The Phoenix Suns smacked around their opponents with ease and whimsicality during nearly every game last season, largely thanks to their near unstoppable backcourt. The Devin Booker and Chris Paul duo primarily fueled Phoenix’s dream run to the NBA Finals, and their front office surely took note, extending a $120 million dollar contract Paul’s way this summer.
The pair averaged collectively 42.0 points per game, coming as the team’s second highest by a starting backcourt since the 1973-74 season. They also contributed together with 13.2 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game, while finishing with solid combined shooting splits at .490/.362/.888.
Needless to say, the Suns hold two massive weapons at their team’s helm, likely to terrorize their opponents once again during the 2021-22 season.
But across today’s guard-centric league, almost all NBA teams have made strong efforts to assemble stars at the top of their key. With the Los Angeles Lakers trading for Russell Westbrook a few weeks ago, this year’s free agency marks the third straight summer in which a guard has seemingly “ignited” the the NBA offseason shuffle, with Kyrie Irving and Paul doing so during each year prior.
Additionally, shooting guards became the most popular position picked during the 2021 NBA Draft with 19 total selections. Point guards tied centers as the second most popular option with 13 selections.
With all this emphasis on assembling strong backcourts, several other ball-handling duos have also emerged with some serious talent, allowing them to at least keep stride with the Suns. While ranking them all into four select tiers though, here’s how the Suns shape up.
Phoenix Suns backcourt compared to the bottom tier
To be clear, this tier does not represent the “lowest of the low” regarding backcourt talent by any means. This list aims to compare the Suns with only the league’s best backcourts, so it naturally cuts off teams with less-talented point guard/shooting guard combos. This class instead represents the NBA backcourts with true promise, certain make opposing teams sweat, but still remain a few steps away from stardom.
Indiana Pacers – Caris LeVert and Malcolm Brogdon
The Indiana Pacers latched themselves onto the Brooklyn Nets/James Harden trade last winter, acquiring perhaps the game’s most underrated shooting guard in Caris LeVert. Brogdon’s consistency beside though him allows the Pacers to pair one high-floor/low-ceiling guy with a low-floor/high-ceiling guy.
That makes this team’s backcourt incredibly intriguing, and with the potential to really turn some heads next year, especially if LeVert manages to stay healthy. But when you really get down to it, they still lack the bonafide star power to contend with game-altering backcourts like Phoenix’s.
Charlotte Hornets – LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier
LaMelo Ball won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award last year, and Terry Rozier remains a small, but crafty player with solid shooting touch. With Gordon Hayward struggling to stay on the floor over the last few years, it feels like the Hornets will only go as far as these two take them.
That could end up being the playoffs, but for now, these two do not possess the hardened skills and experience needed to contend with Booker and Paul. Ball scored 15.7 points per game last year, and Rozier added 20.4. Something is certainly brewing in Charlotte, but it’s just not their time yet.
Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant and Rajon Rondo
Memphis’s backcourt looks a bit shaky behind Ja Morant at this moment, with the team just recently trading for Eric Bledsoe, and then trading him away a few weeks later. Now they now find themselves with Rajon Rondo, who despite his age, still remains a solid option for any team to carry given his high-game IQ and all-time great court vision.
However, Morant essentially carries this backcourt—and team for that matter, averaging 19.1 points per game last year. Frequently looking like a top tier point guard, Morant also possesses absurd athleticism for ball hander, having also shown off his ability to score during clutch situations as well.
But even with how special Morant is, this list aims to judge a team’s backcourt, not just one player. For that reason, the Grizzlies find themselves far behind the Suns.
Chicago Bulls – Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine continues to improve with each passing season, putting the ideology that he can “only dunk the ball” soundly to bed. LaVine averaged an extraordinary 27.4 points per game last year, and shot 41.9 percent on 3-pointers. From a scorer’s perspective, one can certainly argue that he can hang with, and even outplay Booker at times.
He now finds himself with another well-improved prospect by his side in Lonzo Ball. But even with his progression last year, Ball still lacks the offensive firepower to match Paul at the point guard spot. This backcourt will be fun to watch next year, but they belong on this conversation’s outskirts.
Phoenix Suns backcourt compared to the middle tier
This level houses the backcourts hovering around the top 10 window. Each duo carries notable talent, and the potential to move up either one or even two tiers if the ball bounces their way during the upcoming season.
Boston Celtics – Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart both put up career-high scoring numbers last year, with Brown averaging 24.7 points and Smart averaging 13.1 points per game. Each player’s upward trend reasons that Boston’s backcourt might soon leap into the upper tiers, but at this point, they lack the punch needed to contend with the Suns.
Assuming Brown fully recovers from his wrist surgery this offseason, expect him to compete for an All-Star spot and put up numbers similar to that of Booker’s. Smart though plays too inconsistently compared to Paul and threatens way less as a scorer. To call him a top point guard similar with Paul feels laughable at this point, which holds Boston back.
