Starting Five v2.4
- Mar 18
- 10 min read
Daniel Waddleton
Mar 18, 2026
Happy March Madness Eve! Which, of course, makes this the perfect time to talk about some of the NBA’s most under-the-radar two-man synergies.
We know the headliners already. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are basically basketball soulmates, still the only duo in the league to each dish out 100 assists to the other. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren’s pick-and-roll has become the backbone of first-place Detroit’s offense. When Joel Embiid is healthy, his partnership with Tyrese Maxey is about as synergistic as any two-man game in basketball.
And of course, if you just hand Luka Doncic any living, breathing screener with a little vertical pop and functional hand-eye coordination, he will turn that high pick-and-roll into a 1.100-plus points-per-possession machine.
This piece though, is not about the obvious stuff.
It is about the pairings you don't think of right away. The ones less written about, a little weirder, sometimes even more fun to unpack. The star-and-role-player combo that keeps quietly printing easy offense. The two guys whose skill sets just click. The new partnership that makes you watch three possessions and go, “Wait… why is this kind of nasty?”
So with that in mind, let’s roll out a Starting Five of my favorite under-the-radar two-man synergies, beginning with Jokic and a non-Murray teammate who should probably Venmo him part of that recent nine-figure extension.
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Nikola Jokic --> Christian Braun
Christian Braun is a good NBA player, and in last year’s playoff series' against Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, he displayed how valuable his skillset could be on just about any contender. But the reason why Denver was willingly to cough up a five-year, $125 million contract on a gadget offensive player is because his synergy with Jokic has become an integral part of how Denver creates easy offense throughout a game.
Braun is not someone generating much offense on his own, with just 9.5% of his shots this season coming as a pick-and-roll/dribble handoff handler or in isolation. He's also shooting just 29.9% from three, which makes him less than ideal as a pure spot-up weapon. And yet, he's still averaging over 11 points per game, a lot of that offense coming from Jokic putting him in favorable positions.
It starts with the fast break, where Braun is maybe at his best as a play finisher in transition. It also helps that Jokic would probably be one of the 20 best quarterbacks in the NFL if he wanted to be. Seriously, imagine trying to sack that guy, or even try batting down one of those passes.
Braun has a great feel for when to leak out and make himself available for Jokic, and on the other end of the connection, Jokic’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is off the charts. Braun deserves credit too, because this only works if the receiver can finish the play. He is a really talented rim finisher, with the strength and body control to absorb contact, hang in the air, and still score from tough angles around the basket.
Then in the halfcourt, this pairing creates some of Denver’s easiest offense, even though it rarely comes through a traditional “two-man” action like a pick-and-roll or dribble handoff. Braun has a great feel for slipping out off-ball screens, slot cutting when Jokic is pressing the rim, and floating into open space when opposing defenses are loaded up on Denver’s bigger offensive threats.
That soft-spot hunting is something teammate Aaron Gordon has been great at alongside Jokic in the past, but with recent injuries and more success as a three-point shooter, a lot of those opportunities have opened up for Braun. And despite not being the size of Gordon, like we said before Braun is a strong finisher for a 6-foot-5 wing, able to neutralize rim protection with sheer force and body control.
You will see Denver mix in some pick-and-roll with this duo too, though usually in an inverted form rather than a traditional one. Braun is a good screener, and despite his size, he is a strong roller and finisher for all the reasons we have already talked about. When you have a big as gifted a playmaker as Jokic and a guard with Braun’s screening and spatial awareness, these less conventional actions generate clean offense.
It all adds up quickly. 72.2% of Braun’s shots this season have come in transition, spot-ups, or cuts, and if you scroll through those possessions on Synergy, Jokic is typically in the middle of each play.
It's one thing that this connection is so fun to watch, but it's also so difficult to take away. It is less about Denver spamming a set and more about two players reading the floor the same way in real time, and that read-and-react nature plays a huge part in what makes the Nuggets offense so hard to scheme against.
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Isaiah Hartenstein --> Jared McCain
Here is a big-guard pairing that, unlike Jokic and Braun, has made most of its money through direct two-man actions.
