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Where the Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokic duo ranks among NBA’s best

By Quenton S. Albertie

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 23: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets react to a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Pepsi Center on February 23, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 23: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets react to a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Pepsi Center on February 23, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Tier 2

  1. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
  2. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
  3. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
  4. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
  5. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)

Every player in this tier is dominant in their own right, although it hasn’t been sustained long enough for some of them. Others have major deficiencies in a particular area of their games.

– Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely win MVP because of just how dominant he’s been on offense and defense. However, he has one glaring weakness in his game in his ability to shoot from outside, as he’s shooting just 30.6% from 3-point range this season and has a career 3-point percentage of 28.5. Khris Middleton is a pure shooter and a noteworthy defender who has proven to be quite versatile on that end. Still, his scoring hasn’t been exactly dominant throughout his career and that’s what keeps this duo from being in the top tier.

– Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have both come into their own this season, making a high impact on both ends of the floor despite there being so many mouths to feed in Boston. Although their two-way dominance hasn’t been sustained long enough to say without a doubt that their play this season is predictive of how well they’ll play for the rest of their career, it’s hard not to see them being one of the league’s best duos for a long time.

– Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are arguably the most dominant defensive duo in the NBA thanks to Simmons’ combination of size and versatility and Embiid’s defense in the paint. On offense, Simmons is elite in transition thanks to his speed, ball-handling and athleticism but he’s primarily known as a fantastic facilitator. Unfortunately, he’s completely unwilling to shoot from anywhere on the floor that isn’t near the rim. Embiid is a three-level scorer with plenty of moves around the rim.

– Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum both do one thing well and that’s score. However, they also both struggle at the same thing, and that’s playing impactful defense. Unfortunately, while Lillard is a big-game scorer and McCollum has been one of the best scorers in the league, their problems on the defensive end make it hard to move them up at all.

– Donovan Mitchell is an exceptional scorer but leaves plenty to be desired on the defensive end. Rudy Gobert has long been one of the best defensive players in the NBA, particularly as a shot-blocker. He’s limited offensively in terms of what he can do but he’s highly effective around the rim.

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