Which current 22 and under duo would you build around?

[GetBuckets]

You're given a shitty team with the choice of one 22 and under duo to build around for the future. Who do you take? Some that come to mind..


Timberwolves - Andrew Wiggins and Zach Lavine (or Anthony Bennett)

Bucks - Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker

Jazz - Dante Exum and Trey Burke (or Rudy Gobert)

Magic - Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton (or Aaron Gordon/Tobias Harris)

Sixers - Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel (or Dario Saric)

Pistons - Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope lol

Raptors - Jonas Valanciunas and Bruno Caboclo

Kings - Nik Stauskas and Ben McLemore

Hornets - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Noah Vonleh (or Cody Zeller)

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Any other under 22 duos are fair game as well, obviously I didn't list all of the good ones. And as listed in parenthesis, a lot of these teams have other options for these duos, like Saric vs Noel for Philly?

For this forget about Anthony Davis..he and whoever is under 22 on the Pelicans would be the obvious choice..and maybe stars like Kyrie as well

All players in their current conditions..so guys like Embiid who are out right now and are injury risks are exactly the same, this isn't a hypothetical where everyone is guaranteed 100%.

I like Oladipo and Gordon/Harris and I like MKG/Noah also :)

[Cocaine80s]

Except that you can easily get in shape in 2-3 months...he's already trimmed around 10 pounds since SL. Wiggins can't magically become a great ball handler and shooter in 2-3 months. Apples and oranges.

Jabari getting in shape is damn near a certainty with frequent physical training and playing through NBA seasons..whereas Wiggins may never refine the skills necessary for him to be a superstar.

Jabari is fat after getting college training as well. It's not like he'll drop all the weight instantly. Plus wiggins will be working with nba level trainers as well so he'll be increasing his skills too

[Milbuck]

Jabari is fat after getting college training as well. It's not like he'll drop all the weight instantly. Plus wiggins will be working with nba level trainers as well so he'll be increasing his skills too

Again, he was 18-19..no one is at their peak physically at that age. If anything, the video I posted earlier shows that he's got the potential to be a fine athlete like a Paul Pierce or a Melo...not a generational athlete like Lebron, but deceptively explosive/quick for his body type.

All I'm saying that I'd sure as hell bet on Jabari slimming down and becoming the version of himself athletically (which is underrated as hell) than Wiggins becoming an elite ball handler and developing a superstar scoring arsenal. People suggesting Wiggins has this superstar, perennial all-star potential the likes of McGrady, Kobe, Durant, etc. are under the impression that he has the same natural feel for the game and skill-base those guys had...which is just not true at all. Physically, he's there. Everything else? Not so much.

Ceiling-wise, I see this as a Melo/Pierce hybrid vs a shorter but more athletic Paul George comparison..

[JohnFreeman]

I actually really like Nik and Ben.

[Milbuck]

I actually really like Nik and Ben.

Stauskas complements DMC's game really well..can shoot the lights out obviously.. and put the ball on the floor and make plays for others, which people don't give him enough credit for..also crazy competitive, should mesh well with DMC there too.

[JohnFreeman]

Stauskas complements DMC's game really well..can shoot the lights out and put the ball on the floor, which people don't give him enough credit for..also crazy competitive, should mesh well with DMC there too.

Shooters are exactly what we need. Now we need a defensive big

[SexSymbol]

Giannis has no basketball skills at all, so he's never gonna be a solid starter in this league.
That leaves us with Embiid and Noel or Wiggins and Lavine

[buddha]

Embiid and Noel easily.

Giannis sucks.

[Milbuck]

Shooters are exactly what we need. Now we need a defensive big

You guys should try to get Derrick Favors..with Rudy Gobert looking like he has serious potential..I don't know how much longer Utah will have patience with the Favors/Kanter duo.

Favors would have zero pressure offensively with Cousins, and he could focus exclusively on rebounding and defense.

[Milbuck]

Giannis has no basketball skills at all, so he's never gonna be a solid starter in this league.

Kill yourself immediately.

[JohnFreeman]

You guys should try to get Derrick Favors..with Rudy Gobert looking like he has serious potential..I don't know how much longer Utah will have patience with the Favors/Kanter duo.

Favors would have zero pressure offensively with Cousins, and he could focus exclusively on rebounding and defense.

That's true. I hope Bledsoe considers SAC

[oarabbus]

Probably Embiid/Noel. When you have two big guys with that kinda talent and high ceilings, I will gamble on that every time. If you figure out the golden ticket to let them play together, that could be league changing stuff.

The Brow averaged 4.7blocks/game in college while Noel averaged 4.4bpg.

Davis led the league in blocks last year with 2.8 per game, so if Noel can be as effective of a shotblocker or close to Davis... it could be a big deal.


Embiid just has too high of a ceiling with his legit size as well. The best case scenario is he could be the offensively talented superstar big with the post moves and nice jumper, and provide solid defense. Then you'd have Noel as your defensive rim protecting, shot blocking defensive superstar who can anchor the whole team, and contribute solidly on offense with alley oops/dunks/layups.

[BrownEye007]

Embiid and Noel if they're gonna stay relatively healthy
Wiggins and Bennett if not

[SexSymbol]

Kill yourself immediately.

I was the only person in the arena to clap for him during the friendly tournament with lithuania, zealand, but damn he hasn't got any good skill on the court from a technical standpoint.

Below average ball handler, below average passer, quite a few times he just went up to the trees trying to dunk it and landed awkwardly, so he can't even land normally.

He has a long way to go to be a solid basketball player, for now he's a deserved scrub with great physical gifts.

Even his heart is questionable, he needed to see Zisis cry to even begin to understand the significance of winning

[andremiller07]

You guys should try to get Derrick Favors..with Rudy Gobert looking like he has serious potential..I don't know how much longer Utah will have patience with the Favors/Kanter duo.

Favors would have zero pressure offensively with Cousins, and he could focus exclusively on rebounding and defense.

No way the Jazz trade Favors cause Kantar is garbage the team was like 2 wins and 20+ losses with him starting, but onto the question at hand I don't think you can look past Noel/Emibid