5. Kyrie Irving / Dion Waiters: Offensively, Irving is already a top-five point guard. He’s an efficiency monster, despite playing with arguably the least talented team in the NBA. Outside of Anderson Varejao (who has missed the last seven games), the Cavs have no other starting-caliber players. Case in point, career bench scorer CJ Miles was just inserted into the starting lineup. Irving won the 2012 rookie of the year, was the best player in “clutch time” according to 82games.com, has been compared to Chris Paul, and according to advanced metrics created by an ESPN writer is slated to become the best point guard in 2015. He’s already a fantastic shooter, flawlessly ambidextrous, knows how to create space, and seems to have mastered the finer nuances of being a floor general despite being only 20 years old. The only question is, where does he go from here? His defense will need to improve, as can his playmaking ability, and he’ll one day challenge the 50/40/90 plateau. The Paul comparisons offensively are there, though Paul isn’t as natural of a scorer. But defensively? There’s no way Irving reaches that level. Paul’s knack for steals is unmatched, and not something you can learn. Another red flag with Irving is his injury proneness. He missed all but 11 games in his lone season at Duke, missed 15 games last year, and has already missed 11 games this season. That's quite an injury history for a guy in only his second season. As his body matures, and he gets stronger, the hope is that these injuries will occur less frequently. Still, it is a red flag to watch for. As for Waiters, he’s got a long, long, long journey ahead of him before he fulfills all the Dwyane Wade comparisons he received before, during, and shortly after the draft. He doesn’t get to the line enough, is no where near as active defensively as Wade, and he jacks up a lot of threes and ill-advised long twos. The Marcus Thornton comparisons are probably more in line. Still, Paul and Thornton is a pretty fearsome backcourt.
4. Stephen Curry / Klay Thompson: Right now, I’m not sure there is a better backcourt in the NBA (with all due respect to the duo in Houston)—definitely not a better shooting backcourt. Curry is shooting a scalding 45.6 percent from deep, dealing a career high 6.5 dimes per game, and playing smart, effective defense. After struggling the first month with his shot, Thompson turned things around in December, also shooting 45 percent from deep. He too is playing smart, effective defense, and has improved his non percentage stats across the board. The baby-faced backcourt, along with soon-to-be all-star David Lee, have led the Warriors to the fifth best record in the ultra-competitive Western Conference despite playing with three rookies and a guy shooting 36.4 percent from the foul line. Add Jarrett Jack to the mix, and without doubt this is the best backcourt rotation in the Association (with all due respect to the Clippers). So, why then is the Curry / Thompson pairing rated only fourth? The biggest reason is Curry’s ankle. Injuries could derail anyone on this list, but Curry has already proven frail missing 40 of 66 games last year due to constant problems with his ankle. And before this season even began, he rolled the ankle during a preseason game. Another reason for this ranking is projecting Thompson. He can shoot from deep, but is only mediocre from everywhere else on the floor. Even if he improves his shot, his upside seems limited due to the fact he’s only an average athlete. Still, pie in the sky thinking, Curry could be a scoring-minded Steve Nash, and Thompson could be Ray Allen 2.0. That’s mind blowing. Still, questions about their toughness remain and will linger until proven otherwise. I'd like to see how these guys perform in the playoffs, when the game slows down, the refs swallow their whistles, and the play gets more physical. Both Thompson and Curry have upped their feistiness this year, but they still lack strength. In the end, they could be the SSOL Phoenix Suns of backcourts—dominate in the regular season, pushovers in the playoffs. And, in the NBA, the playoffs are what it's all about.
3. Russell Westbrook / Jeremy Lamb: It’s an odd place for this tandem, who isn’t even really a tandem yet considering that Lamb has logged a meager 49 minutes of playing time this season—a minute over a full game. Nobody but Sam Presti thought Westbrook was a point guard coming out of UCLA, but he has since worked his way to becoming a one of the best in the world. Due to his improvements this year, his unmatched athleticism, his already phenomenal production, and his still Grand Canyon-sized need for improvement in decision-making—Westbrook is the highest upside point guard in the NBA. Learning to run a team, for those who aren’t familiar with it, takes time. And year after year he has steadily improved his lead guard skills while still producing at a high enough level to reach the NBA finals. No one really knows what Lamb will be able to do at this level. But, like Westbrook, he’s got all of the tools. The 20-year-old is 6-5, with a 7-1 wingspan and is an explosive jumper with smooth athleticism (think Tracy McGrady). He came into the NBA with a rep as a defender, and defensively, that 7-1 wingspan brings to mind a shorter, but more athletic Tayshaun Prince. Pair that length with Westbrook’s ball-hawking, and you’ve got a duo that could push the next pair on this list for best defensive backcourt in the league. Offensively, Lamb showed in college that he’s better playing off the ball—catching and shooting, spotting up, and coming off picks—which is ideal for the ball-dominating Westbrook, especially since, you know, the second best player in the league (Kevin Durant) is going to have the ball a lot too. Of course, Lamb has yet to play meaningful minutes (though he’s getting a bit more burn of late), but I have learned not to bet against the wisdom of Darryl Morey, who has a history of drafting well. Besides the picks that are plying their trade overseas, or the one that has mental health issues, every other of Morey’s first round picks (and quite a few of his second rounders) has been a legitimate NBA player. If Lamb lives up to half his potential and Westbrook stays the same, this duo will be a top five backcourt. Now, if they reach their full potential…skies the limit.
