Game Theory Podcast

Adam Spinella joins the show and we dive deep into two topics. First, we start by investigating something that has been seen as a done deal for years: are we positive that Scoot Henderson does not have a legitimate No. 1 overall case in the 2023 NBA Draft over Victor Wembanyama? The conversation is at least worth an investigation and discussion.Then, we do NBA Rookie of the Year Midseason Top-Five. With every team at least midway through the season, which rookies have truly stood out and become the players that have become difference-makers for their teams? We chat Paolo Banchero, Bennedict Mathurin, Walker Kessler, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The NBA is loaded with terrific young players and a boatload of parity. It feels like a number of different teams could win a title within the next few years. Largely, that will depend on the development of certain key players acrosss the NBA. So today, I got with Mark Schindler, and we broke down six players who parts of their game that could swing title races in the next few years.What if Ja Morant learns to consistently take and make 3-pointers behind ball-screens when defenders go under in pick-and-roll coverage? What if Zion Williamson can make a spot-up jumper? What if Evan Mobley is a catch-and-shoot threat and the Cavs can play basically 5-out basketball? What if Michael Porter Jr. can process the game quickly as a passer and get more of a degree of control over the ball as a handler? All of these guys and more as we break down some of the things that could swing NBA championship races in the next few years.Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to rocketmoney.com/theory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew Schlecht is in the building and we chat about a very simple concept: who are the most teams to watch right now in the NBA? Who do you find yourself switching over to most often if you have some free time? You could see this as a "League Pass Rankings" or whatever, but we just want to dive into which teams we've having the most fun with, including the Kings, Grizzlies, and Cavaliers, among others. But first, we open on Alperen Sengun and his breakout game against the Lakers last night.Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to rocketmoney.com/theory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Spinella joins the show for his weekly Sunday appearance, and this week we're doing our monthly 2023 NBA Mock Draft Deep Dive! Join us as we dive deep into the top-30 selections, breaking down what we'd do in each spot as of mid-January, halfway through the yearly draft cycle. We'll dive into players like Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Brandon Miller, Cason Wallace, Nick Smith Jr, Jett Howard, Cam Whitmore, Brice Sensabaugh and many others.Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to rocketmoney.com/theory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Parity is everywhere in the NBA this season, and it's made it extremely difficult to gauge exactly where exactly many teams across the league fall. So today, Mark Schindler joins the show, and we try to figure out what in the world is going on with the Clippers, Blazers, Knicks, Hawks, Pacers and more.Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/theoryGo to HelloFresh.com/theory22 and use code THEORY22 for 22 free meals plus free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Danny Leroux joins the show today to break down the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline by diving into the targets that could be available at the deadline. Who are the real move pieces that could shift the title race in what has turned into an exceedingly cluttered year across the NBA? Are there real sellers? Who are some of the players that actually could come available, and how much of what comes out publicly right now is posturing? We chat about the Raptors players, the evolving Bojan Bogdanovic race, and the questions about whether or not guys like Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner are even available?Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/theoryGo to HelloFresh.com/theory22 and use code THEORY22 for 22 free meals plus free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Schindler is here! It's time for midseason All-NBA choices now that multiple teams have played at least 41 games this year. We break down our picks for first team, second-team, and third-team All-NBA, and some of the candidates for each slot.But first, we start on the Houston Rockets, and why Sam thinks it might be time for a change down there, and we finish with Brice Sensabaugh, a fascinating one-and-done player that might end up as a lottery pick by the time it's all said and done this season. Oh, and Mark gives a solid Georgetown rant at the end of the show.Get 3 months free with a one-year package at expressvpn.com/THEORYCancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to RocketMoney.com/THEORY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Adam Spinella joins the show to dive into the 2022-23 NBA Rookie class. We chat Paolo Banchero, Dyson Daniels, Keegan Murray, AJ Griffin, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Jalen Williams, Jeremy Sochan, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, and plenty, plenty more!Get 3 months free with a one-year