It's the dog days of summer, a time for reflection on what transpired and conjecture of what will occur in the NBA. It's also a time for proclamations both wild and inane, whether that's James Harden declaring he's the best player in the NBA or Stephen Curry opining that he and Klay Thompson would make the best duo in the '90s arcade game NBA Jam.
Without further ado, we're going to combine the premise of both statements and rank the best backcourts in the NBA.
1. Los Angeles Clippers (Chris Paul and J.J. Redick)
Congrats, Steve Ballmer, that $2 billion price tag comes with some cool features, namely the most well-rounded backcourt in the NBA. Once again, Chris Paul ranks as Bradford Doolittle's top point guard in the NBA, but in case you've been living under a rock, he's this generation's model of how to play point: excellent distributor, controller of game tempo, terrific penetration and finishing skills, deadly pull-up game, outstanding vision, elite IQ, vicious on-ball defense, clutch-time heroics, etc.
His counterpart, Redick, is no star in the conventional sense, but his elite shooting from all areas of the floor, undervalued ability to run secondary pick-and-roll and either score or distribute, and underrated defensive proficiency (particularly within team schemes) make him the perfect complement to Paul.
2. Golden State Warriors (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson)
Think of the Warriors as a poor man's version of the Clippers' backcourt: Curry, while a much superior individual scoring talent (he might be the best shooter in the history of the NBA when it's all said and done), lacks Paul's ability to mitigate risk while chasing reward; in other words, Curry's passing vision is often let down by his passing inaccuracy, which leads to an above-average turnover rate. Furthermore, his individual defense leaves a lot to be desired, even though he has expressed a desire recently to take on a larger role on that end of the floor. (It always amuses me when players directly or indirectly blame their defensive deficiency on the demands of the former coach of the team.)
Meanwhile, Thompson has developed into one of the premier catch-and-shoot threats in the league, and his size gives you some versatility offensively, as far as different play situations in which he can be utilized, but he's not really capable of creating off the dribble beyond a beat or two. Defensively, he's got an ability to focus in and use his length and anticipation to guard 1s, 2s and 3s in one-on-one situations and active off-ball plays (i.e. locking and trailing off screens), but he has a penchant for losing his man if he's not the primary option.
3. Washington Wizards (John Wall and Bradley Beal)
The Wizards' backcourt has the highest ceiling on this list; if it fulfills its full potential, it'll be the best backcourt in the league. As of today, however, it remains an unfinished product. Wall took large strides this past year: He played 82 games for the first time in his career and vastly improved his 3-point shot from terrible (27 percent in 2012-13) to respectable (35 percent in 2013-14). He's also continued to perform well on the defensive end, where his size, length and top-shelf athleticism afford him all the tools to guard a variety of players. However, he's still learning how to play at different speeds, and his shot selection leaves a lot to be desired (he took more long 2s than any other type of field goal attempt and shot a miserable 37 percent from that range).
Beal has the potential to be the best shooting guard in the NBA: He's an excellent 3-point shooter, can create off the dribble and can be a tremendous on-ball defender at times. Still, he suffers from the same curious affliction that ails Wall and leads him to awful shot selection. Despite being a better-than-40 percent 3-point shooter, he took more long 2s than any other FGA type and shot a worse raw percentage: 37.
Because of their collective youth (Wall is 23 and Beal is 21), the Wizards' backcourt have a longer career arc to follow and have the most to gain via development.
4. Phoenix Suns (Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe)
The unconventional union of two point guards in a starting backcourt was met with skepticism this past summer; much of that perception is colored by the influence of football, in which a team with two starting-caliber quarterbacks is labeled a "controversy." For the Suns, the marriage worked splendidly (in the time both Dragic and Bledsoe were healthy) for several reasons:
• Both players had had extensive time prior to 2013-14 playing off-ball alongside another point guard: Dragic with Steve Nash in Phoenix and then Kyle Lowry in Houston, and Bledsoe with Paul in Los Angeles and Wall at Kentucky. That prior experience made playing alongside each other a lot more natural.
• Both players are above-average defenders who, because of their previous time playing off-ball, were accustomed to guarding larger players (shooting guards) for stints.
• The simplicity of the Suns' playbook allowed each player to not overthink positioning when off-ball.
The brevity of their time together (they appeared in just 38 games together) takes them down some in these rankings, but the bigger demerit is the impending issues of the upcoming season. Bledsoe remains unsigned and at this point appears to be headed to a deal that is not to his liking (whether it's the Suns' four-year, $48 million deal or the qualifying offer). Combined with the offseason addition of Isaiah Thomas (another starting-caliber point guard) and the loss of Channing Frye (whose gravity as a shooter provided much of the spacing needed for the two-PG dribble drive offense), and it's very likely the Suns will not recapture the magic of the past season.
5. Chicago Bulls (Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler)
I can't wait for the hate mail on this one. 'How could you put the Bulls so low? Why do you hate Chicago?' Rest easy, Bulls fans, I have nothing but love for the city of Chicago. However, despite the rave reviews with Team USA, I retain a certain amount of skepticism as pertains to Rose. After he missed the better part of two years with serious knee injuries, it's only fair to evaluate him with some reservations. He'll have to show he's still capable of physically (and mentally) bouncing back from the setbacks, shaking off the rust of inactivity and re-assimilating himself into a Bulls offense that looked extremely stagnant in the short time Rose was healthy the past season, as teammates were often caught ball-watching when Rose had the ball.
Assuming the most optimistic results of Rose's comeback, the Bulls' backcourt still is somewhat weighed down by Butler, who is a fine player and a perfect complement for Rose as an oversized guard-forward and elite defender. Although Butler's the best defensive talent on this list, he's the worst offensive talent by far. After a solid 2012-13, Butler withered somewhat under the stress of having to assume a larger role on the offensive end, and his shooting efficiency suffered tremendously. The hope is that a Bulls roster restocked with offensive talent can reduce Butler's offensive burden back to a level with which he's comfortable.