Fortunately for the NBA fan base, free agency left us with an insane amount of dynamic duos, as we witnessed shifts from super teams to duos, creating a more even and exciting league for all to witness. After 3 years of boring Warriors wins over less talented competition, the league finally sees an even playing field that makes it hard to predict a winner. From assessing all 30 teams I could only find 24 teams with a dynamic duo so it’s essential to make a note on the 6 teams that didn’t make the cut before ranking the other 24 teams’ duos from worst to best. Bulls: Lauri and Lavine had me thinking, but they’ve hardly played together and will their partnership be affected by the interruption of White? Hornets: They don’t even have a good player, never mind two, Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history yet somehow he’s the worst owner the league will ever see. Knicks: Clearly they’re going to build around RJ but I don’t know if they have a prominent duo as of yet, they opted to sign steady role players on two year deals to help his early development. Pelicans: Holiday is the clear frontrunner here, but I don’t know who goes with him, I don’t even know the starting lineup, I’m sure it will be clear a couple of weeks into the season but NOLA has a lot of young assets right now. Miami: They will trade for another star to go next to Butler, until then there’s no duo down in South Beach. Thunder: The only duo here is the two picks acquired from Houston, everyone’s on the trade block.
24: Colin Sexton + Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Cleveland have tried to copy Portland’s blueprint by forming this backcourt. Garland is an exciting prospect and Sexton had a great rookie season after a fairly rough start. It would be hard to place them above any other duo but things look a little brighter in Cleveland.
23: Aaron Gordon + Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic)
Vucevic was poor post all-star break and Gordon never improved from the season before. Orlando is very stellar right now and neither of these two performed well in the playoffs. The franchise should think long term and move one of these guys as they are a magnet for first round exits at this point.
22: Trae Young + John Collins (Atlanta Hawks)
Need to play defense. Both guys can score 50 combined, but they can also let in 60. Until they learn to play respectable defense, Atlanta can never improve. They have their offense sorted but this league requires talent on both ends of the floor.
21: Devin Booker + DeAndre Ayton (Phoenix Suns)
This franchise has two absolute studs, the only problem is they’re the worst franchise in the league. Hopefully the new coach can make Ayton the focal point of the offense after a great rookie season whilst Booker continues to score the rock efficiently. Phoenix must find a way to win games or this duo will be no longer.
20: Andrew Wiggins + Karl Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)
A duo that could quite easily be top 10 yet have the worst work ethic out of all 24. They can score 40 points on any given night then play like they aren’t bothered the next. Both have something to prove next year with a new coach and no Butler in town; they do have the tools to be elite performers yet seemingly don’t have the work ethic to go with it. Questions will be asked if they miss the playoffs again.
19: Blake Griffin + Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)
Blake Griffin had an amazing year the last yet Drummond didn’t improve at all. Drummond eats boards for fun yet hasn’t improved elsewhere and every time he attempts a jumper it becomes a meme all over social media. Detroit got embarrassed in the playoffs and Drummond was dominated all series long, partnering Griffin with more talent in his prime is essential for the Pistons, even if it means getting rid of Drummond.
18: Ja Morant + Jaren Jackson Jr (Memphis Grizzlies)
It may seem unreasonable to have a duo that has never played together higher than some well established ones but it will all be clear when the season starts. Ja Morant is a once in a generation type player and JJJ is the perfect big man to go alongside him. Things are going to be exciting in Memphis for years to come, they now have several years to find complimentary pieces for this duo to win with.
17: DeAaron Fox + Buddy Hield (Sacramento Kings)
Not many players improved much more than either of these two last year. Fox and Hield pushed Sacramento all the way as one of the best backcourts in the league. Fox is the perfect franchise point guard for Sacramento and Hield shoots the ball as well as anyone. Sacramento is finally on the rise and Fox’s game should improve even more under new coach Luke Walton who likes to push the ball quick.
16: Kemba Walker + Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Kemba on the Celtics is an interesting fit and Boston clearly rate Jayson Tatum highly despite his woeful sophomore campaign. Kemba will likely be a top 2 point guard in the east again playing for a serious team under a serious coach, something he lacked in Charlotte for the entirety of his career. Kyrie’s style might’ve affected Tatum’s game so a new leader on and off the court in Kemba might be what he needs.
15: Victor Oladipo + Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
Much like Oladipo in his first year as a Pacer, Myles Turner improved his game drastically. Turner throughout the season was a DPOY candidate and developed a respectable midrange / perimeter shot. If Oladipo recovers perfectly from his injury, which he likely will, Indiana will be a huge contender in the east led by this duo.
14: John Wall + Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Wall and Beal are killers, Beal had a career year last year but I can’t remember the last time Wall played and no one knows when he’s going to play next. The two of them carried Washington in the early stages of their careers and would be a contender in the east yet the uncertainty around Wall’s health doesn’t allow me to rank them any higher at this point, hopefully he returns to 100% soon.
