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LeBron James and Stephen Curry are two players that represent a great era in NBA basketball. They battled in the finals from 2015 all the way until 2018, with Curry also making the trip in 2019 with the Golden State Warriors. Of course, the dynamic was different in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, with Curry having Kevin Durant there as well. Still, it was always Curry's team versus James' team. All of that experience playing against one another made James comment recently that he wants to play with Curry before retiring. While Curry brushed off the comment, we are completely free to fantasize about these two icons playing together. Here are three reasons why LeBron James, Stephen Curry must team up before retirement.
Reasons why James and Curry must play together
It gives them the best chance for a title
Right now, LeBron James has four titles and Curry is right there with one title less. As they go towards the end of their careers, personal accolades make less sense and they go for titles. Thus, they should team up simply because it gives them the best chance of winning another NBA ring. As their situations stand right now, the Lakers nor the Warriors are really title competitors. Obviously, the Warriors are better off, but with the strength of the other rosters around the league, they do not have much of a chance. It is not the 2015-2018 era where there were only two teams in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Warriors. Now, the Suns, Grizzlies, Bucks, Sixers, even the Celtics, and the Nets have a better shot, on paper, than either of the two teams above.
However, if they were to team up, there is absolutely no doubt that their team would be an immediate title favorite. It does not matter much whether it would be the Lakers or the Warriors, all it matters is that LeBron James and Steph Curry would be on the same roster for more than an All-Star Game. There could be a third superstar as well, but even if it is a stable roster of role players surrounding these two, they would have a better-than-not chance of winning the title at the end of the season. They are both experienced, have a ton of important games in their careers, and they are not afraid of the big moment, all qualities leaders need to have in a title-contending NBA team.
It would be must-see TV
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Imagine, for a moment, this Warriors team with LeBron James over Andrew Wiggins. You can also imagine the Lakers with Steph Curry over Russell Westbrook. Both of these teams would be dominant beyond belief. The biggest issue of the Lakers this year, aside from their injuries, was the poor fit of a non-shooting, ball-dominant point guard next to James. With Curry, he can share the ball with LeBron, but also step aside and become a spot-up shooter. On the other hand, this Warriors team could rely less on Curry and let LeBron James take over when the times get rough. We can always discuss whether the teams would be successful or on the level of the title-contending teams mentioned above, but they would be incredibly fun.
James would tirelessly run the floor and Curry would always be open in transition for a three. This season, according to NBA.com/stats, Curry buries 41% of his open threes, something he would have an abundance of if he was running the open floor with LeBron James. On the other hand, all the defensive attention on Curry would leave pockets of space to James, who would be able to either find amazing passes for open teammates or drive to the basket and emphatically slam the ball. Just the potential of some incredible LeBron dunks or passes, or Steph Curry burying three after three in transition makes any NBA fan very excited, and that is one of the key reasons they should really team-up.
They are compatible in every sense of the word
Steph Curry is a unicorn of a point guard, in essence. He really does not average a huge amount of assists, as he is more of a score-first guard. He also does not need a ton of the ball, as the Warriors from 2015 until 2019 relied on a ton of ball movements and unselfish passes all around. Curry looks like he would be comfortable sometimes playing the role of a spot-up shooter if the occasion is right. On the other hand, LeBron James both needs the ball in his hands, and also played with a point guard who does not necessarily need the ball in his hands, in Kyrie Irving. Those Cavaliers years brought LeBron a title and some incredible finals runs, so it seems that everything is set for this pairing to also work in the same manner.
Of course, there would be some issues, but it just seems like James and Curry could absolutely dominate together. They have experience playing with similar players to one another in certain regards, both look like they are ready to adjust to their surroundings, and both have incredible knowledge of how the other one works. It might not be feasible until the very end of their careers, but LeBron James and Steph Curry would be an ideal match due to all these reasons and many more. We might not see it, but if we do, it will be something that will be remembered and noted in NBA history.
