Dunc'd On Basketball NBA Podcast

Nate was in the building for a series that started off living up to its building in Sacramento.  How did the Kings beat the Warriors in Game 1, and has the outlook for the series changed? The Knicks exposed some of the Cavs’ weaknesses, plus the strategic quandary Cleveland must solve to be competitive in this series. Brooklyn actually……played pretty well against Philly? But they still lost by 20....

On paper, Sacramento can’t guard Golden State. So the question is, can they outscore them with their record-setting offense? The Hawks go 9 deep with quality players, as do the Celtics. That’s rare for a 2-7 matchup, but the key is whether Trae Young can keep up with the Js and their scoring. Is there more than meets the eye to this weird Brooklyn team that has nobody to guard Joel Embiid going up...

A recap of a wild Wolves/Pels game. Should and will Rudy Gobert be suspended? Is the Gobert punch or McDaniels breaking his hand the bigger story? Plus, why the Pels blew their best chance of scoring down the stretch and the brilliance of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. We go through the rest of the West playoff picture, and discuss whether the Clippers should have considered trying a litt...

Danny makes a special appearance to give our finals picks for our awards. No narratives need apply as we go deep into the weeds on Jokic vs Embiid vs Giannis for MVP.   Plus, our picks for All-NBA as we wildly indulge ourselves by considering players with fewer than 65 games played, COY, DPOY, 6MOY, ROY, Executive and Not Executive of the Year, and Most Improved Player. Four more episodes with Nat...

We go through everything that is known about the new CBA so far, and assess whether we think the deal points that have been reported are good or bad for the game and what the unintended consequences might be.  Plus, we look at whether the owners or players seem to have come out better in the end. Four more episodes with Nate & Danny per week are available exclusively on Dunc’d On Prime, plus it’s...

A look at 13 teams in the Eastern Conference as the playoffs near ATL–The Hawks have two expensive starters and two young backups needing extensions at the 4 and 5 CLE–Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade’s shooting WAS–The Wiz are in the middle of a nearly unprecedented 5-year streak ORL–Paolo Banchero’s efficiency has fallen off. Why? TOR–Jakob Poeltl is doing what the Raps thought he could MIL–How does Gi...

What will the landscape of the NBA look like in 2025? Dan Feldman joins to predict the two best teams in each conference, the NBA champion, and the two worst teams in the league. But first, we catch up on the latest news and the state of the playoff race after the weekend. Four more episodes with Nate & Danny per week are available exclusively on Dunc’d On Prime, plus it’s the only place to hear J...

The eternal Jokic/Embiid debate continues in our center rankings, while further down we grapple with the offensive stars vs two-way role players conundrum. For rankings of every position (with text of our lists and stats we consult, including Seth Partnow exclusives), subscribe to Dunc'd On Prime: duncdon.supportingcast.fm   Join Dunc’d On Prime for 35% off using the code mockoffseason2026 ! It's...

A look at where we went right and wrong in our over/under picks for the season.  After a rough 2021-22, were Nate and Danny able to get back on the winning track. Plus our best and worst picks, lucky wins, bad beats, and of course the Nate vs Danny head-to-head. 4 Episodes per week are available exclusively on Dunc’d On Prime! DuncdOn. SupportingCast. FM Join Dunc’d On Prime for 35% off using the...

Power forward perhaps has fewer stars than any position, but it’s also the position perhaps most important for determining the style of basketball a team plays on both ends.  How do we reconcile that when determining the best players at the position? To get Nate's and Danny's rankings of every position and top 10 players in the league, text of their lists and statistics they consult (including Set...

Nate and Danny catch up on the top-12 teams in the West. DEN: How is the defense holding up? MEM: What to make of Dillon Brooks’ offense? PHX and SAC play a key game for the 3rd seed in the West LAC: They’ve won 3 straight after 5 straight losses, with Kawhi Leonard back to playing at an All-NBA level GSW: Steph is back, but can they survive without Andrew Wiggins? DAL: The Mavs have gotten all th...

Sports media reporter Andrew Marchand of the New York Post and the Marchand & Ourand podcast is our guest to discuss myriad sports media topics including: Where does the NBA rank as a TV property? Why is the NBA about to get paid more despite declining ratings? What would the NBA like to do with local TV rights in light of the Diamond Sports bankruptcy affecting 16 teams? Who are the major players...

