What a 24-point defeat! Only when I saw the Thunder allowing Curry 0 assists did I understand how strong the Lakers would be with James LeBron James.

This may be a classic humiliating defeat in the career of Warriors star Curry. After missing 3 games due to injury, Curry chose to come back in the Warriors game against the Thunder. As a result, the team lost 102 to 126 to the Thunder by 24 points, and Curry received the first flagrant foul of his career in the first quarter. In addition, Curry scored 13 points in the entire game. He made only 4 shots, 1 of 5 three-pointers, 2 of 3 free throws, 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and no assists. As a point guard, it is really surprising to be able to achieve 0 assists in the game. It is also quite embarrassing for Curry. This also illustrates from another level how successful the Thunder's defensive strategy against the Warriors and Curry was.

Judging from the game process, the Thunder's defense was very good, and they dared to flank Curry boldly, using height, speed and physical confrontation to make Curry very uncomfortable. It also gave other teams in the league a thought. When their own ball handlers encounter a defense like the Thunder, will they be like Curry, unable to pass the ball or send out an assist? So far this season, the Thunder have achieved a record of 11 wins and 1 loss, ranking first in the league. They rely not only on their powerful offense, but also on their excellent defense. If they want to defeat the Thunder, they need to break their defense and break their double teams. This is actually very demanding for ball handlers.

From this perspective, the Lakers may really have a chance to become the Thunder's nemesis, because they now have at least three top ball-handlers, namely James, Doncic and Reeves. When these three people are on the court at the same time, even the Thunder dare not double-team any of them easily. This is not blind optimism, but is supported by data. According to statistics, when Doncic and Reeves both appear on the court this season, the Lakers' current record is 5 wins and 1 loss. In addition, the Lakers average field goal percentage of 51.2% this season, leading the league.

These two data illustrate to a certain extent that when the Lakers have two ball-handlers who can play at the same time, they do not have a situation where the ball is not enough. It is thought that because both of them have very terrible ball-holding threats and passing abilities, opponents dare not double-team them easily, and they can cooperate with each other to provide easy scoring opportunities for their teammates. In fact, even looking at the entire league, having two ball-handling masters like the Lakers is very luxurious, not to mention that they still have James who is not playing.

Don’t think that after James returns, he will compete with Doncic and Reeves for the ball. In fact, in the second half of last season, James greatly increased his role without the ball. Cutting, fast breaks and catch-and-shoot shooting began to become the main ways of scoring. The half-court ball-holding battle was mainly left to Doncic and Reeves, but when the team needs it, James can still switch roles and become the ball-holding organizer. During the offseason, James also spent a lot of time training his off-ball offense. He also said that he will focus more on defense in the new season, so when James returns, the Lakers will only be more difficult to stop.

Although many people are still clamoring that James' return may hurt the team and the Lakers don't need James, no one knows the value of James better than Doncic. After defeating the Hornets, Doncic talked about James' return in an interview. Doncic said: "We can't wait, everyone can't wait. He is LeBron, so it is always a good thing for him to come back. I hope he can come back as soon as possible." According to the news, James is training with the South Bay Lakers. I believe that the time for his comeback is getting closer. Can you not wait to see James' return?