package at expressvpn.com/THEORYCancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to RocketMoney.com/THEORY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, The Volume's Jason Timpf joins the show for the first time! Jason comes on and chats about the MVP race, with this week marking the midseason point as most teams get to their 40th game of the year. In what is currently the most wide-open MVP Race that I can remember in years, with something like eight legitimate candidates plus a few others hanging on the periphery of the proceedings, how would we cast out 1 through 5 votes right now?But first, we start with the Lakers, a team without Anthony Davis and in the midst of having to make some real decisions regarding its future both for this season and the next over the course of the next 40 days. We dive deep into why Kyle Kuzma makes the most sense on this Lakers team among potential targets.Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to RocketMoney.com/THEORYGet 3 months free with a one-year package at expressvpn.com/THEORY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Schindler joins the show, and we dive into the biggest takeaway from 2022 in the NBA: this is the year that redefined what a star is within the league. The talent level has never been higher. We dive into why this season has seen the biggest overlap of superstardom eras, and if this is an outlier year or if it's a thing to continue within the league moving forward. How the overlaps of the Curry/KD/LeBron era, the Jokic/Giannis/Embiid era, and the Luka/Tatum/Zion era of stars has led to such a dominant stretch of stardom in the NBA this season.Then, we move to the Nuggets. Why are the Nuggets legit contenders to win the title? How special is Nikola Jokic? Why have they been as successful as they've been recently winning 8 out of 10?Finally, we do a Cam Whitmore breakdown. What has the potential top-five pick out of Villanova shown in his first few games? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Spinella joins the show this week to chat about improvement areas for 2023 NBA Draft prospects, this time in New Year's Resolution form. What are some of the ways top prospects in the class like Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Amen Thompson, Anthony Black, Ausar Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Nick Smith, G.G. Jackson and many, many more can take their games to the next level? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Adam Spinella is here and we're doing to dive into some topics within college basketball and the 2023 NBA Draft. And to do so, we're giving out superlatives!Best Team so far! Fastest Rising Upperclass prospect! Surprise one-and-done prospect! Biggest question marks in CBB? Biggest disappointment? We hit on everything from the Connecticut Huskies to the Duke Blue Devils to Maxwell Lewis and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sam Vecenie is joined on this episode of the Game Theory Podcast by Ricky O'Donnell and Samson Folk in a two-part episode. In the first part, Ricky joins to talk about the Chicago Bulls, who beat the Heat last night but have only moved to 12-18 and are struggling fairly immensely despite health. We discuss whether or not this team should entirely blow it up, and what some potential moves could look like. How could they go about starting to rebuild?Then, Samson Folk from Raptors Republic joins the show, and we break down the Raptors, who are on a six-game losing streak. Why are they struggling? Is there a reason to be bullish on them moving forward? What's going on with the offensive execution? Is it roster construction or coaching? How should the team adjust? Should they go out and buy at the trade deadline, and what should that look like? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a reversion of the usual schedule, Mark Schindler is here to break down a few different topics. First, we start with something I have a vague idea about scrolling through Twitter and looking at fans' pages: are NBA fans more engaged in nightly results from their team than ever? Why would that be? It seems like fans are living and dying more than ever with the results of games before Christmas, so Mark and I explore what's happening.But then we move onto the big news, which is Anthony Davis being out for a month. What should the Lakers do?Then, we move to Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets, a team that is on fire since Jacque Vaughn took over for Steve Nash. What's going on with the Nets? And just how realistic is a Kevin Durant MVP push?Finally, we finish with a Keyonte George scouting report, and a quick note on recent NBA retiree Tyrell Terry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

