With the snap of Tim Connnely’s finger, the Minnesota Timberwolves went from having one of the most dire point guard needs in basketball to one of the very best backcourts in the entire NBA. The team fleeced the Charlotte Hornets in a trade for LaMelo Ball. Minnesota’s new point guard will now team up with Anthony Edwards, who is already established as one of the very best players in the league. So, where does this point guard/shooting guard combination rank amongst the best backcourts in the NBA?
5. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
While the Ball trade created a newly formed elite backcourt, the Boston Celtics guard combination of Derrick White and Jaylen Brown could be separated in the near future. The Celtics put Brown on the trading block for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and although the Greek Freak was sent elsewhere, it now seems as though Brown could still be moved.
For now, though, White and Brown deserve to be here. Brown is coming off the best season of his career, as he was able to take his game to new heights with Jayson Tatum nursing his achilles injury for much of the season. The Cal product proved he can be a true top option, as his 28.7 points per game mark was the fourth best in the NBA. Brown is a true two-way player, as not only can he score, but he can lock up opposing players, too. Not as much as his backcourt partner in crime, though. White has developed from a Division II player to one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball. He has expanded his offensive game in recent years, too, and the Colorado product is now considered one of the best non-All-Stars in the league.
4. Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers’ backcourt is only one year old, but Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe displayed how dominant they can be together during the latter’s rookie season. Maxey is one of the league’s top scorers. He averaged 28.3 points per game alongside his new running mate. Maxey is potent from 3-point land and a blaze when he drives to the rim.
Edgecombe relies less so on quickness and more so on his physical prowess. He is a bullying ball when he gets downhill, and it resulted in a 16-point-per-game rookie season. He is also a reliable 3-point shooter and a steady defender. Edgecombe’s poise seemed years advanced that of a first-year player. Edgecombe’s first year out of Baylor was also much better than Maxey’s first season as a pro was, so the sky is the limit for what these two can accomplish together going forward.
3. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards shouldered a big load for the Timberwolves last season. The explosive leaper and knock-down 3-point shooter was forced to take on more lead guard/playmaking duties because of the team’s lack of point guard depth. Now, Minnesota has one of the best and most creative facilitators in the NBA.
Ball will bring highlight play after highlight play to the Timberwolves, and if the injury issues are a thing of the past, then Minnesota has a lot to look forward to. Edwards now has a player who can get him the ball in his spots, and the duo will surely be a site to behold in transition.
2. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James, one of the best players in NBA history, has been leading the Los Angeles Lakers for eight seasons now. He isn’t the future of the franchise, though. That honor belongs to the team’s backcourt. Austin Reaves was just re-signed to a four-year, $185 million deal that confirms the team is committed to the player who was headed for free agency in the coming days. Reaves is fresh off a season where he scored 23.3 points per game.
Of course, though, his teammate, Luka Doncic, scored even more. Doncic’s 33.5 points per game led the NBA. This was the Slovenian’s first full season with the Lakers, as he was acquired at the trade deadline last year in arguably the most shocking and lopsided trade in NBA history. Not only does Doncic score, but he stuffs the stat sheet as a rebounder (8.5 career rebounds per game) and assister (8.2 career assists per game), too. Neither player is known for their defense, and that prevents them from claiming the title as the best backcourt in the NBA; the duo certainly is hard to stop on the offensive end, though.
1. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are another relatively newfound backcourt duo, which illustrates how much the league is prioritizing elite guard play right now. Harden joined Mitchell when the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Darius Garland for him at the trade deadline. The former MVP is a three-time scoring champion and two-time assists leader. He has 11 All-Star nods to his name and is still going strong.
Mitchell has made seven All-Star teams. While he has yet to win the award, he has now finished top 10 in MVP voting in three of the last five seasons. Mitchell and Harden fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals this past season, but they could break out of the Eastern Conference with a full year together. There are a lot of great backcourts in the NBA right now, but the Cavaliers’ guard duo gives opposing defenses more nightmares than the rest.
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