NBA Schedule 2012: Chris Paul & Blake Griffin and Best Young Duos Worth Watching
As the NBA season heads into 2012, there is a ton of excitement for teams with young players who play an exciting brand of basketball.
The Los Angeles Clippers' star tandem of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin is one of several young duos worth the price of admission every single night. These two players excel in the open floor and excite the fans with exquisite passing and thunderous slam dunks.
Let's look at the best young duos in basketball that you must watch this season.
Note: To qualify for this list, each player had to be 26 years of age or under.
1) Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant
Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA and has led the league in scoring the past two seasons.
Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is becoming a superstar talent himself, and both of them are so exciting to watch.
Westbrook is a scoring guard who has great dunking skills and is always playing at an exciting, high-tempo style.
There are few young players in basketball better than this duo, and watching them dominate the Western Conference this season will be a sight every basketball fan must pay attention to.
2) Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry
The Golden State Warriors are one of the highest-scoring teams in basketball, and they have several explosive scorers such as guards Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis.
Both players have great quickness, and both can easily blow by defenders and finish at the basket. Not only can Ellis and Curry beat guys off the dribble, they have exceptional shooting range from the outside and are capable of scoring 25 points almost every night.
If you love offense, then watching the Warriors with their exciting young guard tandem in Curry and Ellis is always a good bet.
3) Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is the reigning league MVP, and he just signed a new five-year contract extension to stay with the team for the long-term. He is one of the most exciting guards in the NBA with his great scoring ability and the way he finishes well at the rim. Rose's passing skills are also quite good, and his defense is underrated.
Noah is a fabulous center whose passion and energy make him one of the most exciting players to watch at both ends of the floor.
You either love or hate a player like Noah, but you have to respect his hustle and determination to win games.
4) OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay
The Memphis Grizzlies have a nice roster of young talent, which includes two tremendous scorers in guard OJ Mayo and forward Rudy Gay.
Mayo is one of the better pure scorers in basketball, and he has some of the most effective dribbling skills in the league. In the open floor, he is so tough to defend because he can dunk in traffic as well as finish over defenders with silky smooth moves.
Gay is a versatile forward who can shoot from the outside and score at the rim. He missed a lot of last season with an injury, but has come back this year to prove he is a legitimate star.
Memphis made a surprising run to the Western Conference semifinals last season and are a team you must check out often this year.
5) Chris Paul and Blake Griffin
The Los Angeles Clippers have fans in southern California excited for basketball like never before now that the franchise actually has a roster that rivals the L.A. Lakers in terms of talent.
Point guard Chris Paul and forward Blake Griffin are two of the league's best players, and each is well worth the price of admission by themselves.
Griffin is a walking highlight reel with his insane dunks and thunderous alley-oop jams. Paul is a fantastic passer and no doubt will create some memorable moments with Griffin this season, especially on the fast break.
It will take time for Paul and Griffin to gel and get used to each other's style of play, but these two superstars will give basketball fans reasons to be excited in "Lob City" this season.
Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter.
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