BY: DONOVAN HOLDEN
Every NBA team needs a Robin to compliment their Batman, but very rarely do you have two players who can be your “Batman” on any given night. These duos listed are fan favorites, league superstars, and players who take a franchises championship aspirations to new heights.
A Class of Their Own:
Kevin Durant x James Harden
Kevin Durant x Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving x James Harden
The best way to describe this trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving is no matter how you pair them up, they are going to be the best duo in the league. Between the three of them they have; 3 NBA Championships, 2 league MVPs and 2 Final’s MVPs. Kevin Durant holds most of the hardware, but Harden is legitimately one of the best scorers in league history, and has led the NBA in points per-game the last three seasons. Not to mention Kyrie Irving who since he has entered the league has been taking defenders ankles like it is nobody’s business, considered the best ball handler of all-time, and finishes at the basket like no other point guard across the Association. Their only kryptonite or weakness they have would be chemistry issues or off court antics.
Duo’s Stats:
Kevin Durant: 29.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.2 APG
James Harden: 24.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 11.3 APG (League Leader)
Kyrie Irving: 27.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.8 APG
The Champs:
LeBron James x Anthony Davis
Between the two of them they have 5 NBA titles and they are coming off their first NBA Championship together in just their second season as teammates. As soon as Davis came on the scene in L.A. it was apparent to the entire league and everyone who understood the game that this duo would be an absolute problem. Davis is just entering the prime of his career at age 27 and he is already such an accomplished player. He is almost a shoe in for All-NBA teams every year, and is always in the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year.
LeBron James “The Washed King”, what he jokingly refers to himself as now, is in year 18, but is still playing at the top of his game. James is yet to miss a game this season, has posted multiple triple-doubles, and at age 36 he is averaging more minutes than Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, Zion Williamson, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, and Bam Adebayo (Via StatMuse). LeBron and AD have every intention on reaching the NBA Finals again this year, and no one would be surprised if they do. This duo’s only weakness or kryptonite is having to go through a burdensome playoff schedule in the extremely talented Western Conference.
Duo Stats:
LeBron James: 25.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.9 APG
Anthony Davis: 22.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.9 BPG (blocks per-game)
Top Shelf:
Paul George x Kawhi Leonard
These two have the most to prove on my NBA duo list, and it probably isn’t close. Two seasons ago Kawhi Leonard won an NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors, and left during that same offseason to join the Los Angeles Clippers. Last season the Clippers began as the favorites to win the Championship only to get eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in a playoff series where they held a 3-1 lead, and Paul George during that series did not play anywhere near his true potential. But all that aside these two are undoubtedly a couple of the best two-way players in the entire league. George and Leonard both average over 24 PPG, and record over a steal a game on the defensive end.
The Clippers currently hold the 3rd seed in the Western Conference, and this pairing can be thanked for the early season success. The “Claw” and “PG13” are seeking revenge on the entire Western Conference and will not be satisfied until they are in the NBA Finals. Their weakness is if Paul George continues to struggle in the playoffs or if the Clippers as a whole can’t close out a series.
Duo Stats:
Kawhi Leonard: 26.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 5.1 APG
Paul George: 24.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.5 APG, 47.8 FG3%
The Up And Coming:
Jayson Tatum x Jaylen Brown
The “Jays” are not only the best young duo in the NBA (Jaylen Brown 24/Jayson Tatum 22), but they are also the most experienced young duo in the NBA. These youngsters in just their first year together made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, and came up just short in a game 7 to a LeBron James led Cavaliers team. They made another Conference Finals last season, coming up short to the Miami Heat, and neither of them have ever missed the playoffs.
Jayson Tatum has made it extremely clear since his rookie season that he was going to be a superstar in the near future, and the time is now. Jaylen Brown came into the league as an athletic forward who could dunk the ball, and had potential to expand his game, now Brown has improved his entire offensive arsenal. He can score off the dribble, catch and shoot the three, create an open jump shot off the dribble, and can dunk on pretty much any defender that he pleases. They call them “Fire and Ice” because their games are different but compliment each other so well. Both of them have great size for what they can do with the basketball, and are on their way to being elite defenders too. (each averaging well over 1 steal per-game). The Jay’s weakness could be the Celtic’s thin roster right now, and they could end up having to carry too much of the work load.
Duo Stats:
Jayson Tatum: 26.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 4.1 APG
Jaylen Brown: 26.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 42.7 FG3%