Watch: When LeBron James nutmegged his own teammate Tristan Thompson to score an easy 2 for Cleveland Cavaliers
In a throwback clip from 2018, LeBron James is seen pulling off a move that only he can.
Back when he was still a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James put up this ridiculous back dribble. In the process, he nutmegged his own teammate, Tristan Thompson, who seems to have been setting the screen for James.
How you do that, @KingJames?!?! https://t.co/dbV6C3v5Zd
James not only manages to get a bucket, but also a call, an "And-1".
LeBron James' playoff stats : Cleveland vs. Miami vs. Lakers
Over his ongoing 20-year career, LeBron James has stood out not only as one of the greatest players of all time, but also as one of the most consistent players of all time.
James has been a 25-plus points-per-game scorer for 19 seasons straight; the only exception being his rookie season. As he moves closer to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record, his 26.7/8.6/6.3 averages this season are something to marvel at.
However, his time with three different franchises has not been the same.
Unremarkably, he has played 11 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Cleveland has been where he has found the most glory. Despite winning two championships in Miami and one in L.A., his 2016 NBA title is generally one of the most impressive Finals wins of all time.
LeBron's stats back all of these statements.
His playoff numbers back this up. Of his 11 seasons with the Cavs, LeBron has made it to the playoffs in nine of the seasons, and has averaged a staggering 30.1 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game, 7.8 assists per game and 1.1 blocks per game.
In fact, in the playoffs, his top-four scoring averages are all as a Cleveland Cavalier. Of his ten-best scoring averages on that same list, two are as a player for the Heat and one as a Laker. The other seven are all in a Cavaliers jersey.
According to ThreeFourTwo's ELO metric for rating teams, some of the worst teams he has been on have been the Lakers.
His two playoff appearances for the Lakers and Miami have been far below his performances with Cleveland, averaging 26.7 points per game and 26.9 points per game, respectively.
It is fairly easy to discern the case for this. Both with the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron had significantly more formidable teammates to defer to than he did with the Cavs. The Heat were the first "Big 3," and Anthony Davis was a crucial aspect of the Lakers' 2020 championship.