James Edwards from The Athletic is here to break down a few different things across the NBA. First, we chat about how Maxi Kleber's injury will impact the Mavericks, and where they're headed. Then, we chat about Cade Cunningham. What does Cade's injury mean for the Detroit Pistons here moving forward? Do they know enough to call him the out-and-out centerpiece? What questions remain to be answered about his game? Additionally, what is going on with the Killian Hayes resurgence that is one of my favorite stories around the NBA? Then we chat briefly about the Hornets, a mess. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Schindler is here and we're diving deep across the NBA. First, we're going to start with Jaren Jackson, whose emergence for the Memphis Grizzlies from elite defensive player into "best defensive player in the NBA" has pushed them to the top of the Western Conference again.Then, we're going to talk about some NBA teams, and some potential shake-up trades across the league, particularly in regard to the Mavericks and the Heat. What teams need to make a move? We'll also chat a bit about the Eric Gordon/KJ Martin/Jae Crowder idea that was reported by Shams Charania this week.Finally, a Jarace Walker breakdown! What makes the Houston forward prospect such an intriguing 2023 NBA Draft proposition? We'll also talk a bit about Brandon Miller, given that the two played this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Adam Spinella joins to break down the race for the No. 3 prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft. Assuming that Victor Wembanyama goes No. 1, and Scoot Henderson is the second-best prospect, who is the third-best? Is it Cam Whitmore? Is it Amen Thompson? What about Nick Smith and Brandon Miller? Anthony Black and Ausar Thompson?Then, we dive into Tank Watch. What's going on with the Washington Wizards? And why Louisville gets a special mention in Tank Watch for the sheer disaster with the Cardinals right now.Then, we give out Game Theory Prospect Of The Week awards, and we do FOUR of them because we've taken the last couple of weeks off. We talk Taylor Hendricks, followed by Donovan Clingan, Tucker DeVries and Arthur Kaluma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dave DuFour from The Athletic joins the show! And we dive into NBA Contender tiers. As in: which teams do we think have the best chance to win the NBA title as presently constructed? Which teams need to make moves to get into that mix? We dive into the Celtics, Bucks, Warriors, Clippers, Cavaliers, Suns, Pelicans, Nuggets, Grizzlies and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Schindler joins the show to talk about some birds. First, we chat about the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that has a case as the deepest team in the NBA and one that is playing exceptionally well right now. Then we move to the Hawks, a team struggling with injuries that also has some weird stuff seemingly happening. Then, we move to the Raptors, who aren't birds but birds are descended from dinosaurs so they count anyway. What's going on with Scottie Barnes? We dive in and try to figure it out. Finally, we finish with Mark Schindler's prospect of the week, Michigan's Jett Howard, a fascinating player that has drawn real top-20 attention so far this season at Michigan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, I'm joined by Adam Spinella where we decide to dive deep into what has been a disappointing 2020 NBA Draft and re-draft it. What order should that class have gone in? Should Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo Ball, or Desmond Bane go first? What about guys like Tyrese Maxey and Devin Vassell? Where do James Wiseman and Killian Hayes fall to? All that and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dear friend of the program Fred Katz joins the show to talk about a few different topics. Our plan is to start with a quick word on the Al Horford extension, talk a bit about Jayson Tatum's incredible run. We also give a brief MVP Power Ranking.Then, we want to dive into the Knicks, and just try to figure out what exactly they are? What are they doing? What is their plan here moving forward? Then we'll get into a couple quick things, and talk Karl Towns' injury and how that impacts Minnesota.Time Stamps:-Open is an Al Horford Appreciation following his extension: 0-12:00-Jayson Tatum and MVP Power Rankings: 12:00-31:00-Knicks: 31:00-1:06:00-Towns Out, Timberwolves Outlook: 1:06:00-end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Schindler joins the show! We chat about potential first-time all-stars for the 2023 NBA All-Star game. Who is shaping up to potentially make the event for the first time by leveling up? Can Tyrese Haliburton, De'Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and others continue on this run. Are there are there any other potential dark horses that could rise up? Also, thoughts on GG Jackson at South Carolina and his first few games! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Adam Spinella joins the show to talk about everything we saw during Feast Week. From the Maui Invitational to all of the Phil Knight Invitational events, we dive into guys like Brandon Miller, Anthony Black, Dereck Lively, Purdue and Zach Edey, Battle 4 Atlantis and the big Julian Phillips game we saw, Gradey Dick and Kansas playing well at times, Gonzaga not being quite up to par yet, then also the Maui Invitational where Arizona won behind its bevy of prospects, Arkansas looked great, and Creighton battled to the title game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Mark Schindler joins the show to break down six of the biggest breakout players in the NBA thus far in 2022-23! Who has really stepped their game up in the first month of the season? We dive into Desmond Bane, Lauri Markkanen, Bol Bol, Kevin Huerter and many more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Spinella joins Sam Vecenie to break down the first major weekend of college basketball, including