Tuesday’s post on the best “old” guards inspired this thought: What’s the best “young” backcourt duo in NBA history? In order to answer that question, I decided to focus on single seasons, with “young” being defined as any guard age 23 years* or younger.
* Based on the player’s age on February 1 of the given season.
The pairs were ranked based on the harmonic mean of their regular season individual wins (my replacement for win shares). Why use the harmonic mean rather than the standard arithmetic mean? Because the arithmetic mean will not properly account for vast differences in the two individual win totals.
For example, Michal Jordan recorded 21.2 individual wins in 1986-87, the fourth-highest such figure in NBA history by a player age 23 years or younger. Thanks to Jordan’s dominance, he and Pete Myers — a backup who averaged 5.3 MPG in 23 games — would rank as the best young backcourt duo of all time using the arithmetic mean. The harmonic mean mitigates the influence of Jordan’s contribution and increases the influence of Myers’ contribution, pushing the combo way down the list.
With that said, below are the top five young backcourt duos in NBA history based on this method.
#5 Kevin Porter & Phil Chenier, 1973-74
Statistics:
Porter: 81 GP, 14.0 PPG, 5.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 47.8 FG%
Chenier: 76 GP, 21.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 82.0 FT%
Porter (23 years old) and Chenier (23) manned the backcourt for the 1973-74 Central Division champion Capital Bullets. Porter finished eighth in the NBA in assists (despite averaging less than 29 MPG), while Chenier ranked 12th in scoring average and earned the first of three career All-Star selections.
After a 47-35 record in the regular season, the Bullets faced the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where the Knicks prevailed in seven games despite being outscored in the series by eight points.
Porter and Chenier spent just one more season as a duo with the Bullets, a campaign in which Porter led the league in assists and Chenier averaged 21.8 PPG while securing his only All-NBA selection. The Bullets tied the Boston Celtics for the league’s best record at 60-22 and advanced to the NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Golden State Warriors. In the offseason, Porter was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Dave Bing and a future first-round draft pick.
#4 Otis Birdsong & Phil Ford, 1978-79
Statistics:
Birdsong: 82 GP, 21.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 50.9 FG%
Ford: 79 GP, 15.9 PPG, 8.6 APG, 2.2 SPG, 81.3 FT%
Birdsong (23 years old) and Ford (22) were the starting backcourt duo for the 1978-79 Kansas City Kings. Both players were the second overall pick in their respective drafts, Birdsong in 1977 and Ford in 1978.
Birdsong earned the first of four career All-Star selections that season, while Ford was named All-NBA Second Team and was voted Rookie of the Year. No other rookie point guard has earned All-NBA honors since Ford’s selection.
The Kings had tied for the worst record in the Midwest Division the previous season at 31-51, but with their young guards leading the way Kansas City won a division title with a record of 48-34 in 1978-79. In the postseason, they lost to the Phoenix Suns in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Birdsong and Ford spent two more seasons together, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 1981. Following that campaign, Birdsong was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Cliff Robinson.
#3 Ja Morant & Desmond Bane, 2021-22
Statistics:
Morant: 57 GP, 27.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 49.3 FG%
Bane: 76 GP, 18.2 PPG, 1.2 SPG, 43.6 3P%, 90.3 FT%
This Memphis Grizzlies tandem would rank higher if not for Morant missing 25 games with various ailments. Even with his absences, Morant (22 years old) earned his first All-NBA nod and won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, while Bane (23) finished fifth in the MIP voting, picking up seven first-place votes.
After earning a playoff spot via the Play-In Tournament the previous season, the Grizzlies left no doubt in 2021-22, finishing with the league’s second-best record at 56-26. They advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they fell to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors in six games.
Memphis had another strong regular season in 2022-23, earning the second seed in the Western Conference with their 51-31 record. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the first round of the playoffs.
The 2023-24 season was a disaster for the duo, as Morant missed all but nine games due to a suspension and shoulder surgery, while Bane was limited to just 42 games played with ankle and back injuries. The Grizzles finished with a record of 27-55, the third-worst mark in the Western Conference.
#2 Deron Williams & Ronnie Brewer, 2007-08
Statistics:
Williams: 82 GP, 18.8 PPG, 10.5 APG, 50.7 FG%, 39.5 3P%
Brewer: 76 GP, 12.0 PPG, 1.7 SPG, 55.8 FG%, 75.9 FT%
This one may be a bit of a surprise, but the Utah Jazz’s young duo had a stellar season. Williams (23 years old) finished third in the league in assists and earned All-NBA Second Team honors, while Brewer (22) ranked seventh in the NBA in field goal percentage and 10th in steals.
Utah went 54-28 during the regular season, finishing on top of the Northwest Division. After knocking off the Houston Rockets four games to two in the first round, they fell to the eventual Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the conference semifinals.
Williams and Brewer spent just one more full season together with the Jazz, going 48-34 and bowing out in the first round of the playoffs in 2008-09. The 2007-08 campaign ended up being the best of Brewer’s career.
#1 Russell Westbrook and James Harden, 2011-12
Statistics:
Westbrook: 66 GP, 23.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.7 SPG
Harden: 62 GP, 16.8 PPG, 49.1 FG%, 39.0 3P%, 84.6 FT%
Playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook and Harden actually had the top two seasons, with their 2010-11 season ranking second. I chose their best season so I could list five distinct duos. The 2011-12 NBA season was shortened to 66 games, which makes it even more impressive this season came out on top.
Westbrook (23 years old) was an All-Star as well as an All-NBA Second Team selection, while Harden (22) won the Sixth Man of the Year Award, posting the highest field goal and 3-point field goal percentages of his career that season.
One year after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, Oklahoma City went 47-19 in the regular season (second in the Western Conference) and advanced to the NBA Finals, where they succumbed to the Miami Heat in five games. The 2011-12 Thunder are still the second-youngest team in NBA history to reach the Finals, trailing only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers (based on minutes-weighted age).
This would be the final season of Westbrook and Harden’s partnership on the Thunder, as Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets on October 27, 2012. Both players would go on to win MVP Awards, Westbrook in 2016-17 and Harden in 2017-18. They would team up again in the future with the Rockets (2019-20) and the LA Clippers (2023-24).