LeBron James at PG - Basketball Prospectus

The logic is deceptively simple: If the Miami Heat is to run its offense through LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, why not take a traditional point guard out of the equation? That sentiment has existed since "The Decision," but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra never really acted on it until earlier this month. Unable to live with rookie Norris Cole's slumping shooting any longer, Spoelstra made James his backup point guard during the second half of a 98-93 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Before that game, James had played about 60 minutes at the point this season, mostly when Chalmers was unavailable. Since then, James has played at least 10 minutes of point guard in each game save Friday's win at Charlotte, when Wade sat out and Cole played extended minutes. Spoelstra made extended use of the configuration during last Thursday's showdown with the Chicago Bulls, playing James at the point in place of Chalmers for much of the fourth quarter and all of overtime. That game showed a second benefit to using James at the point--taking advantage of his ability to defend opposing point guards while getting a bigger defender on the floor instead of Chalmers.

During the game, TNT analyst Steve Kerr expressed the fear that James has a tendency to grow passive when playing the point, favoring his responsibility for initiating the offense over looking for his own shot. That notion was reinforced when James went scoreless in the extra session, attempting just two shots from the field. However, it doesn't seem to hold up in general over the tiny sample size (145 minutes) James has played at the point this season. According to NBA.com/Stats, James has averaged 30.6 points per 40 minutes as a point guard, up slightly from the 28.4 he averages overall.

The stronger effect is at the team level. Entering Sunday's win at New York, BasketballValue.com's lineup data showed Miami averaging a robust 121.1 points per 100 possessions with James at point guard, up from 108.6 when he plays other positions. The Heat's Defensive Rating is slightly better with James at the point, too, going from 100.2 to 98.6. As a result, Miami was outscoring opponents by 22.6 points per 100 possessions without a true point guard. That figure went down slightly on Sunday, when the Heat was +3 in the 15 minutes James ran the point in an eight-point win.