best at what they do.

At 37 you may think that the best days are behind him, but when it comes to LeBron James you can always expect the best comebacks from him. He has time and again proven his greatness by defying the odds and this year yet again the same is expected out of him.