The era of the “Big Three” is over. Dous are what is in around the league.
Blame the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax, but the days of front offices thinking in terms of needing three elite stars to win a title is at an end. It was always difficult to assemble such teams, but now the tax apron makes it incredibly difficult to keep three max players together with enough support around them to win for any length of time.
Elite duos — with a roster of high-quality role players around them — is the direction the league is heading now. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston won a ring two years ago, while last season it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Who are the best duos in the NBA? Here are my top seven (followed by some honorable mentions/names to watch).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams (Thunder)
“I think both of us just trust each other, have the same mindset, winning mindset, want the best for each other above all,” Gilgeous-Alexander said during the Finals of his chemistry with Williams. “Me and him are also naturally really good friends. We talk all the time on and off the court. Always together. That helps with it, for sure. Then we just use our experiences together to grow.”
SGA and J-Dub were the driving force behind Oklahoma City winning 68 games last season, and they are the reason Adam Silver will be handing the team rings on opening night (right here on NBC and Peacock). It helps that their games complement each other.
Last season, the Thunder had a +13.1 net rating in the regular season when Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams shared the court (that was a still-impressive +7.1 in the playoffs). Their play and that ring makes them the most decorated duo in Thunder history — which is no small honor considering this franchise saw Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, and then Westbrook and Paul George.
One can argue OKC is a “Big Three” with Chet Holmgren — and all three are now on max extensions — but at the core, it is Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander that are the driving force that makes the Thunder the team to beat this season.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
This remains the most devastating and unstoppable pick-and-roll combination in the league. This duo is why a championship banner hangs in Ball Arena.
They didn’t take a step back last season: Denver had a +11.1 net rating when they shared the court, across 58 games. This season, the Nuggets’ duo is surrounded by a deeper roster of quality role players — Cameron Johnson, Bruce Brown and Tim. Hardaway Jr. join returners Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson — but it is Jokic and Murray who make Denver the biggest threat to Oklahoma City in the West.
Donvan Mitchell and Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
If any team outside OKC is close to a “Big Three,” it is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Any combination of Mitchell, Mobley and Darius Garland works (and if you doubt how critical Garland is, think back to last year’s playoffs and how their offense struggled as Garland was not nearly himself trying to play through a turf toe injury).
However, we are putting Mitchell and Mobley as the key duo — if the Cavaliers are going to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time without that “kid from Akron,” this is the duo that will fuel it. Mobley is the Defensive Player of the Year who added 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds a game last season, and the Cavaliers are banking on him making another offensive step forward next season. Mitchell is the first-team All-NBA rock this team relies on for big plays, a guy who averaged 24 points and five assists a game last season.
When Mitchell and Mobley shared the court last season, the Cavaliers had a +11.1 net rating. Do that again and Cleveland likely sets itself up to repeat as the No. 1 seed in the East and give itself a chance to make it to the Finals.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green (Warriors)
At the end of the day, these are the two men Steve Kerr trusts more than any others — they were the Warriors’ most used pairing last season, and the team had a +7.3 net rating when they shared the court.
Curry’s legendary shooting and handles are the gravity that opens up the Warriors’ offense, and Green’s passing out of the short roll keeps the offense humming. Plus, Green remains the middle linebacker of the Warriors’ defense.
Yes, the Warriors have Jimmy Butler plus some key role players, but if Golden State is going to make postseason noise, it will be because Curry and Green are in vintage form.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
This duo, thrown together just before the opening of training camp last season, ended up lifting the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
It also was not a seamless fit. The Knicks had a +4.9 net rating when Towns and Brunson shared the court, with weak defensive numbers holding them back. That defense looked better by the playoffs, after Mitchell Robinson had returned and played next to Towns.
The potential is there for more, and new coach Mike Brown will lean into the depth of this roster, seeking better combinations while giving his stars some rest. Still, if the Knicks are going to take advantage of their opportunities in the East this season, it has to start with Brunson and Towns, and them being a little more comfortable and playing better off each other this season.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic (Lakers)
Two of the highest IQ players in the game next to each other, two brilliant passers who can both score. This duo has the potential to be unstoppable.
That wasn’t the case last season, when Doncic was shockingly traded to Los Angeles at the February deadline — the Lakers had a +2 net rating when they shared the court. Defense was what held them back.
Now, with a full training camp to iron out the kinks, expectations are high in Los Angeles (they always are with Lakers fans), especially with “skinny” Luka showing up to camp. However, defense remains the primary concern: Doncic is a solid team defender but can be targeted individually, LeBron can dial up stretches of defense still but is no longer a consistent force on that end, and another starter in Austin Reaves is a target. That’s going to put a lot of pressure on new center DeAndre Ayton to clean up issues in the paint and around the rim. How coach J.J. Redick handles this team’s defense will be one of the key questions of the season.
Still, with the duo of LeBron and Luka, the Lakers can beat anybody on a given night.
James Harden and Ivica Zubac (Clippers)
The most overlooked duo in the NBA: They played the third most minutes of any two-man combo in the league last season, and the Clippers had a very impressive +10.3 net rating when they shared the court.
While he has a deep roster to lean on through 82 games, expect coach Tyronn Lue to play a lot of Harden and Zubac together, using their two-man game. Lue, as a coach, leans into what works and this pairing works.
Honorable mention:
• Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox (Spurs). We only saw them together for five games last season (before Wembanyama’s shoulder blood clots ended his season), but if they mesh as expected, I could look foolish for not having them in the top seven.
• Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson (Rockets). A potentially devastating pairing on the wing, and one with a lot more shot creation and team organization responsibilities now that Fred VanVleet is out for the season.
• Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner (Magic). We only got to see them together for 40 games last season (the team had a +3.8 net rating in the minutes they shared the court). Orlando is poised for a leap this season, but needs this duo to stay healthy and take a step forward together.
• Trae Young and Jalen Johnson (Hawks). Another team with a great offseason, but if this team is going to make the leap from being a perpetual play-in team to a top-four squad, these two have to carry the heavy load. Last season the Hawks were a +4.3 when they were on the court together, but that was only in 34 games due to injuries.
• Paul George and Joel Embiid (76ers). Potentially as good as any duo on this list, but they have to stay healthy and on the court this season. Last season they played just 18 games together and both enter this season with questions about their health.
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