Barker and Basketball

It sounds crazy to say but after all the hype, all the pressure, has Caitlin Clark somehow exceeded those expectations in year one? The amount of records broken is wild and she is already seen as a potential top 10 player in the league.

Injuries, team fit and other circumstances are enough to make us completely forget about how good a player is/was/can be. There's a bunch of names I'm looking forward to seeing in the NBA next season including Ja Morant, Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, Victor Oladipo and more.

The Olympics started a conversation about the best style of basketball in the world. The 3PT era has taken over, I like it but I also don't. The WNBA and NBL have a good balance with it all. Plus Rickea Jackson, hello and welcome to my must-watch players.

Everyone starts with one favourite player, for me that guy was Gordon Hayward. It's cool reflecting on how you started following the league and your 'guys' growing up. It's now come full circle with Hayward announcing his retirement.

The end of the Olympics has left me feeling super optimistic about the future of Australian basketball and it's largely due to two 21 year olds, Josh Giddey and Jade Melbourne. They both started for the Boomers / Opals and more than carried their own.

Olympic LeBron has me reflecting on his career and there’s two storylines that are head and shoulders above the rest. One - how does someone stay at the highest level for so damn long that they can play with their son on the exact same NBA team? Wild. And Two - LeBron’s journey to bring Cleveland a title and fulfill his promise still gives me shivers. To end, I have to talk about the Boomers campa...

I'm in Vegas for the Summer League and it's been a great experience already. NBA players in the flesh, rubbing shoulders with royalty oh and there's basketball happening as well. Hello Bub Carrington, you have my attention, Stephon Castle looks like a stud and Cody Williams had a hell of a game in Utah's opener.

The NBA offseason means a ton of moves and I don't care about players re-signing right now, the guys landing on different teams have my attention. The Warriors dynasty is done with Klay out, Paul George is suddenly a 76er and let's drop some words about the Boomers team yeah?

One of my favourite days of the year - NBA draft time. Utah killed it, Matas Buzelis' personality stock continues to climb in my mind, the French guys are taking over, Spurs got a winner, emotions are pouring out - another elite few days are done so let's talk about it.

Fine, I'll bite and do a big board a day before the 2024 NBA Draft is on. Here are my top 20 prospects from the draft and how I talk myself into each one of them. Let the draft day chaos begin.

The Celtics and in particular Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown got that monkey off their backs. They work together, they got that ring, they told everyone to be quiet. Boston are champions.

The coverage Caitlin Clark has helped bring to the WNBA this season is awesome, it really is, but can it be done a better way? Is there too much individual attention on Clark and not other deserving storylines? It's an interesting discussion to have, so let's have it. Satou Sabally spoke so well about this on Paul George's podcast 'Podcast P': https://open.spotify.com/episode/1...

The NBA Finals are here and Boston smacked Dallas in the mouth in Game 1. The original 'Unicorn' in Kristaps Porzingis had one of the best first quarters in NBA Finals history, Kyrie Irving couldn't get it going but has been here before, and can Jaylen Brown mess around and take home Finals MVP from here? #NBA #NBAFinals #KristapsPorzingis #JaylenBrown #BostonCeltics

Sometimes you have to be an a-hole to succeed at the highest level. You saw it with Michael Jordan, you saw it with Kobe Bryant, now we're seeing it with Luka Doncic. Their mindsets are different but it's about the drive, the killer instinct they all possess, and it's a great thing.

After sitting out 2+ years with injury Lonzo Ball is finally back, and healthy, but what does that actually look like? Is there any of that UCLA-Lonzo buzz left?

Forget superstars am I right? The value of great role players is once again on display in these Playoffs and it’s almost the recipe to success. Andrew Nembhard game 3 showcase, Jaylon Tyson grabbing my attention (thanks Numbers On The Board) and the Luka/Kyrie duo is doing wonderful things.

They have to be... right? The Timberwolves are the absolute flavour of the Playoffs right now and after knocking of the defending champions in the Denver Nuggets, they have to be legit title contenders.

Welcome into Barker and Basketball. I am Darren Barker and my co-host of basketball always has something to say. Soundbites, press conferences, online reactions - the conversation doesn't stop.