With the decade coming to an end soon, we at the Fadeaway World decided to look at all-decade teams for the 2010s.
Just looking at some of the greatest teams of the decade, we’d have to include teams like the 2013 Heat, 2011 Mavericks, 2016 Cavaliers and Warriors, and the 2019 Raptors.
In this article, we won’t look at the best individual teams, but rather the best all-decade teams. With that being said, let’s get into the rankings.
6. Los Angeles Clippers
The Leader of this team would be Chris Paul. At his peak, Paul was looked at as the best point guard in the league and is said by many to be one of the best point guards of all time. Paul had great seasons during his time with the Clippers and Hornets. He was a multi-time all-star, An All-NBA player, and was an MVP candidate in the 2007-08 season when he averaged 21.1 points, 11.6 assists, and 2.7 steals per game and led the Hornets to a 56-26 record.
The rest of the starting lineup includes Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. Kawhi Leonard has emerged as one of the best players in the league after his historic playoff run last season. At his peak, we know Kawhi to be a defensive juggernaut but, his offense has drastically improved since his days with the San Antonio Spurs. Kawhi may not go down as one of the best players of all time due to the lack of accolades and stats but, he is making a great case for himself.
Paul George and Blake Griffin were both MVP candidates during the peak of their careers. PG had the best season of his career last season and proved to be one of the best two-way players in the league. Blake Griffin was an amazing player during his time with the Clippers and was an amazing co-teammate alongside Chris Paul. Blake was a near 20-and-10 player in his prime and if it weren’t for untimely injuries, the Clippers would have won a championship by now.
The anchor in the paint on this team is DeAndre Jordan. His rebounding and defense were a key competent to the Clippers’ success during the Lob City Era and he was an All-Star player and made the All-NBA during this time.
5. Boston Celtics
The Celtics would be led by the Big-Four of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo.
In his prime, Kevin Garnett was the best Power Forward in the league. He carried the Minnesota Timberwolves during his early years and won the MVP award in the 2003-04 season. Garnett’s combination of offense and defense made him a nearly unstoppable player and led to him becoming one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
Paul Pierce was an amazing scorer at the peak of his career. During his seasons with the Celtics, Pierce was an All-Star, All-NBA player, and helped the Boston Celtics capture their only championship of the 21st century in 2008.
Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo were great complementary players on that 2008 championship team. Allen is most known for his shooting but, during his years with the Supersonics and Bucks, he was an elite scorer and showed off his playmaking, athleticism, and defense. Rondo was an amazing facilitator on the Celtics and made multiple all-star games with them. Even as he is entering the twilight of his career, Rondo is still providing teams with great leadership and playmaking.
The anchor in the paint would be Al Horford. Horford is a do-it-all type of player and his impact goes past his stats. Al Horford was an All-Star during his time with the Hawks and is a proven winner as his teams are always in the playoffs.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
The leader of this team is Kevin Durant. KD has solidified himself as one of the best scorers of all-time and is a player that we have never seen before. Standing at nearly 7 feet, KD has the handles of a guard and can score from anywhere on the court. At his peak, KD was an All-Star, All-NBA player and won an MVP in 2014. He was the best scorer in the league and can put up 30 points in his sleep.
Russell Westbrook and James Harden are the two players that would round out the big-three. At their peaks, both players with great scorers and MVPs of the league. Westbrook had an insane 3-year streak as he averaged a triple-double for the entire season from 2017 to 2019. Harden has solidified himself as the best scorer in the league right now. Last year, Harden averaged over 36 points per game and led the Houston Rockets to the Western Conference Finals.
Paul George and Steven Adams round out this amazing OKC team. As stated earlier, PG was an MVP candidate last season and has solidified himself as one of the best two-way players in the league. Steven Adams hasn’t done much in his career so far but has still been an important part of OKC’s success over the years.
3. Golden State Warriors
This Golden State Warriors team is the only one to have all of the players in the picture play together and they did damage when they did. The Big-3 of this team is Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson.
Steph Curry has solidified himself as the 2nd greatest point guard of all time and had one of the greatest seasons of all-time in 2016. At his peak, Curry was an extraordinary three-point shooter and changed the game in that aspect. In 2016, he averaged 30 points per game on 50% from the field, 45% from three, and 90% from the free-throw line. He also led the Warriors to a 73-9 record but, they fell short to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals that year.
Kevin Durant was already talked about for the Oklahoma City Thunder but, once again, he is one of the greatest scorers we have ever add due to his combination of length, dribbling, shooting, and efficiency.
Klay Thompson rounds out this big-three and has been the perfect sidekick to Steph Curry. Thompson is one of the greatest shooters of all time and has elite defensive abilities.
Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala round out this team and have similar roles. Both players can facilitate, play defense, and are vocal leaders of the team. Draymond was an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year while Iggy was just an All-Star once.
2. Miami Heat
The leader of this Heat team would be LeBron James. What else is there to say about LeBron that hasn’t already been said? He is arguably the greatest player of all time and has dominated the league for this decade. At his peak, LeBron is far and away the best player in the league and has too many accolades to count.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were co-teammates to LeBron during the Heatles days and were amazing in their primes. Wade is one of the greatest shooting guards of all time and carried the Heat to a championship in his prime. Bosh didn’t have as much success as LBJ or Wade until he joined them but was still one of the best players in the league during his prime. Bosh sacrificed his stats for accolades when he signed with the Heat and it paid off as he is eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo round out this team and they have been key components to the Heat’s success this season. Jimmy has been an All-Star and a 20-point per game scorer during his peak. Bam’s career is just getting started but, it looks as if he will be a special player if he continues this great play.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
This Lakers team would be led by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. We already talked about LeBron for the Miami Heat and, similar to Bron, what else is there to say about Kobe that hasn’t been said? Kobe is one of the greatest players of all-time and has too many accolades to count. His impact on the league during his prime changed the game and influenced people all around the world.
Anthony Davis and Pau Gasol make up the frontcourt of this team. In his prime, Gasol was an amazing 2nd option for the Lakers when they won back-to-back championships. Gasol was a fantastic player in his prime and it is expected that he will make the Hall of Fame when he retires. Anthony Davis is similar to Chris Bosh in that despite the individual success, many do not look at them as legends because of their lack of team success. This could all change for AD this season as the Lakers look to win a championship. Despite this, AD is still an extraordinary player and one of the best in our league.
The point guard of this team is Steve Nash. Nash was a fundamentally sound point guard during his prime and was the main reason for the Suns’ success during the mid-2000s. In his prime, he was an MVP and a consistent 15 point, 11 assists per game player and the combination of him and Mike D’Antoni created the revolutionary 7 seconds or less offense.
Next
