"Below average defending the ball handlers or screener in PnR" - Scouting report on LeBron James by Toronto Raptors leaked by former first-round pick
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Toronto Raptors in the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals. Former Raptors player Lucas Nogueira recently shared a story on Instagram about the team's game plan for James during the 2018 playoffs.
NBC Sports' Quinton Mayo managed to get a screenshot of the story and shared it on Twitter. One interesting piece of info on the report about "The King" was then-Raptors coach Dwayne Casey calling him a below-average defender against ball handlers or screener in the pick-and-roll.
"Dwayne Casey and the Toronto Raptors scouting report for the one-and-only LeBron James is actually right here!" Mayo wrote. "Catch and shoots on closeouts at a low volume. Below average defending the ball handlers or screener in PnR (Via Lucas Nogueira)."
Dwayne Casey and the Toronto Raptors scouting report for the one-and-only LeBron James is actually right here!
"Catch and shoots on closeouts at a low volume."
"Below average defending the ball handlers or screener in PnR."
(Via Lucas Nogueira) twitter.com/xiphoidar/stat… https://t.co/tNyTAs3WnK
Nogueira also shared game plans for John Wall and Bradley Beal for the first round of the 2018 playoffs. Unlike the game plan for James, this one worked out for the Raptors. They eliminated Washington in six games to move into the second round.
However, they faced "The King" and the Cavaliers, where they got swept. That was despite the Raptors having the best regular season in franchise history. They won a team record 59 wins, with Casey winning the Coach of the Year Award.
Contrary to what was mentioned in his scouting report, James averaged 34.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks and shot 55.3% from the field.
Former Toronto Raptors center Lucas Nogueira released these team scouting reports on John Wall and Bradley Beal from round one of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Why? I don't know. But cool. https://t.co/qGUWz2FbwA
How has LeBron James fared against Toronto Raptors?
LeBron James spent the first 15 seasons of his career in the Eastern Conference. James reigned supreme in the East, winning three championships in nine appearances. In three of those NBA Finals runs, "The King" faced the Toronto Raptors three times.
The Raptors first got a taste of James when they took on Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 Eastern Conference finals. Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors put pressure on the Cavaliers but were eliminated in six games.
The Raptors ran into the then Cavaliers player in 2017 and 2018 too, where they got swept in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Raptors thought they had a chance against Cleveland in 2018 after having the best record in the East. However, James took over, and fans dubbed the city of Toronto as 'LeBronto'.
In addition to having a postseason record of 12-2 against the Raptors, James averages 31.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists against them. He also has a record of 42-16 versus the Raptors in the regular season. He averages 27.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.2 steals overall against Toronto.
Nevertheless, things worked out for the Raptors at the end of the day in terms of their championship aspirations. The hired Nick Nurse, while James left for the LA Lakers in the 2018 offseason. They also traded DeMar DeRozan to acquire Kawhi Leonard. The result? The Raptors won their first NBA championship in 2019.