There have been a ton of offseason moves over the past few months that have reshaped the landscape of the league as we approach the beginning of the 2020-21 NBA season. With the way the NBA has shifted to a smaller and faster pace, a solid backcourt duo is almost guaranteed to put you in a position to at least contend for the title. Different organizations went different routes in building their backcourt for the upcoming season – some opted to keep their guard situation unmoved while others chose to roll the dice and switch things up. Let's examine the five best backcourts entering the 2020-21 NBA season, ranked.
5. Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors)
It's hard to sleep to this duo given that they did win a championship together back in 2019. The Toronto Raptors' fiesty backcourt tandem of Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet is definitely one of the best two-guard combinations in the east. Though they have similar style of play, plugging them both in at the same time has naturally worked wonders for head coach Nick Nurse.
Lowry, 34, is one of the most durable and reliable court generals in the league right now. As he enters his 15th season in the NBA, Lowry is showing that he's aging like fine wine and has found ways to become more efficient and more effective at this point of his career. He's grown into one of the most loved icons of the city of Toronto and has been a legitimate leader for the Raps over the past few seasons which has rubbed off on the younger VanVleet.
VanVleet, on the other hand, is coming off his best season yet. After impressing everyone in the 2019 playoffs (especially in the 2019 NBA Finals), FVV's stock rose and was a staple in the starting unit all of last season. Combined, these two averaged 37 points and 14.1 assists per game last season and they should see those numbers go up even more this season.
4. John Wall and James Harden (Houston Rockets)
The newest one-two punch for the Houston Rockets is arguably one of the must-see tandems in the league this season. Two undeniable superstars James Harden and John Wall are joining forces and are hoping to make a splash in Texas. On paper, this duo should be at least top two but with everything going on in Houston (and Harden's brain), they've fallen down a bit.
No one really knows what's bound to happen in H-Town right now but if Harden and Wall do end up playing a whole season together, then this should be a scary sight for the league. Harden, a former MVP is one of the most prolific bucket-getters in the league right now. He's currently the reigning back-to-back-to-back scoring champ averaging an insane 33.7 points per game over the last three seasons. The Rockets organizations have tried to pair different point guards with Harden but unfortunately, even with Harden dropping historic numbers, things haven't gone their way.
This season, they're trying something new by replacing Russell Westbrook with another spitfire point guard in John Wall. The 30-year old Kentucky product is hoping for a strong comeback NBA season after missing the last two calendar years due to a heel injury. After nine seasons with the Washington Wizards, Wall is hoping to finally go passed the second round of the playoffs. Whether or not this experiment works, just their individual talents alone should put them on everyone's radar.
3. Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
The other side of the coin from that Houston deal is in DC where Bradley Beal gets a new point guard partner in Russell Westbrook. Some are saying that the Washington Wizards ended up winning the blockbuster trade mainly because of health. Both Beal and Westbrook want to play and have actually been healthy to suit up for their respective teams these past few seasons.
Beal is coming off an incredible year as the focal point of the Wizards last NBA season. With Wall out, Beal stepped up big and ended with a career-high average of 30.5 points per game and even added 6.1 assists. He was right next to Harden when the regular season ended in terms of scoring. Having a facilitator like Westbrook, who isn't really known as a scorer (compared to John Wall, at least), should only bump up Beal's numbers this season.
Westbrook should also get a boost in DC. Unlike Harden, Beal doesn't need the ball a whole lot so Brodie can do his thing and facilitate like crazy. Expect his assist numbers to go back up to double digits with Beal and the rest of the young Wizards following his lead. Prior to moving to Houston, the former NBA MVP was averaging 10.4 assists per game in his last four seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder and if he'll be the main playmaker for head coach Scott Brooks in Washington, his passing numbers should get closer to that.
2. Damian Lillard & CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
With Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors out again for another NBA season, the only truly tested backcourt pair in the West is in Portland. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have been one of the best 1-2 guards in the league for the past couple of years, and the numbers just prove it. Since the 2016-17 season, Dame and CJ have combined for 49 points per game for the Blazers. Let that sink in. It should be more or less the same this year for these two.
Last season, they made their seventh straight playoff appearance after they clawed their way in the bubble. Though things didn't quite workout in the playoffs, their regular season numbers were at its peak. Lillard, who made his fifth NBA All-Star appearance last season, had arguably his best season so far with career-highs in points (30.5 points per game), assists (8.0 assists per game) and three-pointers (4.1 per game on 40.1%). He's entering his ninth year in Portland looking to do the same, or even better.
McCollum on the other hand, also had one heck of a season. After his scoring numbers dipped for the past few seasons, CJ was back to scoring 22.2 points per game last season. He also made the most threes in his career (2.8 per game) plus his rebounding numbers got better. Together with Dame, McCollum is looking to keep their NBA playoff streak alive this season.
1. NBA elite: Devin Booker and Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns)
Another Western NBA duo that should challenge the Blazers' backcourt tandem is the newest and brightest pairs in the dessert. After an incredible finish to last season, the Phoenix Suns chose to double up on their backcourt and pair Devin Booker with Chris Paul. Booker, who is undoubtedly the main man for the Suns moving forward, gets an on-court mentor in Paul which should only benefit the 24-year old superstar.
Booker averaged 26.6 points per game over the course of two seasons and has been the focal point of the Suns offense. The first-year NBA All-Star led the young Suns to an impressive 9-0 record in the bubble and showed us a glimpse of what this Phoenix team is capable of moving forward. With Paul coming in, Booker's scoring might go down a notch but the experience he's gaining by having a future Hall of Famer in his ear the entire season will definitely make him a better player and leader. Having a Point God like Paul will also lessen the burden on Booker as he would need to handle the ball less.
In his 15th year in the NBA last season, Paul surprised everyone and led the Oklahoma City Thunder all the way to the playoffs. The 35 year old was able to transform the Thunder from a rebuilding team to a playoff team in no time and the Suns are hoping he has the same effect on his first year in Phoenix. If everything falls into place, the Suns' backcourt can shock the entire world and end up as the best backcourt in the 2020-21 season.
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