Underrated LeBron James skill revealed by Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson

Throughout his 20+ seasons in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has become the prime example of a great player. He is one of the most well-rounded athletes in history, as he combines his generational physical traits with a limitless skill set.

He is a 6'9" forward with the playmaking ability of a point guard, the strength of a center, and elite athleticism. LeBron is the most optimal athlete in NBA history, and he combines that with an amazing level of basketball IQ, which Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is well aware of.

Kenny Atkinson commends one of LeBron James' most underrated skills

Early in his career, LeBron mostly relied on his athleticism to stand out. However, he always had a high basketball IQ that separated him from the rest of the league. There were other elite athletes, but they were not as intelligent as LeBron on the floor.

The four-time MVP is a student of the game, so he always knows what is going to happen on the floor. While he is primarily a ball-handler, James also knows how to mesh with his guards. Since most people identify him as a playmaker, they do not see his underrated skills when he plays off the ball.

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Atkinson is an experienced coach in the NBA, and he was also part of Team France's coaching staff at the 2024 Olympics. That meant he was part of the staff that had to strategize against Team USA that had LeBron as one of its stars. 

During that time, Atkinson started to realize one part of LeBron's game that goes under the radar. That is his work away from the ball, as he is still one of the smartest players in the world without the ball in his hands.

"I'm having flashbacks to the Olympics him screening for Steph. It's a nightmare. He's so explosive. He can roll, he can pop... He's smart at changing the angle of the screen, so everybody talks about his ball-handling ability to see all that, but that's a very underrated part of his game. Then you got Luka and Austin, who are elite ball handlers," Atkinson said ahead of the Cavaliers' game against the Lakers.

Moving forward, more teams will be aware of what LeBron does off the ball. Of course, coaches and scouts know about this, but it will become more apparent under the spotlight due to Atkinson gushing about LeBron's impact without the ball.

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