“LeBron knew the NBA game better than him” – The NBA advance scout concluded LeBron James was smarter than former Cavs coach David Blatt originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Part of Jimmy Powell’s job as an advanced NBA scout for the Indiana Pacers was to familiarize himself with the other team’s playbooks. To do so, Powell had to thoroughly analyze the dynamics between the coaches and their key players. One of the interesting things he once discussed was the chemistry between LeBron James and former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt.
Advertisement
At one point during Blatt’s short stint with the Cavs, there was the notion that he was terrible at his job and James could coach the team better. In fact, many were convinced that “King James” was the one running everything for the Cavs at the time.
According to Powell, it was true that LeBron had more knowledge and experience than Coach Blatt in terms of NBA basketball. However, he pointed out that it’s a fact that shouldn’t be taken as a slight at the Massachusetts native head tactician.
“The Cavs’ playbook was actually very detailed, they had a lot of plays,” Powell told Sports Illustrated in 2015. “But look, LeBron is a very cerebral player, he’s like a coach on the court, and David Blatt had never been in the NBA. That’s not a criticism of Blatt at all, but last year, LeBron knew the NBA game better than him. I think Blatt will be better this year because he’s changed his playbook. I can see it already.”
It wasn’t Blatt’s fault that LeBron is great
Blatt never played a single NBA game as a player, but that didn’t mean he was an underqualified coach. In fact, Blatt won the Israeli Super League Coach of the Year four times and was named EuroLeague Coach of the Year before he was hired by the Cavs in 2015.
Advertisement
In his debut season with the Cavs, Blatt helped the team finish with an impressive 53-29 and make it to the Finals. For Powell, it’s quite understandable that people credit LeBron for the Cavs’ success that year. However, he personally believed that any coach would’ve done what Blatt did that season, and that was to trust your star player.
“First, it was never true that Blatt didn’t coach them,” the experienced scout emphasized. “I don’t share in that criticism of him because I’m down on the court, I see all the other decisions that he and all coaches make. It’s not just calling an offensive set — there are so many decisions made in an NBA game.”
“But at the end of the day, if you have Larry Bird or LeBron or Paul George on your team, any smart coach will want the ball in their hands,” he explained. “There’s no real call for LeBron penetrating, getting a double team and dropping it off for an easy bucket.”
The Cavs still fired Blatt
Blatt picked up where he left off in his second season with the Cavs. Under his leadership, the team went 30-11 and was the best team in the East. However, the head tactician still ended up getting fired in the middle of a remarkable run.
Advertisement
Cavs general manager David Griffin notably said that David was laid off because of “a lack of fit with our personnel and our vision.” Admittedly, Coach Blatt was hurt by the front office’s decision.
“I can’t think of any reason in the world. Maybe for them, thinking forward, I wasn’t the person to lead,” the now 66-year-old said via UPI. “It hurt me very bad. It surprised me. I didn’t feel well, but you move on. There are disappointments in life, the question is what you do when you take a blow.”
After his abrupt Cavs exit in 2016, Blatt never coached in the NBA again. As for James and the Cavs, they went on to win the title that year.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.