In the modern NBA, few teams win with just one star player. These days it takes multiple top-tier guys to guide their squads to the top. And with the current landscape, it’s clear exactly why.
While there are some tantalizing trios around the association, it’s the dynamic duos that take most of the headlines. In some instances it’s a guard and a big, though it’s not uncommon for any team’s top two players to both be members of their starting backcourt
With all the talent in the NBA today, there is no shortage of star power across the association.
Let’s take a peek at the 10 best dynamic duos in the NBA:
10. De’Aaron Fox & Domantas Sabonis
GettyDe’Aaron Fox #5 shakes hands with Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Sacramento Kings during a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors in October 2024.
Seasons together: 2022-24
Led Kings to first playoff berth in 17 years
3 combined All-NBA selections
2 combined All-Star appearances
Iconic performance: When they combined for 58 points and 18 assists against the Wizards on December 19, 2023.
Though they haven’t had much consistent success yet, Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox have helped make the Kings relevant for the first time in nearly two decades, to the point that they were able to land another 25 PPG scorer in DeMar DeRozan this past offseason.
Sabonis has regularly put up triple-doubles, while Fox has produced one of the highest clutch ratings in the association. Fox was named the Clutch Player of the Year in 2023 and finished close to the top in 2024. With playmaking and late-game finishing in the cards for both of these two, the Kings should be in good hands.
9. Jimmy Butler & Bam Adebayo
GettyBam Adebayo #13 sets a screen against Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics for Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat during the first quarter in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 25, 2023.
Seasons together: 2019-2024
2-time Eastern Conference Champions
5 combined All-Star Appearances
4 combined All-Defense appearances
Jimmy Butler 2-time All-NBA
Iconic performance: When they combined for 71 points in a Game 4 win over the Bucks.
When Jimmy Butler comes up in discussion, it’s usually Playoff Jimmy that enters. He’s guided the Heat to a pair of NBA Finals with Bam Adebayo by his side, and a couple of other trips to the Conference Finals. These two play both ends of the floor, and have shown the versatility they share.
Butler has had 50-point playoff games. Bam has anchored the defense while putting up 20-and-10 on the regular. The experience these two have had together would be an overwhelming positive.
Miami will always remain relevant as long as these two are here. No matter who else makes up the rest of the squad.
8. Jalen Brunson & Karl-Anthony Towns
GettyKarl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves commits an offensive foul against Jalen Brunson #13 of the Dallas Mavericks in 2021.
Seasons together: 2024-25
Timberwolves first Conference Finals in 20 years in 2023-24
Knicks second-round playoff appearances from 2023-24
Jalen Brunson’s 2024 playoff run is going to be studied by all of the small guards around the league. He averaged over 32 points per game across his appearances, proving that his diminutive stature was not slowing him. He finished fifth in MVP voting. All-NBA second-team. He’s gotten better throughout his time in the league, and now he has a new running mate
The Knicks made a splash in the late stages of the offseason by trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. KAT was a 4-time All-Star in Minnesota and helped Minnesota make the conference finals for the first time in two decades. He averaged 21 points and 9 rebounds last year.
They now have five floor spacers in NY. Two All-Stars. The sky is the limit.
7. Anthony Davis & LeBron James
GettyAnthony Davis and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers sit on the bench during their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on October 18, 2024.
Seasons together: 2019-2014
2020 NBA Champions
Anthony Davis 2-time All-Defense First Team
Eight combined All-Star appearances as teammates
2023 Western Conference Finals
Iconic performance: When they combined for 65 points and 21 rebounds in Game 5 of the 2020 Western Conference Finals against the Nuggets.
LeBron James. Many call him the greatest player of all-time. Entering his age-41 season, he’s still at the same level he was at nearly a decade ago. He’s putting up big numbers. He’s keeping the Lakers in playoff conversations. And his running mate Anthony Davis played in a career-high 76 games last season
Durability is the usual Lakers issue. When AD is healthy, the team wins. They have won 60% of their games all-time with him healthy, and struggled without him. He was an All-Defense first-teamer last year who also averaged 25 and 12.
These two have gone to two conference finals together, and with JJ Redick at the helm for next season, it will be interesting to see how LeBron and Davis play off one another.
6. Joel Embiid & Tyrese Maxey
GettyJoel Embiid #21 and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers speak during a game against the Houston Rockets in January 2024.
Seasons together: 2020-2024
Tyrese Maxey 2023-24 NBA All-Star, Most Improved Player
8 combined All-Star appearances
Joel Embiid 5-time All-NBA
Joel Embiid 3-time All-Defense
Joel Embiid 2023 NBA MVP
3 second-round playoff appearances from 2021-2023
Iconic performance: When they combined for 69 points on January 19, 2024, against the Magic to break a franchise record.
