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PASSING
Chris Mullin was the first player to be labeled a “point forward,” but though he had tremendous court awareness, the former St. John’s star never averaged more than 5 assists a game. James gets more assists because he can beat his man off the dribble, forcing a double-team that leaves a teammate open.
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Rick Barry was superb passing forward, but most of his game was on the perimeter. Larry Bird also had uncanny passing skills. Oscar Robertson controlled the ball more than James does, but the Big O was always willing to share, even when he played on inferior teams.
The standard-bearer for passing among mid-size models, however, was Magic Johnson. He had a forward’s size (6-9) but was the ultimate point guard because of his incredible court vision and precise timing and placement of his passes. James runs a nice fastbreak, when he gets the chance, but no one ran the break like Magic. He put the ‘show’ in Pat Riley’s “Showtime” offense of the 1980s.
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