Does theory really get you anywhere individually?

I see a lot of young people from the center of capitalism defending China’s reformism, throwing around marxist terms left and right but overall missing the very core of the existence of communism and its struggles against other forms of left wing politics.

The theory is there and in my opinion Marx really makes some good points and is very convincing. Also, those individuals in a way seem to be intelligent and able to grasp complex ideas even though they clearly never actually studied marxism.

My question is: If they actually studied marxism alone, would they be able to abandon reform? Or is it just a matter of having the right position in production or experiencing actual class struggle to convince them?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.