From a couple of weeks ago about LeBron's work ethic
Arriving at the gym some mornings to see the lights already on and hear a bouncing basketball doesn’t surprise Mike Brown.
The Cavs head coach doesn’t bother peeking outside his office. He knows LeBron James is working up a sweat already at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
“He puts more time in than most anybody in the league, in my opinion,” Brown said. “That right there is a guy that understands if I’m going to be the greatest ever, I can’t take a day off, a play off.”
“He’s really increased his workload,” Cavs assistant coach Chris Jent said. “It was not every day in the summer and also during the course of the year. This year, it has been every day. Each and every time he walks into the gym, he puts forth a great effort.”
Most of James’ trips to the gym include Jent. The two have spent countless hours together honing James’ game, in particular his shooting.
Jent, a former standout shooter at Ohio State, is in his third season with the Cavs and has been impressed with the development of James’ work ethic. A hard worker to begin with, James has become “a workaholic” in the words of Brown.Jent credits James’ maturity and experience with USA Basketball the past three summers.
“(He was) seeing how everybody else was doing things, I think especially Kobe who always had the reputation of being a hard worker,” Jent said. “I think all of that stuff is contagious. ... He put that work in and he saw a result, and I think that made him even hungrier to work even harder.”
Brown said less than a week after last season’s disappointing Game 7 loss at Boston, James was back at Cleveland Clinic Courts working on his game. When Brown brought his son to the office one morning after that series loss, his son was stunned to see James in there just after the season ended.Brown remembers his son saying: “He’s not supposed to be here.”
That’s when Brown let his son in on a secret.
“Buddy, LeBron doesn’t just show up at the games with a Superman outfit on. He’s a great player. But he puts the time in.”
Some were surprised last Sunday to see James on the floor at The Palace of Auburn Hills in game mode two hours before tipoff. He went through an aggressive half-hour shooting session with Jent, even acting as if imaginary defenders were harassing him.
“When you see things like that, that’s LeBron,” Brown said. “That’s what he does.”
Later that afternoon, James returned to the floor to finish off the Pistons and complete a series in which he averaged 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists.
“LeBron is so focused right now and obviously so focused for that game that I think it’s easy for him to get into that mode,” Jent said.
Watching James go that hard in a pregame workout gives Jent a satisfying feeling.
“I just appreciate the fact that he’s doing it,” Jent said. “That was a big thing for us a couple years ago. You got to do it. You got to do it every day. So just to see him being in that routine and to see that focus, the way he’s locked in, yeah, it’s a pleasure to watch.
James’ hard work doesn’t just benefit his own game. It trickles down to the rest of the team.
Brown constantly talks about how James makes his job as head coach so much easier.
“He’s our biggest influence,” Jent said. “He allows us to coach the other guys because of his willingness to let us coach him. The way he brings it every day in practice and every day to the gym really raises the level. Whether it be in the weight room or on the floor or in the locker room, he’s been a great leader.”
