NBA Free Agency 2018: One reason LeBron James should sign with every team
By Ben Ladner
Denver Nuggets
The contrast of LeBron’s ball-dominant, surgical approach to running an offense and Denver’s free-flowing, improvised style would make for a fascinating balance on that end of the floor. James would undoubtedly elevate Jamal Murray and Gary Harris as shooters, two of the best catch-and-shoot players in the league, but how much would they be restrained with LeBron staking out the real estate Murray and Harris use for cutting lanes? Perhaps the answer is not at all. Between those three and the delightfully crafty Nikola Jokic, there is enough collective intelligence and instincts to figure out how to mesh all pieces together. Playing off of Jokic would unlock LeBron’s cutting acumen — often underutilized — in a way that we haven’t seen since his Miami days.
James would still be left to guard the absolute best wings in the playoffs, a responsibility he probably doesn’t want to take on at this point in his career, but with other capable players to buoy the offense, he may have more energy to expend on the other end of the floor. The same conversations about Cleveland’s defense that took place the last two years would likely center around the Nuggets, even if the offense would be more cogent. Still, this is a possibility worth entertaining, if only for fun.