Key Takeaways

• Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton are the latest star duo to be formed.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will be hoping for redemption this season.
• Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving’s surprising chemistry took the Mavs all the way to the NBA Finals.

As basketball becomes a global sport, the NBA is at the highest level of talent it has ever been.

And with six different teams winning the title in six years, this is the most parity the league has seen in years.

Gone are the days when one player could lead a team to a championship. Every star player needs a co-star to be successful, and that has led to teams forming exciting tandems in recent years.

Let’s take a look at the top ten pairings for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Honorable Mentions: De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.

10 Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle

Brunson and Randle have a lot to prove this season

The signing of Jalen Brunson was one of the most criticized moves in recent New York Knicks history.

But it didn’t take long for Brunson to prove those critics wrong, as he and Julius Randle led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2013.

The duo also got off to a great start last season until a season-ending injury to Randle midway through the season derailed their momentum.

The Knicks still made it to the second round of the playoffs, but Brunson could only do so much without Randle.

His scoring potential may have been unleashed in Randle’s absence, but the pressure of being the lone creator got to him in the playoffs.

His shooting has also been much better when Randle is on the floor creating those looks for him.

If they stay healthy this season, the Knicks will continue to be one of the favorites to win the NBA championship.

9 Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam

A new partnership is blossoming in the East

Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton are the most recently formed star duo, after the Indiana Pacers traded for the Cameroonian back in January.

They got off to a slow start, losing their first four games together as Haliburton came back from injury.

Once he was back to 100 percent, the duo led the Pacers to a sixth-place finish.

When Haliburton struggled against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, Siakam stepped up and led them to a series win.

And in the second round, they both worked their magic, upsetting the injury-hit Knicks and leading the Pacers to their first Eastern Conference Finals in a decade.

When they return for the 2024-25 season, this partnership will look a lot more dangerous and fleshed out with a training camp under their belts.

Teammate Obi Toppin is already hailing them as the best pick and roll duo in the league, and things are only going to get better from here.

8 Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo

An underrated duo that might be fading away

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo aren’t a duo per se.

But they are a great 1-2 punch that has taken the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals twice in the last five seasons, along with an Eastern Conference Finals run.

They run the occasional pick and roll, and a few actions here and there, but they’re not a true guard and big duo. However, the sheer two-way presence they bring to the court together is one that not many teams can match.

Butler is aging and isn’t the same player he once was. He was also on the sidelines when the Heat lost in the first round of the playoffs last season.

But he still played 60 regular season games and looked like a reminder of his true self, even if his scoring took a step back.

Adebayo also had a great season as he finally took a step toward expanding his offensive arsenal.

The duo will have to do some heavy lifting again if the Heat are to remain competitive in what has become a top-heavy Eastern Conference.

7 Kevin Durant and Devin Booker

Two of the deadliest scorers in the game

The Phoenix Suns reached the NBA Finals in 2021 and came within two games of winning their first championship.

To keep them in the upper echelon of the West, they acquired Kevin Durant in a massive trade in 2023, forming an offensive dynamo with him and Devin Booker.

And it started well, even if they lost to the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets, in the playoffs.

The Suns then shook up the roster again when they made a surprising move for Bradley Beal to form a “Big 3”.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as planned and the fit didn’t look great. Durant was reportedly unhappy with being “relegated to the corner“.

So, before it gets worse, the Suns need to let him and Booker run the offense like they did in the 2023 playoffs.

They are still two of the deadliest playoff performers around, so if they can get going, the Suns can make a deep run again.

6 Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard

Despite last season’s dud, this duo can still be scary when healthy

The Milwaukee Bucks surprised everyone when they pulled off an unexpected blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard last offseason.

On paper, it seemed like a partnership between him and Giannis Antetokounmpo would be perfect; the Greek Freak who can destroy any paint defense paired with Lillard, one of the greatest shooters of his generation.

But when they stepped onto the court, it was anything but.

The duo looked out of sync and often unsure of how to get the best out of each other. The coaching carousel didn’t help.

Lillard, who struggled with personal issues all year, will be eager to prove that last season was an anomaly and that he still has a lot left in the tank.