Kentucky-Gonzaga, Virginia's games against Illinois and Baylor, UCLA's games against Baylor and Illinois, Houston-Oregon, and way more. We look at it from a prospects perspective with a deep dive into all of the action that occurred across the country, in addition to just talking hoops about some good, fun teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Mo Dakhil joins the podcast and we talk about five teams: the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers and Kings have turned it on to start the year, while the other three are stuck in neutral. Why? We dive deep into all five.The order: Chicago Bulls: Start to 20:00Golden State: 24:00-47:00Brooklyn Nets: 47:00-1:03:00Blazers: 1:03:00-1:13:00Kings: 1:13:00-1:25:00 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Schindler joins Sam to break down the Champions' Classic, where Kentucky played Michigan State and Duke played Kansas. What do we make of Jon Scheyer's big game debut? What do we think about Duke moving forward? Did Dereck Lively, Kyle Filipowski or Tyrese Proctor impress? GRADEY DICK. Then, we chat about Kentucky. Why was Cason Wallace the best long-term prospect we saw on the court tonight? What did we make of Kentucky and John Calipari's offense? Anyone in particular on Michigan State stand out?Then, we chat about three NBA topics. First, who has been the best defender in the NBA through 15 games? Particularly, we dive deep into OG Anunoby and Brook Lopez, among discussing others. Then, we talk about the Celtics and whether or not the team's defense, which has give up way more points than you'd think early in the season, should be worried? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Adam Spinella joins the show to break down the first week of college basketball action. We start with Emoni Bates, chat about some of the other terrific prospects who have looked great to start the season, such as Brandon Miller, Jett Howard, Keyonte George, and plenty others, We also chat about the G League Ignite's start to the season, including a Mojave King breakdown. Then, we do Tank Watch on the Hornets and Wizards.Then, Sam chats with Zach Edey, one of the most dominant players in the country for the last two years at Purdue, a 7-foot-4 center who establishes position whenever he wants. But his journey in basketball has been fascinating, going from Canada, where he played baseball and hockey to eventually finding basketball and embracing the grind. He explains his journey within the game at this point, and then dives deep into his game, explaining how it's not just his size that allows him to dominate games: it's his focus on the fundamentals and little things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew Schlecht joins the podcast today to chat about three things! First, we start with how the MVP race is shaping up in the early season, and how we'd handicap the race at this stage after this first portion of the season.Then, we move to the Lakers, who continue to lose and look not particularly good in doing so. Should the Lakers look into moving Anthony Davis, as Bill Simmons mentioned recently as a potential option? How should the team proceed here?Finally, we chat about the team near and dear to Andrew's heart, the Oklahoma City Thunder, a beautiful team with a weird roster, a monster Shai Gilgeous-Alexander start, and real Poku developments! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Schindler joins Sam to, much like last week, dive into seven teams across the NBA. This time, we play a game called "Real or Fake?" We'll dive into the Mavs, Warriors, Heat, Jazz, Hawks, Wolves, and Pacers and decide if their performances thus far after 10-12 games this season for each are real, or if they're fool's gold so far.Then, a hottest take on Rings of Power and Celebrimbor, then finally, a Mark Schindler food takes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the eve of the college basketball season starting, Adam Spinella joins Sam to dive into a 2023 NBA Mock Draft. It's a good way to preview what we'll be looking for from certain players as they get started in college basketball this season, as well as what we're continuing to hunt for throughout the country this year.Guys like Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Nick Smith, Tyrese Proctor, Dereck Lively, and many more will be discussed in depth as we run through and make picks!After that is over, Sam interviews Gonzaga center Drew Timme, where they discuss what brought him back to Gonzaga for a fourth year, in addition to doing a tape watchalong! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Sam chats with Mark Schindler where they dive deep into some lineup data and talk a bit about what the best NBA lineups tell us about some of those teams? Basically, it was a good way into talking about the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and....the Washington Wizards?! But first, we start on the Kyrie and Josh Primo situations and just how incredibly disappointing they are for the league as a whole. Also, they close on the Houston Rockets, and why they have been disappointing even by rebuilding standards thus far.Time stamps:Kyrie Irving -- 0:00-10:30Josh Primo -- 10:30-20:00The play on-court has been incredible -- 20:30-29:00Cavaliers! 