NBA Rankings: The 10 Most Dynamic Duos in the League

In the league today, with the new rules that took over in 2003, one player can basically carry a team. If that player is a superstar, the sky is the limit for how far a team can go as long as that player stays hot.

I was watching SportsCenter last night, taking in some game highlights from the evening, and I started to think about how many great duos there are in the NBA.

When you have a great duo, there is a possibility of a championship team all the way to a dynasty.

Don't believe me? Just go back 10 years with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

Still not convinced? How about Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen?

Both were duos on teams that were elite because they had a superstar one-two punch.

We're now back in an era of the NBA where just about every team has at least one great player. Maybe that player isn't a superstar, but the player is still extremely dangerous.

For the next, probably, three to five years, we could actually be close to having two star-potential players on every team.

Right now, many have a great duo but are aging quickly and will have to think about the "R" word pretty soon, hence why it could only last for the next three to five years.

I have made a list compiled of what I think are the best duos in the league today. Enjoy!

Honorable Mention: Chris Paul and David West

This duo is the perfect superhero side-kick duo.

Paul is obviously the star for the Hornets, and David West has been willing to sit in Paul's shadow and quietly but up big nights, plus he has an All-Star game under his belt.

Neither is fully healthy right now, but, when at full strength, they are a scary twosome with deep playoff potential.

Honorable Mention: LeBron James and Antawn Jamison

So I couldn't find a picture of the two in a Cavs uniform together yet. Don't judge me.

A fairly new duo that will dominate the postseason once they learn to stay healthy and play with each other more on the court.

LeBron is the best player in the world and doesn't need much around him; he's proven that for years now.

Jamison is exactly the type of player 'Bron needed to help complement him and help in the post when he's double- or triple-teamed.

Definitely the duo of the future and possibly the very near future.

10. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith

One of the most overlooked duos in the league. Both are great at communicating with each other and are always looking for each other on the court.

This duo is a good example of how power styles and smooth styles can complement each other very well. Hopefully Johnson stays in Atlanta and they can both grow as players together.

9. Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce

A killer duo when each of them is on his game. This duo is different than the others in the league because it's kinda like the old and the new twosome.

Pierce's best days are behind him, if you ask me, and Rondo is the face of the future for the Boston Celtics.

Both complement each other really well with Rondo's speed ability to draw attention when he drives, as he is able to kick it out to Pierce pretty often or lay it up himself.

On a sidenote: This duo would be No. 1 if this was the best trash-talking duo in the league.

8. Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis

An elite center and a power forward is often not the most popular as far as duos go. Both are fantastic down low and either will draw attention wherever they are on the floor.

Lewis is one of the most underrated players in the league, if you ask me, and is a solid shooter beyond the perimeter, which complements Howard's ability to dominate the paint.

Howard and Lewis are easily one of the most overlooked duos in the league.

7. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan

Basically the poster boys for twosomes, Duncan and Parker have played together forever, it seems, and the two look to close out their careers as one of the great one-two punches in league history.

Parker is still the quickest in the league, and Duncan can still do absolutely anything he wants down low.

You don't need much common sense to figure how these two are fantastic at complementing each other and have been for years. However, I still think they're one of the most underrated duos in the league.

6. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant

Pretty easy duo to mention here. You have one of the best, if not the best, scorers in the league plus a point guard great at drawing attention to himself.

They have each had a great season because of each other, which I think is really cool.

Durant would not have the season he's having if not for Westbrook's ability to drive and kick it out to him.

Plus, Westbrook would not have the season he's having if not for the attention Durant draws on the perimeter, allowing Westbrook to drive the lane.

5. Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo is a dominant player in every sense of the word and Billups is capable of hitting from anywhere.

They are often overlooked as a duo, but they have to be one of the best in the league at complementing each other extremely well. Denver made an unbelievable risk at bringing Billups in and it has paid off extremely well.

Not many people expected these two players to work together this well. I thought Billups was too much of a shooter to complement 'Melo. Was I wrong? Kinda.

They will be challenging the Lakers for Western dominance by themselves for the next few years.

4. Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson

Probably the most consistent duo in the league night in and night out. Both players are putting up numbers every night and are still looking for each other on the floor.

Both are great scorers and both are never really trapped on offense because the defense has to always look for both players.

Reminds me a lot of Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis as a duo.

This duo will be a huge threat to any team in the postseason if they make it. Mark it down.

3. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer

Not the funnest duo in the league to watch, but they have proved over the years you don't have to be flashy to be dominant.

With Williams being basically a do-it-all point guard and Boozer a powerful player, they're capable of doing just about anything with each other on the court.

These two as a twosome have basically kept Utah as a powerhouse in the West and have done so for the past few years. Look for the most non-exciting duo make a lot of teams scared in the playoffs.

2. Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire

Nash and Stoudemire have easily been the best duo in the league for the past few seasons. With their "run-'n'-gun"-type offense, no other players could complement each other so well.

They resemble John Stockton and Karl Marlone with both of their styles being able to mesh together very nicely.

Their two-man game is extremely lethal when they get the pick-and-roll going early and often. Legendary duo.

1. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol

Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant. You don't need another great player to help make him great. However, that's exactly what the Lakers have in Pau Gasol.

Arguably the best twosome in the league. They won a championship together last year and are great at communicating, which is what the Lakers are great at.

Gasol is becoming one of the best in the league at his position and has had a solid season because of Kobe's ability to run the offense, even at the off-guard position.