Antetokounmpo, who gained some valuable experience playing off-ball with the Greek national team during the Olympics, will be hoping to use that on the court with Lillard and continue to stay healthy.

So, with a proper offseason and training camp to build that chemistry now, the Bucks duo could become a scary sight in the East.

5 Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey

This partnership is key to the 76ers’ success, despite the arrival of a new star

The Philadelphia 76ers went through a major transition last season when they lost their second-best player in James Harden, and also their coach.

But what they gained was one of the best coaches they’ve had in years in Nick Nurse, and a budding partnership between their young star Tyrese Maxey and their MVP, Joel Embiid.

Finally emerging from Harden’s shadow, Maxey had his first All-Star season while Embiid battled injuries. But in the limited time they played together, they were one of the best scoring duos in the league with great chemistry.

The 76ers made a big splash to acquire Paul George now, making it a “Big 3,” but he’s not the same player he once was, even if the money says otherwise.

The key to getting the most out of George will rest on the shoulders of Embiid and Maxey. Can they improve their playmaking to create opportunities for one of the best catch-and-shoot players in the league? Can they continue their lethal scoring to open lanes for the eight-time All-Star?

We will soon find out.

4 Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving

A surprising combo that has worked well so far

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving didn’t make sense as a duo when the original trade was made in February 2023.

The offense was in disarray as the Dallas Mavericks also missed the playoffs. But after spending an offseason together, Dončić and Irving returned with a vengeance.

It takes a massive defensive effort to match up against an elite ball handler who can knock down big shots. And the Mavs have two who take turns destroying defensive game plans for fun.

Prior to the trade, Dončić was the only ball handler capable of leading the offense, especially in the big moments. Inevitably, that made him tired and predictable at times.

But since Irving’s arrival, when Dončić struggles, the Mavs’ offense doesn’t grind to a halt because the former Duke star can take over. And when Irving needs a breather, the Mavs have arguably the second-best player in the league to take over.

This is how they won the Western Conference last season, and they will continue to be a contender as long as their duo is healthy.

3 LeBron James and Anthony Davis

Not at their dominant best anymore, but they have still got it

LeBron James and Anthony Davis joined forces in 2019, after the L.A. Lakers made a massive trade to land the former Kentucky star.

And by the end of the season, they were hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Davis has had the luxury of playing with some great point guards like Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday, but his chemistry with James is off the charts.

Their playing styles complement each other, and they know how to get the most out of each other.

Unfortunately for them, the next four seasons after their title win were plagued by injuries, with at least one of them banged up by the time the postseason arrived.

James and Davis can be the best duo in the league on any given night when they turn it up.

The frequency of that happening has diminished in recent years, nor do they have the same ferocity they had during their 2020 title run.

But their versatility on both ends still makes them an elite duo capable of taking over a game on their own.

2 Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray

The best in the West?

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been one of the best duos in recent years, but they were officially stamped when they won the 2023 NBA championship together.

Even if Murray took it easy during the regular season, he would step up in the playoffs and the Denver Nuggets duo would be unstoppable.

Jokić is the best player in the league and he has the ability to make others around him better. And Murray is one of the biggest beneficiaries, especially when it comes to their virtually unguardable pick and roll.

Murray’s playmaking isn’t as good as Jokic’s, but they both take turns finding each other on the floor and punishing opposing defenses.

Despite the Nuggets roster falling behind with every offseason while their rivals have continued to improve, they still have a chance as long as their two stars can dial in during the postseason.

1 Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

The present and the future in Boston

For six years, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown made one deep run in the East after another, including an appearance in the NBA Finals, but there were still fans calling for a split.

But all that talk was put to bed when they led the Boston Celtics to their 18th championship last season.

Tatum and Brown are arguably the best two-way duo in the league. They may not play off each other like a classic duo. But that’s because they’re more like a Batman and Superman duo where both of can find different ways to hurt the opposition.

The Celtics are favorites to repeat this season, and the Jays are the main reason for those odds.

After Brown won the Finals MVP last season, the duo could make history if Tatum wins the award this time around, becoming the first teammates to win back-to-back Finals MVPs since 1990.

With both locked up through the 2028-29 season, the Jays could end their careers as one of the best duos the league has ever seen.