Pour out a lil’ liquor for the NBA’s predictable past, a time when superteams stomped their conference rivals all year to set up a predictable Finals showdown. The Celtics and Lakers owned the 1980s. The Chicago Bulls ran through the '90s. Duncan's Spurs, the Splash Brothers out in the Bay, Kobe and co. Those dynasty days are over. A new season is now loading, and if recent history is any indication, the squad hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy come June will be different than any of its seven championship predecessors (although OKC does look loaded). Cheers to that.
At the heart of that parity stands a league of pairs — the two-man game powering every title hopeful. We’re leaving Big 3s to Ice Cube. The strongest tag team shall reign supreme, so as the 2024-25 campaign sets to kick off, we’re ranking basketball’s best double threats. There are some caveats: Superstars on extended leave are excluded (sorry: Tatum, Kyrie, and Haliburton). But those expected to suit up soon like LeBron are fair game. Every player appearing on this list is also one of the 50 best NBA players right now.
Clipse set the standard: 2025 belongs to the almighty duo. These are 2025's Top Ten NBA Duos, Ranked.
10.Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Seasons together: 6
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Morant: 23.2 pts, 4.1 reb, 7.3 ast; Jackson: 22.2 pts, 5.6 reb, 2 ast)
Defenders, beware: Ja Morant will dunk on you. Hard. Injuries and suspensions may have dampened his face-of-the-NBA trajectory, but Gen Z’s human highlight reel remains one of the league’s most explosive and creative floor generals. Jaren Jackson Jr. commands a similar respect on the other side of the ball. His Block Panther moniker is well-earned; the former Defensive Player of the Year has twice led the league in swats. But JJJ’s offense has caught up — his screen-and-roll executions with Morant are hella fun to watch. If these two can stay on the floor together, the rest of the league might want to start ducking early.
9.Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner
Team: Orlando Magic
Seasons together: 3
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Banchero: 25.9 pts, 7.5 reb, and 4.8 ast; Wagner: 24.2 pts, 5.7 reb, 4.7 ast)
Paolo Banchero makes life hell for anyone who matches up with him. He’s too quick for opposing bigs, too strong for smaller wings. Simply put, the former No. 1 draft pick is a problem. Meanwhile, Franz Wagner causes the same misery on defense. He’s one of the league’s most effective pests, able to guard multiple positions and score effectively. Both missed significant time last season, but it’s clear they’ve got a bright future down in Orlando: The neophytes are two of four players under 24 to each average at least 24 points, five rebounds, and four assists. And they’re only getting better.
8.James Harden and Kawhi Leonard
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Seasons together: 2
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Harden: 22.8 pts, 5.8 reb, 8.7 ast; Leonard: 21.5 pts, 5.9 reb, 3.1 ast)
Kawhi Leonard showed exactly what he can do when he’s healthy. Upon his January return from injury, the Clippers — hovering just above .500 without him — roared through the season’s second half, entering the playoffs on a 26-11 heater. Blame the Claw’s dependable midrange jumper, his lockdown defense, and his harmony with Harden. The Beard might be a step slower than he was in his prime, but he can still manipulate defenders with ease and knock down step-backs at will. Give these two veterans a full season to cook together, and they’re likely to fry their competition in the West.
7.Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Seasons together: 5 games
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Wembanyama: 24.3 pts, 11 reb, 3.7 ast; Fox: 23.5 pts, 4.8 reb, 6.3 ast)
Sure, the sample size is small. Wemby was sidelined due to a season-ending injury just five games after De’Aaron Fox’s Spurs arrival in February. But their combined 61 points against the Wizards last season was a glimpse at the future. Fox lives up to his name: a 6’3” speed demon with pickpocket tendencies, an automatic middy, and John Wall handles. And you can’t do nothing with Wemby: a 7’5” rim protector with tree branches for arms, a three-ball, and playmaking skills. Once these two truly lock in, they just might become the NBA’s scariest one-two punch.
6.Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler
Team: Golden State Warriors
Seasons together: 1/2
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Curry: 24.5 pts, 6 ast, 4.4 reb; Butler: 17.5 pts, 5.4 reb, 5.4 ast)
Pairing one of the league’s most clutch two-way players with the game’s G.O.A.T. shooter looked great on paper. It looked even better in practice (and actual games). The February trade that shipped Jimmy Butler out West pulled the Dubs from regular-season quicksand and transformed them into playoff grim reapers. Yes, Curry and Butler are the oldest elite duo hooping right now. There’s a great Aaliyah song about that. Steph is still doing Steph things at 37. Jimmy is getting buckets and stops at 36. With a double dose of seasoned vets who live for the big moments, these Warriors could make a splash in their conference once again.
