LeBron James credits Mike Brown for ability to communicate on defense

While much of the focus during LeBron James’ chat with the media on Tuesday was about the chair he was sitting on, the subject of his defensive communication came up, as it has been as clear as ever for media in attendance to hear the things being said on the court, at least in the modern era.

Players often talk about how smart James is at calling out their plays on the defensive side of the ball and when James was asked about it after Tuesday’s practice, he gave credit to his former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown. Brown coached the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007 and they were routinely ranked highly on the defensive end.

LeBron James gives credit to Mike Brown on getting comfortable with defensive coverages: "He came in with a defensive mindset and a defensive strategy. It started with a lot of communication. I give a lot of credit to Mike Brown on putting a lot of pressure on me." #Lakeshow

— Laurantine (@LoJoMedia) July 28, 2020

Brown, currently the lead assistant coach on the Golden State Warriors, has a winning record All-Time as a head coach. Brown’s teams have won over 61 percent of their games and his run with the Cavaliers included the ’07 Finals, as well as two 60-win seasons.