And do high-scoring duos equal postseason success? Between the dissolution of the Shaq–Kobe partnership in L.A. and the formation of the James–Wade titan in Miami, the two Nuggets were the only pair of teammates to each average 25 points per game in a season. Plus, … He’s shooting 55.2% from the field in that span. When the former entered the league, the latter was 26 years old and entering the best stretch of his career; by the time he began to age out of his prime, West was ready to assume the lead role. The Kings aren’t completely out of the playoff chase, though they do face an uphill climb. 1 on this list because of the aforementioned era adjustment.
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Ayton is averaging 20.6 points and 12.5 rebounds in his last 20 games.
In the first of those two seasons, 1999-00, he split lead duties in Detroit with Hill, who received All-NBA honors in the final season of his six-year run in Detroit. But the Nuggets weren’t a particularly impressive team beyond that duo, and they traded Vandeweghe in June 1984 for a package of three players and two picks. They’re not no. The Thunder thrived with Westbrook and Durant dominating the offense.The bad is that Shaq and Kobe succeeded in part because they were basically the lone notable Big Two of their time. But the 76ers were a defensive disaster in coach Maurice Cheeks’s first season and missed the playoffs. Other high-scoring Big Twos ran into problems with inefficiency, depth, and defense. (Players must have played 48 games to qualify; we’ll get to that later. Ironically, the one exception to this notion for the new Big Twos is LeBron himself, who is entering his age-35 season while Davis, at 26, has prime years still to come.More Shaq and Kobe, but there is yet more still to come.Since 1977-78 (the first season for which Basketball-Reference has complete records for usage rate), Ming and McGrady are the only pair of teammates to each use at least a third of his team’s possessions while on the court. The more reps the better for Ayton and the young Suns heading into 2020-21.Can the Spurs stage a late rally and continue their 23-year playoff streak?
James Harden appears to be in midseason form through two scrimmages, and Houston has no shortage of dangerous options from beyond the arc. Stay up to date on the latest NBA basketball news, scores, stats, standings & more. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account. Can the Rockets’ small-ball defense hold up in Orlando? After a decade dominated by Big Threes and Fours, the contenders have downsized, and duos now shine in Houston, in both locker rooms in the Staples Center, and, eventually, in Brooklyn.Some of the league’s most lethal scorers are teaming up this season. 1961-62 Lakers. Even Westbrook, to accommodate Paul George at his side, dropped his points per game from 32 the season before to just 25 and 23 in the two seasons with a new star teammate.With Bosh at center, the Heat spaced the floor better and the offense flourished—even if the James and Wade combination wasn’t scoring quite as much. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke have emerged as franchise cornerstones in 2019-20, and Clarke should earn All-Rookie honors this season. Zach Kleiman has done a tremendous job in buidling Memphis’ new young core. With no LaMarcus Aldridge in the lineup, it’s hard to see San Antonio going on any sort of run in Orlando.Perhaps we’re placing too much faith in Jayson Tatum, but the 22-year-old’s offensive upside is undeniable. But with Iverson, never an efficient scorer, as the lead ball handler, Denver didn’t run the best offense and ranked first in the NBA in pace but just ninth in points per 100 possessions. During those two seasons, only Shaquille O’Neal scored more points or attempted more free throws than Stackhouse. With impressive young coach Taylor Jenkins leading the way, there’s the potential for a Finals appearance in the next decade. The Suns’ center missed the first 32 games in 2019-20, but he showed some serious offensive skill once the calendar turned to 2020. Which new Big Twos can keep racking up the points? Together, the duo ranked third and fourth, respectively, in per-game scoring that season. When everyone has a Big Two, then nobody does, and it really might be the rest of the roster that determines which team has the advantage.The league has changed; it’s trite but true. Nurkic looks spry and healthy after missing all of 2019-20 due to a traumatic leg injury, posting a double-double against Toronto on Sunday. )West and Baylor also saw their playing peaks overlap in fairly neat order. Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic looked sharp in Monday’s scrimmage against the Clippers, providing optimism ahead of the NBA’s restart. Highest scoring game of the 21st century.
Alas, the Pistons had little depth and even less defensive ability, which led to a mediocre record and the midseason firing of coach Alvin Gentry; toward the end of the season, Hill sprained his ankle in the first of many ailments that would plague his career.