The problem with the 76ers has long been Joel Embiid’s health. But when he and Tyrese Maxey are on the floor together, great things have happened. The team did fall to the No. 7 spot and have to win a play-in game to make the postseason a year ago, but had qualified for the second-round in three consecutive seasons prior
Both players were All-Stars a year ago, with Maxey also winning the Most Improved Player award. Embiid has now had several seasons of over 30 points per game in a row. The team also added some depth. When on the floor together, this duo has proven to be dynamic, able to play effectively with one another.
5. Kevin Durant & Devin Booker
GettyKevin Durant #35 celebrates with Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns during a game against the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023.
Seasons together: 2023-2024
Both named All-Stars and All-NBA in 2024
Second-round playoff appearance in 2023
Iconic performance: When they combined for 72 points and 15 assists against the Cavaliers on April 3, 2024.
When people talk about Kevin Durant, they’re talking about one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He’s shot better than 50% in every season since 2011. Almost unheard of for a wing player. And when you pair him with Devin Booker, who had already been averaging more than 25 PPG in every season since his age-21 campaign, that’s a lot of scoring
The reason for the No. 5 ranking is that the team got swept in round one a season ago. But on an individual level, few duos can go bucket for bucket with these two. The Suns offense has never been a problem.
And with Mike Budenholzer now head coaching, the offense may be even further unlocked. The league will be on notice.
4. Damian Lillard & Giannis Antetokounmpo
GettyDamian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrates with Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half on October 23, 2024.
Seasons together: 2023-2024
Both named All-Star starters
Iconic performance: When they combined for 69 points and 21 assists in a win over the Clippers on March 10, 2024.
Though this duo has only logged one season together, they still find themselves top four on the list. Damian Lillard joined Milwaukee coming off a year where he had averaged more than 32 points per game. And while the figures dipped just a bit in his first campaign, he still was good enough to be an All-Star starter alongside his MVP teammate.
Injuries played a role in the Bucks first-round exit, but the fact that the team also made a midseason coaching change had a part too. Giannis Antetokounmpo also missed the series.
In a crowded east, Milwaukee still has a top tandem. When healthy, these two will prove to the league that they are a problem
3. Nikola Jokić & Jamal Murray
GettyJamal Murray #27 and Nikola Jokić #15 of the Denver Nuggets react during overtime of an NBA basketball first-round playoff game in August 2020.
Seasons together: 2016-2021, 2022-2024
2023 NBA Champions
Nikola Jokic 3-time NBA MVP
Nikola Jokic 6-time All-Star
Nikola Jokic 6-time All-NBA
2 trips to Western Conference Finals
Iconic performance: When they became the first-ever teammates to post 30-point triple-doubles in the same game.
On one hand, Nikola Jokić finds himself breaking records almost every season. And on the other is Jamal Murray, who has long proven to be one of the most dangerous players in clutch time in the association. It also helps that this tandem won a championship just two seasons ago, and was one half away from another conference finals appearance.
Jokić has finished every regular season among the top in MVP voting, having just won his third. And Murray has averaged better than 20 points per game in three straight regular seasons, and in every postseason he has appeared in.
The two-man game these two have is arguably the best in the league. Does an 18-minute, 2023 playoff highlight reel suffice to back that claim?
2. Luka Dončić & Kyrie Irving
GettyLuka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
Seasons together: 2023-2024
2024 Western Conference Champions
Luka Dončić 2024 NBA All-Star
Iconic performance: 82 combined points against the 76ers on March 3, 2023.
In their first full-season together as teammates, Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić were able to take the Mavs from no playoff appearance, straight to the NBA Finals. Dončić finished top three in MVP voting. Irving was there to spell him when he wasn’t available.
And when you pair a player that has some of the most impressive handles in league history with a guy who does nothing but make plays and draw double-teams, the court is going to open right up.
Dončić and Irving averaged nearly 60 combined playoff points per game in 2023-24, and they’ll look to back their spot as No. 2 duo this season.
1. Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum
GettyJaylen Brown and Jason Tatum.
Seasons together: 2017-2024
2022 and 2024 Eastern Conference Champs
2024 NBA Champions
Five combined All-NBA Selections
Eight combined All-Star appearances
Iconic performance: 73 combined points against the Mavericks on January 22, 2024.
With seven seasons as teammates under their belt, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have proven time and time again how dominant they are as a pairing. They have regularly taken the Celtics to the conference Finals. They’re both seemingly putting up career numbers every season, and the victories just pile up.
They land their spot at the top of the list following the Celtics title over Dallas this past June. And though Brown was left off the Olympics roster, the scoring ability of this tandem is as hard to stop as any in the league.
Who did we miss? Sound off in the comments.
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