The following list is current pairings of young guards sharing the same backcourt that have the potential to be great. I left off Derrick Rose because I have no idea what he will be when he comes back, nor is there any indication of who the Bulls plan on putting next to him going forward. Rip Hamilton and Marco Belinelli are not the answer. Nor, is Kirk Hinrich. And, for the record, Chris Paul has been omitted for a similar reason. My cousin did point out that if Chris Paul is healthy, it really won't matter who's next to him, because that backcourt will automatically be one of the top backcourts in the Association.
10. John Wall / Bradley Beal: While Wall has all the talent to be Derrick Rose-like, he has yet to harness it into winning basketball. There are a number of reasons why this pairing is this low on the list—mainly having to do with health. Wall has been hurt for the entire season thus far. Outside of health, improved shooting from both will be key. Beal has struggled in his first season shooting a ghastly 35.7 percent from the floor and is already hearing the dreaded “B” word associated with his name (even despite taking home rookie of the month honors for December). But a quick look at this year’s sophomore class reveals a list of excellent college players who struggled to shoot last year, having greatly improved this year—Jimmer Fredette, Kemba Walker, Chandler Parsons, Brandon Knight, and E’Twaun Moore. So, there’s hope for Beal. If Wall can come back the same athlete but with a jumpshot and a more mature floor game, and Beal can learn to take and make better shots, then the Wall/Beal pairing will shoot up this list as quick as a John Wall fastbreak.
9. Kemba Walker / Gerald Henderson: On a personal level, I really like this pairing. The athleticism is off the charts, the college pedigrees too. Walker leads with swagger and energy, Henderson leads with defense and by example, and both have made significant improvements over last season—Henderson adding a thus-far legit three-point shot and Walker bettering his assist-to-turnover ratio, upping his shooting percentage, and controlling his pace (and the pace of the game) much more effectively. That said, Walker is still a defensive liability, and Henderson has yet to prove he can stay healthy having missed 78 of 261 games over his three plus seasons. But the talent is there and by all accounts both men work hard at what they do. Regardless, they remain a great foundation for the Bobcats moving forward.
8. Damian Lillard / Wesley Matthews: Considering how well the NBA’s Rookie of the Year frontrunner has been playing, this might be a bit low on the projection totem pole. Like most every NBA watcher, I have been impressed with Lillard so far this year. He carries himself with the poise of a 5 or 6-year veteran, has shot the ball well (despite a low FG%), has hit some big shots, and has been the catalyst for a Blazers team that is ranked 13th in offensive rating despite playing with a ragtag assortment of retreads (Sasha Pavlovic, Ronnie Price, Jared Jeffries) and rookies (Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, Meyers Leonard). His running mate, who has been in-and-out of the lineup due to injuries, is the 26-year-old Matthews. Like Lillard, Matthews was undervalued in his draft. Also like Lillard, he worked hard to prove his doubters wrong. He brings a variety of things to the table, but because he’s a limited athlete, he appears to have already maximized his physical gifts. Improving his shot, refining his defense, and simply maturing by playing the game will all make him better, but his ceiling is the lowest of any player on this list. The same could be said about Lillard as well. Not that he’s got a low ceiling, but much like my post regarding Kyrie Irving, Lillard’s room for growth is not as big as a player putting up similar numbers but doing so inefficiently off sheer athleticism. Lillard’s got an old man’s game and while he is a decent athlete, he’s no Walker or Jeff Teague, let alone Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose. That lack of athleticism, coupled with the fact he already excels at the game in areas where most young players improve with more experience, limits his upside.
7. Eric Gordon / Greivis Vasquez: Certainly an intriguing, if somewhat unexpected pairing. Just goes to show how seizing upon one’s opportunity is so vital to success in the NBA. Coming into the season, Vasquez was largely viewed as an excellent backup who would keep the starting point guard seat warm for Austin Rivers, the Hornet’s second lottery pick taken at No. 10. But, the 25-year-old “Pass”quez has exceeded expectations, earning the last Player of the Week award for 2012 by averaging 20 ppg, 10 apg, and 6.3 rpg and shooting 51 percent from the floor (reminding of a defensively challenged Jason Kidd). He is also currently ranked fourth in the NBA in assists (8.8). Questions about his lack of athleticism, his porous defense, and his penchant for turnovers are legitimate concerns moving forward—but the latter two are largely correctable. This is, after all, Vasquez’s first season as a full time starter. Gordon’s issues are a bit more complicated. He’s got a boatload of talent—so much so that it’s not farfetched to think that if healthy, he would be a top-5 shooting guard. Of course, health has always been a vital factor in the life of Gordon, who suffered through a back injury during his last year at Indiana, then came to the NBA and has proceeded to miss 134 of a possible 341 games over the past five seasons due to various ailments, both real and imagined. That said, Gordon will provide the scoring punch and rim-attack-ability that Vasquez lacks, while Vasquez will provide the ball-handling and distribution that Gordon struggles with. Defensively, the two work well together (in theory). Gordon has the speed and quickness (though laterally he still needs work) to crossmatch with the 6’6 Vasquez on defense. I put them this high because an efficient, defense neutral Vasquez, paired with a healthy Gordon, will be a nightmare to contain. As for the potential of Rivers to work his way into the starting rotation, thus far, he has provided zero evidence that he is an NBA caliber player. If he does make it, his upside seems to be more bench scorer than starter.
6. Ricky Rubio / Alexey Shved: This backcourt has played all of five games together (with mixed results), but remains one of the most intriguing backcourt tandems in the league. Most everyone knows Rubio. Dubbed the Spanish Pete Maravich, the 21-year-old ushered in a new, exciting era in Minnesota last season before suffering an ACL tear that killed Minny’s playoff hopes. His potential lies in his ability to learn how to shoot the ball. That’s it. He does everything else so well. He’s an ace defensive guard, an unbelievable passer, an elite floor general, adept rebounder, choice pickpocket, and good freethrow shooter. He’s like a floppy haired, fun-loving, smiling Rajon Rondo. If he could make 3s and layups, he’d be an all-star. He probably will be anyway even if he doesn’t improve at all thanks to his dimesmanship. But if Rubio improves his 3-point shot, layup accuracy, and discovers a midrange game—he’ll be a perennial MVP candidate. As for Shved, the American basketball enthusiasts caught wind of him during the London Olympics as he and Andrei Kirilenko led Russia to a bronze medal. His NBA career got off to a slow start, but he quickly began reinforcing all the positives that he displayed during the Olympics once he got a bit more comfortable. Shved has great form on his jumper, though still tends to be a bit streaky. He’s also an excellent passer (averaged six assists per game during December) and has the confidence (and stones) to take big shots. He’s not a great defensive player, but does have sneaky athleticism, which means if he adds some strength and discipline, he could get better on that end. The Bleacher Report had an article that likened the tandem to John Stockton / Jeff Hornacek. It’s an interesting comparison, but a bit off-based considering that Stockton and Hornacek were excellent shooters. Rubio isn’t anywhere close, and while Shved’s got potential in that area, he is far off the mark in that regard as well. At the same time, Shved and Rubio are much better athletically. I don’t ever remember Horny doing this, let alone this. Still, Stockton / Hornacek was the backcourt of two NBA runner-ups…
For part II, click here.
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