As someone who played with LeBron James in his prime, Dwyane Wade knows just how threatening the 4x champion can be. Even at 40 years of age, his IQ makes him someone teams can’t afford to take lightly. Now put him alongside Luka Doncic, and according to Wade, there’s no legitimate way for defenses to slow the two All-Stars down. Having been a beneficiary of a lot of pick-n-rolls from James, Wade offered up a unique solution to teams.
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Speaking about the trade and its implications on his podcast, Wade claims that teaming up the two best pick-n-roll players in the league offered nearly no earthly reprieve for defenders. When asked how a team should approach an empty side pick and roll, Wade kept his answer simple,
“You pray. God, If you can hear me in this large a** arena, please lose the ball off his foot. You can’t stop that!”
Having played with Bron until they developed an almost telepathic connection, Wade knows just how dangerous he is in such situations.
He explained that James is nearly unstoppable in the pocket, matched up against the opposing team’s four-man. With his immense physical strength, eye for a pass and ability to hit the turnaround jumper, James, as the screener, would be impossible to plan for.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic are sensational PnR players
Conversely, any scenario with Luka as the screener and LeBron as the passer would yield the same result. Doncic shot a staggering 83.8% at the rim last season, ranking top of the league in efficiency of shots less than 3 feet away from the basket. A rim rush from Luka is almost a guaranteed bucket.
In the case of an efficient shot blocker like Victor Wembanyama sitting in the paint, both James and Doncic are smart enough to stretch the floor out, using the Slovenian’s career 34.8% three-point shooting to their advantage.
At 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9 respectively, the Doncic and James duo needs a bigger man on them in these scenarios, which always opens the defense up to the dangers of a size mismatch on either player.
Two of the best passers in the NBA, both Doncic and James have shown their preference for the pick-n-roll as a weapon of mass destruction in the past. Now on the same team, there’s no guessing how much havoc they’ll be able to cause by exploiting one of basketball’s simplest plays together.
