I often read “what if” stories about Steph Curry playing with the likes of LeBron, Jokic, or Giannis and people talk about how unstoppable that duo would be. Aside from Shaq, Curry is usually the player I read about when it comes to dominant “what if” duos with another superstar. Does that mean that Curry (at least after the three-point line was added) is the easiest superstar to pair with other stars?
It kinda makes sense because he is great on and off the ball and has the greatest gravitational pull in NBA history. I can’t think of any other superstar in league history who wouldn’t win multiple titles if paired with Curry.
Pair him with Magic, easy 15 assists a night for Johnson. Pair him with Kobe or MJ, no double teams for Bryant or Jordan. Give him a superstar center from the 80s or 90s, defenders have to pick who to double.
Greatest shooter. Top 5 ball handler. Best off ball player. Unselfish. Top 5 guard finisher. Impactful with and without the ball. I mean yeah I guess you could pair him with anybody.
I’d say he’s just behind a KD, for example, whose off-ball play and shooting isn’t as good as Curry’s (but can give you 85-90% of it) without having to worry about your defense suffering, size mismatches, and line-up versatility (a mobile big wing can slot into any position.)
To a lesser extent Kevin Garnett and Paul George fit this archetype too
Steph is easy to pair with, but not the easiest. Lebron can play every position, so you can literally pair him with any star. Jokic’s playmaking is an incredibly complimentary skill to any superstar
No way LeBron is easy to play with. He becomes THE system whenever he tries playing with other stars. Stars have to adjust to LeBron always having the ball. He turnd Bosh and Love into a catch and shoot player. Wade’s role decreased when Bron was there. He always has to be the one handling the ball while shooters space the floor for him.
On the other hand, Curry can play with or without the ball.
So with Lebron, I can point you to 4 chips he’s won with 3 different teams. He was playing with different stars who all had different skillsets.
With Curry, he’s won 4 chips with the same team and the same core. You’re right that his off ball skills are versatile, but whether it would translate to winning in a different environment is entirely hypothetical.
none of these hypotheticals account for or even acknowledge how bad he is defensively. curry wouldn’t make a top ten list for me of ideal guys to pair up with