Thinks like detective finally cracking problems (7)
I believe the answer is:
assumes
'thinks' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to thinking as well as being verbs in their -s form.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'like detective finally cracking problems' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'like' could be 'as' and 'as' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for assumes that I've seen before include "dons" , "Takes to be the case" , "Puts on; accepts" , "Take to be the case" , "Takes for granted or puts on" .)