NBA: 4 New Dynamic Duos Fans Are Looking Forward to Seeing

Nov 15 2012; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) defends Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Brooklyn won 102-97. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 NBA offseason brought plenty of changes to teams, making some a lot better, and others worse. Sounds like a regular offseason, doesn’t it? Well, this one is unique because the weak teams are remarkably weak, and the strong teams are exceptionally strong. There is a huge difference. The first nine seeds from each conference will be fairly ahead of the other teams.

With that being said, which combinations of new players are we most excited to see? Well, that depends on a number of questions. As an NBA fan, you are willing to see all of them. But as a team fan, you want to see your favorite teams. Set the fan bias aside for a second here and let’s see which teams are going to be the most fun to watch.

(No Particular Order)

1. Josh Smith/Andre Drummond:

Watching these two patrol the frontcourt and the paint together is going to be very fun. With a more than capable scorer in Brandon Jennings, the Pistons, unlike their city, are in a good place right now. Finally, they may be able to bring some pride to their city like the good old Chauncey Billups days when they won the championship.

Drummond and Smith are two of NBA’s best at their position. Drummond’s injuries were unfortunate, but in his second season, he’s looking to make an impression. Smith finally gets that change of scenery that he’s being longing for. He’s one of the best shot-blockers in the league. He and Drummond will be solid at the block.

2. Andre Iguodala/Stephen Curry:

This is an underrated move. Not only do the Warriors have one of the most versatile small forwards in the league, they can pair him with Stephen Curry, one of the up-and-coming point guards in the league. These two are going to form a great combination, one similar to the Jarrett Jack/Curry combination that the Warriors had going last year.

Curry will throw lobs to Iguodala, and in return, Iguodala will hit Curry with the nice dime in the corner for three. In some conditions, they may be even doing the reverse. Seems unlikely, but Curry can actually dunk now. Another thing to add his arsenal?

3. James Harden/Dwight Howard:

So this was the biggest move of the offseason, where the Houston Rockets brought on the best center in the league in Howard. Unfortunately, however, they’re already running into problems because Howard is a center, but Omer Asik has made it clear that he will not come off the bench. Locker room division?

Nevertheless, Howard is going to be a huge part of the Rockets’ offense. He and Harden create a scoring combination that cannot be matched. Both pure scorers and unstoppable, other teams will be struggling to run back and forth between the two. This is, of course, only if Howard is properly motivated. If not, forget about it.

4. Joe Johnson/Paul Pierce:

Not a very popular scenario, but I like these two together. They’re both experienced, can play the game, and they can both hit any shot in the final seconds of the game. If the Nets can stay in the contest the whole time and bring the game down to the final possessions, then other teams are going to be deciding whether to throw themselves at Pierce or Johnson.

If they somehow manage to guard both, no worries. Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, and even Brook Lopez could be open for the game-winning shot. The rest of the game, the Nets have other players to contribute. Nobody sees them as a top-3 team, but because of the experience, I think that they can be.