LeBron James, a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, recently talked about an NBA error that irritates him a lot.

“It burns me alive how many guys f— up a play out of timeout,” James remarked. “It irritates me greatly that a coach can watch five players with ten eyes watching a play, and then they end the timeout and f— it up. It hurts my feelings so much.”

In terms of basketball IQ, James is regarded as one of the most intelligent players in NBA history. James’s basketball IQ was commended by Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green in 2022. James and Green have fought each other multiple times in the playoffs.

When asked what it was like to defend Nikola Jokic in the postseason, Green told ESPN, “I was in a five-round heavyweight battle.” “Power punches akin to Iron Mike are on the way.” However, that only applies when playing against LeBron James, who requires you to outsmart him at a level that is nearly beyond your comprehension.

James has an amazing basketball IQ, as evidenced by his passing skills. With 60 appearances for the Lakers in the 2023–24 regular season, he is averaging 8.1 assists per game, solidifying his status as one of the NBA’s top playmakers. With 6.4 assists per game, D’Angelo Russell is second on the Lakers, but he leads the team in assists per game by a good margin.

Only Tyrese Haliburton, Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Jokic, James Harden, Domantas Sabonis, and Fred VanVleet are averaging more assists per game this season when compared to James’ average compared to the rest of the NBA. In terms of assists per game, Haliburton tops the NBA with an astounding 11.3 on average.

James’ intelligence and skill with the pass were evident in the Lakers’ most recent game, which took place on March 18 against the Atlanta Hawks. With just two mistakes in a game the Lakers easily won to end a two-game losing streak, he disheveled out 10 assists.

It was his fifth consecutive game with nine or more assists, and it came during his passing performance against the Hawks. During the relevant period, his 13 assists in a March 6 loss to the Sacramento Kings were his highest total in a single game.

On March 22, James will look to build on his recent success as a playmaker when the Lakers meet the Philadelphia 76ers, who have won their previous two games. Philadelphia, which is presently 38-30 and holds the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, defeated the Miami Heat on March 18 by a score of seven points.

James should ideally not have to witness someone botch a play out of a timeout anytime soon, but that may just be optimistic thinking.