The NBA moves fast. Just a couple of seasons ago, a list of the top duos would have included Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on the Celtics, LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was paired with Damian Lillard in Milwaukee. Just a season ago, a similar list would have included James Harden and Ivica Zubac on the Clippers, but by the trade deadline, both were on new teams. Which is to say, teams need to take advantage of the windows with top duos while they can. Heading into the 2026-27 season, here are the NBA's top seven duos. 1. Nikola Jokic & Jamal Murray (Denver) This is the most tested and reliable elite duo in the NBA — we know how well they play off each other, and we've seen them lift the Nuggets to a title. Both also are coming off monster seasons. Jokic averaged a triple-double of 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game, shot 38% from 3, and finished second in MVP voting. Murray had his best statistical season, averaging 25.4 points and 7.1 assists — both career highs — and shooting 43.5% from 3-point range, which earned him All-Star and All-NBA honors. When Jokic and Murray were on the court together last season, the Nuggets had a +11.6 net rating. This remains one of the league's elite duos. What held back Denver last season — and the concern heading into this one — is health and the depth around Jokic and Murray. But that duo? Nobody is worried. Jokic is making midseason passes in the preseason. NO-LOOK. CROSSCOURT. BEHIND-THE-BACK DIME. ARE YOU SERIOUS, JOKER pic.twitter.com/A5upVabWYw— NBA (@NBA) October 4, 2026 2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City) We didn't see much of this duo last season. While Gilgeous-Alexander was on his way to his second consecutive MVP award, Williams played just 33 regular-season games and five in the playoffs due to injuries. J-Dub was not himself. Williams is back healthy this season, and he and SGA are ready to resume the form that had the Thunder with a +13.1 net rating when they shared the court two seasons ago — the season they lifted OKC to the title. Gilgeous-Alexander, 29, and Williams, 25, are at their peak, have incredible depth around them (it's really a trio with Chet Holmgren), and will have the Thunder back in title contention again. 3. Victor Wembanyama & Stephon Castle/Dylan Harper (San Antonio) Wembanyama's standing in the game is unquestioned: He became the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year last season, and at age 22 was the youngest player in NBA history to both make First Team All-NBA and lead his team to the NBA Finals. He is the MVP betting favorite heading into this season for a reason. The question is who you pair with him in a duo. A year ago at this time, we would have said De'Aaron Fox, but during the regular season Stephon Castle looked like the better fit with Wemby, averaging 16.7 points and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 35% from 3, and the Spurs had a +17 net rating when they shared the court. Then during the playoffs, Dylan Harper asserted himself — especially in the NBA Finals — and looked like the future No. 2 option for the Spurs. This season, either Castle or Harper could take over that role — but if you start to look at them as an elite trio, San Antonio becomes that much scarier. And they are all 22 or younger. 4. Jalen Brunson & Karl-Anthony Towns (New York) If you want to argue this duo should be higher up the list, I'm not going to push back — the proof comes on opening night when Adam Silver hands them their championship rings. The stats around this duo are impressive — the Knicks had a ridiculous +20.3 net rating when Towns and Brunson shared the court in the playoffs — but their stories are even better. Jalen Brunson has been dismissed and questioned before he even got to Villanova, and Dallas underestimated him so much he walked out the door. Town faced similar questions about whether he was really a championship big, and Minnesota shipped him out to avoid the second apron of the luxury tax. Together, Brunson and KAT bonded, eventually found a rhythm on the court and became New York legends. The Knicks need to pay up to keep this duo together. 5. Giannis Antetokounmpo & Bam Adebayo (Miami) We haven't seen this duo together yet, but they deserve to be on the list. We may have questions about how smoothly they fit together on offense, and whether there is enough talent around them, but make no mistake, Pat Riley went out this summer and made the Miami Heat must-watch again. What is this all going to look like? "You got two front court guys that can dribble, shoot, pass. Who can rebound," Adebayo said on the LeBatard Show recently. "Obviously, the defensive side is what it is. We know how great we want that to be. But you got two guys going downhill that are very mobile. They have high IQ that can pass. People are underappreciating it right now because they haven't seen it, but as the time goes by people will learn to appreciate what we will do." 6. Luka Doncic & Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers) Luka Doncic is as elite an offensive player as there is in the game. An MVP-level player just entering his prime at age 27. A six-time All-NBA player who last season averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. Doncic also works best with a high-level secondary shot creator next to him, which is why the Lakers paid up this summer to retain Austin Reaves (four years and $184 million). Reaves is coming off a season where he averaged 23.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and showed he could run the team when Doncic is out. When Doncic and Reaves are tight, they have a Jalen Brunson-and-Josh Hart kind of comedy vibe off the court. They also work on the court, where the Lakers had a +8.9 net rating last season when the duo played together. However, Los Angeles needs them to do that in more than 41 games (injuries limited both at times last season), and the Lakers need a lot of other things — their defense, Walker Kessler, depth — to go right as well to get to the level Rob Pelinka likes to talk about. Anthony Edwards & LaMelo Ball (Minnesota) Minnesota will be must-watch this season. Anthony Edwards paired with the best passer he's ever played with, LaMelo Ball, will lead to a dynamic, up-tempo offense full of highlights. Whether that leads the Timberwolves back to the Western Conference Finals is a different question, but we're not going to be able to take our eyes off them. Edwards averaged 28.8 points and five rebounds a game last season, shooting 39.9% from 3-point range. He's going to get some easier looks now, Rudy Gobert is going to be finishing alley-oops and the Timberwolves are going to be entertaining. However, the real key to their season may be whether Jaden McDaniels takes another step forward. That and whether LaMelo Ball is ready for this spotlight and this kind of playoff pressure. Two duos of note not on this list: • No Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren from Detroit, who came very close to taking the last spot (from the Timberwolves). To be fair, Cunningham and Duren proved they can lead a 60-win team, but that playoff performance has given me pause (especially since Pistons management didn't fix things this offseason). It really can't be said enough: if Duren and Ausar Thompson both remain non-shooters, playing them together in the postseason is going to be an issue. • No Philadelphia 76ers are on this list because I don't know what to do with them as a duo: Reach into a hat and pull out the names of two of Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Two of them probably should be on this list, which two is the question. The 76ers may not have the answer to their best duo until around Christmas, so they were not making the cut here before the season tips off.