29:00-42:00Bucks -- 42:00-50:00Suns: 50:00-1:00:00Warriors: 1:00:00-1:11:00Wizards, Thunder: 1:11:00-1:27:00Rockets: 1:27:00-1:38:00BARBARIAN: 1:38:00-1:43:00Kyrie: `1:47:00-1:53:00Caleb Love Interview: 1:53:00-end Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Spinella is back for the second part of a promised two-part episode this week, with us diving deep into the 2023 NBA Draft class with some bold predictions heading into the college basketball season. We talk about Duke's freshman four, overall outlooks on the class, the upperclass prospects heading into the year, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana, and more.But first, we start with the NCAA's Baba Miller decision, as the organization handed down a 16-game suspension to the Spanish freshman forward that defies comprehension.Then, around the one-hour mark, Sam chats with Dayton center DaRon Holmes. Holmes is considered a potential 2023 NBA Draft prospect, and a likely breakout player in college basketball. Sam and DaRon chat about how he ended up at Dayton, how he got involved in basketball, and then they break down tape for 25 minutes, discussing his rim-running, his passing, his jumper and his defensive ability across the board. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time to check the vibes across the NBA after two weeks of the NBA season. Adam Spinella joins Sam to dive deep into seven teams across the league. First though, they have to chat about a few news items.They start with Bojan Bogdanovic's extension in Detroit. Then, they move on to Josh Primo, who was cut in San Antonio after allegedly exposing himself to women; then, we chat about Kyrie, and why his press conference following the Nets' loss to Indiana was as harmful as it was.Then they move on to checking the vibes. We start with the Nets, then move to the 76ers, Lakers, Hornets, Blazers, Knicks and Cavaliers. Some positives, some negatives, some fake trades, and a lot of fun storylines league-wide to dive into. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sam is joined by Mike Prada, an editor at The Athletic, formerly of SB Nation, and the author of a new book, Spaced Out, which discusses in-depth how the NBA's 3-point revolution has changed basketball, and how the rest of the game has adjusted around it.In that vein, Mike and I will discuss some interesting theories he discusses within the book, and then we do a little experiment trying to determine which NBA teams and rosters have the most "modern" construction and are set up for the best success long-term because of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Mark Schindler is here and he joins Sam to break down some of the fun, exciting teams and moments across the NBA thus far, including another Pascal Siakam leap, the Raptors, why we're still believing in the Kings, how fun the Pelicans are with Zion Williamson back, how the Nets are fitting together, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Spinella joins the show for this episode to break down the Rookies that we've seen across the NBA so far, including some of the standout performances from players like Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin, Keegan Murray, and others. But first, we have to start with the Lakers 0-3 start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cole Huff from The Athletic and a variety of places is here to break down a lot of different things from the opening week of the NBA! Kawhi Leonard is back! Philadelphia is 0-2, but should anyone hit the panic button? The Hawks have a new backcourt they're integrating, Boston has a new bench unit, and Detroit/Orlando played the most fun game of the early season! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The NBA's rookie extension window has come and gone. So for that, we've got a three-part episode. First, I chatted with Danny Leroux about what we can take away from this year's window, a strange one at the nexus of a draft that hasn't established a normal amount of stars yet and a television deal that everyone expects but has yet to be signed. Should we think much of the players not extended like Cam Johnson, Grant Williams and P.J. Washington? What should we take away from guys like De'Andre Hunter and Keldon Johnson getting extended? All that and more.Then, I chatted with Kelly Iko about the wild Kevin Porter extension, a deal unlike any extension we've seen in history for a rookie scale player. It has 16M guaranteed on a 4 year, 82.5M deal. We talk about it.Then, I chat with Brad Rowland about the De'Andre Hunter extension. Why has Hunter, outside of the injuries, not quite reached his full potential yet? And is 4/90M an overpay? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Spinella is here, and we dive deep into the Warriors extensions of Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Are these good value deals? Does this make sense for the Dubs? And what does this mean for their long-term planning? We also chat Brandon Clarke and his extension with the Grizzlies.Then, we dive deep into bigs in the 2023 NBA Draft. Who are the guys you need to know? Including Victor Wembanyama, GG Jackson, Kel'el Ware, Dereck Lively, and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shamit Dua joins this episode, and we dive deep into bold predictions for the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season in the Eastern Conference. We chat about the Blazers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jared Weiss