Isaiah Hartenstein and Jared McCain have appeared in just 10 games together. Hartenstein has been in and out of the lineup, and McCain only arrived in Oklahoma City a little over a month ago at the trade deadline. But even in limited time, the two have already found real chemistry, with Hartenstein functioning as a hub to help generate clean three-point looks for one of the league’s best young shooters.
Among players with at least 100 jump shots this season, McCain ranks fourth at 1.311 points per shot. Across his first two seasons, he is shooting 39.5 percent from three overall, 41.8 percent on wide-open threes, 38.9 percent on pull-up threes, and 43.1 percent on catch-and-shoot looks.
One of the more interesting ways OKC has unlocked those outside looks is through Hartenstein. If you've watched the Warriors, you probably know how often they weaponized teams helping off non-shooters like Draymond Green and Kevon Looney to get Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson open looks.
Oklahoma City has borrowed from that same idea here, using the non-shooting Hartenstein’s playmaking feel and elite screening to spring McCain.
It's has looked more dangerous by the game, none more than Sunday's matchup against Minnesota. OKC has run similar concepts for Isaiah Joe in the past, but McCain gives them more to work with. He is not just a movement shooter defenses have to chase around. He is also more dynamic with the ball in his hands, which makes the action harder to counter once teams start overplaying this initial look. That extra layer of shotmaking and off-the-bounce creation is what makes this pairing interesting moving forward.
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Nic Claxton --> Michael Porter Jr
Now for a synergy that gives us the best of both worlds from the last two entries.
One of the few bright spots from a 17-win Brooklyn Nets season has been the unlikely chemistry between Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton. Porter Jr is not much of a ball handler, and Claxton has spent most of his career being used as a screen-and-roll threat, so on paper, this did not exactly scream seamless two-man partnership coming into the year.
And yet, Claxton has assisted Porter on 92 baskets this season, the seventh-highest total by any duo in the league. You may not have known this considering nobody outside of complete psychos watches the Nets, but like I said previously, they have gotten it done blending the dynamics of the last two synergies we talked about.
Part of that is the more obvious stuff. Brooklyn has used Claxton as a dribble-handoff hub for Porter, allowing him to come off those actions and attack defenses that are happy to play back against a non-shooting center. The Nets shredded Dallas with that exact look earlier this year.
But the more intriguing part of this connection is Claxton’s growth as a passer. His assists have jumped from 2.2 per game last season to 3.9 this year, and you can see that development in the way he finds Porter. When teams top-lock him to take away zooms and isolated pindowns, Claxton has gotten really comfortable slipping him the ball on seals and other quick-hitting windows before the defense can recover.
Even in actions where Claxton isn't handing the ball off for a zoom action, he has gotten much better at hitting Porter right as windows opens away from the play. And when the target is a shooter like Porter, that is all it takes. Suddenly he is rising into the kind of shot that would get you benched in a college rec run, then splashing it like it is a layup.
I have no idea whether either of these guys will still be in Brooklyn next season, so if this ends up being a one-year thing, it was a fun connection while it lasted.
James Harden --> Jarrett Allen
How about a more traditional two-man game: the guard starts with the ball, the big gets in his defenders way, and both head toward the basket after basketball’s greatest invention -- the screen -- creates a built-in advantage for the offense.
James Harden has been a kingmaker for centers comfortable operating in the pick-and-roll throughout his career. Clint Capela, Joel Embiid, Ivica Zubac, these are all bigs whose games reached new heights playing alongside one of the greatest pick-and-roll maestros in basketball history.
I’ve always joked that trading for James Harden is like trading for 1.5 players if you already have a center ready to set 20 screens a night. It is happening again with Jarrett Allen:
Pre-Harden (41 games): 27.2 MPG, 14.3 PPG, 61.5% FG
Post-Harden (11 games): 29.4 MPG, 20.3 PPG, 73.1% FG
Not saying this duo is breaking basketball or anything, but Harden has quickly found real chemistry with Cleveland’s big man. The two things that immediately jump out when you watch this pairing on film are Harden’s patience and passing ability.
At this point, he can make that traditional pocket pass in his sleep. But his broader ability to probe the defense, keep his dribble alive, and wait for the exact moment the paint opens up before delivering an on-time feed to Allen remains special. These clips also show how intentional Cleveland is about creating space for this duo. They are not just spamming a basic high pick-and-roll, Allen’s screen often comes after an initial action, putting even more strain on the defense.
