Courtesy: Bleacher Report
As we are set to enter the 2014-15 NBA season, there has been a lot of debate and discussion over which team possesses the best backcourt duo. This debate opened up during the Washington Wizards media day, when Washington’s starting shooting guard, Bradley Beal, told media that him and John Wall are “definitely the best backcourt in the league”. Is this a true statement coming from the third year veteran? This article will determine and figure out just who is the best backcourt by ranking the top five backcourt duos heading into the 2014-15 NBA season.
5. Phoenix Suns: Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic
The Phoenix Suns have been rebuilding for a while and Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic have provided a strong foundation in the backcourt for Phoenix. The Suns’ offense is built around these two, who are extremely talented and provide a slashing based offense with a lot of off-ball movement and spot-up shooting. Together, both players average over 18 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds per game. Both guards are very deadly shooters. Last season, Bledsoe shot 48 percent from field goal range and 36 percent from behind the arc, while Dragic shot a ridiculous 50.5 percent from field goal range and 40.8 percent from behind the arc. Led by this young duo, Phoenix finished 48-34 last season and only missed the playoffs by one game in the superior Western Conference and that was with Bledsoe missing significant time due to injury. Both players are extremely fast, can handle the ball, open up the court and defend at a high level. This backcourt should make a lot of noise this season, giving Phoenix a legitimate chance at making the playoffs.
4. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler
Derrick Rose is back and healthy again and if the FIBA World Cup showed us anything, it’s that we have a good chance of seeing Rose perform back at that MVP level. Due to Rose’s injury and Butler’s limited minutes during his rookie season, this will be the first year that we see both athletes play a lot together and I believe that this duo has a lot of potential to climb the rankings and take the NBA by force. Butler is a very athletic shooting guard. He has got the same quickness as some of the best point guards in the league, John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose. Both of their athletic ability transfers into a serious level of skill, which I believe will make Chicago one of the best teams in scoring in transition and the more these two play together, they better they will be.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson
This duo is a great pair when starting next to each other. Head coach Scott Brooks has declined to comment if Jackson would be starting alongside Westbrook but that will most likely be the case. I already believe that Westbrook is one of the top starting point guards in the league. He is athletically gifted and last season, he averaged 20.1 points, 6.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Reggie Jackson really blossomed for the Thunder last year and has the drive to be a great athlete. Last season, he averaged 13.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Each year in Oklahoma City, Jackson has shown tremendous growth. Both players have the ability to be duo guards and can take turns bringing the ball up the court. Both of them also have a lot of similar overlapping skills, which is why I believe in just a small amount of time Jackson will be as deadly of an athlete as Westbrook, making this backcourt duo a threat to teams in the Western Conference.
2: Washington Wizards: John Wall and Bradley Beal
John Wall and Bradley Beal have really changed things up in Washington. Wall is the face of the franchise and Beal is an All-Star caliber sidekick. This is another young duo that is extremely athletic and talented. Both Wall and Beal are extremely versatile and have the ability to be strong defenders. Since entering the league, both players have improved dramatically each season. Last season, Wall put up his best numbers averaging 19.3 points, 8.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Beal also put up his best statistics to date. He averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Wall is perhaps the fastest player in the league, who also knows how to read a defense and find players for the open shot, particularly Beal for an open three-pointers. The really scary part about this duo is that they have the ability to do things a lot of other guards cannot and they are nowhere near their potential. Though this duo is not the best in the NBA at the moment, the future is definitely bright.
1: Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson
Stephen Curry also made the statement that him and Klay Thompson are the best backcourt in the league and guess what? He’s right. Curry is currently the best shooter in the NBA and quite possibly the best shooter that the NBA has ever seen. He is extremely hard to defend because of his natural ability to shoot the ball off-dribble from anywhere on the court. As of right now, no player ever in history has made more three-pointers in the short amount of time as Curry. Last season, he topped the NBA with an off-dribble accuracy rate of 43.7 percent and was 42.4 percent from behind the arc. Klay Thompson is just as deadly of a shooter as Curry. Last season, he was 46.4 percent from field goal range and 41.7 percent from behind the arc. This is truly a dynamic duo with complementary skills that have rightfully earned the name of “The Splash Brothers”. It is truly unbelievable how quickly these two guards can put up points against their opponents and right now, they are the best backcourt duo in the NBA.
