NBA 2015-16: 8 In-form dynamic duos in the league so far

22-year-old Bradley Beal and 25-year-old John Wall.

Dwyane Wade and LeBron JamesTwo or three All-Star level players leading and running the team has been no recent phenomena in the NBA. Back in the 1960’s Bill Russell and Bob Cousy led a dynasty for the Celtics winning six NBA Championships together. The most recent duo to dominate the league were the buddy combo of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, who made four NBA Finals appearances in four years with the Miami Heat, winning two titles in 2012 and 2013.For the Celtics, Russell manned the paint while Cousy ran the offense, leading the league in assists eight seasons in a row. On the other hand James and Wade were two players who could produce and contribute to the team on both ends of the floor. They were the toughest to guard on fast breaks off turnovers in the open floor.Considering factors such as dominance and importance to their team, here are eight in-form dynamic duos in the league so far:

#8 Bradley Beal and John Wall

22-year-old Bradley Beal and 25-year-old John Wall.

Bradley Beal 2015-16 averages: 20.4 points and 4.3 rebounds (47.8% shooting)

John Wall 2015-16 averages: 16.6 points and 8.4 assists.

This season the Washington Wizards have adopted a small ball fast-paced offensive system, which seems to have borne fruit at least through the season’s first 10 games. The Wizards starting back court in Wall and Beal are a huge reason for the new offensive style adopted by the team. The teams ranks 9th in offensive efficiency and 4th in pace this season as compared to 19th and 16th in the respective stats last season.

Both guards are quick, agile and have contrasting style of plays. Wall is among the league’s top guards when it comes to finishing near the rim with both hands and court vision while Beal is a traditional shooting guard and the better shooter among the two. The team’s shooters on the court along with this duo have thrived in the new system, which even led to a win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Here Beal’s buzzer beater over the Spurs for the W:

youtube-cover

#7 Marc Gasol and Mike Conley

Marc Gasol and Mike Conley Jr.

Marc Gasol 2015-16 averages: 15.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

Mike Conley 2015-16 averages: 14.9 points and 6.6 assists (40% shooting).

The grit and grind house of Memphis Grizzlies got off to a rought start to the 2015-16 season. Although they are known for their defense, the Grizzlies lost two games in their first five by a combined point differential of 80 points (30 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and 50 against the Golden State Warriors). A lot of that has to do with their key players in Conley and Gasol struggling to find their rhythm.

Through 9 games they registered a record of 3-6 but since then, things have gone their way. They have won four of their last five games and a lot of that has to do with the re-emergence of the Conley and Gasol combo. Over the last five games, Gasol has averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists while Conley has averaged 19 points and 7 assists on an improved shooting percentage of 47%.

Recently against a slipping Houston Rockets squad, Marc Gasol recorded his first triple double to lead the Grizzlies to a 96-84 win. Here are the highlights from that performance:

youtube-cover

#6 Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol

Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol

Jimmy Butler 2015-16 averages: 21 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

Pau Gasol 2015-16 averages: 13.8 points and 9.7 rebounds.

With Derrick Rose suffering from double vision after eye surgery in the pre-season and struggling to carry the team consistently, Jimmy Butler has stepped up to the plate for the Chicago Bulls. His play on both ends of the floor has taken a step forward from last season, proving to all his Most Improved Player Award was no fluke. On the other hand the ever consistent and efficient 35 year old Pau Gasol continues to put up big numbers for the Bulls.

With Rose struggling and Mike Dunleavy Jr. out with injury, the Butler-Gasol combo has been the focal point of the offense and defense for the team. Bulls run their offense repeatedly through Butler and trust him to make the right decisions while Gasol is a quick solution to get points with his crafty moves in the paint.

Here’s a near triple double performance by Butler when the Bulls nearly upset the undefeated Warriors:

youtube-cover

#6 DeMar Derozan and Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan

DeMar Derozan 2015-16 averages: 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

Kyle Lowry 2015-16 averages: 20.6 points and 6.2 assists

The starting guard combo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan for the Toronto Raptors are among the top back courts in the league. The Raptors average 18.1 assists per game and the duo contribute 10.5 of them while also averaging 40% of the team’s total scoring. A lot of the team’s offense involves one on one basketball and that is largely due to this duo’s offensive prowess.

