The number two person in a dynamic duo can be equally as memorable as the number one. We see this all the time in movies and TV with famous sidekicks like Robin, Chewbacca, Jesse Pinkman, Goose, and Dwight Schrute. The NBA has had no shortage of great number two options throughout its history when it comes to championship caliber teams such as Pippen, Kobe, Wade, McHale, and Kyrie. This got me thinking about who are the best current number two options in the league. I decided to go through and rank them. So let’s not waste any more time and get to the top five number twos in the National Basketball Association.
Honorable Mentions
Khris Middleton: He is most likely on his way to his first All-Star game this season. His scoring numbers have dipped to 17.6 points a game from 20.1 the season before. However, the Bucks have established themselves as a real threat this season, and Middleton has been a solid number two behind Giannis.
Jrue Holiday: After shutting down Damian Lillard in the playoffs and proving his five-year $126 million contract might not be THAT bad of a deal, Holiday is quietly putting up 20 points and 9 assists a game. I still feel like Rondo was more important than Holiday to the Pelicans last year down the stretch given how well he played alongside Anthony Davis. New Orleans will probably miss the playoffs this season and I’m not putting that on Holiday but if you replaced him with Rondo well let’s just say I’d feel better about their chances of getting in.
CJ McCollum: He’s pretty much having the same season he had last year. Good but not All-Star good.
John Wall: The legend who stood on a scoreboard after the Wizards won game six of a playoff series that they ended up losing to the Celtics in seven has what might be the worst contract in the league, he is no longer the best player on his own team, and his All-Star days might be behind him. All that said he’s still John Wall and at least deserved an honorable mention.
Rudy Gobert: One of the best qualities of a good number two is to be able to pick up the slack when the number one option is struggling. Now I wouldn’t say Donovan Mitchell is struggling, but he definitely hasn’t gotten noticeably better between his rookie and sophomore seasons like many expected. Gobert has been having a similar season stat wise as to what he’s had in the past. However, the Jazz have regressed defensively this season, and he is supposed to be the forefront of the defense.
Mike Conley/Marc Gasol: Honestly, I couldn’t tell you who’s the number one or who’s the number two on the Grizzlies. They’re both equally important to the team’s success. When they’re hurt, the Grizzlies are a lottery team. When they’re healthy, the Grizzlies are maybe a playoff team who can lose in the first round. They’re both past their prime and are border line All-Stars for this season, so I couldn’t place them in my top five.
Jayson Tatum: As a rookie, Tatum was the best scorer on a team that was a couple minutes away from making the NBA finals. In his sophomore season, Tatum has slightly improved but due to some poor shot selection (thanks Kobe…..) he hasn’t taken that big leap yet. You could have made a compelling case after the playoffs last season that Tatum was going to pass Kyrie Irving as the best player on the Celtics in the 2018-2019 season. That didn’t happen, but let’s not even get in spitting distance of the panic button with Tatum. He’s not even old enough to order a beer.
Top Five
- Chris Paul
This is probably way too high of a ranking for CP3, and it’s mainly out of respect for what he’s done his entire career. He is a 33 year old (will turn 34 during the playoffs) injury prone small guard. The last two seasons he played 61 and 58 regular season games, and he’s currently dealing with a hamstring injury that’s expected to keep him sidelined for a bit. His contract is massive and will prove to be a disaster that’ll bite Houston in the ass. However, the Rockets were so close to the NBA finals last year and if they had a healthy Chris Paul for the last two games of the Western Conference Finals, they may have made it. For that reason and the entirety of his career, I decided to include him in the top five even though I’ll probably regret that decision in a couple months.
- Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry is such a devoted number two that he wouldn’t shut the hell up about his old running mate DeMar DeRozan months after the trade. I understand he’s good friends with DeRozan, but if we’ve learned anything about the NBA the last couple of years, it’s that there is no loyalty in this league from both the teams and the players. Also, it’s not like the Raptors downgraded from DeRozan. Kawhi Leonard is better offensively, defensively, and he is a better shooter than DeRozan. As for Lowry, his scoring numbers have dipped, but he’s still having an All-Star year averaging ten assists a game on the team with the best record in the leauge.
- Jimmy Butler
Nobody tell Ben Simmons (the same player who was being compared to LeBron and Magic) that he’s now a third wheel. Simmons still can’t shoot and isn’t as good a scorer as Butler. Simmons could easily surpass Butler this season, but he is not there yet. Jimmy Butler’s stay in Minnesota ended as bad as The Sopranos, but his Philadelphia tenure has gotten off to a good start. The 76ers are 13-4 with Butler in the lineup and he’s already hit two game-winners (which were horrible choices of shot selection) for them. Butler is an All-NBA two-way wing in the prime of his career and easily one of the best number two options in the league right now.
- Russell Westbrook
Yeah you read that right Westbrook is a number two option. While Westbrook has battled injuries this season, Paul George has been the Thunder’s best player averaging 26/8/4 and entering himself in the MVP conversation. Westbrook is once again averaging a triple-double (yawn), and it’s probably only a matter of time before he takes the reins of the team back from Paul George. For now let’s enjoy sidekick Westbrook. He hasn’t been in that role since………
- Kevin Durant
Durant could be swapped for Curry depending on the week to be fair. I’m not making any bold proclamations when I say it’s incredible that this team has two of the top three players in the league who complement each other perfectly. However, there is zero doubt that the Warriors are Steph Curry’s team and he is the face of the franchise. He already won a championship with this team before Durant arrived. Durant is going to be a free agent once again this offseason and maybe after winning a couple of titles he’ll want his own team and to be the face of the franchise (cross your fingers Knicks and Clippers fans). Time will tell, but for moment, he’s easily the best number two guy in the NBA.