Top Duos in the NBA (inspired by the Thinking Basketball podcast)

[Texas Chuck]

Jokic+solid player is a fine enough back end top 10 pick, but top 1 is ridiculous.

Strongly, strongly disagree. The best player matters so much.

Didn't matter much in 2022 or 2021.

Got it. We just look at who won the title and choose the best 2 players from that team retroactively? I like this approach. I mean results oriented approaches actually suck at making future decisions, but since we are just talking on the internet this means we always get to be right. And I love being right.

[Texas Chuck]

Jokic+solid player is a fine enough back end top 10 pick, but top 1 is ridiculous.

Strongly, strongly disagree. The best player matters so much.

Chuck, if going into the conference finals last season Murray and Gordon were out (some might argue MPJ too), would you have honestly told me Jokic/KCP was a better top duo than LeBron/AD?

I would.

[eminence]

Strongly, strongly disagree. The best player matters so much.

Chuck, if going into the conference finals last season Murray and Gordon were out (some might argue MPJ too), would you have honestly told me Jokic/KCP was a better top duo than LeBron/AD?

I would.

Would you have put money on the Nuggets?

[Texas Chuck]

Chuck, if going into the conference finals last season Murray and Gordon were out (some might argue MPJ too), would you have honestly told me Jokic/KCP was a better top duo than LeBron/AD?

I would.

Would you have put money on the Nuggets?

I do not put money on outcomes I cannot influence. Not sure what the relevance of that is to my opinion though? I don't have Lebron/AD as one of the duos I have most confidence in at this point. Props to them for what happened 3.5 years ago, but I think Lebron isn't at that level any longer.

[SHAQ32]

Portland: Grant & Brogdon

Ew

[MyUniBroDavis]

Strongly, strongly disagree. The best player matters so much.

Chuck, if going into the conference finals last season Murray and Gordon were out (some might argue MPJ too), would you have honestly told me Jokic/KCP was a better top duo than LeBron/AD?

I would.

Lol

[Texas Chuck]

Chuck, if going into the conference finals last season Murray and Gordon were out (some might argue MPJ too), would you have honestly told me Jokic/KCP was a better top duo than LeBron/AD?

I would.

Lol

Didn't feel this was my funniest work, but I do enjoy making people laugh.

I'm also actually surprised this is a controversial position that right now that I would take Jokic and one of his Nuggets teammates over this version of Lebron/AD. I've consistently taken the singular best player almost as a rule in these questions and not sure why today its an issue for some.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Lebron and ADs issue is they’re literally always hurt

AD was hurt last year and the Nuggets are a bad matchup for him in general but he was also better than Curry in the series before that

I get the issues people have with him but his inconsistency on offense is what puts him out of the top 5, not the top 10 lol, at least come playoff time.

Lebron healthy going full throttle is pretty obviously at least top 5, he can probably sustain it for a playoff run if he’s healthy getting there but that’s kind of the issue

[MyUniBroDavis]

I would.

Lol

Didn't feel this was my funniest work, but I do enjoy making people laugh.

I'm also actually surprised this is a controversial position that right now that I would take Jokic and one of his Nuggets teammates over this version of Lebron/AD. I've consistently taken the singular best player almost as a rule in these questions and not sure why today its an issue for some.

I did

The only argument is that bron and AD will be hurt by playoff time which is a valid argument, but I’m assuming this question means if healthy and that’s not a comparison lol

[Texas Chuck]

Lol

Didn't feel this was my funniest work, but I do enjoy making people laugh.

I'm also actually surprised this is a controversial position that right now that I would take Jokic and one of his Nuggets teammates over this version of Lebron/AD. I've consistently taken the singular best player almost as a rule in these questions and not sure why today its an issue for some.

I did

The only argument is that bron and AD will be hurt by playoff time which is a valid argument, but I’m assuming this question means if healthy and that’s not a comparison lol

That is not remotely the only argument, but you definitely aren't open to the notion that a dominant player like Jokic could be more valuable than the Laker duo, so no argument would move you.

I'm of the position that the best player in a comparison of 4 is far more influential than the 4th best player, but you are taking the opposite approach. OR are just crazy high on Lebron/AD in ways the evidence doesn't seem to support.

[AEnigma]

What “evidence” supports Jokic + a fringe top 100 player (and no one better than that) being more effective in the postseason than a duo comprised of top ten players.

No one has won a title with a second option as limited as KCP. Closest, maybe the 1994 Rockets. And immense praise to Hakeem there, but it is an outlier result for good reason.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Didn't feel this was my funniest work, but I do enjoy making people laugh.

