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The landscape of the NBA has been flipped upside-down completely by what just went down during the 2019 NBA Free Agency and most of the star players have ended up forming a 2 man superteams.
This has completely opened up the path to a NBA title this season for a lot of teams. The Golden State Warriors are no more champions elect and a lot of teams have strengthened in a way that leads them down a path to the NBA Finals next season.
So without further ado, here are the top 5 duos in the NBA right now which will make next season probably one of the best ones in a long time.
#5 Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
The Portland Trail Blazers have been playing with the two-guard combination of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum since 2013 and have become one of the best back courts in recent history in the NBA.
They also tasted recent success with the Blazers when Lillard and McCollum had some amazing games in the playoffs to lead the Blazers to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1999-00.
Damian Lillard is one of the best point guards in the NBA right now and averaged 25.8 points, 6.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds in his most recent regular season, leading the Blazers to the third seed in the Western Conference and home court advantage. His game winning buzzer beater against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs was one of the highlights of last season.
CJ McCollum is not far behind, as is touted as one of the best scoring shooting guards in the league, with the potential to change the game singlehandedly. He averaged 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in his most recent regular season and had an amazing playoff series against the Denver Nuggets in the second round, leading the Blazers comeback in Game 7 to take the series 4-3 and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
The Portland Trail Blazers are going to relish keeping this duo around and successfully building around them like last season, hoping bad luck does not do them in once again. With Lillard signing a four-year extension as well, things are looking up for the Blazers in the future.
#4 Steph Curry and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
What was speculated for the whole season finally happened, Kevin Durant has left the Golden State Warriors after three seasons with them, winning two NBA titles and two NBA Finals MVP awards as well.
He left on bad terms though, after an Achilles injury which will probably force him out of the entire 2019-20 season.
Still, do not underestimate the Golden State Warriors, with or without Durant. The Warriors were a league decimating force before Durant joined them in 2016, having set the league regular season record with a 73-9 season.
Klay Thompson and Steph Curry are the best shooters in the league and you should take them lightly at your own risk.
Steph Curry has consistently been one of the most entertaining and talented point guards in the NBA and has probably set his name in stone as the best shooter in the NBA.
His range from beyond the arc is just unlimited, which does not allow defenses to sag off him, creating space for everyone else in the team.
Klay Thompson too is one of the most accurate shooters in the NBA and alongiside Curry, has led the Warriors to three NBA championships, ushering in a golden era for the franchise. Thompson is a superb player on the defensive end of the floor, his size and athleticism allows him to defend multiple positions.
While Curry averaged 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists in his most recent regular season, Klay averaged 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in his most recent regular season. The Warriors finished yet another NBA season on top of the Western Conference with a 57-25 record.
The only reason this duo falls to No. 4 is the ACL injury that Klay Thompson suffered in the Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
He will end up missing a majority of the regular season, which will be a problem for the Warriors. But, if they are able to hold their own until he returns, the Warriors will have a great chance to come roaring back into relevance with a run at the NBA title.
#3 Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have been long time friends and have had a wish to play alongside each other atleast once in their career.
This wish has finally come true in the 2019 NBA Free Agency, where the Brooklyn Nets have managed to sign both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to their roster.
Kyrie Irving is one of the most elite point guards in the NBA right now, with his ball handles already the stuff of legends.
He had an underwhelming season with the Boston Celtics last season, averaging 23.8 points, 5 rebounds and 6.9 assists. His chemistry issues were brought to light with the Celtics and he will be hoping to gel better with his friend Kevin Durant at the Nets.
Kevin Durant is considered as one of the best players to ever grace the game. He is an elite scorer and defender who can play all five positions on the court.
He had a really good season with the Warriors, averaging 26 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game. He was also having a historic post season run before he got injured against the Houston Rockets and then again in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, this time for good.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would probably be the best duo out there if it weren't for Kyrie's chemistry issues downgrading his value while Kevin Durant's Achilles injury will keep him out of the Nets' plans for the entire season and most players have not come back to their best after recovering from this injury.
#2 LeBron James and Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
Anthony Davis finally got his long standing wish as he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for a huge haul of players and draft picks, which showed just how much the Lakers wanted their newest superstar next to LeBron James.
James, who had his first year with the Lakers essentially wasted, was adamant about having a second star next to him and the Lakers complied, getting him Anthony Davis.
Davis is a generational talent and has been touted to be a future MVP. He was having a great season before his trade demand and ended up averaging 25.9 points, 12 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
He is one of the best defenders in the league and can swipe the ball just as well as he can defend the rim. Davis even has the three-point shot in his arsenal which can help with the floor spacing around LeBron James.
James, arguably, has never played with a player as talented as Anthony Davis. His debut season with the Lakers was cut down by injury, yet he averaged 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.4 assists. He ran the show when he was on the court and will now have a superb support in Anthony Davis.
These two will be looking to get showtime back to Los Angeles after a disastrous campaign in the 2018-19 NBA season and LeBron finally has the teammate he wanted to play alongside the whole time last season.
#1 Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers)
Kawhi Leonard has managed to change the NBA landscape on his own. He had 3 choices: Running it back again with the Toronto Raptors, going to the Los Angeles Lakers and making a NBA altering super team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis or his final choice, making his own legacy and super-team with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Leonard had everyone guessing until today, where he announced that he will be joining the Los Angeles Clippers on a four-year deal.
The other major news which shook the NBA was that Paul George will also be joining the Clippers, after being traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder for a record haul of 7 first round picks and 2 players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari, which has probably created the best duo in the NBA right now.
Paul George had a career year with the Thunder last season, averaging 28 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists, all of which were career highs. He carried the Thunder to the 6th spot in the Western Conference, before they were decimated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round.
Kawhi Leonard has become a Raptors legend in just a single season, joining them after being traded by the San Antonio Spurs and leading them in a historic playoff run, which culminated in the Raptors winning their first ever NBA title.
Kawhi had a superb regular season, averaging 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists and had one of the best playoff runs in recent memory, averaging 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists, winning the NBA Finals MVP as well.
The Clippers have managed to leapfrog a lot of teams in the NBA and have become instant favorites, not just contenders, for the NBA title.
They have a great group surrounding the superb duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and will be looking to meet everyone's expectations by mounting a tough challenge for the NBA championship.
Guess the Lakers players!
