LeBron James' passing prowess puts him in rarefied NBA position

CLEVELAND — The full array of LeBron James’ elite passing skills have been on display this season.

From the simple to the sublime, "LeBron the Passer" has dazzled in an area of his game that has been a constant since his rookie season in 2003-04.

He is averaging a career-best 9.3 assists (second in the NBA) this year, and before Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, James had five consecutive games with double digits in assists, including matching his career high (17) against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 12. Four of his six triple-double this season have been in the past five games, too.

“The game is very, very slow to me right now,” James said. “I’m just playing the game at a snail’s pace, and I’m able to see everything and see things happen before they actually happen and put the ball on-time and on-target. I’ve always taken pride on passing as one of my biggest assets of my game, and to have teammates that complement my passing is the ultimate dream for guys like myself.”

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James has reached double-figures in assists 13 times this season — seven times resulting in a double-double and six times in a triple-double — and he creates nearly 23 points per game on assists.

At the rate he is accumulating points and assists, James will finish his career as the only player in NBA history to rank in the top-10 in career points and assists.

He is seventh in all-time scoring (29,50) and should pass Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain in the next few seasons, and he’s 12th in all-time assists (7,750) and should move into the top-10 next season.

If James puts together another productive four or five seasons, he could rank in the top five in both categories. The only other player in the top-20 in points and assists: Oscar Robertson.

As he has got gotten older and smarter, James’ recognition of what defenses do, especially when he is double-teamed, allows him to find open teammates — often cutting to the basket for a layup or waiting at the three-point line.

“My job is when I have two on the ball or I see a guy running or I see a guy open, just try to put it in his pocket,” James said. “I know how my teammates like the ball. I know if my teammates like laces or no laces or laces out or whatever the case may be. I just try to make them comfortable for when they catch the ball, all they’ve got to do is let it go either from the paint, from the perimeter and we live with the results.”

Nearly half of his assists are on three-pointers, and he is making the most of his passes, too. Of his passes that are labeled potential assists by NBA.com, James’ teammates have scored on 50% of the time.

It helps that James has had capable scorers on his team. Of his 289 assists, 76 have gone to Kevin Love, 43 to Jae Crowder, 43 to Kyle Korver, 33 to Jeff Green, 28 to J.R. Smith, 19 to Dwyane Wade and 14 to Channing Frye.

James’ aptitude for passing has led to incredible, did-he-just-do-that assists — no-look passes, behind-the-back and anticipatory passes just out of reach of defenders.

“I’m just in a good groove, and I’ll probably be here for a while,” he said.

Passing is just part of James’ desire to “make the right play” and demonstrates there are ways to impact the game other than scoring.

James elaborated on that last season after the Cavaliers eliminated the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

“It's been part of the plan since I really started taking this game serious, to say ‘How can I get the youth to feel like passing the ball is OK? Making the extra pass is OK? Drawing two defenders, and no matter if you win or lose, if you make the right play, it's OK,’ ” James said.

Photos: Week 8 NBA power rankings