On Tuesday night October 24, 2017, the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Chicago Bulls. LeBron James made his first official start at Point Guard since 2005. While it’s true that he entered the league as a shooting guard in 2003-2004, his official position has been forward for most of his career. In fact, last year he was listed as a power forward.
Standing 6’ 8” and weighing in at 250 lbs., forward is his default position. That said, throughout his career, he has been trusted to handle the ball and be a facilitator in half court sets with the Cavs.
With the Cavs injury ridden to begin the season, and Kyrie Irving no longer on the roster, Head Coach Tyronn Lue has no choice but to start “King James” at point guard.
LeBron believes he can be effective at any position. He has played all five basketball positions since a young kid. Often, the Cavaliers will rely on him to play a little bit of every position each game, depending on the opponent and the other players on the court. He feels he is the most versatile player in the NBA. Last night, however, he played a true point guard position, handling the ball up the court and leading the offensive sets.
How did he perform?
LeBron carried his team to a 119-112 win over the Bulls. He finished the night with 34 points and 13 assists.
LeBron was the impetus behind the win and delivered a superb performance despite the position change. In typical LeBron fashion, he was all over the court and played 37 minutes for the Cavs. Following a tough loss on Saturday night to the Orlando Magic in which he struggled, it was important for LeBron and the Cavs offense to get back on track.
Does this mean LeBron will play more point guard?
Not necessarily, but it is possible. A lot depends on how quickly Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas recover. With Rose and Thomas healthy, LeBron will move back to his traditional forward position. Head Coach Tyronn Lue also mentioned that the Bulls 7-foot center Robin Lopez played into his decision to start LeBron at point guard.
Lue hoped that playing LeBron at point would give him more space and a greater ability to dominate.
What's next?
The Cleveland Cavaliers play Wednesday, October 25 at Brooklyn. The starting line-up is still to be determined. Stay tuned to see if LeBron will get his second straight start at point guard. Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas will not be available for the game against the Nets, so it is likely that LeBron will get his second straight start at point guard. The Cavs are now 3-1 and look to continue their success against the Brooklyn Nets.
