ATLANTA -- Watch LeBron James long enough and you begin to understand all the intricacies of his nonverbal communications. One of his most animated facial expressions during games is the “Mario Chalmers face.”

Similar to James’ “Joel Anthony face,” the reaction James makes when Chalmers commits an error on the court is unmistakable. James raises his brow, opens his eyes wide and stares with bewildered amazement as if he has just witnessed the most surprising blunder in the history of basketball.

This happened often last season.

This season, though, flashes of James’ “Mario Chalmers face” are few and far between. It’s not that James is less critical of Chalmers’ mistakes — James and Dwyane Wade are more than willing to instruct and direct Chalmers during games — it’s that there’s not as much to correct. Chalmers is playing the best basketball of his career. Entering Sunday’s game against the Hawks, Chalmers is shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from three-point range and 81 percent from the free-throw line.

“He’s a 50-40-80 guy right now — the best numbers he’s ever had as a professional,” James said.

A reserve point guard behind the likes of Carlos Arroyo and Mike Bibby last season, Chalmers has matured into an invaluable asset for the Heat in Year Two of the Big 3.

Now an entrenched starter, Chalmers organizes the Heat’s offense, and his improved accuracy from the perimeter has worked as a counterweight to the attacking styles of James and Wade. Chalmers’ 52 three-pointers this season lead the team.

“Our team has become very accustomed to Mario at the start, and he’s doing a better job of getting us organized, he spreads the floor and plays well off of those guys, he’s shooting the ball very well,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Chalmers was 17 of 30 from three-point range in the five games before Wednesday’s loss to the Orlando Magic. It was in that game, which Chalmers sat out because of a sprained left wrist, that Chalmers’ importance to the team was made obvious.

The disruption to the Heat’s lineup threw off the team’s rhythm.

In hindsight, Spoelstra said Friday that he probably should not have started rookie point guard Norris Cole, which further affected the offense’s flow in and out of rotations.

Chalmers was rushed back from injury Friday against the Wizards, and though he only played limited minutes, the Heat’s offense found its form, with Cole coming off the bench and James playing point guard through several key stretches. Chalmers is probable for Sunday’s game in Atlanta.

“He has another 48 hours of rest, so hopefully he’ll continue to get better and the swelling will go down,” Spoelstra said.

Chalmers credits his growth as a player this season to his health and the work he put in during the offseason.

He played injured throughout most of last season and wasn’t at full strength until the playoffs, where he shined as the Heat’s most consistent player off the bench.

“I did a lot of work in the summer, watched a lot of film to see where guys like the ball, where I made my mistakes last year and just tried to improve on them,” Chalmers said.

As for James’ “Mario Chalmers face,” Chalmers knows it all too well but said Thursday that his on-court relationship with both James and Wade has improved.

Chalmers even said his confidence level is to a point now where he’s not afraid to instruct James and Wade if the situation calls for it.

“With me being the starting point guard, they’ve got to take orders from me,” Chalmers said. “Being the young guy, having those two with me, I’ve got to take orders from them, too. They listen to me and I listen to them.”

Etc.

Rookie center Mickell Gladness, who was waived by the Heat before the guaranteed-contract deadline last week, was back with the team in Atlanta. Gladness attended the Heat’s optional practice Saturday and is expected to sign a 10-day contract Sunday.