LeBron James plays a popular video game to help prepare for the addition of Isaiah Thomas

Nick Wass/AP

• Isaiah Thomas was traded to Cleveland in the NBA offseason in a blockbuster deal between the Celtics and Cavaliers.
• Thomas has yet to play for the Cavs due to a hip injury, but Cleveland hopes that he can make his debut with the team before Christmas.
• To prepare for Thomas' return, James has been playing "NBA 2K18" to experiment with what the two could do together on the court.

The 2017 NBA offseason saw more superstars changing teams than any year in recent memory, but even with all that happened the biggest deal by far was the All-Star point guard swap that sent Isaiah Thomas to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyrie Irving to the Celtics.

While Irving has been lighting it up for the Celtics, leading Boston to the top of the East, the Cavaliers have been a bit slower out of the gate, with Thomas still unable to suit up for the team due to a hip injury. But despite Thomas' absence, LeBron has still figured out a way to start practicing with his new teammate — playing "NBA 2K18."

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, James said that he's already visualized how he and Thomas will play together with the help of the popular video game.

"I play a lot of NBA 2K and it's the most realistic basketball game out there," James said. "I mix and match a lot of lineup changes and things of that nature to see how we can be really good."

You can watch James' comments below.

"NBA2K" is popular among NBA players and fans alike, and offers gamers plenty of control, not just over the on-court action, but also team rosters, lineups, and rotations. LeBron James currently holds the title for highest-rated player in the game, with an overall rating of 98. Isaiah Thomas is the sixth-rated point guard right now with a rating of 87.

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