Which NBA teams have the best dynamic duos? Ranking the two best players in the 30 rosters

One player is not enough to win a championship, no matter how great they are.

Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen, LeBron James had Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade and in a more modern example, two-time MVP Nikola Jokic had Jamal Murray. More on that in a bit...

The term ‘big three’ is used when weighing up championship aspirations but have you ever heard the saying ‘three’s a crowd’?

Strap in for our ranking of all 30 NBA team’s best two players, going from worst to best...

 

30) Detroit Pistons – Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren

The Pistons are a team for the future and Cunningham certainly is the player they want to be face of the franchise for years to come.

 

29) Washington Wizards – Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma

The Wizards are finally in rebuild mode after trading Bradley Beal. They are pretty bad but will be fun to watch at times with Kuzma and Poole.

 

28) Portland Trail Blazers – Deandre Ayton and Anfernee Simons

Damian Lillard’s trade to the Milwaukee Bucks made Anfernee Simons the main guard for the Trail Blazers. Getting Ayton in return for Dame was nice as well.

 

27) San Antonio Spurs – Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell

This duo is not all about Wemby, there is a lot of faith being put into young Vassell as well and Keldon Johnson is a third Spurs player to keep your eye on.

 

26) Houston Rockets – Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green

The Rockets have got a lot of young talent and added Dillon Brooks and Van Vleet in the off season. As well as young star Green, Houston have Jabari Smith Jr and Alperen Sengun.

 

25) Charlotte Hornets – LaMelo Ball and P.J. Washington

Ball is an incredible talent and a rare good draft pick from the Hornets. Brandon Miller is enjoying a steady start to life in the NBA.

 

24) Orlando Magic – Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner

Banchero is one of the best young players in the league and has a couple of handy teammates in Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr.

 

23) Brooklyn Nets – Mikal Bridges and Ben Simmons

We are leaving the bracket of teams who are pretty much completely useless and entering the bracket of teams who won’t do much but could reach the playoffs.

Bridges is enjoying being the main man in Brooklyn and it is nice to see Simmons back playing.

The latter is reliable defensively but needs to offer a bit more scoring-wise.

He can learn a thing or two from Cam Thomas, who could arguably be our pick alongside Bridges.

 

22) Toronto Raptors – Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes

Siakam thrives as the second option on a team, we learned that from Kawhi Leonard’s lone season in Toronto.

He is the main man at this moment in time and Barnes is a promising young teammates.

 

21) Indiana Pacers – Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner

Haliburton is one of the best young players in the NBA and has a great chance of leading the Pacers to a playoff berth alongside center Myles Turner.

 

20) New York Knicks – Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson

Randle easily comes under fire for his shooting numbers but is still the best player on the Knicks’ roster. Brunson is not bad either, to be fair.

 

19) Utah Jazz – John Collins and Lauri Markkanen

Two of the best big men in the league, Collins was traded to his hometown in July.

 

18) Oklahoma City Thunder – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren

The Thunder have got next. What an exciting young team this is with stars like Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Holmgren.

Shai came fifth in MVP voting last season, with Holmgren missing his entire rookie campaign through injury.

He has started the 2023/24 campaign very well.

 

17) New Orleans Pelicans – Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram

The story of Williamson’s NBA career so far is all about his injury troubles.

If he can stay healthy on a consistent basis, the Pelicans will be a team to watch.

 

16) Atlanta Hawks – Trae Young and Dejounte Murray

Murray’s defensive capabilities compliment Young’s offensive prowess quite nicely.

Are they good enough to lead the Hawks to an NBA championship, though? Probably not.

 

15) Chicago Bulls – DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine

Middle of the road. These two super athletic players compliment the Bulls’ big man, Nikola Vucevic, quite well.

 

14) Cleveland Cavaliers – Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell

This is another team full of great young talent.

As well as the brilliant Mitchell and Mobley, the Cavaliers boast a roster including Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert.

 

13) Minnesota Timberwolves – Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns

We cannot get enough of Edwards. What a player he is.

It was hard to choose between Towns and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, but the former got the nod.

Mainly because he can shoot the basketball.

 

12) Sacramento Kings – De’Aaron Fox and Domantis Sabonis

Fox became the inaugural winner of the Clutch Player of the Year award last season and has plenty of great young players around him.

After years of being mismanaged, the future is bright in Sacramento.

 

11) Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey

This duo is undoubtedly carried by MVP holder Embiid but Maxey is a great player.

The Sixers are looking good under Nick Nurse.

 

10) Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr

The Grizzlies are badly missing Morant, who returns from suspension on December 19.

Without him, they have started the season woefully. He is joined in Memphis by the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Jaren Jackson Jr.

Desmond Bane is trying to carry the offensive burden on his back and the off-season acquisition of Marcus Smart was nice.

But, yeah, Memphis are bad without Morant.

 

9) Miami Heat – Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo

The Heat have two superb All-Stars leading them again this season.

It’s also nice to see Tyler Herro stepping up in a big way after avoiding being traded for the 200th consecutive season.

 

8) Golden State Warriors – Steph Curry and Klay Thompson 

The Warriors’ famous core of Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green is entering yet another season as contenders for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Thompson is definitely past his best but Curry is still an offensive phenom and the greatest shooter in the world. And of all time.

 

7) LA Lakers – LeBron James and Anthony Davis

Speaking of still being great, LeBron is taking the mickey in year 21 in the league.

It is a joke. He is the oldest player in the NBA, for what it’s worth.

AD is brilliant as well, but he is injured all the time. What a shame.

At least Austin Reaves is there to fill in as James’ Robin when Davis is out.

 

6) Boston Celtics – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Tatum and Brown are synonymous with the Celtics’ franchise these days.

Adding Kristaps Porzingis in the off-season will hopefully get Boston over the line come playoff time.

 

5) LA Clippers – Paul George and Kawhi Leonard

Adding James Harden will either help the Clippers win it all or make the whole project fall apart. There is no in-between.

Ignoring, Harden, Los Angeles have a superb duo in George and Kawhi, who are both world-class defensively and offensively.

 

4) Dallas Mavericks – Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving

There is definitely more offense than defense with this duo, but there is an argument for these two being No. 1.

Doncic is an MVP in waiting after another immense start to a season.

 

3) Denver Nuggets – Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray

We could not have left the reigning champions out of the top three.

Out of all ten players in the top five, Murray is definitely the worst, but this duo just works.

And it includes the Joker, who is just that: a frigging joke.

 

2) Phoenix Suns – Kevin Durant and Devin Booker

The award for the best big three in the league would comfortably be Phoenix following their signing of Bradley Beal.

The duo of Durant and Booker just misses out on top spot, however.

 

1) Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard (Khris Middleton)

Here we have it, folks. The best duo in the NBA is a newly formed duo after the Bucks traded for Lillard in September.

Arguably the best player in the league, Giannis, has been joined by one of the best scorers in the league.

This is going to be fun.

READ MORE: All the latest odds on from the 2023/24 NBA season