5.Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray
Team: Denver Nuggets
Seasons together: 8
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Jokic: 29.6 pts, 12.7 reb, 10.2 ast; Murray: 21.4 pts, 3.9 reb, 6 ast)
We don’t talk about Jamal Murray enough. You already know what you’re getting with Nikola Jokic: an inside-out game with a magnetic pull on help defenders, overhead three-point launches that crush opponents’ spirits, more dimes than a tip jar. The Joker is somehow still getting better — the three-time MVP might never get his fourth simply because we’ve become so accustomed to his greatness. But Murray is a large part of the Nuggets' ambitions to return to championship form. He lives for big moments and delivers. He scores efficiently at three levels, whether in attack mode or as a beneficiary of Jokic’s gravity or generosity. He’s a hustle guy who can put clamps on elite scorers. And nearly a decade of these two rocking together has made their chemistry damn near telepathic. We should probably talk about that more.
4.Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns
Team: New York Knicks
Seasons together: 1
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Brunson: 26 pts, 2.9 reb, 7.3 ast; Towns: 24.4 pts, 12.8 reb, 3.1 ast)
When the Knicks signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year $104 million contract in the summer of 2022, it was debated whether they had overpaid for the former Dallas Maverick. Brunson quickly proved the doubters wrong and the argument seems even sillier in retrospect, after Brunson carried the Knicks past the Celtics this spring and fell one wild Tyrese Hali-bounce short of a probable Finals appearance. He had help, though. Enter Karl-Anthony Towns, the stretch big New York acquired last October to drain threes, gobble up boards, and spawn memes. Under newly hired Coach Mike Brown’s free-flowing offense, expect their scoring and playmaking synergy to be A1.
3.Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Seasons together: 3
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Mitchell: 24 pts, 4.5 reb, 5 ast; Mobley: 18.5 pts, 9.3 reb, 3.2 ast)
After falling short of postseason expectations (again) due to untimely injuries, the Cavs are the rare one-seed with something to prove. Their young nucleus — featuring switchable stopper Evan Mobley and certified bucket-getter Donovan Mitchell — is reason enough to double down. With a soft touch around the rim and improving jump shot, Mobley continues to develop his offensive game while making the paint a no-fly zone on the other end of the court. Meanwhile, Spida leads with poise. He’s liable to go off for 40 on any given night, but also knows how to get his teammates involved. Together, they’re gonna have their way in a weakened East.
2.Luka Doncic and LeBron James
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Seasons together: 1/2
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Doncic: 28.2 pts, 8.2 reb, 7.7 ast; James: 24.4 pts, 7.8 reb, 8.2 ast)
Where were you when you first heard Luka was traded to the Lakers? The news felt like an NBA canon event, not just because many considered it an all-time fleece, but also because Bron and Doncic on the same squad didn’t seem fair — even at King James’ advanced age. The 40-year-old legend isn’t the frequent flyer he once was, but his scoring efficiency last season (his 22nd) topped marks he posted a decade ago, while his points, boards, assists, and steals remained comparable. And Luka plays at his own pace, stuffs box scores, and can take over at any moment. Soon, he’ll be the (slimmed-down) face of the Lake Show. But for now, he and LeBron make up the core of a team no one wants to meet in the playoffs.
1.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Seasons together: 3
2024-2025 Regular Season Averages: (Williams: 21.6 , 5.3 reb, 5.1 ast; Gilgeous-Alexander: 21.6 pts, 5.3 reb, 5.1 ast)
These reigning NBA champs are still the duo to beat. SGA’s bag is like cheap mimosas at Sunday brunch: bottomless. The league’s No. 1 scorer can torch opponents from anywhere — including the charity stripe, where he attempted nearly nine free throws per game last season. Meanwhile, Jalen Williams distributes, defends multiple positions, and gets his own shot off. (He posted career-high averages in all major stat categories last season.) Together, they lit up the Pacers by scoring or assisting on a combined 103 points in a 120-109 Finals Game 5 victory. Stopping these two is like Whac-A-Mole. Good luck to the rest of the league. They’re gonna need it.