2. Rajon Rondo / Avery Bradley: I think they have the potential to be tops on this list, but there are two question marks holding them back and they both have to do with Bradley. First, how will his knee injury affect his athleticism? And second, is Bradley the player who averaged 15 ppg on 53 percent shooting that we saw for 20 games last year, or was that simply his Ronald Murray impersonation? By all indications, the 22-year-old Bradley is set for a breakout (half) season. While it’s likely Bradley will be unable to shoot at such a high level for an entire season, I do believe that he is a transformative defensive presence. Last year, during the regular season, the Celtics gave up 3.6 more points per game with Bradley off the court. That number ballooned to 12.9 during the playoffs. With Rondo channeling his inner Kobe Bryant and playing defensive centerfield—a place where his freakishly long arms and quick reactions make him lethal—and Bradley smothering guards into submission, this tandem has the ability to be the most fearsome defensive backcourt since Gary Payton and Hersey Hawkins were frustrating Michael Jordan in the finals. No team in the NBA has a pair of defensive aces that complement each other so nicely. Bradley is mediocre with the ball in his hands, but he cuts well, shoots the ball well as a spotup, and is excellent in transition. Rondo’s bread and butter is finding his teammates in their favorite spots with pinpoint passing. He also rebounds well, and is lightning in transition. The speed, lateral quickness, and athleticism is unmatched. As discussed early this week, Rondo still needs to learn how to shoot freethrows and improve from long range. Bradley needs to improve his handle and decision-making. Both players are blue-collar hard working individuals with R Kelly-sized chips on their shoulders, and both have made significant strides in improving their games over the course of their respective careers.
1. Jeremy Lin / James Harden: Look, this is probably not the right answer. But of everyone on this list, these two guys have proven they can both do extraordinary things, while still maintaining a large window of potential growth. Linsanity was the perfect firestorm of circumstance, opportunity, ability, system, hype and luck. I get that. But still, what Lin did had never been done before. That counts for something. What also counts is that while he struggled the first month of the season, he has since proven his staying power with a strong December, averaging 14 ppg, 6 apg, 3 rpg, and 1.6 spg on 49 percent from the field. Is it Linsanity? No, but it helped net the Rockets a 10-6 record that has lifted them into the playoff picture. Likewise, Fear the Beard led to Harden’s selection of sixth man of the year, as well as a trip to the NBA finals. He’s struggled this year at times already with 11 games shooting under 40 percent (three of which were under 20 percent), but he’s had a foundational month of December, averaging 27.7 ppg, 5.2 apg, 4.6 rpg, 2 spg, on 46 percent from the field. While I did expect the up and down output, I didn’t expect these kinds of numbers from the bearded one. It’s early yet, and he could still fall back down to earth, but as of right now, he certainly does look like at worst, to be an all-star for many years to come. Outside of their porous defense (something that both can improve due to above average athleticism, and a knack for thievery), the main problem cited by most pundits is that their skill sets largely replicate each other. Both need the ball in their hands to be most effective. But, this is why I feel they are actually perfectly suited to help each other out. They take pressure off of the other, limiting fatigue, and creating havoc for defenses who must worry about two elite wingers that can penetrate, finish, and kick out to open shooters. Both are adept at getting to the line. Harden leads the league in that category, which has limited Lin’s opportunities. But as he showed in the game against San Antonio (that Harden missed) where he went 12-12 for the line and scored 38 points, Lin is more than capable when given the chance. Furthermore, the duo seems to have started to figure things out, which is why over the month of December the Houston Rockets have averaged 109 points per game as opposed to 101 over the first month of the season and have risen to the league’s seventh best offensive rating. Moving forward, defense and spot up shooting are where these two will need to make the most strides in order to earn this top spot. Of course, my initial feelings regarding Harden could still be true. Which would knock this duo down several notches.
In the end, there is no way to determine which duo will be the best in a few years. Talent is always getting better and shows up every July shaking David Stern and Adam Silver's hands. Perhaps Chris Paul will suddenly be paired with a dynamic young shooting guard, or Derrick Rose find himself an ideal young winger who can defend and shoot. Maybe one of the guys above suffers a catastrophic injury, or gets traded, or gets paid and regresses.
The future is uncertain. This much is certain, let the debates begin!
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