NBA: Ranking the Top 5 Duos in the 2023-24 Season
By Jeremiah Santos
(Photo : Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - LeBron James (#23) and Anthony Davis (#3) of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate after defeating the Denver Nuggets 124-121 at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 10, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
The recent NBA offseason witnessed some remarkable and potentially landscape-altering moves, including star point guard Damian Lillard being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
How does the new Lillard-Antetokoumpo duo stack up against those of proven partnerships, some of which have won the NBA title?
That said, here are the top five duos in the NBA heading into the 2023-24 season.
1. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker - Phoenix Suns
The Suns have two of the league's top offensive players, Durant and Booker, heading into their first full season together.
Despite his age of 35, Durant retains his status as an elite player, while the 26-year-old Booker continues to ascend as one of the premier talents in the league, being the best shooting guard in the association.
Durant's 2022-23 averages: 29.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 5.0 APG, 0.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Booker's 2022-23 averages: 26.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG
2. LeBron James and Anthony Davis - Los Angeles Lakers
James and Davis dragged the Lakers to a deep Western Conference Finals run after a rocky 2-10 start last season, eliminating the then-defending champions Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.
At 38 years old, James defies age and maintains his status as an elite player, while Davis, 30, remains one of the top big men in the league.
James' 2022-23 averages: 28.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Davis' 2022-23 averages: 25.9 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 2.0 BPG
3. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown - Boston Celtics
Despite failing to return to the NBA Finals last season, Tatum, 25, continued to rise as one of the best overall players in the league, averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists and Celtic to average over 30 points per game.
Meanwhile, the Celtics expressed their confidence in Brown, 26, largest contract in NBA history worth $304 million in five years.
Tatum's 2022-23 averages: 30.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Brown's 2022-23 averages: 23.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard - Milwaukee Bucks
Arguably of the offseason, NBA 75 member Lillard, 33, has joined the Bucks, forming a partnership in the NBA, Antetokounmpo, 28. Both are coming off remarkable individual 2022-23 campaigns with over 30 PPG.
Their distinct inside and outside playing styles complement each other effectively, as they compensate for each other's weaknesses while contributing to their combined strength on the court. Only time will tell if they could be the best partnership in the league.
Antetokpunmpo's 2022-23 averages: 31.1 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Lillard's 2022-23 averages: 32.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 7.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
5. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray - Denver Nuggets
Jokic, 28, and Murray, 26, led the Nuggets in franchise history in 2023, and they were both spectacular in the postseason. They could be doing even more with both entering deeper into their primes simultaneously.
Murray, who had a full offseason of rest without the burden of rehabilitation following an ACL injury in 2021, might be inspired to secure his first All-Star selection.
Jokic's 2022-23 averages: 24.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Murray's 2022-23 averages: 20.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
