(Picture above from Washington Wizards twitter @WashWizards)

Over the past few years, a number of different backcourts have claimed to be the best in the NBA, with the House of Guards (John Wall and Bradley Beal) among them. I am here to rank all 30 backcourts in the NBA from 30 all the way down to number 1.

Some things to keep in mind:

It is important for both backcourt members to be good, not just one man doing everything on his own (sorry Russell Westbrook).

All backcourts will be decided by choosing the players who started the most games at PG and SG during the season unless that player is no longer on the team (with a few exceptions).

Here it is:

30. TJ McConnell and Gerald Henderson, Philadelphia 76ers

A quality backup point guard and a rotation wing, any team would love to have McConnell and Henderson, just not as starters.

29. Jeremy Lin and Randy Foye, Brooklyn Nets

Foye is a 33 year old combo guard who should not even be a rotation player, much less a starter. Lin is a decent starting point guard who is best served in a role as a scoring sixth man like he was last year in Charlotte.

28. Emmanuel Mudiay and Garry Harris, Denver Nuggets

Mudiay is not looking to be the potential franchise point guard Denver was expecting when they drafted him a few years ago, but Harris is a good young player who could be a quality starting shooting guard for the next 7-10 years.

27. Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo, Sacramento Kings

Collison has bounced between being a good backup and being a low end starter throughout his career, and Afflalo is a good 3 point shooter who was not given the amount of shots he deserves because he is a stuck on a Kings team that has a glut of shooting guards.

26. Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee, New York Knicks

Rose is nowhere near as good as he was when he won his MVP, but he can be a serviceable starting point guard. Lee is a solid 3-and-D guard.

25. Jrue Holiday and Tim Frazier, New Orleans Pelicans

Holiday is a former All-Star whose numbers would be better if big men Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins didn’t demand so many touches. Frazier is a good passer who allowed Holiday to slide off the ball and focus on scoring, although he is best served as a team’s backup point guard.

24. Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell, Dallas Mavericks

An undersized backcourt that has 3 point range but struggles to defend. Curry actually shot a better percentage from 3 than his brother Steph. Ferrell was a nice surprise after being signed to a 10 day contract late in the season and was rewarded with a 2 year deal.

23. D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young, Los Angeles Lakers

Russell is a young playmaker who has had his struggles but has also shown what made him a high draft pick. He could be a dynamic scorer for the next decade. Former Wizard “Swaggy P” is a good 3 point shooter who is better known for his Shaqtin a Fool moments.

22. Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic

Payton is a good defender and passer, but has struggled to shoot the ball and may be better served running a second unit. Fournier is a the Magic’s best offensive player and could be a third scorer on a contending team.

21. Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons

Coming off a really good 2015-16 season, the expectations for Jackson were high. However, he began the year injured and had a down year, but he was still an average point guard. Caldwell-Pope is an excellent defender and improving three point shooter, who should be a rich man soon as he is asking for $20 million a year in his extension talks with Detroit.

20. Jeff Teague and Monta Ellis, Indiana Pacers

Teague is not too far removed from being an All-Star and is top-15 point guard, but this ranking gets dragged down by Ellis. Ellis is an undersized shooting guard who can’t play defense, and his offense wasn’t good enough this year to justify a starting spot.

19. Tony Parker and Danny Green, San Antonio Spurs

Parker is not the player he was 5 years ago and is better suited as a scoring sixth man off the bench at this stage in his career. Green is still one of the NBA’s premier 3-and-D players. His 7.3 ppg may be lower than desired, but that is more a result of the Spurs depth and passing than it is him not being good enough.

18. Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr., Atlanta Hawks

Schroder had a solid first year as the starting point guard in Atlanta, averaging 17.9 ppg and 6.3 apg and helping fans forget about Jeff Teague. Hardaway is one of the exceptions to the rule because he started 30 games and averaged more minutes per game than the other shooting guards. Hardaway knows how to score the ball and shot 36% from three, and his breakout season helped the Hawks overcome the loss of Kyle Korver.

17. Ricky Rubio and Zach Lavine, Minnesota Timberwolves

Rubio is not a big scorer, but he is a fantastic passer and good defender and fits in very well with a Timberwolves team that already has three big time scorers. LaVine is one of these big time scorers. He was averaging 18.9 ppg on 38.7% three point shooting and was the best dunker in the league before he went down with a torn ACL in February.

16. Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks

Brogdon and Middleton are both exceptions to the rule above. Brogdon, who took over as the starter towards the end of the year and into the playoffs, is potentially the Rookie of the Year favorite (albeit in a bad rookie class) and provided the Bucks with three point shooting, defense, and the ability to slide off the ball and let Giannis Antetokounmpo run the offense. Middleton is a versatile wing capable of defending guards and forwards alike. He can be a go to scorer when needed, or can be used as a catch and shoot bomber to stretch the floor.

15. Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade, Chicago Bulls

Rondo had a rough year going back and forth between starting and being out of the rotation, but he is still a good passer and actually shot a solid 37.6% from three. Wade only suited up for 60 games this year, but he played very well in those games, averaging 18.3 points per game. This backcourt did not live up to the preseason expectations, but it was still better than half of the league in main part due to Wade.

14. Mike Conley and Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies

Conley had a career year with career highs in points (20.5) and three point shooting (40.8%) along with 6.3 assists per game while he led Memphis to a playoff appearance. Allen cannot shoot at all and is a liability on offense, but he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game and regularly slows down the opponents’ best wing.