13: DeMar DeRozan + LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs)
DeRozan and Aldridge are phenomenal players under a phenomenal franchise, the only problem is that they both excel in the midrange area with DeRozan attempting the most in the league last year. Despite their qualities, the Spurs were up and down throughout the entirety of the previous campaign but DeRozan and Aldridge have the prowess to take them further.
12: Ben Simmons + Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
The jury is out, Simmons and Embiid can not play together. It may seem questionable that these two are this low yet one won’t attempt a jumpshot in a jumpshot league and the other isn’t durable in a durable league. Too often they clamp up the paint making it much easier for opposition teams to scheme on them. With both on max contract money soon it will be interesting to see if they can become more compatible or if Philadelphia look to move on from this duo.
11: Luka Doncic + Kristaps Porzingis (Dallas Mavericks)
Dallas made an outstanding trade in February, Porzingis is something we have never seen before, a 7’4ft big that can shoot the rock and has respectable post/dribble moves. Chemistry between these two won’t take long to build, Doncic had an amazing rookie season and he now has a European companion in Porzingis to help him aim for the playoffs, Dallas have two replacements for the dominance of Nowitski.
10: Kyle Lowry + Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)
Kyle and Pascal deserve to be in the top 10 given that they’re World Champions. Kawhi was a big part of that but Toronto was still 17-5 without him and this duo performed exceptionally against Golden State with big shots at big moments. Toronto should look to build around the MIP Pascal Siakam as Lowry enters the final stages of his career.
9: Mike Conley + Donavon Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Without a doubt, Utah will be a contender in their conference and this backcourt is a large reason why. Donavon Mitchell continues to get better and better, he will excel with a true point guard like Conley at the side of him who will feel like he has a chip on his shoulder now on a serious team.
8: Kyrie Irving + Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
KD has an achilles injury. Achillies injuries end careers. Not much else to say here.
7: Jamal Murray + Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Denver’s duo made the biggest leap out of all duos last year, Denver are one of the best teams in the league and Jokic is probably the best center. It is down to Jamal now he has that massive contract extension to take that big leap from star to superstar and join Jokic’s level so that this duo can break into the top 5.
6: Damian Lillard + CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
Time and time again, analysts count out Portland, only for them to end up in the top 4 again. Lillard had an amazing series against OKC and McCollum had an even better series against Denver. Losing a few role players will hurt Portland in the long run but you can count on this exceptional backcourt to guide them safely into the playoffs again.
5: Kris Middleton + Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
The MVP and his buddy. Giannis is the most dominating big man the game has seen since young Dwight Howard and Kris connects perfectly with him, their chemistry is beautiful. Whilst Kris might not be worth the money Milwaukee paid him, he’s a great second fiddle to Giannis that can knock down key shots and take a back step when he needs to.
4: Paul George + Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
Two great defenders; an MVP candidate and the best player in the World. No one has a game as smooth as Paul George but I’m not sure playing second fiddle to Kawhi helps his game after how much he improved at OKC. However, George has been woeful in the playoffs so with Kawhi at his side it might just be exactly what he needs. Doc Rivers needs to find a way to take George off of any guards defensively for this combination to work, they could quite easily be the best duo in the league next year.
3: Russell Westbrook + James Harden (Houston Rockets)
The most intimidating backcourt the league has ever seen. Houston partnered two special players in their primes. Contrary to popular opinion, I believe Harden and Westbrook make this work as a) they have been best friends since they were 10, and, b) they wanted to play together again after playing great together in Oklahoma. These two are serious about winning at their age, they’ve done everything statistically and got their super max contracts. We will never ever see a 36ppg player and a triple double across an entire season player partnered together in their primes again.
2: Stephen Curry + Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
A duo that is tried and tested, you know what you’re getting with the Splash Bros. As two of the best shooters the game as ever seen, they have truly revolutionised the way backcourts are being formed in the modern game. GSW are still the team to beat as long as Klay’s rehabilitation goes fine. Curry and Green should keep the Bay in playoff contention until Klay returns for them to have another shot at the championship after last year’s shortcoming.
1: LeBron James + Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
Talent wise, this is one of the best duos to ever formulate. However, LeBron is 35 and AD gets injured more than any other superstar in the league. LeBron must find a way to utilise the most gifted big man the league has seen in years. Historically, LeBron has turned gifted big men such as Bosh and Love into spot up shooters, this must not be done with AD. The west is not the east, LeBron must adapt his game to suit AD or else the Lakers could be in danger of missing the playoffs again with some bad injury luck. I fully expect LeBron to bounce back in his second year as a Laker and form one of the best duos ever seen with Davis.
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