While last season may have ended on a disappointing note, the recent ranking of the NBA’s top duos by Bleacher Report leaves little room for debate.
At the pinnacle of this ranking stand the Suns’ dynamic duo: the brilliant talents of Devin Booker and the incomparable Kevin Durant
Despite playing just 19 games together in 2022, Greg Swartz agrees that their regular-season performance alone is enough to hand them the #1 spot.
“The net rating jumps off the page immediately, as the Suns went a perfect 8-0 during the regular season with Durant and Booker. Both the team’s offense (124.7 rating, 98th percentile) and defense (106.4 rating, 98th percentile) were elite with the two superstars on the floor.”
The collective resume of Booker and Durant boasts an impressive tally of 16 All-Star selections and 11 All-NBA honors.
Other duos on the list include Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday at #2, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray at #3, LeBron James and Anthony Davis at #4, and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at #5.
However, perhaps what truly sets Booker and Durant apart is the adversity they faced in the previous postseason. Amidst a lack of substantial supporting cast, these two luminaries etched their names into history by becoming the first teammates to consecutively achieve the rare feat of 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in playoff games.
And now, they will finally have help all around, making the Suns one of the deadliest teams in the league.
Swartz points out:
“Phoenix has done an excellent job of putting complementary talent around them this summer, from adding Bradley Beal as a third scoring threat to signing plenty of floor-spacers to keep things open (Eric Gordon, Yuta Watanabe, Keita Bates-Diop, Bol Bol, etc.).”
A vital factor in this anticipated resurgence is the luxury of a full offseason for Booker and KD to refine their synergy through practice and training—an opportunity they were deprived of in the previous season.
“Durant seems more than willing to take a back seat to Booker, the best shooting guard in basketball—and he’s only 26. Give these two a full training camp together to really work on chemistry and this will be the best star duo in the NBA.”
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