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 8: Haywood Highsmith#19 of the Phoenix Suns shoots a free throw during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on March 8, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason. --- Haywood Highsmith Forward, 6’5”, 220 lbs, 29, 7th season The last edition to the 2025-2026 Phoenix Suns roster, Haywood Highsmith wasn’t able to find his groove as a member of the Phoenix Suns, dealing with injuries before and during his first season with the team. Signing with Phoenix during the NBA All-Star break, his acquisition was viewed by local experts as an insurance policy in case the team lost any forwards during the offseason. While the team traded away two of their main forwards from the past few seasons in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, acquiring Miles Bridges and drafting Koa Peat puts Highsmith as a reserve who will get minutes in the waning moments of blowouts, or if a forward ahead of him on the depth chart suffers an injury. On a non-guaranteed deal until January 10th, he’ll have to earn his spot on the roster with a strong training camp and preseason. Last Season Highsmith played in just seven games for the Suns in the regular season and appeared in two postseason games, coming off the bench in all of them. The team signed him while he was recovering from meniscus surgery and it limited him and forced the team to sit him out games after he returned. Playing more than 15 minutes just three times in his ten total games including the playoffs last year, his best game came against the Boston Celtics back in March when he scored 16 points and hit four threes. Amid on low-efficiency, he hit 57.1% of his triples on a small sample size. With Rasheer Fleming emerging as primary backup forward once Ryan Dunn’s minutes started to decrease, Highsmith’s value to the team diminished before he even played a game with Phoenix. He played more than 13 minutes just three times in his appearances. A member and a key contributor to the 2022-2023 Miami Heat team that made a miraculous Finals run as an eighth seed, Highsmith didn’t score a single point and took two shots in his eleven minutes and two appearances in the team’s short playoff run against the Oklahoma City Thunder. GP MIN PPG RPG APG STL FG% 3PT% FT% OFFRTG DEFRTG +/- (TOTAL) 7 13.0 5.4 1.9 1.0 0.6 52.2% 57.1% 85.7% 117.8 116.1 +10 Contract and Roster Context Initially signed to a two-year deal, Phoenix waived and resigned Highsmith in August for more financial flexibility. Currently on a one-year, $3 million deal, his salary becomes fully guaranteed on January 10th, 2027. If he makes the roster, he’ll be eligible to be traded on December 15th. He currently sits behind Miles Bridges and Rasheer Fleming on the depth chart. What He Brings An improved three-point shooter since coming into the league from Wheeling University in West Virginia, Highsmith is one of the team’s most experienced players when it comes to playoff experience. He didn’t play in the playoffs, but was a part of the 2018-2019 Philadelphia Sixers team that suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Toronto Raptors after Kawhi Leonard’s Game 7 buzzer beater, was a member of the Miami Heat when they made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022, and then the NBA Finals as an eighth seed in 2023; and has experienced going home early in the playoffs in his last two years in Miami and last year in Phoenix. If Bridges or Fleming get hurt or go through any struggles, Highsmith will be ready to check in. He’s made the playoffs every season of his career and knows what it takes to be a quality regular-season team and knows how to play alongside ball-dominant players and All-Stars after years alongside Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. If his name is called, he’ll provide Phoenix with a gritty defender, a floor spacer and someone who doesn’t need the ball to make an impact. What Needs to Improve Availability. While he played 130 combined games in his two previous seasons, Highsmith was limited to just seven games last year after dealing with a meniscus injury, made his regular season debut in March, and had to miss games once he returned to manage the injury. Assuming he comes into the season healthy, Highsmith needs to improve as a free throw shooter. While he shot 86% from the charity stripe on just seven attempts last year, he’s a career 62% free-throw shooter, which limits his abilities late in games. If Highsmith can become more consistent from the line, Suns coach Jordan Ott can rely on him more late in games if Fleming or Bridges get in foul trouble or are injured. Prediction I do believe Highsmith will make the roster. There aren’t many free agents under 30 who have as much playoff experience and floor-spacing abilities as he does, and for a Phoenix Suns team determined to make a jump in the standings into the top-four, his skillset is valuable if needed. While I don’t expect him to play every game, when he’s in, he’ll be a low-maintenance wing that matches up against the other team’s 3’s and 4’s. I see Highsmith putting up as many threes as possible in his limited minutes to align with Ott’s three-point-centric approach. Stat Prediction: 60 Games, 5.3, 2.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 45.8/38.3/74 Final Word The Suns should want Highsmith to make the team. They already have a flurry of young players whose roles and potentials are undefined. Highsmith is in the middle of his best seasons and can be a consistent voice for a hungry team devoid of heavy playoff experience outside of a few key players. If he comes in and makes an impact on the team’s spacing when he’s needed and stays healthy, the team should be happy they took a flier on an injured player at the All-Star break a season ago.

