Former NBA star Joe Johnson had an interesting question put in front of him on the Nightcap show on Friday. In light of the report about the Golden State Warriors calling the Los Angeles Lakers over a LeBron James trade, Johnson was asked if the forward would have a better chance to win a title with Stephen Curry or Luka Doncic.
“If I have to choose, I’m going Steph,” Johnson said. “… He gonna command so much attention that LeBron will really get to play a natural position, which is like more of a facilitator. Yeah, he gonna probably still score about 22 to 25 points a night, but him facilitating? Oh my god.”
This is an interesting take. Curry is still playing at a very high level, but he’s no longer in his absolute peak. On the other hand, Doncic is entering his peak, and he has undergone quite a physical transformation this offseason. There is a chance we could see the Slovenian play better than ever in 2025-26 and potentially win MVP.
All that said, you can make the case that Curry and James would have more success together because they are a better fit.
James has gotten better at playing off the ball in recent years, but he remains at his best when he has it, as is the case with Doncic as well. Curry, meanwhile, is one of the few superstars in the NBA today who is deadly off the ball.
James dictating the offense and providing great looks for Curry would be a sight to behold. We saw these two play together at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it would be great if they teamed up again. It’s unlikely to happen next season, though.
Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul made it clear James isn’t getting traded. The 40-year-old has a no-trade clause and isn’t planning on leaving the Lakers.
So, for now, it’s going to be James and Doncic sharing the court, and they aren’t a bad duo by any means. There were some concerns regarding the fit when the Lakers acquired the Slovenian from the Dallas Mavericks, but those were dismissed soon enough.
Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25. James played off of him fairly well, averaging 23.7 points on 50.2% shooting from the field in the 23 games they played together.
Doncic and James helped the Lakers get the third seed in the West with a 50-32 record. They entered the playoffs with a lot of momentum but were knocked out in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. While the big names should get blame for that exit, it by no means showed that they can’t win together.
James and Doncic, in particular, need shooters and defenders around them. Well, apart from Rui Hachimura (48.4% from three), no one shot well against the Timberwolves from deep. They struggled defensively as a team, too, and all that led to them being eliminated in five games.
You’d imagine the shooting wouldn’t be as much of a problem moving forward for the Lakers, but the defense still could be. Marcus Smart is the notable addition they have made to address their woes on that end of the floor, but he has missed a lot of time with injuries lately. If he can’t stay healthy or can’t perform near his best, then it’s hard to see how the 2025-26 season doesn’t end in disappointment for the Lakers.
