HOUSTON -- The first time LeBron James partnered with a high-volume, ball-must-be-in-his-hands scorer, the Miami Heat's offense suffered fits and starts until finally Dwyane Wade deferred to him.

The early days of James' tenure with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland were so tenuous that James threatened him about assists and once stood in a corner for an entire second half while Irving and Dion Waiters jacked up errant shots.

The third go-around for James and a second dynamic scorer is coming in the form of guard Isaiah Thomas, who envisions a smoother transition than certainly James and Irving had in 2014-15.

"It's definitely going to be an adjustment period but me being older, me knowing the game a little bit more and being a student of the game, I'm going to be able to adjust quicker than somebody else could," Thomas told cleveland.com.

Slow progress

Irving was 22 when he first paired with James. They went to three Finals and won it all in 2016, but some of their clashes are well documented.

Thomas is 28 and in his seventh pro season. Well, "in" isn't quite right, because he's yet to play a game since the Cavs traded for him over the summer because of a right hip injury from last season.

But Thomas appears to be ahead of schedule for a return of on or about Jan. 1. During Thomas' interview for this story, however, coach Tyronn Lue walked by and yelled "100 percent," an indication Thomas will not be allowed to rush back.

"I feel good man," Thomas said. "Every week I'm getting better and better, and I'm able to do more and more, and it's getting there."

Thomas, Irving

When Thomas is green-lit to return, he'll bring with him a skill set Cleveland has sorely lacked since, well, since the Cavs traded Irving.

Last season, Thomas was third in the NBA in scoring at 28.9 ppg with the Boston Celtics. He shot a career-high .463 from the field and .379 from 3-point range, averaging 8.5 3-point attempts per game. He also averaged 8.5 foul shots per contest.

Irving scored a career-best 25.2 points per game on a career-high 19.7 shots.

The Cavs were the NBA's second-best 3-point shooting team a year ago with Irving taking 6.2 3s per game and shooting .401.

This season, the Cavs are 16th in 3s. Derrick Rose, the team's starting point guard for seven of the 12 games, is shooting about two 3s per game and making 23 percent.

Cleveland is 12th in the league in getting to the foul line. Center Kevin Love shoots 6.3 free throws per game.

Thomas is watching all of this, and more, in street clothes as the Cavs have scuffled to a 5-7 record, following last night's 117-113 loss to the Houston Rockets.

And he knows he can help.

"It's been frustrating because I know where I can help at," Thomas said. "Not just scoring and making plays, but, being that leader, being that voice out there and holding everybody accountable. Not saying that guys aren't doing that, but I know where I can help at, in so many ways other than just scoring the basketball. And I think I could really put pressure on the defense.

"We don't have nobody really who's been able to get in the paint and make a play and keep the defense on their heels and get to the foul line and things like that, so I think there's so many areas that I can help in and, I'm just, I'm impatient but I've got to be patient," Thomas continued. "I hope I'll be out there real soon."

Practicing patience

Without Thomas, the Cavs' problems have ranged from disinterest, to the integration of seven new players (not counting Thomas). They've changed how they run their offense, too.

Last season, with James and Irving sharing the court, the Cavs ran more isolation offense than any other NBA team. This year, they're eighth.

Thomas was not among the top 10 in the league in iso plays last season (Irving and James were fourth and fifth, respectively). He insists he'll be fine playing off the ball and waiting for James to pass to him.

"I mean, I had the ball a lot (last year with Boston) just because I had to have the ball," Thomas said. "A lot of the times, seriously, last year in the playoffs I played off the ball. So I'm fine with that. I'm a scoring guard. Like, off the ball I can catch and shoot. I can do things like that, but I think, the more we get with each other I think it's going to be an easier transition."

Unlike Thomas, James has lived through the process of two ball-dominant stars meshing together before. That's why, when asked about the upcoming blending of talents with Thomas, and how that's all going to work, James told cleveland.com: "I don't know."

"I think we're both going to have to figure out how to get the most out of each other and be on the floor at the same time," James said. "I haven't played with the guy. I've never stepped out on the floor with Isaiah before. But I've played against him and I know what he's capable of doing. So, we'll have to see. ... You can talk about that, but you don't know until you get on the floor."

Thomas is Irving

With no Thomas (or Irving) to play alongside James, and with either Rose or whoever's filled in for him while he's injured possessing such a different skill set, the offense looks different. There is more motion to get teammates open, and James catches the ball more at the elbow. For the last three seasons, shooters were often stationary while James and Irving either drove to the hoop or found them off the drive.

The Cavs will probably maintain their structure when Thomas joins them, but it's clear Lue believes Thomas can come here and be Irving, more or less. He showed as much when he went back to a starting lineup of Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Love, James and Rose -- with Rose as a placeholder for when Thomas is ready. Other than Thomas/Rose, it's the lineup Lue's used in the last two Finals. An injury to Thompson disrupted that lineup, but Lue will likely go back to it when Thompson returns.

"You lost a guy that was a big part of what they did here," Thomas said. "What they won a championship with. We're kind of the same type of player when it comes to scoring and making plays, and, they lost that. They've had that for three years and it's tough to adjust to.

"I didn't think it would be as tough as it is right now for us, but I mean, everybody goes through this at some point in the season," Thomas continued. "I'm glad we're going through it now to figure it out early and hopefully it will be better later in the year."

'Gym rats'

James is building a rapport with Thomas away from the stress of trying to win NBA games. They shoot together after practice and laugh in the locker room.

To the world, it seemed James and Irving were largely on the same page after a rocky beginning. Irving, though, wanted out of Cleveland so he could escape being James' wingman and all that it entails.

James is against putting too much pressure on Thomas upon his return, not because he can't handle it, but because the Cavs will need others to be healthy and contribute.

But James sees the Irving comparison with Thomas.

"The one thing about both of them that I learned being with Kyrie and getting to know Isaiah is they're fierce," James said. "They're fierce and they love to play ball. They're gym rats, and when you're a gym rat, that's a great feeling."