Where Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis Rank Among NBA's Top Backcourts

The acquisition of David Lee should make the Golden State Warriors a much stronger team in the interior, but any hopes of reaching the postseason likely lies in the hands of Warriors' guards Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis.

The negative feelings Ellis had towards sharing a back court with Curry before last season began is a well-documented fact, but so is the production of the two players once they became comfortable in their union.

Curry and Ellis averaged a combined 42 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, and 10 assists, while shooting 45 percent from the field.

Those numbers would place the duo among the NBA's elite in the back court, and in some cases they would even surpass some more highly regarded tandems.

The Boston Celtics' back court of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen average less points combined, as does the Los Angeles Lakers' duo of Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, but all of those players ended their seasons in the NBA Finals.

Curry and Ellis can statistically hold their own when compared to any back court in the NBA, but they are not likely to be perceived among the upper-echelon of perimeter tandems unless their play is reflected by the Warriors' success.

Numbers are a great way to measure the abilities of an individual player, but how those numbers impact a team in terms of wins and losses usually determine the players' effect on a team.

The fact Golden State finished in the Western Conference cellar does little to reinforce the concept of Ellis and Curry as one of the NBA's top back courts, but there were extenuating circumstances surrounding the Warriors' finish last season.

Outside of Portland, no other NBA team was as decimated by injuries as the Warriors, and each one of the setbacks seemed to affect Golden State where they could afford it the least.

Golden State was the worst rebounding team in the NBA last season, and injuries to Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, and the departed Anthony Randolph only made that flaw more visible.

Curry and Ellis were forced to dictate the flow of the Warriors' game from the perimeter, and they were the primary offensive focus of the team, since the Warriors lacked an interior threat.

The addition of Lee should bring a little more balance to the offense, and force opponents to pay more attention to the Warriors' inside game.

This should open up the perimeter even more for Ellis, and it could allow Curry to concentrate more on his budding talents as a distributor.

Both players stand around 6'3", so the potential height disparity could be a problem against some opponents, but in turn, Curry and Ellis will likely enjoy a quickness advantage over most teams.

Curry has made improving his man to man defense a priority in the offseason, and Ellis should do the same, because that aspect may be the difference in the duo being considered among the NBA's best.

No one will ever take the Warriors seriously unless they show a strong commitment to team defense, and what better place to start than with the two players who are arguably the most important pieces of the Warriors' future?

The numbers say Ellis and Curry already rank among the NBA's top back courts, and if the Warriors' win total can match the duo's statistics this season, they may finally get the recognition they deserve.