There was a time when the NBA was all about the Big Three. That was the case in Miami when the Heat had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and when the San Antonio Spurs had Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. However, we’ve seen that a trio is not necessary as the Golden State Warriors won the championship last season with just a great tandem. With that in mind, we started to think about the best pairings in the NBA. While know about which teams have the best superstars, which teams have the best No. 2 option?
Russell Westbrook
Oklahoma City Thunder
Westbrook is talented enough that he and Kevin Durant can be considered the No. 1 and No. 1A options for the Thunder. However, Durant is the former MVP and scoring champion, and when he is healthy, there is no doubt he is the top dog in Oklahoma City.
Westbrook has certainly pushed the envelope as one of the NBA’s rising stars and he has been excellent again this season with and without Durant in the lineup. Westbrook has averaged 27.5 points, 9.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 1.5 threes and 7.1 free throws per game this season and it’s clear that in terms of No. 2 options, he is the absolute best.
Blake Griffin
Los Angeles Clippers
Griffin joins Westbrook as another No. 2 option that could legitimately be the best player on a good number of NBA teams. By certain measures, he has already surpassed Chris Paul as the top dog in Los Angeles. Griffin has averaged a team-high 24.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 4.9 free throws per game this season and while Paul is still widely considered the team’s most important player, it seems obvious there will be a transition soon.
Paul is 30 years old while Griffin is just now entering his prime at 26. The challenge for Griffin seems to be in the playoffs where Paul continues to shine but Griffin has had some bouts with consistency. Regardless, he’s still one of the league’s best No. 2 options around.
Kevin Love
Cleveland Cavaliers
A year ago there were serious question marks about Love’s role in the Cavaliers’ offense with constant reports that he wasn’t happy there and that he wasn’t a fit for the system. Many figured that as a pending free agent, he’d sign elsewhere as soon as possible. Fast-forward to this season and the outlook has changed drastically with Love averaging 18.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.5 threes, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while doing everything that the Cavaliers expected when they acquired him last season. It’s pretty clear that he simply needed some time to get acclimated to the system.
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It will be very interesting to see how Love fares throughout the year and in particular when Kyrie Irving returns to the lineup. That should free up some more space for him to operate. Regardless, the Cavs are thrilled to see Love thriving – especially the 2.5 threes per game, which ties a career-high – and it’s clear LeBron has found a great sidekick in the frontcourt.
Chris Bosh
Miami Heat
The Heat took a major hit last season when LeBron left Miami and returned to Cleveland, but one of the most overlooked aspects of their decline was the fact that Bosh was sidelined for the majority of the season because of medical condition. The Heat couldn’t overcome losing both LeBron and Bosh and they wound up missing the playoffs. However, Miami reloaded in the offseason and Bosh’s return is among the biggest reasons why they own the best record in the Southeast division right now. Bosh has averaged 17.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 threes and 1.0 blocks per game for the Heat this season. While many thought he’d be the top dog, a rejuvenated Wade is actually leading the way with Bosh settling in as one of the best No. 2 options in the NBA right now.
