Report: Bulls rookie says LeBron James was calling out Chicago’s plays ahead of time

By James Kingsley
Updated: January 24, 2021

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no secret that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has one of the greatest basketball minds in the history of the sport, and that fact was highlighted on Saturday night as the Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 101-90.

James had a subpar game by his standards as he finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals, but it was what rookie Patrick Williams said after the game that really turned heads.

Apparently, during the game, Williams said that James began calling out some of the Bulls’ plays ahead of time, leading to amazement from the youngster.

“You can tell he watches a lot of film,” said Williams afterward.

Patrick Williams says LeBron James was calling out some of the #Bulls' plays ahead of time.

"You can tell he watches a lot of film," Williams says.

— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) January 24, 2021

Williams finished his night with 13 points and eight rebounds as his team dropped to 7-9 on the season.

Although James’ extraordinary basketball IQ was on full display on Saturday, it was superstar Anthony Davis that stole the show, as the big man finished with a season-high 37 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Lakers are now 2-0 on their current road trip and remain flawless on the road this season at 9-0.

Next up, the Lakers will take on the surging Cleveland Cavaliers, who recently came away with surprising back-to-back wins against the new-look Brooklyn Nets. Their recent success has been due in large part to third-year guard Collin Sexton, who is averaging 26.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on the season.

The Lakers end their seven-game road trip with a match against the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 1 and then return home on Feb. 4 with a matchup against the Denver Nuggets.