Allen -- even if I’d argue he is more the beneficiary of Harden than the other way around -- brings plenty to the equation too. He is a big body who can set solid screens, get out of them cleanly, roll hard to the rim, and finish above it. His feel for when to set a screen and when to slip out also shows on tape, which is a subtle but important concept.
He has a lot of roll gravity, especially now that defenses know he is paired with a ball-handler who will turn this into a game of NBA2K. That changes the geometry of the floor. Bigs get a little less eager to step up on Harden, help defenders get pulled in to take away easy Allen finishes, and the ripple effects start to open up everything else: paint touches for Harden, catch-and-shoot looks for Cleveland’s play finishers, and second-side offense for the Cavs’ other creators.
The pairing has driven team success too, with Cleveland posting a 124.2 offensive rating when Harden and Allen are on the floor together. Now of course Donovan Mitchell, a 28-point-per-game scorer, also has his fingerprints all over Cleveland's offensive success, and the Cavs have no shortage of offensive play finishing around them. But this pairing does give the team a reliable two-man game that can grease the wheels on a nightly basis for an organization desperately trying to break through in the postseason.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo --> AJ Green
For the final entry, let’s go to another pick-and-roll partnership, but flip it on its head. This time, the 6-foot-11 center has the ball, and the 6-foot-4 shooter is the one setting the screen.
The inverted pick-and-roll has become a much more common action over the last few years as ball-handling duties have spread across all five positions. It is a tough action to defend because it drags defenders into roles they are not comfortable playing. Guards suddenly become the screen defender, where they are not used to operating in traditional pick-and-roll coverages, while bigs get pulled into point-of-attack responsibilities and have to navigate screens.
And while switching might sound like the cleanest answer, that comes with its own problem. The screener is usually being guarded by one of the smallest defenders on the floor, so the switch often just creates mismatches.
That is what makes Giannis Antetokounmpo and AJ Green such a fun pairing here. Giannis is one of the most unique and terrifying ball-handlers the league has ever seen, a 6-foot-11 freight train who moves like a guard and remains the NBA’s most dominant rim-pressure force. Green, meanwhile, is an elite movement shooter who often draws one of the weaker defenders on the floor and has become very good at setting screens. That creates openings both for Giannis to get downhill and for Green to pop free for catch-and-shoot threes.
You'll see in the clips that most teams try to hard hedge the action to keep Giannis from turning the corner, then both the big and guard recover back to their matchup before the switch can occur. The issue is Green’s feel. He's gotten really good at reading when the defense is not organized and then subtlety slipping into open space before the coverage can reset.
Pat Connaughton was the original Giannis teammate to master the art of flipping screens to help the Greek Freak get downhill with the opposing big in his rearview mirror. AJ Green has taken that mantle, only with more shooting gravity attached to it.
Like with Claxton and Porter Jr, I do not know how much longer this duo will be together with Giannis’ future hanging over everything in Milwaukee. So if this does end up being the end of it, it was pretty fun and unique while it lasted!
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Honorable Mentions
An honorable mention goes to Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who came in sixth on my list. They have built a really unique two-man synergy, but I just can't bring myself to spend any more time talking about the Hawks after convincing myself this offseason, once again, that they were ready to be more than a play-in team.
One more duo worth shouting out is LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges in Charlotte. Put a pace and playmaking savant like Ball next to a high-flying finisher like Bridges, and fireworks tend to follow. I have not spent enough time on the Hornets this season, but that will be change.
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NCAA Tournament
I’ll leave you with some Final Four and championship picks, because despite spending March Madness eve writing about niche NBA two-man synergies, I am in fact very excited for the tournament.
If you didn’t know, I work on a Division I coaching staff, and while we are not in the field this year -- hence why I’m sitting here writing this -- a handful of teams we played are. That makes this time of year even more fun for me. At one point we were scouting and building game plans for those teams, so I enjoy watching their tournament games to see how other opponents decide to guard their personnel and actions in comparison to how we approached them.
So before the tourney gets started and I look stupid, here's how I’ve got it:
Illinois over Duke
Arizona over Michigan
Championship: Michigan over Duke
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