Pistons vs Bulls: Can Detroit's depth shine? | Cade Cunningham vs Bulls' struggles | Preview the clash! #PistonsBulls #NBAPreview.

Mike Shearer of Basketball Poetry joins Ray and Nick to run down the Western Conference and answer two big questions about each of the 15 teams.

Just a few sentences on the NBA's 15 Western Conference teams, in order of predicted finish.

I Am Not Buying The New Orleans Pelicans At AllWith the 2025-26 NBA season right around the corner, here is my take on the New Orleans Pelicans. Where do you think they finish in the West this year?#nba #nbapreview #nbaseasonpreview

The Atlanta Hawks Are The Darling Of The EastWith the 2025-26 NBA season right around the corner, here is my take on the Atlanta Hawks. Where do you think they finish in the East this year?#nba #nbapreview #nbaseasonpreview

The Chicago Bulls Never ChangeWith the 2025-26 NBA season right around the corner, here is my take on the Chicago Bulls. Where do you think they finish in the East this year?#nba #nbapreview #nbaseasonpreview

The Philadelphia 76ers Are Impossible To PredictWith the 2025-26 NBA season right around the corner, here is my take on the Philadelphia 76ers Where do you think they finish in the East this year?#nba #nbapreview #nbaseasonpreview

Pistons vs Bulls: Cade Cunningham steps up as Pistons aim to outplay Bulls. #NBAPreview #DetroitPistons #ChicagoBulls.

📅 Thursday’s Matchups Indiana Pacers @ Charlotte Hornets — 7:00 PM ETCleveland Cavaliers @ Minnesota Timberwolves — 8:00 PM ETMiami Heat @ Chicago Bulls — 8:00 PM ETDallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz — 9:30 PM ET RealGM Basketball 🏁 Pacers @ Hornets — 7:00 PM ET 📍 Spectrum Center, Charlotte The Hornets host the struggling Pacers in the early game.

バケットへようこそ！マット・ムーアとブランドン・アンダーソンが、今シーズンのNBAのイースタン・カンファレンスについて知りたいことをすべて解説します。 #nba #nbapreview #nbabets 無料モバイルアプリを入手: https://myaction.app/youtube ウェブサイト: https://www.actionnetwork.com/ Discord: https://discord.com/invite/actionnetwork Instagram: http://instagram.com/actionnetworkhq TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@actionnetworkhq 米国でスポーツ賭博および iGaming に参加するには、21 歳以上である必要があります。責任を持ってギャンブルを行ってください。あなたまたはあなたの知り合いがギャンブルの問題を抱えていて助けが必要な場合は、米国の 1-800 GAMBLER に電話するか、https://www.actionnetwork.com/general/responsible-gambling にアクセスしてください。マサチューセッツ州では、1-800-327-5050 にお電話いただくか、gaminghelplinema.org にアクセスして年中無休のサポートをご利用ください。 GameSenseMA.com で GameSense Advisor とライブチャットするか、1-800-GAM-1234 に電話してください。 #著者ブランドンアンダーソン #著者マットムーア

2025-26 NBAシーズンが角を曲がっているので、シカゴブルズに対する私の見解があります。彼らは今年東部でどこで終わると思いますか？ #nba #nbapreview #nbaseasonpreview

2025-26 NBAシーズンが角を曲がっているので、ユタジャズに対する私の見解があります。彼らは今年西部でどこで終わると思いますか？ #nba #nbapreview #nbaseasonpreview