Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James and Kevin Love, most valuable duo
By Ryan Piers
Kyrie Irving and Al Horford
A number of duos — Russell Westbrook and Paul George, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, and Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge — have either under-performed or battled injuries. The Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combo is not providing enough wins and the Minnesota Timberwolves feature more of a trio.
But in the absence of Gordon Hayward, the Kyrie Irving-Al Horford pair has been spectacular. The two match with identical 1.9 VORP, tied for seventh in the league. No other teammates are in the top 10.
They’ve led Boston to an NBA-best 25 wins while shepherding a roster of young players through growing pains. Boston only brought a handful of players back from a conference-best 53-29 record last season. Despite setbacks, Irving and Horford have prevented the season from being disastrous.
Their chemistry is nearly unmatchable. This clip is a prime example of how the two are the perfect pick-and-roll combo.
Both are so versatile, Irving and Horford present a plethora of options off the play. Both can pass, shoot and create their own buckets.
They’re comparable to James and Love in terms of versatility (actually, it be fun to watch the four share the floor at the same time in the All-Star game).
Most would probably choose the Cavs combo over the Boston duo based on reputation. With comparable VORP, the Boston duo is averaging 48.5 points per game, 10.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists. So one more point, but nearly eight fewer rebounds and an assist per game.
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In the race for most valuable duo, the edge still goes to LeBron and Love, but what matters most is how it shakes out come playoff time.