I'm also actually surprised this is a controversial position that right now that I would take Jokic and one of his Nuggets teammates over this version of Lebron/AD. I've consistently taken the singular best player almost as a rule in these questions and not sure why today its an issue for some.

I did

The only argument is that bron and AD will be hurt by playoff time which is a valid argument, but I’m assuming this question means if healthy and that’s not a comparison lol

That is not remotely the only argument, but you definitely aren't open to the notion that a dominant player like Jokic could be more valuable than the Laker duo, so no argument would move you.

I'm of the position that the best player in a comparison of 4 is far more influential than the 4th best player, but you are taking the opposite approach. OR are just crazy high on Lebron/AD in ways the evidence doesn't seem to support.

An injured AD waa the best player in a series with Curry and was clearly top 5 last playoffs, and a somewhat healthy lebron without a jump shot went full throttle for 20 games when AD was hurt and averaged 34-8-8 on 63TS and the team was skmething like 5th on offense in games he played without AD or anybody who could remotely shoot in that stretch

Healthy this isn’t a comparison lmao

[MyUniBroDavis]

Strongly, strongly disagree. The best player matters so much.

Didn't matter much in 2022 or 2021.

Got it. We just look at who won the title and choose the best 2 players from that team retroactively? I like this approach. I mean results oriented approaches actually suck at making future decisions, but since we are just talking on the internet this means we always get to be right. And I love being right.

Ur trying too hard here What are you on about lmao it’s absolutely relevant that the two times the second best player was out that they did nothing

[Texas Chuck]

Didn't matter much in 2022 or 2021.

Got it. We just look at who won the title and choose the best 2 players from that team retroactively? I like this approach. I mean results oriented approaches actually suck at making future decisions, but since we are just talking on the internet this means we always get to be right. And I love being right.

Ur trying too hard here What are you on about lmao it’s absolutely relevant that the two times the second best player was out that they did nothing

Man first complementing my humor now my effort level. You are going to make me blush here soon if you keep this up.

There is some relevance I suppose. But what do we do with Lebron/AD finishing 7/11/7 over the same stretch? Do we ignore this? Do we say having to go through the play-in is a better chance for success--thats if you even make the playoffs?

Sorry, but Jokic is a far safer bet for what the OP is asking us.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Got it. We just look at who won the title and choose the best 2 players from that team retroactively? I like this approach. I mean results oriented approaches actually suck at making future decisions, but since we are just talking on the internet this means we always get to be right. And I love being right.

Ur trying too hard here What are you on about lmao it’s absolutely relevant that the two times the second best player was out that they did nothing

Man first complementing my humor now my effort level. You are going to make me blush here soon if you keep this up.

There is some relevance I suppose. But what do we do with Lebron/AD finishing 7/11/7 over the same stretch? Do we ignore this? Do we say having to go through the play-in is a better chance for success--thats if you even make the playoffs?

Sorry, but Jokic is a far safer bet for what the OP is asking us.

So health? Lol

[Texas Chuck]

yeah health. Cuz it matters. Unless our goal is just ignoring it so the Laker duo can win the comparison, but what's the point of that? Isn't the point to actually identify the duo that gives us the best chance to succeed?

I guess the LOL's should have been my sign you aren't really interested in a discussion here. Just choosing LA.

Go Lakers!

[MyUniBroDavis]

yeah health. Cuz it matters. Unless our goal is just ignoring it so the Laker duo can win the comparison, but what's the point of that? Isn't the point to actually identify the duo that gives us the best chance to succeed?

I guess the LOL's should have been my sign you aren't really interested in a discussion here. Just choosing LA.

Go Lakers!

Dawg put ur reading glasses on lmao

The only argument is that bron and AD will be hurt by playoff time which is a valid argument, but I’m assuming this question means if healthy and that’s not a comparison lol

Anyway ur the one out here being all sarcastic and accusing people of being homers because they think you had a dumb take lol

[OhayoKD]

Strongly, strongly disagree. The best player matters so much.

Didn't matter much in 2022 or 2021.

Got it. We just look at who won the title and choose the best 2 players from that team retroactively? I like this approach. I mean results oriented approaches actually suck at making future decisions, but since we are just talking on the internet this means we always get to be right. And I love being right.

results oriented approaches tend to be better at making future decisions than vibes orientated ones. There's also a world of grey between "won the title" and "got completely dominated in round one or two". (See: Giannis)

Of course, 2023 hardly helps your argument when one looks at *how the nuggets won rather than simply the fact they won. Unless you retroactively revise 3 of the 4 games against an injured Lebron and Davis coming down to a possession or two into support for "future gms should take jokic+kcp instead of lebron and davis"