from The Athletic joins this episode, and we dive deep into five bold predictions for the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season in the Eastern Conference. We chat about the 76ers, the Cavaliers, the Magic, the Hornets and Knicks, and give some takes on what is coming for those teams this season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Adam Spinella joins the show to chat about a few things. First, we chat Draymond Green and Jordan Poole, and the fallout from the punch that Draymond chose to throw in practice at Poole. Then, we chat about the Lakers extending Rob Pelinka and whether or not that's a good plan. Finally, we move to our quick 2023 NBA Draft Wings preview, where we dive deep into all of the wings that could feature in this 2023 NBA Draft class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The G League Ignite played Metropolitans 92 on October 6 in the second game of their series, which means NBA scouts and evaluators got a live, in-person look at Victor Wembanyama against Scoot Henderson, the potential No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, Henderson got hurt, but good lord Wembanyama did some special things. A dive into what could be an epic tanking saga this year in the NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Mark Schindler joins the show to break down the NBA's most likely break out players in 2022-23. The way we're doing this is simple. We go back and forth, choosing three players each and diving deep into each of them and explaining why we're all in on each of these players. Then, I chat with Ricky O'Donnell, and dive deep into the best prospect game we've seen in many years: Victor Wembanyama vs. Scoot Henderson. on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Spinella joins the episode to break down a few things. First! We chat about the Tyler Herro extension and why extensions will look pretty wild over the next couple of weeks. Then, we chat about the Larry Nance and Steven Adams extensions, and if extending bigs at lower cap hits still have value.Then, we move to Warriors preseason stuff, talking about James Wiseman and Pat Baldwin particularly, and how they've looked early on.The biggest part of the episode, though, will be previewing guards in the 2023 NBA Draft. Diving deep into guys like Nick Smith, Scoot Henderson, Keyonte George, Cason Wallace, Terquavion Smith, Tyrese Proctor, and returnees like Caleb Love, Mike Miles, Marcus Sasser, Tyrese Hunter, and some breakout candidates coming back to college. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Danny Leroux joins the show to break down the NBA Trade Market in the preseason. We dive deep into some of the players that could move throughout the season, but also talk about how rare it is that we enter the season with seemingly few stars available. But we also talk about Jae Crowder, Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Jakob Poeltl, Myles Turner, Deandre Ayton a bit, D'Angelo Russell, Harrison Barnes, and plenty others that feature on the mid-tier starter/high-end starter market. But first, we dive into a Victor Wembanyama breakdown, as Danny was in France and got to see the potential 2023 No. 1 overall pick in person this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Sam chats with James Edwards from The Athletic about NBA Media Days. We scanned across the league and found all of the important, newsworthy things that happened over the last 24 hours so you don't have to. Those items include: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not on the trade block; The Suns don't seem to be in an awesome place; Zion Williamson looks jacked again; the Lakers have some things to figure out; The Nets have some things to figure out; The Celtics found out about Ime Udoka on Twitter like everyone else; Myles Turner understands that a trade could happen; Draymond Green and Jordan Poole haven't extended yet, but are comfortable going into the season without them; and MUSCLE WATCH 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Spinella joins the show to dive deep into some NBA news and notes. First, we chat briefly about the Ime Udoka suspension in Boston. Then, we move to the Bojan Bogdanovic trade to Detroit, and why more teams should be willing to make moves like this. Then, we jump into Jae Crowder's trade request, and the C.J. McCollum and Dean Wade extensions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, I chat with the 3 Man Weave, our favorite college basketball analysts here at the show, to break down the upcoming season in conjunction with the release of The Almanac, a new college basketball online magazine that will go on sale next week.We chat in-depth about the changing tides within college basketball and whether the changes are good. How college basketball has continued to stylistically diverge from the NBA, and why we're cool with that. And then we get into teams. Who are our title favorites? Who are the best forthcoming teams? Who are the most underrated teams? What coach do we trust most when it comes to in-game adjustments and getting the most out of his team? In this year of the big, who is the best one? Who is the most underrated one? Who will break out? Which teams are we most interested in seeing perform this year? And finally, our favorites for national player of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.