13. George Hill and Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz

Both Hill and Hood are good shooters (40.3% and 37.3% from three) and fit in perfectly with this Jazz team. Their only problem is staying healthy. Hill only played in 49 games and Hood played in 59. When healthy though, they are one of the NBA’s better backcourts.

12. Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

In terms of scoring, this duo is one of only 5 in the league where both players score over 20 points per game. Booker scored 22.1 ppg (with a 70 point game!!!) and Bledsoe was not far behind with 21.1 ppg. Unfortunately, defense counts too and their ranking is weighed down by their bad defense and combined 6.5 turnovers per game.

11. Kyrie Irving and JR Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers

Irving has tended to be overrated by many, but he is still a lethal scorer and shooter (25.2 ppg on 40.1% from three) and has the best handles in the NBA. He isn’t a great passer, but he doesn’t need to be since he is playing next to LeBron. Smith was hurt for most of the year and even when he played it was a down year, but he can go off at any time and even the threat of his shooting helps create space for teammates on offense.

10. Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters, Miami Heat

Dragic had an awesome year where his scoring, assists, steals, and three point shooting were all almost identical to his All-NBA season in 2013-14. Waiters had the best season of his career with 15.8 ppg, 4.3 apg, and 39.5% from three along with taking over during one stretch of the season when the Heat were a top 5 team in the league.

9. James Harden and Patrick Beverley, Houston Rockets

Harden had an absurd stat line that would have made him a lock for MVP any other season (29.1 ppg, 11.2 apg, 8.1 rpg) in his first year at point guard. He is the reason the Rockets backcourt ranks this high and if he had as talented a shooting guard as any of the point guards ahead of him, Houston would rank as the best backcourt in the league. Beverley doesn’t do much on offense other than shoot threes (38.2%), but he is an All-NBA caliber defender who gets under the skin of opposing players.

8. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets

Walker had his first All-Star appearance and had career highs in scoring (23.2 ppg), field goal percentage (44.4%), three point percentage (39.9%), and free throw percentage (84.7%). Batum increased his scoring, assists, and rebounding numbers from last year’s season that earned him a $120 million contract. It’s safe to say this backcourt is not the reason Charlotte missed the playoffs this year.

7. Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics

Thomas emerged as an elite scorer this season (28.9 ppg) who led the Celtics to the number 1 seed in the East. He earned the nickname Mr. 4th Quarter for taking over games and leading the league in 4th quarter scoring. Bradley also had a career year in scoring (16.3 ppg), shot 39.0% from three, and played good perimeter defense.

6. Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo, Oklahoma City Thunder

Westbrook is a lock for the MVP this season. He averaged a triple-double (31.6 ppg, 10.4 apg, 10.7 rpg) and led the league in scoring. He helped OKC forget about Kevin Durant, and even his inefficiency (42.5% shooting and 5.4 turnovers) is easy to overlook when you look at his NBA record 41.7% usage rate. Oladipo is in his first year with the Thunder, and he paired with Westbrook to form the NBA’s most athletic backcourt. He was a good sidekick for The Brodie and these two should be a top ten backcourt for a while.

5. Chris Paul and JJ Redick, Los Angeles Clippers

CP3 is still an elite point guard. His stat line of 18.1 ppg, 9.2 apg, and 1.9 spg are matched only by John Wall, and Paul a very efficient scorer (47.6% shooting/41.1% three/89.2% free throw). He is the prototypical point guard. Redick averaged 15 ppg and knocked down 201 triples while ranking sixth in the league in three point shooting (42.9%). He’s not a great shot creator, but he is a key contributor on a 50 win team.

4. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers

This is where the top 4 backcourts create a big gap. These 4 are in a tier above the others. Lillard and McCollum struggle on defense, but they more than make up for it on offense. They are the league’s highest scoring backcourt (27 and 23 pgg respectively). Don’t leave them open from beyond the arc or let them get to the foul line because they are automatic from both. Lillard shoots 37% from three and 89.5% from the line, and McCollum shoots 42% from three and 91.2% from the line.

3. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors

Lowry is a top ten point guard who averages 22.4 ppg and 7 apg on 41.2% from three. DeRozan is a top five shooting guard who is the best midrange scorer in the association, averaging 27.3 ppg. These two All Stars used to be the East’s best backcourt, but they still make all of Canada (including Drake) proud to be Raptors fans.

2. John Wall and Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

The House of Guards have been calling themselves the best backcourt for years, but this is the first year they lived to their claim and legitimately challenged for the crown. Wall was an All Star, set career highs in scoring (23.1 ppg) and assists (10.7 apg), was one of only 3 players to average 20 and 10 (along with Westbrook and Harden), and ranked 2nd in the league with 2.0 steals per game. Beal averaged a career-high 23.1 ppg, made 223 triples at a 40.4% clip, and was an All Star snub.

1. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

The Splash Bros are still the leagues premier backcourt. Curry scored 25.3 ppg on 41.1% shooting from beyond the arc while Thompson scored 22.3 ppg on 41.4% shooting from three. The two All Stars would have scored more if they didn’t also have two more All Stars (Kevin Durant and Draymond Green) taking away touches. They finished 1 and 2 in the league in three point field goals, with Curry making the second most all time and Thompson the seventh most all time. Steph is a top five player in the league, and Klay is a top five shooting guard. They are number 1 in 2016-2017 and will probably remain at the top for the next few seasons as Curry is 28 years old and Thompson is 26.

*All stats from Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted

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