2K Sports
Back in August, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics pulled off the blockbuster trade of the 2017 off-season when they swapped Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving (a transaction that also included a couple of other players and a draft pick that aren’t important enough to talk about). The Cavs almost backed out of the trade after learning about Thomas’ preexisting hip injury that (combined with a few other ailments) has seen him sidelined since the beginning of the season.
Irving— who was initially met with skepticism from Celtics fans who are likely presently surprised by his performance so far— was one of the keys to the Cavaliers’ success in previous seasons, and the team fully expecting Thomas to step into a supporting role to complement LeBron James. However, the self-proclaimed King has had to carry the team since the start of the year (which saw the Cavs get off to a slow start before starting their current 12-game winning streak).
Cleveland is optimistic that Thomas will return to the court by the end of the year, and James is apparently doing everything he can to prepare for his first game with his new teammate. He spoke to reporters this morning who asked how he was getting ready, and he was more than happy to reveal his secret: playing plenty of NBA 2K18.
LeBron said he uses @NBA2K to prepare for/visualize the return of Isaiah Thomas. #Cavs pic.twitter.com/Ff7vNwvaK5
— clevelanddotcom Cavs (@PDcavsinsider) December 6, 2017
LeBron elaborated on his strategy, saying:
“I play a lot of NBA 2K and it’s the most realistic basketball game out there that you could ever play. I mix and match a lot of lineup changes and things of that nature to see how we can be really good.”
When asked about how he felt about how he’s portrayed in 2K18 (he’s the highest player in the game), LeBron said “I think they do a good job.”