Top 10 NBA Backcourts in 2012

Now that we are a week into the 2012 NBA season, which teams have the best backcourt in the league?

This list is based less on individual star power and more around the combined talent of both the guards. For example, Dwyane Wade is probably the best shooting guard in the NBA, but the Heat's backcourt won't be ranked that high due to their lack of a true point guard.

The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, will be ranked high because Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen are both plus players at their respective positions.

Here's a list of the top-10 guard tandems in the NBA today.

Just Missing the Cut, in No Particular Order

1. Houston Rockets: Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin. Lowry is going to open some eyes this year, but Martin can't play defense.

2. Orlando Magic: Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson. Jason Richardson is still draining threes, but Nelson is keeping the tandem out of this list.

3. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings and Stephen Jackson. Jennings is one of the most exciting point guards in the league, but Captain Jack isn't the same player anymore at 33 years old.

4. Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague and Joe Johnson. I'm expecting Johnson to have a big season, but Teague still has to show me more.

5. Washington Wizards: John Wall and Jordan Crawford. This is one of the best, young tandems in the NBA. Give them a couple of years and it'll be one of the top-five backcourts in the NBA.

10. Los Angeles Lakers

Derek Fisher & Kobe Bryant

There was a time when this guard tandem was considered to be the best in the NBA. Age has caught up with both of them, however, even though Bryant should still be considered a top-three player at his position.

You just can't say the same about Fisher, though. He has lost more than just a step and really has no business being a starting point guard anymore.

Both have had brilliant careers, though, and deserve to be at least recognized in this list.

9. Denver Nuggets

Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo

It might not be the flashiest backcourt in the NBA, but it has everything that you need.

Ty Lawson is maybe the fastest player in the league. While he isn't the prototypical point guard due to his score-first mentality, he has the ability to get to the rim at will. If the Nuggets need a distributor to come in and replace Lawson, they have Andre Miller waiting on the bench.

Arron Afflalo is also starting to make a name for himself in this league. He's a plus defender who can shoot the ball extremely well.

So the Nuggets backcourt has the speed, the driving ability, the shooting and the defense. What else would you want?

8. Miami Heat

Mario Chalmers and Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade is the reason why the Heat crack the top 10 in this list. He is the best 2-guard in the NBA and a top-five player overall. There really isn't anything that Wade can't do.

The Heat do lack a true point guard, however, since Chalmers has more of a scorers mentality. Yes, Wade and LeBron James have the ability to bring the ball up and distribute the ball, but Chalmers shouldn't even be playing the point guard position in the NBA.

7. Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose and Richard Hamilton

The addition of Richard "Rip" Hamilton certainly bolstered the Bulls backcourt. Derek Rose, the MVP of 2011 and the best scoring guard in the NBA, needed a shooting guard to play alongside him last season.

They mixed and matched with Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans, Rasual Butler and Ronnie Brewer last year, but none of them were long-term solutions at the 2-guard spot.

Hamilton isn't necessarily a long-term solution, but he was certainly a nice addition for the time being. He can play defense and score when he needs to, which will take some pressure off of Rose to be the man for 48 minutes every game.

6. Sacramento Kings

Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton

The Sacramento Kings have a very gifted backcourt that no one is talking about. It could be because Evans regressed last season after his impressive rookie campaign in 2010. It could also be because no one has heard of Marcus Thornton yet.

Thornton is a very talented shooting guard who averaged 21.3 points last season. He did average 17.5 shots per game, but he has the uncanny ability to score in bunches.

While Evans isn't a prototypical point guard, he still has the ability to play the position at a high level. I just can't see him regressing anymore after his less-than-impressive sophomore slump.

5. San Antonio Spurs

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili

We've considered the Spurs to have one of the premier backcourts in the NBA for quite some time now. The ageless Ginobili and Parker—ages 29 and 34, respectively—have been playing at a high level together since 2003. 

Even though age has caught up with them a little bit—Ginobili is actually going bald—they, along with Tim Duncan, are still playing like one of the Western Conference's elite teams. They were, despite their early departure in the playoffs, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season.

The Spurs are the perfect example of how chemistry and experience can trump all, and Parker and Ginobili are the epitome of that.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

Russell Westbrook and James Harden

Even though Thabo Sefolosha is technically the starting shooting guard on the Thunder, Harden has actually played more minutes the past two seasons. He is also, quite frankly, the better player.

We all know about Westbrook and his freakish athletic abilities. He is quickly emerging as one of the top point guards in the NBA.

But let's not forget about Harden.

He was the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and is on the verge of coming into his own. He is also off to an impressive start in the 2012 season by averaging 18.3 points and 6.7 rebounds during the first three games.

This backcourt could emerge as the best in the NBA before we know it.

3. Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis

We've all heard about this backcourt's inability to play defense. Both Curry and Ellis are undersized guards—both listed at 6'3"—and neither are known for their flawless defensive technique. However, the jury should still be out on whether or not the dynamic duo can play defense together.

Mark Jackson, the new head coach of the Golden State Warriors, has been preaching defense all year. It will be the first season in Ellis and Curry's NBA career that defense will not only encouraged, but demanded.

Besides their defensive struggles, the Warriors have the most exciting guard tandem in the NBA. Ellis is one of the league's prolific scorers and Curry is an emerging star at the point guard position. He can pass the rock and shoot the lights out of the ball, but his chronic ankle injury does raise some cause for concern.

2. Los Angeles Clippers

Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups

In just one offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers completely revamped their backcourt by acquiring two All-Star guards: Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups.

Chris Paul is everything you want in a point guard. People who truly understand the position consider him the best point guard in the NBA over Derrick Rose.

What makes this duo so dangerous is that Billups is now playing at the 2; a position that suits him much better in this part of his career. He can shoot the three-ball with ease and can now focus on getting open for shots while letting Paul do all of the dirty work.

Having Billups move to the shooting guard position alone makes the Clippers a very dangerous team.

1. Boston Celtics

Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen

You couldn't hand-pick a better backcourt of Rondo and Allen when looking at their abilities. Rondo is a pass-first point guard and Allen is considered to be arguably the best shooter in NBA history.

Some may think that Rondo is a bit overrated, and I used to think the same way. But he simply continues to prove everyone wrong with his incredible assist totals year in and year out. He has averaged at least eight assists per game for the past four seasons, including an impressive 11.2 last year.

Rondo isn't the best shooter in the game. He actually has one of the worst jumpers for a guard in the NBA, but he doesn't really need to have skill set with Allen playing alongside him. Despite being 36 years old, Allen is still playing at an extremely high level.

There is no reason to believe that the Celtics don't have the best starting backcourt in the NBA.