The NBA has seen some of the wildest player trades and free agency decisions this summer, leaving many specialists dumbstruck when asked about predictions for the upcoming season. With some of the biggest names in the NBA, such as Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, moving to new teams, the entire structure of the league has changed. Superteams have been replaced by dynamic duos, but will these tag teams replace the superteam as the new trend in the NBA or will they fall flat? Let’s take a look at each of the most prominent duos that are set to play in the upcoming 2019-2020 basketball season.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis: Los Angeles Lakers
Perhaps the trade that has been the most talked about has been Anthony Davis’ trade from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers, which will create a very powerful partnership with the best player of all time, LeBron James. Despite James having more points, assists, and rebounds than his career averages last year (which was his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers), many have considered last year a “bad” year for James because he failed to bring the Lakers to the playoffs. However, the reason why the Lakers were unable to make the playoffs was their need for a lockdown center that could play many quality minutes. Who could be the answer to this problem? Anthony Davis. Averaging a double-double every game, including about twenty-six points per game and, more importantly, twelve rebounds per game, Davis is a definite asset to the Lakers. Combining LeBron’s passing and scoring skills with Davis’ offensive plays, the two have the capability of taking the Lakers to the very top.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George: Los Angeles Clippers
Coming off a championship as a member of the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard is no doubt in his prime, showing his prowess through his scoring, rebounding, and defending. Now, after being named the 2019 Finals MVP, he has been moved to the Los Angeles Clippers. Also coming to the Clippers is six-time all-star and all-defensive team member Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Together these two players could create something truly amazing. With their stealing and blocking abilities, scoring becomes nearly impossible with both of them on defense. The two are also very complementary on the offensive end, which could transform the Los Angeles Clippers into a juggernaut. Kawhi Leonard uses mostly a mid-range game to control on offense, which pairs nicely with the mostly three-point offense style that Paul George uses. It’s important to realize that even if it takes a little bit of time for Leonard and George to get used to each other’s offensive games, they will still be dominant defensively, solidifying the fact that they will be a force to be reckoned with even for the best teams this upcoming season.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant: Brooklyn Nets
Over on the other side of the country, a new tag team in the Brooklyn Nets has been formed. The legendary point guard and ball-handler, Kyrie Irving, will come from the Boston Celtics to pair up with one of the best volume scorers the league has ever seen in Kevin Durant. While both of these players are some of the best players we have seen in today’s game, it’s hard not to think of some problems that might arise from the partnership. First of all, Kevin Durant is out the entire next season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon he acquired in game five of the NBA finals, making it so that Durant cannot give the Brooklyn Nets instant results. There is also a problem even when Durant does return to play with the Brooklyn Nets; both Durant and Irving are very ball-dominant, meaning that they both tend to stick to the ball and shoot a lot. In the 2019 playoffs, Irving averaged around 24 shots per game, while Durant had the ball 61 percent of the time before he got injured last year in the playoffs. How will Durant act when there are twenty seconds left in the game and someone needs to be clutch? Will he give it up to Kyrie or will he take it himself? Nets coach Kenny Atkinson has been known for developing a team based on the team’s passing ability. Will Kyrie or Durant share the ball and follow the game plan on which their coach has built the team? If they don’t, this combination of signings that seemed spectacular might just go down as one of the worst decisions in basketball history.
Russell Westbrook and James Harden: Houston Rockets
The last prominent trade that took place was the move of triple-double averager and 2017 MVP, Russell Westbrook, to the stuck-in place Houston Rockets. After an early first-round exit, Westbrook’s critics were quick to point out flaws in his game, namely his shot selection, emotions, and his tendency to be ball-dominant, leaving many to wonder: “is Russell Westbrook actually good?” I think this is a completely valid question and there is one clear answer: no. He’s great. He is one of the best players in the league with brilliant passing skills and is an amazing rebounder for his height. Not to mention the fact that he scores more than ten points almost every game, which would bring change to a Houston Rockets team that desperately needs to change. After the 2018-2019 season, it was clear that the pairing of multiple all-star guards James Harden and Chris Paul was not going to work for a championship, as they lost back-to-back to the much better Golden State Warriors in the playoffs. As mentioned before, Russell Westbrook brings the change that the Rockets desperately need to get past superstar teams like the Warriors. With this said, it’s still important to realize that the likes of Harden and Westbrook are both pack leaders and may cause a conflict over who gets the ball in tough situations or even in just the regular game setting. Westbrook is not the best defender, a trait that the Houston Rockets needs, a team that gave up a high points-per-game (ppg) at about 109.1 ppg. However, Westbrook will fit excellently into the offense, setting up isolations and spot-up threes as the main source of point generation. He brings an open-court offense with amazing speed and ball-handling that will make the Rockets a better transition team, a part of their offense that has often been lacking. Westbrook, with his passing ability, could take some of the pressures Harden has faced as a passer and allow for Harden to score even more than the 36.1 points he averaged every game last season. In summary, the match could have the possibility to be an unstoppable pair that could give the Rockets the push they needed to win a title.
In conclusion, this trade season has changed the whole dynamic of the league, but despite the numerous super duos that have been formed, anything can happen. One thing is for certain: nobody’s thinking that the Warriors are about have a runaway season. For the first time in a long time, we might have a season where there is no clear dominant team, something fans of basketball want to see. We don’t know how it’ll turn out, but it’ll be an interesting season.