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Superstar duos have certainly taken over the NBA landscape these days, as teams and players try to give themselves the best chance to win NBA championships.Furthermore, there is no doubt that bringing two superstars together in a team also keeps basketball fans excited, given the amount of talent and potential greatness that any talented duo can achieve together.
With the upcoming season about to tip off very soon, we will see a handful of teams showcasing their dynamic duos as they try to take advantage of a shortened season and to reach the pinnacle of the NBA.
For this piece, let’s rank the top five superstar duos heading into the 2020-2021 season.
Honorable Mention
The superstar duo that barely made this list is Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porziņģis. Another duo that should’ve made this list was the Golden State Warriors’ Splash Brothers that includes Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. But given that Thompson suffered a torn achilles that will sideline him for the upcoming season, we will simply place their duo in the honorable mention as well.
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo & Khris Middleton
The Bucks are a top contending team for the past two seasons largely because of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his sidekick Khris Middleton. Although the reigning MVP is currently on a dilemma whether to sign a contract extension with the Bucks or not, as long as the Greek Freak is still with the Bucks this season, they are a legitimate championship contender.
The duo have found a lot of success during the regular season, as Giannis dominates the league with his size, strength, and skills. Just last season, we saw him go off for a career high 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. On the other hand, Middleton spaces the floor for his partner to operate, while contributing to the team as a solid 3-and-D player. He averaged a career high 20.9 points and 6.2 boards per outing spiked by 41.5% shooting from downtown which earned him his second straight All-Star distinction. Furthermore, his improved playmaking makes this duo even more formidable.
But despite their consistent success in the regular season, the Giannis-Middleton duo somehow falters during the postseason. For the past two playoffs, the Bucks found themselves getting the boot. In 2019, the back-to-back MVP and and Middleton reached as far as the Eastern Conference Finals before succumbing to eventual champions Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors. On the other hand in 2020, during the NBA bubble, the Bucks suffered a series upset against Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat during the second round which has definitely forced Antetokounmpo to contemplate about his stay with the Bucks that very much relate to his championship hopes.
Middleton and the Greek Freak are certainly a formidable duo coming into the 2020-2021 season. However, with Giannis’ commitment in question, it’s hard to consider this duo as part of the top three. Nevertheless, they are still one of the best duos in the league to watch out for.
4. Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving
One of the things to watch out for next season is the return of Kevin Durant and the debut of the Nets superstar duo. Durant hasn’t returned to action since the 2019 NBA Finals, as he sat out the 2019-2020 season due to a torn achilles. However, after a decent showing in his first game during the ongoing preseason, where he finished with 15 points in 24 minutes of action against the Washington Wizards, things look promising for this dynamic duo. On the other hand, Irving also retuned to the NBA hardwood after missing a huge chunk of last season due to a season-ending shoulder injury, as he logged in 18 points in the 119-114 preseason victory.
On paper, the combination of Durant and Irving will certainly put the rest of the league on notice. It is worth noting that both of these superstars are capable of turning any team into a contender, as they can easily put up MVP numbers. With both of them teaming up, the potential greatness they can achieve is limitless.
However despite the huge amount of talent this duo possesses, I won’t consider them in the top three just yet. We’ve seen in the past how talented duos have failed to fulfill their full potential, whether it is a clash of egos or unfortunate injuries. The latter is very much a threat to this duo given how both are just coming off from career-threatening injuries. But if this duo can stay healthy for the upcoming season and simply play well off of each other, then we might even see a new NBA champion.
3. Kawhi Leonard & Paul George
One of the contenders to watch out for next season is the Los Angeles Clippers, especially if they play their duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. George and Leonard made a lot of buzz when they teamed-up during 2019 NBA Free Agency.
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These two All-Stars are two of the best two way wings in the league today. In fact, last season they were projected to take home the 2020 NBA Championship due to this duo's immense star power. In that season, Leonard put up a career high 27.1 points per game, as he was fresh from winning his second Finals MVP and NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors. On the other hand, PG was also a deadly scorer by registering 21.5 points per outing. The duo was good enough to also help the Clippers finish as the number two seed in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, the Clippers had a disappointing postseason which saw them blow a 1-3 series lead against the Denver Nuggets in the second round. The early exit will surely sting the Clippers duo. However, Leonard and PG will be trying to redeem themselves in the upcoming season by gunning for a championship. With PG telling everyone he is healthy again and Leonard proving to everyone that he is capable of carrying a team on his back to a championship, things might end better for the Clips. In fact, George just recently signed a major extension with the team. However, winning a championship is always easier said than done. Nevertheless, their star power has proved to everyone that they can be a legitimate playoff contender which places them third in this list.
2. Nikola Jokic & Jamaal Murray
Jamaal Murray isn’t an All-Star just yet, but boy does he form a nice one-two punch with Serbian star Nikola Jokić. The obvious reason of course on what makes this duo rank above George and Leonard is the fact that this Nuggets duo played a big part in upsetting the Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Jokić and Murray were playing like men on a mission during the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The duo succeeded in making NBA history when they led the Nuggets in digging themselves out of a 1-3 hole on two consecutive playoff series in the same postseason when they outlasted the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers in the first and second round, respectively. In their postseason run, The Joker averaged a near triple double by putting up 24.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.7 dimes per game while Murray scored 24.1 points per game as well.
The Nuggets duo shocked everyone when they pulled off that feat. The good news is we will be seeing them showcase their talents again once the season tips off. It will be interesting to see whether Murray and Jokić can replicate their performance outside a Bubble environment. But nevertheless, these two young stars have proved to everyone that they have what it takes to pull off the impossible.
1. LeBron James & Anthony Davis
If there is a duo that ranks atop of everyone in the league, it should be LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Fresh from winning their first championship together, there is no doubt that the James and Davis duo will be hunting for more.
Although The King is turning 36 before 2020 ends, James isn’t showing any signs of slowing down and he proved that when he captured the 2020 Finals MVP. Furthermore, James also became the first NBA player aged 30 to average 25.3 points and 10.2 assists per game which was enough for him to finish as the league leader in assists and the runner-up in MVP voting.
On the other hand, Davis is approaching his prime years which means that this duo can potentially ignite a championship dynasty. In fact, AD actually makes a case as the best player LeBron has ever played with. Last season while playing alongside James, he averaged 26.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing. It is also worth noting that Davis was responsible for the game winning three point shot at the buzzer to help the Lakers secure Game Two of the Western Conference Finals at the expense of the Jokic-Murray led Denver Nuggets.
If this superstar duo can win another championship this season and start a dynasty, there is no doubt that they can make a case to be one of the best duos in NBA history. But for now, given that they are the only active duo for next season that has won a championship, they should easily be ranked first in this list.