Washington Wizards – Spencer Dinwiddie and Bradley Beal
As perhaps the game’s most prolific scorer behind Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, Bradley Beal could put the Wizards on this list even if they fielded a parking cone at point guard beside him. But even while trading away Russell Westbrook following a one-year stint, they rebounded quite nicely by acquiring standout point guard Spencer Dinwiddie from the Brooklyn Nets.
Dinwiddie barely played last year, tearing his ACL just a few games into the regular season. But prior to that, Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points per game, almost single-handedly winning games each night for the Nets while Durant and Kyrie Irving healed up.
If Dinwiddie returns to form, than this backcourt can certainly outscore Phoenix. But their defense bears a few question marks, and with that compared to the always aggressive Booker and incredibly crafty Paul, Phoenix holds an edge.
Atlanta Hawks – Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic
After pushing his team into the Eastern Conference Finals last year, Trae Young fully introduced himself to the league as an NBA star ready to compete now, rather than later. He averaged 28.8 points and 9.5 assists per game during the postseason, all notably higher than his regular season totals.
Offensively, Young surpassed both Paul and Booker last year given his monstrous scoring numbers. However, his defense still requires significant work to say the least. Nate McMillan consistently engineered his lineups during Atlanta’s last playoff run to keep Young away from their opponent’s primary scorer, leaving a whole lot from him to still be desired.
Bogdanovic enters as game-breaking shooting threat, but aside from that, he lacks all the other tools required to contend with Booker and Paul. His inflexibility as a player combined with Young’s abysmal defense counters out the offensive superiority, putting the Suns slightly ahead them.
Miami Heat – Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson
Kyle Lowry somewhat embodies a “twin” figure for Chris Paul. Both players fill out a similar, undersized frame, yet play with enough craftiness and shooting touch to remain effective. Their numbers even resemble each other quite well. Last year, Paul averaged 16.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while Lowry averaged 17.2 points and 7.3 assists per game.
Those guys go tick for tack, but when you compare Booker to Duncan Robinson, things fall off dramatically. Robinson remains an intriguing prospect likely to break 3-point records as his career progresses, but Booker embodies the more complete player. Unlike Robinson, Booker scores at all three levels, and defends relatively well.
During sets where Jimmy Butler slides up to shooting guard, this discussion changes entirely, but by starting Robinson, the Heat surrender this one to Phoenix.
Phoenix Suns backcourt compared to the upper-middle tier
Across this level sits three backcourts, all clawing and scratching at the coveted top tier. For now, only one or two intangibles stop them reigning above the rest. An argument can certainly be made to raise each one, but at the end of the day, you need to draw a line somewhere.
Dallas Mavericks – Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Luka Doncic lacks a definitive position, but frequently plays along the wing or as a primary ball-handler, making him a backcourt piece one way or another. But what Doncic does have is a near-unstoppable offensive game. He averaged 27.7 points per contest for the Mavericks last year, and most expect him to contend for the MVP next season.
Tim Hardaway Jr. just re-signed with Dallas following a season where he averaged an admirable 16.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Doncic comes as the first player to grace this list wholly better than both Booker and Paul, but Hardaway Jr. stands incredibly foreign to such statements.
Like with several other backcourt’s already listed, one player can bring down a duo when compared to the Suns given Phoenix’s high talent at both positions. Hardaway Jr. does that here.
It makes sense to keep the ball in Doncic’s hands a much as possible, so a middle-tier player like Hardaway Jr. makes sense for the Mavericks to hold onto going forward. But for an argument exclusively based around a team’s backcourt, Hardaway Jr. keeps the Mavericks firmly separated from the Suns.
Los Angeles Clippers – Reggie Jackson and Paul George
Kawhi Leonard’s injury might force Paul George back into the small forward spot for the foreseeable future, but he remains LA’s shooting guard when the team stands at full strength. Despite his inconsistencies though, George remains a bonafide NBA star, who frequently finds himself dancing around both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Last year, George averaged 23.3 points and a career-high 5.2 assists per game. Reggie Jackson struggled to find his footing during the regular season, but revitalized his career while averaging 17.8 points per game during the playoffs.
But even with all this, we just witnessed this backcourt go head to head with the Suns, and even though Deandre Ayton played a large part in Phoenix’s eventual series victory against the Clippers, Booker and Paul still lead the charge. That pretty much seals this one for the Suns.
Utah Jazz – Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell
The Utah Jazz backcourt falls behind Phoenix’s only by razor sharp margins. Mike Conley averaged a career-high 3-pointers made at 2.7 per game last year, hitting them also at a career-high 41.2 percent. Donovan Mitchell declared himself a true NBA superstar this postseason as well, averaging the fourth most points at 32.3 per game.
With an aging, but still crafty point guard and a young shooting guard who brings game-breaking scoring abilities as well as a notable competitive edge to the table, Utah’s backcourt mirrors Phoenix’s almost perfectly.
But with so many similarities, the more specific statistics highlight distinctions. When you stack them up under the microscope that is advanced analytics, the Suns ever so slightly edge out the Jazz.
