NBA returns with a bang on July 30 in Orlando. While we have had scrimmage games, they have been without stakes. Most teams were using the time to get their players in shape, with not many stars playing more than 25 minutes. The second the balls tip-off in the seeding games, there will be genuine stakes attached. Some teams will battle for favorable seeding positions and others are fighting for a chance to even snake in.

This season has been marked by dynamic duos. After the ‘Big Threes’ of the 2010s, the 2020s have two superstars distributed across the league. At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to which duos rise to the occasion and which duos choke under pressure.

The NBA and their Top Five Duos

Some terrific duos that aren’t on this list but are too good to go by without mention are:

• Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
• Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
• Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
• Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
• Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
• Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)

Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are going to be on this list for the foreseeable future. The young guard-forward tandem has already had an explosive start to life together. They have orchestrated one of the greatest offenses in NBA history. Doncic’s elevation to an MVP-level player and KP returning to all-star form when the season ended make them a deceptive low-seed. The pair can get hot and score from any part of the court. They are easily one of the most dangerous offensive tandems in the bubble.

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Luka Doncic: 28.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists.

Kristaps Porzingis: 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks.

Khris Middleton‘s contributions to the Milwaukee Bucks have been criminally underrated. There is a reason that he made his second all-star team this year. I don’t need to sell you on Giannis; he’s probably winning his second MVP this season. But Middleton’s play has enabled Giannis to have the impact that he has had. Middleton had one of the greatest shooting seasons this year, almost making it to the elusive 50-40-90 club. However, the history of the other duos and their players are more, so they are relegated to fourth place on this list.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.

Khris Middleton: 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. 

Harden and Westbrook were one pace away from not making this list. However, the small-ball revolution, and especially Westbrook’s improvement has them force their way on here. They are the highest-scoring duo in the league this season and are on pace to become the highest-scoring duo of the last 50 years. That sort of impact is undeniable, even if the Rockets aren’t at the top of the conference. Harden is about to win his third consecutive NBA scoring title and Westbrook is the league leader in points scored in the post. This duo has the potential of getting hot and knocking a higher-seed out in the first round.

James Harden: 34.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists.

Russell Westbrook: 27.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.  

It is obvious that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have lost out to the Lakers on this list, and we will talk about that in a second. However, Kawhi and PG may be the most dangerous duo. Their size and versatility allow them to impact the game in every facet when required. The lack of action the pair have seen together is the only reason for their rank. They are ahead of Westbrook and Harden only because we know how effective they are when they play together. The Clippers are 17-7 with their star duo on the NBA court together. PG has shown a tendency to choke in the playoffs, but Kawhi does the exact opposite. They’ll look to be the balancing duo to stop ‘Bron from recapturing the throne.

Kawhi Leonard: 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Paul George: 21 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. 

It truly is the battle of L.A. However, based on what we have seen of these duos this season, the Lakers have to be ahead of them. LeBron and AD have played consistent minutes together and led the Lakers to the top seed in the NBA’s Western Conference. The pair are almost averaging 50 points between them and complement each other in terms of defense and playmaking. Their potential as a duo is realized, whereas we still need to see more of PG-13 and Kawhi play. The existing chemistry means that AD and LeBron are the interim kings of L.A. Let’s see what we say in October.

LeBron James: 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 10.6 assists.

Anthony Davis: 26.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks 

Source: Stats – Basketball Reference