Miami Heat: How LeBron James Is Dominating on Offense This Year

Through this point in the season, if a league MVP award were dispensed, it would go to Miami Heat superstar LeBron James for none other than the simple reason that James has shown himself to be the master of “new-moves” efficiency.

James has re-upped his repertoire, soaring and scoring much more easily during this 2011-12 NBA season than he ever has before. Now, he plays like a savvy panther rather than a troubled hawk.

Until a recent Kobe Bryant surge, James was the NBA's leading scorer. Currently, he ranks second with his average hovering around 30 points per game. The quantity of his average is nothing new. But, the quality of it is.

For example, "King James" employs back-to-the-basket moves that he worked on and learned from Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer.

Furthermore, James shoots jumpers from every manner of stop-and-pop positions on the court. Prior to this season, you could count on James to consistently shoot jumpers only when he was wide open, set and facing forward.

Currently, we have a much more versatile James, making him true royalty on the court. This year to date, LeBron has demonstrated that he will pull up, that he'll back his defender in, turn and launch a 15-footer and that he'll more quickly “face you and take you.” In a flash, that is.

There is no hesitation of a man worried about shot-taking or shot-making criticism like there once was.

The tell-tale statistical upshot of James' new mastery of versatility is that he is shooting 57.8 percent from the field. That's Shaquille O'Neal or Wilt Chamberlain territory. Rare air. Another convincing detail: James has scored 30-or-more points in six consecutive road games. That's hard to do if you are one-dimensional or a one-trick offensive pony.

Imagine a “point/power forward”—a designation which was unheard of until James came into the league—shooting nearly 60 percent from the field while playing yeoman minutes. A pretty neat combination.

Besides exhibiting a bit of crafty know-how, so far, James' play is a portrait of high-caliber execution and completeness. Now, opponents have to count the ways he can beat them.

And James has thrown out that stressed Goliath personality in favor of an unburdened, Buddhist-type calm. He currently executes with a very visible, easy personality attached to his game. Because he has more basketball devices to choose from, James is more comfortable on the court.

“This is a good point in my life right now....I’m very excited about both on the court and off the court. I’m a totally different person than I was last year," James explained in The Miami Herald.

In other words, the change(s) will [and has already] served him well.

To wit, James has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the past two weeks, with the last week being Jan. 2 through Jan. 9.

LeBron James' new arsenal has made him the Miami Heat's No. 1 option at crucial moments in games. Before, when James' game was more predictable, LeBron had to share this honor with Dwyane Wade.

"We tried to get him [James] in situations where he could take advantage," head coach Eric Spoelstra stated after a recent loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Such an attempt, as articulated by Spoelstra, is the heartbeat of Miami's attack this campaign.

Another advantage of his versatility is that James will be more fresh for the playoffs; the easier you can score, the less physical wear and tear you endure.

Despite three losses on the road in their last three games (results at least partially attributable to Dwyane Wade's injuries), the Miami Heat stand with a strong record of 8-4.

A renewed LeBron James just has to keep doing what he's doing with his newfound arsenal, and the Heat will be within championship reach.