It’s long been said that LeBron James makes his teammates better, elevating their statistical output with his court vision and pushing them to their limits by leading by example. Yet, on the court, an interesting phenomenon took place with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year.
Players that came to the Cavs didn’t play like themselves and players that left the Cavs rediscovered their mojo.
It was like Space Jam 2 was being filmed right outside of Quicken Loans Arena.
To varying degrees, each of Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas all played better following trades to new teams.