The way the 2014-15 NBA season played out was a testament to the dominance of the guards. The shift towards “small ball” continued the trend towards smaller lineups throughout the league. There is every reason to believe that trend will continue in 2015-16 as we’ve already seen that be a factor in team’s decision making in free agency and the draft. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top four backcourts in the NBA as we approach the end of the offseason.
Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson
Golden State Warriors
Curry earned MVP honors after averaging 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 threes per game but the reality is that he played even better than those numbers indicate since he sat out for a good number of fourth quarters. Golden State had put a number of games away early. Curry proved how dominant he can be in the postseason when he averaged 28.3 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and a ridiculous 4.7 three-point shots per game while helping the Warriors win it all.
Curry is the league MVP but he isn’t the only star Golden State guard as Thompson also finished in the top 10 in NBA scoring last season. Remember how they nearly traded him away for Kevin Love? Turns out they made the right decision to hold onto him. Thompson averaged 21.7 points including 3.1 three-point shots per game last season and he is still only now entering his prime at 25 years olds. Curry is the most dangerous pure scorer in the NBA while Thompson is a matchup nightmare for opponents because of his size and shooting ability. Together they form the most dominant backcourt in the NBA.
James Harden & Ty Lawson
Houston Rockets
The Rockets pushed to acquire Ty Lawson from the Denver Nuggets despite his personal issues away from the court because they understand how talented he is and what he could potentially bring to the table for them as they try to win an NBA championship this season.
Lawson has called the move to Houston a breath of fresh air and there is no doubt that if he focuses on his game, he can be an absolute star playing next to one of the runner-ups for NBA MVP last season. Harden finished second in the NBA in points per game last season when he averaged 27.4 points, 7.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 three-point shots per game. If Lawson again tops eight assist per game and performs like an elite point guard, this tandem will be right behind Curry and Thompson.
Chris Paul & J.J. Redick
Los Angeles Clippers
Paul is one of the league’s elite point guards and Redick has complimented him perfectly as the type of pure scorer that can put up big numbers playing next to him. Paul averaged 19.1 points, 10.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game last season while Reddick averaged 16.4 points including 2.6 three-point shots per game on 43% shooting from beyond the arc. They might not be as dangerous as Curry and Thompson but Paul and Redick have put up excellent numbers together. They are a big reason the Clippers are once again considered championship contenders heading in to this NBA season.
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Derrick Rose & Jimmy Butler
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert deserve honorable mention along with Washington’s John Wall and Bradley Beal, but we have pegged Rose and Butler as the fourth-best backcourt tandem in the NBA heading into the season.
Rose is the former MVP and while he has certainly struggled to stay healthy over the years, he played 51 games last year and averaged 17.7 points, 4.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 three-point shots per game. The coaching change the Bulls made will only help him stay healthy as Fred Hoiberg will do a much better job making sure that his star point guard stays fresh and isn’t overworked. Meanwhile, Butler emerged as a legitimate star shooting guard last season when he averaged 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a 25-year-old. Butler is entering the prime of his career and he has the potential to dominate along with Rose in the Bulls backcourt under Hoiberg this season.
