Projecting the 20 most promising young duos in the NBA

11. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Sterling Brown (Milwaukee Bucks)

Don’t get it twisted: the Milwaukee Bucks future is as bright as that of any team in the NBA just on the strength of Giannis Antetokounmpo by himself.

But this is about duos, and beyond Giannis, Milwaukee honestly doesn’t have another standout player under the age of 25. Since this is a team currently contending for a title, their core group after Giannis is made up of experienced veterans.

Just put it this way: It’s no coincidence that even though Giannis and Sterling Brown have played on the same team for two whole seasons, it was difficult to find a photo of them together on the court.

Giannis is arguably the best player in the world right now. The 24-year-old forward is the reigning league MVP after averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game last season. Those are “Shaq-Like Numbers,” as the Big Aristotle would say.

Giannis was also voted All-Defensive First Team. He led the Bucks to the best record in the league and the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, but Milwaukee exited in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Sterling Brown is probably the best option to fill the space next to Giannis on this list. The 24-year-old shooting guard started in just under half of Milwaukee’s playoff games, averaging 4.1 points in 14.7 minutes per game.

Going into his third pro season, Brown is projected to come off the bench behind veterans Wesley Matthews and Khris Middleton at the wing positions.