2. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
Kawhi and PG13 deciding to team up on the LA Clippers shook the entire league to its core and completely altered the NBA landscape. Overnight, the “forgotten” LA team became, arguably, the best team in all of basketball, adding two premier two-way wings both in the primes of their career.
George fresh off his best season yet which saw him finish 3rd in the MVP race. And Kawhi, who led the Raptors to their first-ever NBA title while – in many people’s eyes – claiming the title of “best player in the world.”
Now, these guys are playing together and this looks to be a problem for the rest of the league, especially given how well their games mesh on paper.
Each of these guys can thrive with or without the ball. They’re two of the best shooters and shot-creators in basketball. Both can also handle, rebound and pass well for wing guys. But above all else – yes even their scoring – what opponents should fear most about this pair is their defense.
They are arguably the two best perimeter defenders in the league (both are DPOY-calibre) and I would say they are the best defensive duo – on the perimeter at least – since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Couple all that with the fact that they have all the pieces around them to make a run, and you could make a case that the championship is theirs to lose next year.