As the stats suggest Lowry and Derozan are a huge part of the Raptors game plan each night. However just when you thought the duo couldn’t do more, they will have to as the team have just lost their starting center Jonas Valancuinas, who suffered a broken bone in his non-shooting hand.

On the end of a 5 game West Coast road trip, Lowry went beserk from beyond the arc against the Lakers. Watch here:

youtube-cover

#4 Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson

Detroit’s backbone

Andre Drummond 2015-16 averages: 18.4 points and 17.8 rebounds

Reggie Jackson 2015-16 averages: 20.4 points and 5.4 assists (44% shooting)

Stan Van Gundy has built a 2.0 version of the Orlando Magic from the 2008-10 seasons, in his second year with these Detroit Pistons. Instead of Dwight Howard, the Pistons are built around dominant rebounding center Andre Drummond and numerous shooters surrounding him on the perimeter. Although the team is at a mediocre record of 7-6 through 13 games, the team has shown promises that it never did last season.

Sometimes singlehandedly or in their two man game, Drummong and Jackson have been the leaders of the team on the floor. Right since the start of the season, Drummond has been a monster on the boards averaging 17.8 rebounds including registering three 20+ points and 20+ rebounds games. Meanwhile more often than not Jackson has answered the call on offense in multiple ways- long range shot, floater and efficient mid-range jumper.

A week back down 18, Jackson scored 26 points of his 40 to lead the Pistons to a win over the Portland Trailblazers courtesy of 41-11 fourth quarter turnaround. Watch here:

youtube-cover

#3 Kevin Love and LeBron James

Kevin Love and LeBron James

Kevin Love 2015-16 averages: 18.3 points and 12 rebounds

LeBron James 2015-16 averages: 26.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists

Love and James are one among very few duos in the league that each have a Player Efficiency Rating of above 20. With key players like Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert out, and others like Timofey Mozgov and Andresen Varejao returning from injuries or surgeries, the Head Coach David Blatt did a magnificent job of implementing an offense where Love’s abilities are used to the fullest.

With Love thriving and the offense running through James (numbers suggest that), Cavaliers have got off a decent ( by their standards) start of 10-3. Their new found depth is clicking well under the leadership of James and has the the city very positive about a second championship run this season. Through the fairly successful start to the season, James has been on a record breaking spree.

He passed Jerry West recently to be 19th on the all-time scoring list. Prior to that, in a game against Philadelphia he passed the 25000 points mark, being the youngest to do so.

youtube-cover

#2 Draymond Green and Stephen Curry

Reigning MVP Stephen Curry and Draymond Green

Draymond Green 2015-16 averages: 12.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists

Stephen Curry 2015-16 averages: 32.7 points, 5.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds

First let’s get to Stephen Curry, the reigning league MVP. Saying he started the season on fire would be an understatement for how he played the first 10-11. He leads the league in scoring with his average, which includes a 50 pointer, three 40+ points games. He has shot 74 3-pointers so far, which puts him on track for a season at 404. Here’s a crazy stat, through 11 or so games his tally of 3 pointers is more than a couple of teams (Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers).

Getting to the duo, not only are these players individually gifted but their combo makes their team deadly. Their pick and roll is unstoppable right now, because Curry’s hot shooting attracts both defenders which leaves Green with a 4 on 3 situation, after which he can kick out off of his penetration for a open three or a lob it up to the center for a dunk.

Oh, by the way Curry leads the league in Player Efficiency Rating with 33.64.

Here’s Curry season high performance agaisnt the New Orleans Pelicans:

youtube-cover

#1 Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook

Kevn Durant and Russell Westbrook

Kevin Durant 2015-16 averages: 28.1 points, 7.3 rebounds (50.3% shooting)

Russell Westbrook 2015-16 averages: 28.2 points, 10.2 assists and 7.6 rebounds

These guys have to be at the top of the list, without a doubt. Westbrook is second while Durant is third on the league’s PER rankings, which says a lot about their contributions to the team. Often their contribution to the team for a win is the only substantial input, with hardly any other player scoring in double digits. In the opening week of the ongoing season, the Thunder overcame a resilient Orlando Magic team in double overtime with KD and Russ scoring 40 each while no other OKC players registered above 12 points.

Let’s leave the team aside. If you have rank them solely on the basis of their importance to the team and their dominance on the court, they are No. 1. They have proven that multiple times, even in the NBA Playoffs.

youtube-cover

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor