Double Trouble
In a league once run by superstar duos like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, dynamic pairings seemed to have disappeared in the recent decade with the formation of superteams. In the past few years, we have begun to see a resurgence of these dynamic duos, many of which have been built through the draft, but others through trades and offseason moves. Let's break down the four duos that have stood out in the first month of the 2022-2023 season.
Starting with the most well known pairing of the group, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics. Tatum is a three-time all-star, has two-time All-NBA selection, and is in his sixth season in the league. His partner in crime, Jaylen Brown, is integral to the success of the Celtics and has proven to be a strong partner. Throughout the first thirteen games of the season, both Tatum and Brown have been shooting almost 50% from the field while averaging more than 36 minutes a game on the floor. On top of their consistent shooting, both have been averaging almost 7 rebounds a game, unique for a backcourt to do. Their ability to play together serves as a double dagger, placing them in history books for scoring 30-plus points in the same game 15 times as teammates. This is the third most by any pair of teammates in the last 30 seasons, only behind Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, and Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Tatum and Brown have been vital to the Celtics success the past few years and must continue their strong performances together if they ever want to win a championship.
The next duo is from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. After an offseason trade in September resulted in Mitchell leaving Utah, joining Darius Garland in Cleveland prior to his sixth season in the league. Garland has played all four seasons with Cleveland and has been shooting almost 40% from the field, averaging 8 assists per game for the first 7 of the season. Mitchell, in the first eleven games of the season, has played almost 40 minutes per game, shooting an impressive 51.2% from the field and 43.4% from the three. Despite only being one month into the season, injuries have already started to plague this highly touted duo. However, in spite of their limited playing time together due to injuries, “when the pair have been on the floor together, it has been electric” according to SI. During this year's media day, Mitchell acknowledged the power these two have together indicating that Garland made him raise his level in workouts during the summer, and if they “can bring that on a night-to-night basis…it’ll be special”. If Cleveland wants to get past the play-in tournament this year and move closer to their first championship since LeBron leaving, Mitchell and Garland have to stay healthy and continue on this electric run.
With another big move in the offseason, the Atlanta Hawks’ backcourt is even stronger than last season’s. Dejounte Murray was traded to the Hawks from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Danilo Gallinari. Murray has joined the Atlanta based team, led by point guard Trae Young. Young is in his fifth season in the league and has quickly become the Hawks’ franchise player. He is shooting 37.9% from the field, 30.4% from the three, and averaging an impressive 9 assists a night in the first twelve games of the season. Murray has improved his playmaking abilities to be a triple double threat on the offensive side of the ball. Paired with Young’s shooting and sometimes flashy moves, the Hawks have had an exciting start to their season. The addition of the all-star combo guard and one of the league’s best perimeter defenders in Murray has proved to be complementary to Young's abilities. This quickly developed chemistry has made for one of the league’s most explosive competitive backcourts, one that should only improve with time.
A duo from the Memphis Grizzlies has also been making the headlines in the first month of the season. The 2019-2020 Rookie of the Year and all star guard Ja Morant has been playing well with teammate, Desmond Bane. Both guards are still very young, with Morant in his fourth season and Bane in his third season, but that has not stopped them from playing like seasoned veterans. In the first twelve games of the season, Morant was averaging 6 rebounds and 7 assists, shooting 48% from the field and over 40% from the three. His partner in crime, Bane, has also been putting up strong numbers, shooting over 45% from the three and 46.5% from the field, while grabbing 5 rebounds a game. These two have been playing well off of each other, setting each other up with opportunities throughout the game. With both Morant and Bane off to a hot start, the Grizzlies have proven to be one of the strongest and intimidating teams on the attacking side of the ball.
With more duos emerging in the league it leaves coaches and front offices wondering what is the connection that makes a duo succeed? These four pairings have played well together during the first month of the season, and must continue to do so if their teams want to be playing in June. Only time will tell if these duos continue in their dominance, or if new pairings come alive in the remainder of the season. Which pair do you think has the potential to be the next Jordan/Pippen?