3 Reasons Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are the best duo in the NBA

2. Playmaking

Perhaps the most formidable aspect that the twosome of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving brings to the table is the ability to not only score but set up others in the offense as well. This is very rare for superstar duos in the NBA.

Together, they averaged a combined 14 assists per game. When compared to the other six duos mentioned, they were second to only Denver's Jokic and Murray (16 combined assists per game). No other pairing on the list combined for more than 9.4 assists per contest.

The difference is that the Nuggets stars don't have the same scoring capacity, as they only combined for 44.5 points per game, while the Mavs duo put up 59.4 points per game. That is a difference of almost 15 points.

When adding assists to the points scored, Luka and Kyrie are miles ahead of every other tandem in the NBA, especially among the top seven partnerships mentioned.

Those assist numbers could potentially rise in the 2023 season, as the Mavericks front office has added better three-point shooters (Grant Williams and Seth Curry) to their roster. This could widen the gap even further between Luka, Kyrie, and the rest of the league's top combinations.

That impact on the overall offense propelled Dallas to a 121.7 offensive rating when both players were on the floor together. For comparison, the Sacramento Kings led the NBA during the 2022-2023 season with an offensive rating of 119.9.

Simply put, with Luka and Kyrie sharing the hardwood, the Mavericks were the best offense in the NBA last season, and that was without having played much together.