2. Los Angeles Clippers: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
This is another duo that could easily take the top spot in these rankings. Not only are Kawhi Leonard and Paul George arguably the most complete two-way players in the NBA, but they fit perfectly alongside a Clippers team that just made the playoffs without them in a highly-crowded Western Conference.
Kawhi Leonard is arguably the best basketball player in the world right now. His play in this year’s postseason ranks among the best individual playoff performances of all time. He is arguably the NBA’s best defender and can score at will both from the 3-point line and inside the arc. A two-time Finals MVP who ended the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors dynasties, Leonard is the NBA’s Kingslayer, a la Game of Thrones.
Leonard is a silent assassin who has changed the NBA landscape, albeit in a reserved fashion. Leonard’s success in his lone season with Toronto proved the viability of superstar rentals, while his free agency power play may bring in an unprecedented era of player power. Leonard passively forced the Clippers to go all-in on the next two to three years, demanding that Paul George be brought in as his co-star and signing a short-term deal with the option to test free agency again in two years.
By waiting so long to sign, he limited the ability of the Lakers to sign other free agents, depleting the roster of a competitor while bolstering the roster of a team which he would soon join. Now Leonard, the best two-way player in the NBA at the moment, will play alongside Paul George, the second-best two-way player in the NBA.
George’s skillset is somewhat repetitive of Leonard’s, but he is a better perimeter shooter and had a better regular season, finishing the year as one of three MVP finalists. While George has battled shoulder injuries in recent years, a lighter burden with the Clippers should diminish some injury concerns.
This duo could easily take the top spot if not for the moves that their Staples Center co-tenants made this offseason.