Ranking the 15 Best Star Duos in the NBA This Season

The NBA is a league of superstars. Just one isn’t enough to have a real say come playoff time.

With the “superteam” era in the past (outside of this year’s 76ers, who were able to thread the needle over the offseason), squads have figured out how to build optimal rosters in the current era of salary cap aprons and subsequent limitations. The common recipe is an elite top two options with a supporting cast that complements them.

Some are obvious like the Heat who added Giannis Antetokounmpo over the offseason to play alongside Bam Adebayo, and the Nuggets with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. In other cases, young players quickly rise into a true second option to support the No. 1 guy.

Here’s a look at the 15 best duos across the NBA, ranked from bottom to top:

15. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers

Other than a 32-point night in a much needed win over the Knicks on Wednesday, Harden has had a brutal start to the season. The Cavaliers need him to conduct the offense and he’s putting up his lowest assist numbers since his early career tenure in Oklahoma City. He just got to Cleveland in the middle of last season, so maybe he’s still getting used to playing second fiddle to Mitchell. Thus far, Mitchell hasn’t seen the shot diet he’s used to and his offensive output has slightly dipped because of that. The Cavs have the potential to be really good should they figure it out. This is a duo that took the team to the Eastern Conference finals a handful of months ago, after all.

MANNIX: Cavaliers’ Slow Start Is a James Harden Problem

14. Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg, Golden State Warriors

Yaxel Lendeborg and Stephen Curry — Rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg has been a much-needed second option for Stephen Curry and the Warriors this year | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yes, I’m elevating the 24-year-old rookie as Curry’s official second option this early in his NBA career. Lendeborg has been a revelation for the Warriors. Curry will now miss time with an oblique tear, but there’s reason to believe the rookie can keep the team afloat while the greatest shooter of all time gets healthy. As the 11th pick in the draft, Lendeborg is averaging 21.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He looks like Curry’s true second option, which the Warriors sorely needed while Jimmy Butler gets healthy and Kristaps Porziņģis decided to step away from the NBA amid ongoing health issues. Plus, any duo with Curry has a case and gets a slight bump over some more seasoned star pairs. He’s still doing it at 38 years old.

NEXT: What Yaxel Lendeborg’s Emergence Means for Warriors’ Steph Curry Era and Beyond

13. Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

Toronto’s new star pair hasn’t seen a ton of run together, as Leonard is one of many players currently out due to injury. Despite the little time he’s spent next to Barnes thus far, the two make up one of the league’s most versatile wing groups. Barnes has missed the past four games himself with an adductor injury, too. If they can remain healthy, which is a big if (especially with Leonard), the duo allows the Raptors to compete with the best of the best. What Barnes sometimes doesn’t bring in scoring, Leonard makes up for. When Barnes is having a night, Leonard can take a step back. The Raptors are off to a rough start and need to get fully healthy quick.

12. Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets

Amen Thompson has a strong case as Durant’s second option, but Şengün is off to an incredible start this year as Houston’s offensive hub. You can even make an argument that Şengün has been the Rockets’ best player as they surged toward the top of the Western Conference early on. He’s leading the team in points, rebounds and assists with an all-time great scorer on the roster, one of the league’s best two-way players in Thompson and a solid point guard with Fred VanVleet’s return. Durant and Şengün were both All-Stars last season, and that should be the case once again.

11. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

Cunningham and Duren each received All-Star and All-NBA honors last season. Duren flamed out over the playoffs and had a messy restricted free agency situation over the summer, but he looked great in the Pistons’ season opener with 22 points and nine rebounds in a comeback win over the Celtics. He then went down with a hamstring injury, which puts an even greater load on Cunningham’s shoulders. Cunningham is the Batman for the Pistons’ offense no matter what, but playing alongside an All-Star center as his pick-and-roll partner has done wonders for his game.

10. Jayson Tatum and Paul George, Boston Celtics

With the two Jays no more, it’s JT and PG. George isn’t getting any younger, but he looks a lot like the former version of himself early in his Boston tenure. He went off for 36 points in Tuesday’s highly anticipated meeting with the 76ers in Philadelphia and has looked great playing next to Tatum. There’s not a ton of pressure; this is clearly Tatum’s team. But George can catch fire at any moment and bring high-level scoring when he needs to. Early in Tatum’s first full season back from his devastating Achilles injury, he’s right back to where he left off and is floating around the MVP conversation as the Celtics sit atop the Eastern Conference.

NEXT: Paul George’s Revenge Game vs. 76ers Shows Strong Start to Celtics Tenure Is No Fluke

9. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks

Irving was a trade candidate over the offseason as he’s on a completely opposite timeline compared to the new face of the Mavericks in Flagg. He stayed in town, though, which signified that the new front office led by Masai Ujiri wanted to see how the whole thing would work. Early on, it’s been electric. Irving creates his own shots with his usual nifty footwork and ballhandling, while Flagg goes to work himself once he gets the ball as one of the league’s most impactful two-way players. And Flagg is only in year No. 2. Irving won’t be Flagg’s primary partner for the majority of his career, but we’ll enjoy it while we can.

8. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

The start to the Giannis and Bam era in Miami is off to a slow start. Still, the Heat’s new tandem can’t be disregarded. Antetokounmpo has put up his usual MVP-type numbers. Adebayo had an up-and-down start but he’s had some flashes as of recent, including a 35-point, 10-rebound double-double in an overtime win over the Clippers. The Heat have a lot to figure out, going to overtime against the Clippers isn’t great for a team that hopes to contend in a stacked Eastern Conference. Despite the team’s flaws, Antetokounmpo and Adebayo form one of the NBA’s scariest frontcourts.

7. Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

Denver hasn’t lit the world on fire out of the gates, but the Nuggets still have one of the league’s top duos in Jokić and Murray. A lot of that is due to Jokić, the three-time MVP who’s a walking triple-double and one of the toughest players to guard. He hasn’t had a great start to the year for his ridiculously high standards, but Murray is on fire in the meantime. Murray finally got his first All-Star nod last year, which was his ninth season in the league. Thus far, he’s been even better. Depth is a big issue for the Nuggets, but their top two can still win games on their own.

NEXT: Is Nikola Jokić’s Slow Start Cause for Alarm for the Nuggets?

6. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

It’s not too long ago that Brunson and KAT led the Knicks to the franchise’s first championship in 53 years. New York’s title was thanks to a lot more than just those two, but Brunson is the straw that stirs the drink and Towns is critical to the offense as the best shooting big man ever with playmaking ability to boot. Brunson can take over games better than anyone in the league, and although Towns’s contract situation is sticky, the marriage is the perfect combination of complementary basketball and harmony built over two-plus seasons and a legendary title run.

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

SGA, the back-to-back MVP, has seen his supporting cast go down with difficult injuries. Jalen Williams, probably Gilgeous-Alexander’s true co-star, struggled to stay healthy last year and went down with a devastating leg injury early in the season that will keep him out for most, if not all of the year. Cason Wallace is on the same timeline, and Holmgren is out for eight to 10 weeks due to a patellar tear. Holmgren made an All-Star leap last year and would have been the Defensive Player of the Year if Victor Wembanyama wasn’t around. With a decimated lineup, Gilgeous-Alexander has kept the Thunder alive with his heroics, sticking right near 30 points per game. Back-to-back losses to the red-hot Trail Blazers hurt, but SGA is more than capable of keeping his team at the top of the standings until Holmgren returns. When both available, they limit opponents with strong defensive play and complement each other nicely on offense.

4. Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, Philadelphia 76ers

We can quibble about whether there’s a prevailing duo on this loaded Sixers roster, but Brown and Maxey are tasked with the majority of the offensive workload. LeBron James creates and Joel Embiid can still score, however Maxey and Brown are the guys. Either can pop off for 30 on any given night and, on a standard night, the Sixers likely get 20 points apiece out of them. Early on, the flashy roster has worked. Health is a long-term question specifically with Embiid and James, but the Brown and Maxey pairing lets Philly have one, if not two of the best players on the floor most nights. Putting them together makes one of the NBA’s most lethal offenses before you add all the other options the Sixers have.

3. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, Minnesota Timberwolves

The Ant and LaMelo duo was short-lived to start the year with Edwards sidelined for two months to address a nagging knee issue. With just four games under their belt together, the pairing was as electric on the floor as it was on paper. While both on the floor, the Edwards and Ball marriage has resulted in a whopping 124.1 offensive rating and +32.0 net rating. Edwards had two games with 45-plus points before his exit, and Ball has kept the Wolves afloat much better than anticipated as Minnesota awaits the superstar’s return. When both available, Ball’s vision next to Ant’s scoring and their collective shooting ability leads to one of the league’s most lethal offensive duos.

2. Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs

You could make a strong case for Stephon Castle as Wemby’s No. 2, but I’m going with Harper, the second-year guard who’s elevated into San Antonio’s secondary scorer this year. In year two, Harper has averaged 18.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Castle and De’Aaron Fox are contributing about 14 points a night apiece, too, but Harper’s status as Wemby’s second option should only grow from here. The second-year guard hasn’t reached star status himself, however. The duo ranks high because Wemby is an incredible anomaly. Right now, the French phenom is in a two-man race for the MVP award and the Spurs look like the early title favorites.

NEXT: Victor Wembanyama Is Making Every Opponent Look Silly With His Historic Start to Season

1. Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers

Wemby’s current co-star in the early MVP race is Dončić, who’s on another planet scoring the ball to start the year. He’s averaging an astronomical 38.6 points per game with six 40-point games and two in which he reached 50. That’s not sustainable, but as the NBA’s best scorer, Dončić has the potential to put up an all-time season. By his side, he has one of the league’s best second options in Reaves. Thus far, he’s putting up 24.7 points per game while shooting 40.9% from three—both career-high numbers as he’s bound for his first All-Star appearance. A backcourt of Dončić and Reaves leaves much to wish for defensively, but they get buckets better than any other duo.

COVER STORY: Inside the Mind (and Roots) of Luka Dončić, the New Face of the Lakers

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