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Who Are the NBA's Best Big 3s Right Now? – Bleacher Report
After previously exploring the best superstar duos in the NBA, it’s time to dive into the best Big 3s in the league today.
Shifting from two to three players is inevitably going to hurt some teams (Dallas Mavericks) while elevating others (Denver Nuggets). While the Milwaukee Bucks nabbed the top spot in these rankings last season, an injury-plagued year from Khris Middleton has given rise to a new champion.
Like when identifying which teams possess the best duos, a few different factors will be considered here.
Stars not only need to be individually great, but they also have to mesh well with their co-stars, meaning we’ll be taking into account lineup data here. A team’s success with all three players on the court last season will be heavily taken into consideration for these rankings, with help from Cleaning the Glass. If a new player has been added to a duo via offseason trade, only the lineup data from the two incumbent players will be used.
We’ll also be using estimated plus-minus and estimated wins data from Dunks & Threes, which help measure the value of individual players while taking into account both offense and defense.
Adding these numbers up while projecting player progression and regression, injury history and current trade requests has given us a clear picture of the top five (plus some honorable mentions) Big 3s for 2023-24.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have to hope last season was a fluke from Middleton, who battled injuries while only averaging 15.1 points with an effective field-goal percentage of 49.9 percent. Giving the soon-to-be 32-year-old a three-year, $93 million contract that can top $100 million with incentives shows Milwaukee believes he can still be an All-Star caliber player.
While Antetokounmpo and Holiday ranked No. 2 in our star duos, adding Middleton to the core actually dropped the Bucks’ net rating last season from plus-14.3 to plus-10.6.
This is still one of the elite trios in the NBA, but it should no longer be considered the best.
Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Expect this young core to make a leap together in Year 2, as two of the best offensive talents in the game have meshed well with the third-place finisher for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Mitchell had the best season of his career with the Cavs (28.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 38.6 percent from three), Garland’s production hardly slipped even with adding Mitchell (21.6 points, 7.8 assists, 41.0 percent from three), and Mobley put up 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over his final 38 contests.
Add in some extra floor-spacing thanks to free agency and a round of playoff experience, and this core should be even better this season.
Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Even if this trio has played its final game together, it’s worth mentioning how successful Embiid, Harden and Maxey truly were last season.
If you were to add up the total estimated plus-minus, estimated wins and net rating of all the three-man units on this list, Philly’s trio would rank second overall (60.2) only behind our champion. Given that Harden’s trade request will certainly affect chemistry and his own motivation even if the Sixers don’t move him before the season, this number likely won’t be reached again.
Harden should seriously consider dropping his request and playing the season out in Philly, given the success this group experienced together.
Just missed the cut: Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane (Memphis Grizzlies), Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook (Los Angeles Clippers), Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. (Dallas Mavericks).
2022-23 Net Rating Together: plus-19.5 (100th percentile)
2022-23 Combined Estimated Plus-Minus: 8.2
2022-23 Combined Estimated Wins: 17.3
This ranking is a bit of a leap of faith given Williamson’s (and Ingram’s) injury history, but the Pelicans have been unstoppable when all three stars share the floor.
Williamson, Ingram and McCollum have only logged a total of 335 possessions since coming together in February 2022, yet they have walloped opponents by nearly 20 points per 100 possessions in the process. When Williamson was lost for the season on Jan. 2, 2023, New Orleans was just a game out of first place in the West at 23-14 overall.
The trio combined to average 71.6 points, 16.9 rebounds and 16.1 assists per game in 2022-23, with three-point averages ranging from 36.8 to 39.0 percent. There’s enough offensive firepower here to carry New Orleans to the NBA Finals, and the defense with all three on the floor was at an elite level as well (104.1 rating, 99th percentile).
Williamson already looks like one of the most talented players in the league despite possessing just 114 total games of experience at age 23. Ingram, 25, has been named an All-Star, and McCollum, 31, has averaged 20 points or more eight consecutive seasons, tying him with legends like Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce and David Robinson.
Health is key for this group. With it, however, this is going to be one of the best Big 3s in the NBA.
2022-23 Net Rating Together: plus-16.4 (99th percentile)
2022-23 Combined Estimated Plus-Minus: 12.6
2022-23 Combined Estimated Wins: 27.7
Following the trade that sent Russell Westbrook out and brought in D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves, it looked on paper as if the former All-Star point guard would become the third member of the Lakers’ new Big 3.
While he was fine during the regular season (17.4 points, 6.1 assists, 41.4 percent from three), the playoffs clearly showed us who Los Angeles’ best player outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis was.
