Ranking the top 5 NBA backcourts entering 2020-21

The NBA's trend toward positionless basketball often renders traditional backcourts a moot point. Players with modern point-forward games like Luka Doncic and Ben Simmons continue to make their mark on the league, and things usually boil down to the old adage that the position you play is the position you guard.

That said, there are still some dynamic backcourt combinations in the NBA - including a couple of new and intriguing ones this season. Here are the top five:

5. John Wall & James Harden, Rockets

Will this Houston Rockets duo even hit the court for a game together? Harden opted for two Lil Baby birthday parties in the last week rather than practicing with new teammate Wall, leaving his future in Houston up in the air.

On paper, the pairing of the speedy point guard and the revolutionary shooting guard is interesting and would've been considered world-beating in 2015.

Before they wore out their welcome with each other, Harden thrived with Chris Paul for two seasons, although it often came in staggered minutes. When the ball-dominant duo was on the floor together, they made it work by drawing defenders away from the other and played one of the league's best two-man games.

The 30-year-old Wall returns from a two-year absence due to an Achilles injury, but his elite court vision and passing should remain intact. It should also be pointed out that new Rockets head coach Stephen Silas oversaw the Dallas Mavericks' historic offensive rating last season.

4. Russell Westbrook & Bradley Beal, Wizards

The other end of the Wall trade sent Westbrook to the Washington Wizards, and he'll team up with Beal in the backcourt. While there's reason to question any Russ pairing, there's some hope here.

Unlike Wall, Westbrook actually played basketball over the past two seasons, and the Wizards know exactly what they're getting. As long as the 32-year-old's explosiveness isn't drastically curtailed, Russ will continue to attack the rack with abandon and average seven or more assists per game.

Beal is one of the NBA's top shooters, and while that accolade applies to Westbrook's former teammate Harden as well, Beal doesn't require the ball in his hands as much.

3. Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown & Marcus Smart, Celtics

Walker will begin the season on the injured list, but it's hard to ignore what he and Brown did in their first year together. The pair combined to average 40.7 points, seven assists, and two steals per game on 38% 3-point shooting, helping lead the Boston Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals.

Neither shot particularly well from deep in Boston's seven-game victory over the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the playoffs, but Smart gave them a jolt on both sides of the ball and played starter's minutes at the two when Brown slid to the three.

Smart's propensity to flop has turned off vast swaths of NBA fandom, but his antagonizing game and defensive chops make him a crucial part of the best three-man backcourt rotation in the league.

2. Damian Lillard & CJ McCollum, Trail Blazers

Dame and CJ represent the gold standard of the traditional 1-2 backcourt, and it's sometimes overlooked that neither is taller than 6-foot-3. Since 2016, the pair have combined to average 49 points, 11 assists, and two steals per game on 39% 3-point shooting for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Lillard, 30, has already carved out a reputation as a legendary clutch playoff performer, hitting two series-winning buzzer-beaters in his career - putting up 50 points in one of those games.

McCollum is no slouch in that area either, posting five career postseason games with 35 points or more.

1. Chris Paul & Devin Booker, Suns

There's some projection here, but pardon me if teaming one of the greatest point guards of all-time and one of the best young scorers in the league doesn't merit this ranking.

Paul turns 36 in May but showed little signs of regression last season when he ran point for a youthful Oklahoma City Thunder squad. He's still more than capable of burying a mid-range jumper in traffic and dropping double-digits in assists.

His arrival to the Phoenix Suns will lighten Booker's volume shooting load and help his efficiency, which improved last season playing alongside a non-scorer in Ricky Rubio.

Don't forget it was less than four years ago when Booker became the youngest player in NBA history to score 70 points in a game.

Honorable mentions: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet (Raptors); Luka Doncic, Josh Richardson (Mavericks)