Former NBA Referee and now NBA SVP of Referee Development and Training Monty McCutchen joins to discuss where NBA refereeing has improved, how the league has evolved referee training, which rules changes have been harder to implement, and how to really tell when it’s a block or a charge. Then we look at 5 teams in the East: NYK/MIA: Julius Randle’s ridiculous isolation scoring powers the Knicks vs...

Time to take stock of the first four and a half months of the season. Who are our picks for MVP, All-NBA, DPOY, ROY, COY, 6MOY? For six ad-free episodes per week, including Hollinger & Duncan, subscribe to Dunc'd On Prime: DuncdOn. SupportingCast.fm Join Dunc’d On Prime for 35% off using the code mockoffseason2026 ! It's the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod wit...

UTA and OKC play an OT classic. Lauri Markkanen begins the next step in his evolution, plus Mark Daignault and Will Hardy on a unique Thunder tactic that makes them hard to guard. SAS: Malaki Branham has shown some unexpected skills. DEN and MEM: The Grizz get revenge for a blowout loss to the Nuggets. Did they expose any particular weaknesses? NOP: Their key players without Zion were great last y...

Flashback (Nov. 8, 2016): Kevin Pelton of ESPN joins to discuss which current NBA players will and should make the Hall of Fame.  We run through our criteria for the Hall of Fame and examine the credentials of over 40 current players and coaches.  The analysis runs from locks like Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James, to borderline cases like Joe Johnson, Derrick Rose, and Kevin Love, and finally which...

The Warriors allow the completion of the Gary Payton II trade.  Zion Williamson is out for weeks more in New Orleans–what does this mean for their hopes? Plus we catch up on the rest of the non-trade news around the league. Then a look at the Lakers and Mavs deadline acquisitions through the lens of their weekend games. For six episodes per week, including Hollinger & Duncan, subscribe to to Dunc'...

A look at every single move on Deadline Day from each team’s perspective–the finances, the value, the effect on the floor, and every other aspect. Plus, the big winners and losers, the deals that didn’t get done, and the landscape of the league in the aftermath of a huge deadline season. For even more trade-deadline coverage – including Part 2, our Kevin Durant trade episode, our Lakers-Timberwolv...

All angles of the Kyrie trade. Would we have done this as the Nets? Did they take the best package? Where does this leave this team as a contender? Would we have done this as the Mavs? Was this better than Door #2? How good is this Mavs team? Does this make it more likely Luka Doncic is a Mav in a few years? What about the jilted suitors, should they and could they have offered more? Why we think...

What will the Spurs do with $27 million in cap space and Jakob Poeltl? Dallas faces the perpetual question of whether to hold onto their chips for the big move or get better this year. Houston faces the perpetual question of an Eric Gordon trade. New Orleans and Memphis both have a ton of assets but have young cores. Can they afford to wait out this deadline or should they be aggressive? Who would...

In part 2 of 3, huge and unexpected deals continue to go down as contenders try to shore up their lineups, more former All-Stars are on the move, and Jae Crowder finally gets traded! Subscribe to get the full episode and Part 3 of the Mock Trade Deadline only on Dunc’d On Prime with our special Mock Trade Deadline sale, and you’ll get an insane amount of NBA content from Nate Duncan, Danny Leroux,...

In part 1 of the 2023 Mock Trade Deadline, we take the league’s temperature by setting out the goals for all 30 teams, and then get right to it with some of the big names that may or may not be available this deadline.  We’ve got some mind-bending deals this year, and it starts with a bang. Subscribe to get the last 2 hours of the Mock Trade Deadline only on Dunc’d On Prime with our special Mock T...

The latest news, including how the bankruptcy of 16 of the league’s local TV partners is both a risk and an opportunity.  We also discuss the All-Star starters and our disagreements, and then Miami’s challenges with their need to upgrade the 4 and their clogged books, Charlotte’s moving anything that isn’t tied down, and Orlando’s status as the most boring team at the deadline. To get even more tr...

OKC and SAC: Two surprise teams reveal their huge contrasts against one another. POR: Despite the presence of Dame Lillard, their failures in the clutch have led to a recent cold streak. GSW: What does the new starting lineup with Jordan Poole mean for their future? DEN: They’ve improved without Jokic, and they’re quietly putting together a spectacular 3-point shooting season as a team. DAL: Their...

First, we catch up on the latest news and trade rumors around the league.  Then, a look at the five teams in the Pacific Division. PHX: Is their season worth saving with a trade, and will their ownership situation allow it? LAL: Have you heard their 2027 and 2029 firsts are available? LAC: With limited assets, is there a move available that would do more than shuffle the deck chairs? GSW: What are...