Since the NBA is a guard-driven league, a good backcourt goes a long way. More often than not, guards are responsible for generating offense and defending some of the best scorers in the league, so it pays to have a good duo in the backcourt that can handle both.
With that said, here are the 10 best backcourt duos in the NBA.
10. Phoenix Suns – Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker
With Bledsoe returning from a knee injury, first-year coach Earl Watson was forced to choose between Booker and Brandon Knight as the starting shooting guard this season, which is not a bad situation to be in when you have two quality players to choose from.
Booker, the Suns’ first-round pick a year ago, was chosen by Watson to start ahead of Knight, and he is making good use of the opportunity, averaging 18.4 points per game. As for Bledsoe, the seventh-year point guard is making his presence felt on both ends of the court, averaging 20.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He has scored 30 points in three straight games and is averaging 24.8 points in the month of December.
9. Houston Rockets – Patrick Beverley and James Harden
With Harden transitioning to full-time point guard this season, the Rockets have unleashed the full potential of The Beard, who is nearly averaging a triple-double at 28.1 points, 11.6 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. At this rate, Harden is going to give Russell Westbrook a run for his money in the MVP race.
With Harden running the offense, Beverley is left to do what he does best, which is make open shots, grab rebounds and play defense. The fifth-year guard is shooting 40.4 percent from 3-point range and pulling down 5.4 rebounds per game. This combination has worked extremely so far. Houston ranks second in scoring at 112.0 points per game.
8. Charlotte Hornets – Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum
Walker and Batum are two of the most underrated players in the league, but it’s time they start getting recognition as one of the best backcourt duos in the NBA. Walker is having a career year in his sixth season out of Connecticut, averaging 22.8 points per game, which should be good enough to get him to his first All-Star game.
Batum, a highly skilled wing defender, has become a stat-stuffing machine in the past two seasons with the Hornets. The 27-year-old is averaging 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, while shooting a modest 33.8 percent from deep. He is a prime example of the 3-and-D specialists that teams covet.
7. Boston Celtics – Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley
Although undersized, Thomas and Bradley are one of the toughest guard duos to play against. For starters, Thomas can score from all over despite standing just 5-foot-9. He ranks sixth in scoring at 26.0 points per game and is coming off his first All-Star selection last season.
Bradley, meanwhile, was NBA All-Defensive First Team last season and is averaging a career-high 17.9 points per game this season. Even Damian Lillard said Bradley is the best perimeter defender in the NBA. Together, Thomas and Bradley make up one of the three-best backcourt duos in the East.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder – Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo
It goes without saying that Westbrook is one of the most dominant players in the league. He’s averaging a triple-double, for goodness sake. But the addition of Oladipo via trade last June has only strengthened the Thunder’s backcourt.
The former No. 2 overall pick in 2013 is averaging 16.1 points and shooting a career-high 38.1 percent from beyond the arc. Oladipo never really caught on with the Orlando Magic, but he seems to have found his place in Oklahoma City with Westbrook at his side. There’s no replacing Kevin Durant in the lineup, but Oladipo was a good signing by the front office.
5. Washington Wizards – John Wall and Bradley Beal
This young tandem was thought to be one of the top three backcourts in the league, but it has dropped considerably to No. 5 this season mainly because the Wizards are struggling and because it was revealed during the summer that Wall and Beal have a tendency to dislike each other on the court.
With that said, Wall and Beal are having impressive individual campaigns. Wall, for one, is averaging a career-high 23.9 points per game and ranks third in the league in steals at 2.1 per game. Beal, on the other hand, is averaging 21.7 points per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three, all career highs for the fourth-year shooting guard.
4. Los Angeles Clippers – Chris Paul and J.J. Redick
What do you get when you combine the best floor general with one of the better 3-point shooters in the league? The fourth-best backcourt duo in the NBA.
There’s no one better at running the offense and setting up teammates than Paul. He has averaged just under 10 assists over the course of a 12-year career and nearly 19 points per game. Add in Redick’s relentless 3-point shooting at 43.8 percent and you have one of the toughest combos to guard in the West. Not to mention opposing teams have to worry about Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan as well.
3. Toronto Raptors – Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan
This 1-2 punch is without a doubt the best backcourt duo in the East right now. DeRozan became the first player in NBA history with nine 30-point games in his team’s first 11 games since Michael Jordan in 1987–88. He is averaging 27.9 points per game, which ranks fifth in the league.
Lowry, meanwhile, is fourth in 3-pointers made this season with 75 and is averaging the eighth-most points among point guards at 21.2 points per game. Lowry is also fifth in assists at 7.3 per game. It’s no wonder the Raptors didn’t hesitate to sign both to extensions; Lowry prior to the 2014-15 season and DeRozan last July.
2. Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum
Lillard and McCollum could one day overtake the top spot for the best backcourt in the NBA. But for now, they are a close second. Lillard has finished top-five in scoring among point guards since he entered the league as the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft.
McCollum, who took home last year’s Most Improved Player award, is already one of the top offensive players at his position in just his fourth season. His 22.4 points per game ranks third in the league among shooting guards, behind only Harden and DeRozan.
1. Golden State Warriors – Steph Curry and Klay Thompson
Curry and Thompson is easily the best backcourt duo in the NBA for a couple of reasons. First, Curry and Thompson are two of the best shooters in the NBA, having led the league in 3-pointers made the past three seasons. Second, they more than hold their own on the defensive end of the floor. Curry led the league in steals last season, while Thompson is considered one of the best defenders at his position.
Was there every any doubt that the Splash Brothers would claim the top spot?
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