Last year, Utah’s backcourt combined to form a 57.9 true shooting percentage, but Phoenix slightly surpassed them with its 59.3 true shooting percentage. The Phoenix backcourt also finished with a higher assist-to-turnover ratio at 5.39, compared to Utah’s at 4.96.
The Jazz indeed take the cake on the floor’s other end, with their backcourt combining to form a slightly higher defensive rating, but Utah played a much more team-oriented brand of defense last season, captained by Defensive Player of the Year winner Rudy Gobert. With that advantage considered, it makes their defensive numbers look slightly inflated, putting greater emphasis on the stats leaning Phoenix’s way and naming them the better backcourt.
Phoenix Suns backcourt compared to the top tier
The Phoenix Suns belong up here, but not exactly at this level’s peak. However, that more so speaks to the incredible talent displayed at this tier, rather than any knock against the Suns.
These three teams all enter the 2021-22 season as locks for the postseason almost distinctly due to their backcourt talent. This class has combined for whopping 34 All-Star appearances and 16 All-NBA First Team selections.
Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum
Seen by most as the league’s second best point guard, Damian Lillard stood on the MVP conversation’s cusp for the entire 2020-21 season. Known as “Logo Lillard” for good reason, Lillard possesses the ability to literally score from anywhere on the court. Also acknowledged by many as the NBA’s most clutch player right now, Lillard makes any team immediately competitive with his talents.
CJ McCollum deputises the team by Lillard’s side, averaging 23.1 points and 4.7 assists per game, while shooting a crisp 40.1 percent from deep. These clock in as incredible numbers for any team’s secondary option, making this backcourt incredibly lethal.
Collectively, Portland’s duo outscored Phoenix’s last year by 9.9 points per game, and also attained a higher assist to turnover ratio by 0.53 points. They also shot more efficiently from beyond the arc.
Yes, the Blazers and their esteemed backcourt lost to the same Denver Nuggets team which the Suns swept during the postseason, but that largely occurred due to Deandre Ayton’s ability to slow down Nikola Jokic. Portland struggled though, with Jusuf Nurkic unable to play effectively.
It makes no sense to fault Lillard and McCollum for possessing a less-adept team while matched up against the Nuggets, so that loss hold minimal importance in relation to these rankings.
Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson’s health is the only thing keeping the Golden State Warriors away from ascending to the NBA’s backcourt throne. Based on all which they accomplished beforehand, Thompson and Curry will go down as one of the greatest backcourts to ever play the game, but if they want to continue their excellence into this new decade, Thompson must return to form.
During his most recent season, Thompson averaged 21.5 points and 2.4 assists per game. He also served as a widely feared perimeter defender for Golden State, averaging 1.1 steals per game.
Stephen Curry holds the NBA’s “best point guard” mantle right now, no doubt about it. Even though he finished third place for it, Curry miraculously surpassed his scoring averages from his unanimous MVP season, contributing with 32.0 points per game last year. He dished out 5.8 assists and snagged 1.2 steals per game as well. Curry also scored at least 50 points in a single game during three seperate occasions, the most amongst all NBA players.
Curry’s numbers far exceed that of Paul’s, while Klay Thompson’s coast in slightly behind Booker’s. This makes things tip slightly toward Golden State’s side once things begin to cancel each other out, as Curry’s insane production just carries too much weight.
If Thompson returns as a shell of himself, then things might switch up, but until we see him actually digress, the legendary Splash Bros still reign supreme out West.
Brooklyn Nets – Kyrie Irving and James Harden
The Brooklyn Nets redefine the word “spoiled” when it comes to their backcourt. Like the Warriors, the possess two certain Hall of Famers with Kyrie Irving and James Harden aboard.
Before his injury last year, Harden looked on pace to earn his second career MVP award, averaging a career-high assists per game, rebounds per game, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage.
Irving however just finished off a season for the ages from an efficiency standpoint. While scoring 26.9 points per game, Uncle Drew became the ninth player to join the 50/40/90 club after shooting 50.6 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from 3-point territory, and 92.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Needless to say, Brooklyn’s backcourt supplies box office entertainment. Phoenix’s does to a certain degree as well, but the Irving and Harden duo averages significantly more points and and assists per game than Booker and Paul. They also combine for a better field goal and 3-point percentage.
Both Paul and Booker defend at a higher level than Irving and Harden, but Brooklyn’s guys still combine to form arguably the most efficient and prolific offensive backcourt ever put together. Unfortunately, nothing outweighs that.
Conclusion:
At this point, we know Phoenix’s backcourt remains one not to trifle with. But the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, and Brooklyn Nets backcourts all slightly stand above them at this point. That names them as the NBA’s fourth best point guard/shooting guard duo.
But given all the room still available for Booker to improve, Phoenix might catch all three teams as the upcoming season progresses. Paul needs to keep things together with his health as well. But if all that all comes into fruition, keep an eye out for an updated list.