Cameras caught a Lakers rookie looking baffled as LeBron James appeared to give him detailed instructions
- LeBron James gave Lakers rookie Austin Reaves instructions during a game on Tuesday.
- Reaves made a hilarious expression, looked confused, then conceded.
LeBron James is widely regarded as one of the smartest players in NBA history.
So, when he gives you instructions, it can be a lot to take it.
Lakers rookie forward Austin Reaves experienced this first-hand on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets.
In the fourth quarter, coming out of a timeout, cameras showed James appearing to give Reaves instructions. It's a bit difficult to read lips, but Reaves seemed confused and his face said it all during the conversation.
Eventually, Reaves threw up his hands in an apparent acceptance of whatever James told him.
Watch the video below:
Twitter had plenty of jokes to make about the interaction.
During his 19 years in the NBA, James has wowed teammates and opponents alike with his knowledge of the game.
Former Cavs guard Iman Shumpert said James' knowledge of the game is "scary."
"It might be his biggest superpower, his ability to get everybody on the same page. Like, it's actually kind of scary," Shumpert told Vlad TV in 2020. "He can explain this game forward and back. It's unbelievable. You talk about someone who knows the playbook, knows where everybody's supposed to be, knows the other teams' coaches' playbook, style of coaching, how his ball club is gonna play. 'Bron's one of them."
Former Cavaliers GM David Griffin compared James to a computer.
"He's so cerebral," Griffin told Bill Simmons in 2018. "We used to joke that he was a computer on learning mode. He's such a savant, and he figures out the angles to such a huge degree that it's not a surprise he's figured to game the system a little bit."
Griffin added: "There's literally nothing you can show him that he can't do. There's no play you'll run against him he can't name, and then go out there and teach your players how to do it better than anyone else."
Reaves may be confused (and perhaps frustrated) now, but he's learning from the best.