Reaves completes this Big 3 as a combo guard who can score in isolation, play pick-and-roll, shoot from all three levels and play good defense. He fills the gaps on any given night depending on what the Lakers need and averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and nailed 44.3 percent of his threes in 16 postseason games.
Not only did the combination of James, Davis and Reaves have the third-highest net rating of any combo on this list, but this number also jumped to plus-26.2 when removing all Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley minutes.
While Reaves may not be viewed as a star across the league, he’s now locked in as the team’s starting shooting guard who helps ease Davis’ defensive responsibility and James’ playmaking duties.
The Lakers were nearly unstoppable with all three on the floor and should only be better heading into the season knowing what the 25-year-old is capable of.
2022-23 Net Rating Together: plus-5.2 (83rd percentile)
2022-23 Combined Estimated Plus-Minus: 13.3
2022-23 Combined Estimated Wins: 36.3
Trading Marcus Smart was a blow to the Celtics’ identity, but if Porziņģis can play like he did last season for the Washington Wizards, Boston will be a better team overall.
Bringing in the 7’3″ forward/center gives the Celtics a new dimension and another proven rim protector. Porziņģis can space the floor for Tatum and Brown after knocking down 39.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes. He can give them a post-up option to dump the ball down to, leading to some cutting opportunities. The Latvian is also a pick-and-pop option after shooting a career-high 49.1 percent from 10-to-16 feet last season.
While he ultimately failed as a No. 2 option to Luka Dončić with the Dallas Mavericks, the 28-year-old becomes one of the very best third wheels in the association now.
A combined estimated win total of 36.3 ranked first among all the Big 3s on this list. While Boston’s net rating of plus-5.2 with Tatum and Brown ranked dead last, Porziņģis improved the Wizards by 8.5 points per 100 possessions by himself last season, which should ultimately help bump up the trio’s number in 2023-24.
With Tatum knocking on the door of becoming a top-5 player in the NBA and Brown now the highest-paid player of all time, adding Porziņģis gives Boston a better balanced Big 3.
2022-23 Net Rating Together: plus-18.4 (100th percentile)
2022-23 Combined Estimated Plus-Minus: 13.5
2022-23 Combined Estimated Wins: 25.8
Durant and Booker are our projected top duo in 2023-24, so it only makes sense that adding another All-Star caliber guard in Beal keeps Phoenix near the top of these rankings.
We already got a taste of what Durant and Booker are capable of, as the two combined to average 62.7 points, 13.5 rebounds, 12.7 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.2 blocks over 11 playoff games. A net rating of plus-18.4 together in the regular season ranked first among every group on this list, while Beal had a swing rating of plus-4.2 for the Washington Wizards a year ago.
While it’s fair to question if Beal can live up to his massive contract in a lesser role, there’s no debating his talent.
The 30-year-old’s 23.3 points per game came on a career-high 50.6 percent shooting overall last season. He can operate on or off ball, knocking down 40.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes. On shots that were deemed “wide open” (defender six or more feet away), his three-point accuracy increased to 46.0 percent. Now alongside the two most talented teammates he’s ever had, he should get more open looks than ever.
Both Beal and Booker can effectively act as a point guard, a role Booker had to play a lot following Chris Paul’s groin injury in the playoffs. The star guard responded with 7.2 assists to just 2.9 turnovers in 11 postseason games.
This is the most dynamic offensive trio in the NBA, one that should have the Suns competing for titles over the next several years.
2022-23 Net Rating Together: plus-14.8 (99th percentile)
2022-23 Combined Estimated Plus-Minus: 14.0
2022-23 Combined Estimated Wins: 34.0
How good are the Nuggets? You could replace Gordon with Michael Porter Jr., and Denver would still have ranked No. 1 on this list.
While Porter is the more gifted scorer and superior outside shooter, Gordon gets the nod in defense, passing and versatility. He easily topped Porter in EPM score last season as well (plus-4.4 to plus-2.4).
Besides being the defending champions and having the experience of a full healthy season together, Murray (25), Gordon (27), and Jokić (28) are either in or about to enter their primes. There’s no concern about any of this Big 3 taking a step back like we may see with LeBron James, Kevin Durant or some of the older stars on this list.
No Big 3 had a higher combined EPM, EW and net rating than the Nuggets, as their score of 62.8 easily topped the second-place finish of Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey.
Jokić is the best player in all of basketball, Murray should be a lock for his first All-Star game and Gordon (16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 56.4 percent shooting) is coming off the best season of his career.
While all may have to do a little more following the losses of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, this should be an easy ask for the best Big 3 of 2023-24.