Power ranking each NBA team by their 2-on-2 NBA Jam pairings
By Alec Liebsch
16. Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic and Gary Harris
In no world can the Nuggets omit their best player, Jokic, from this sort of competition, even with his warts. Harris, then, makes sense as the second fiddle. He and Joker have an almost telepathic connection on offense, and Harris can more than hold his own on the perimeter defensively.
The key for this doublet is how many open shots it can live with from Jokic’s man. Joker won’t be coming out too far, because he’s better off protecting the rim. If the opposing big/wing is a good shooter, the Serbian is in for a long day.
15. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard and Zach Collins
Hassan Whiteside may be better than Collins in a vacuum, but the Gonzaga alum makes more sense across different matchups. He’s been a bit inconsistent in the NBA, but his versatility defensively and solid shooting stroke are too valuable to omit.
That will be vital next to Lillard, who will be doing the heavy lifting offensively as one of the best isolation scorers in the game. As long as he doesn’t get torched on defense, and Collins plays somewhat near what he’s capable of, these two can do some damage.