The Drop Step

The quadruple threat himself, Mr Esfandiar Baraheni, joins the podcast to talk about one thing... Future All-Stars! We go through guys still on their rookie deals and discuss how certain we are that they'll make an All-Star team one day. We go into detail on the likes of Brandon Miller, Amen Thompson, Jalen (Top 20 Player) Williams, Franz Wagner and a load more exciting young players. We coin a ne...

Long time draft analyst Richard Stayman aka Mavsdraft joins the podcast to talk Prospect Hall of Fame! Rich has been scouting the draft since 2017 so I asked him questions like "Who are the three best bigs you've scouted?", "Who was your biggest miss?", "Who's the best player you've ever scouted that you knew wouldn't make it in the NBA?" and a whole lot more. Through the episode we talk about dra...

XJ and Geoff of The Hot Hand Theory join the podcast to talk dark horse title contenders in a two hour extravaganza! Are the Knicks the best placed team in the Eastern Conference to beat Boston? Can the Cavs overcome having... too many stars? And be a contender for the championship and is Luka Doncic closer to being the best player in the NBA than outside the top 5? All that and tonnes more in an...

XJ and Geoff of The Hot Hand Theory join the podcast to talk dark horse title contenders in a two hour extravaganza! We ask why the Bucks are so high in the eyes of the sports books, whether the Thunder have what it takes to escape the "young team" tag once and for all and whether Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson can truly blend on the offensive end in playoff situations. This was just part 1 of...

As play resumes post All-Star break it's fair to say that the Boston Celtics are many peoples championship favourites this year. They're sporting a +10.3 net rating, have Jayson Tatum as their best player, they're nearly winning 80% of their games. Boston has dominated the regular season thus far but how do they stack up to former championship winners? We can analyse matchups, strengths, weaknesse...

Staff Writer at No Ceilings Nick Agar-Johnson joins to talk on a number of topics, his beloved Sacramento Kings, the 2024 NBA draft and the future of the NBA. Who's the most future proof prospect of the 2024 NBA class? Are their any potential Greg Munroe's, Jalil Okafor's? If we could add any archetype to the Sacramento Kings to make them contenders who would we add? Nick was a fantastic guest and...

It's a landmark episode! Bryce Simon and Dyland Huntzinger return to the show for our first double guest feature! (Zach Lowe is quaking in his boots...) We talk Kentucky basketball and one of the most exciting rosters to pass through Jon Calipari's hands since that famous 14/15 team. Just how many players could we see drafted from Kentucky this year? What exactly is Reed Sheppard's ceiling? (Is he...

Saskatoon and Raptors Republic reporter Samson Folk joins the podcast as the Raptors dive into a new era of basketball. Barnes, Barrett and Quickley make up the triumvirate that looks set to start the new era but will they be looking for sides to go with their young core or a main course to add to the menu. Samson and I discuss Scottie, IQ, potential trade targets around the league, draft strategy...

Over the last 40 years 13 franchises have won a championship in the NBA. We've seen iconic duo's, Kobe and Shaq, Jordan and Pippen, Steph and Klay; but for every championship duo that goes down in history there are countless 1-2 punches that never quite made it. We spoke about them at the time but as their chance for glory faded they faded out of our conversations. Until today! Nick Andre joins th...

Bleacher Report writer and life long Philly fan Bryan Toporek joins the show to preview the 76ers trade deadline by talking about the 5 teams that'll give them the toughest time in the post season. We talk about all the big names who might be available on the market, Pascal Siakam, Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine to name a few. But to ascertain exactly who Philadelphia should be targeting at the trad...

Join this weeks episode of The Drop Step as Keith Smith of Spotrac and I take you through the 2nd apron, the teams facing it and what they might do going forward. We talk Celtics, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Warriors, Suns and Clippers, analysing exactly how each team has built to this point and how their futures might be impacted by the tight restrictions brought in by the new CBA. Will the Celtics...

The Pistons losing streak is over but a top pick in the 2024 draft still seems all but guaranteed. Enter Bryce Simon! The co-host of Game Theory and Pistons Pulse joined us to talk his top 8 prospects in the 2024 class through a Detroit Pistons lense. We talk about the Pistons struggles this year, plans going forward, an ideal Cade situation, Jalen Duren's potential and how two big lineups are kin...

Scottie Barnes has broken out this year but simultaneously it seems the Raptors team construction has broken at the same time. Despite posting All-NBA level stats Barnes is currently leading this team to an 11-18 record due to having the wrong supporting cast. Picture Will Ferrell on Broadway; the talent is there but the situation isn't quite right. So, Tre of Raptors Republic fame joins The Drop...

Harrison Faigen re-joins the podcast as our first returning guest to talk about the things he loves. The Lakers, Anthony Davis on defence, T-Shirts as Christmas presents and most importantly.. The Cup!!! Listen in as we review the Lakers season so far talking about how LeBron James might be a jedi, the Anthony Davis vs Rudy Gobert debate, The Cam Reddish/Cristian Wood scale, playoff matchups and p...

Chris Lebron joins the show as we dive into the In-Season Tournament! We have our inaugural champions in the LA Lakers but there's so much more to dissect! We talk: Uniforms Courts Las Vegas The Group Stage format Point Differential! And then we talk about the knock out stages and our takeaways from every team to have made it to the quarter finals. Listen for the a potential path to the Knicks acq...

Join this weeks episode of The Drop Step as No Ceilings draft expert Stephen Gillaspie and I dive into the NBA's sophomore stars! Former 2022 draftees are blossoming into stars of the league! We talk Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Walker Kessler, Keegan Murray and so many more of the league's young prospects. We stumble onto a great Jalen Williams comparison, talk about college situations influ...

New coaches, same conference, vastly different expectations for the season... The Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks are two teams with things in common; one of them being that Louis Zatzman covers both excellently! It was a privilege to have Louis on, chopping up both teams, talking about stars of each roster like Scottie Barnes, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pascal Siakam and Damian Lillard. We di...

I'm joined by James Plowright to talk Charlotte Hornets a few weeks into the 2023/24 NBA season. We talk Lamelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams and the future of one of the more interesting franchises in the NBA. Can they rescue the season and find a balance between their punchy offence and putrid defence? Are they a sneaky Zach LaVine team, is Steve Clifford safe in his role as head coach, wh...

In the last 20 years the NBA court has doubled in size. Players shoot differently, uses dazzling dribble moves, journeyman make passes that Magic Johnson would have been proud of on a night to night basis in our ever evolving league. If you've ever wanted to know why the league has changed so much this is the podcast for you! Mike Prada, author of "Spaced Out", joins the podcast to talk about his...

Have you ever wondered how trades actually get done in the NBA? Do you want to know the factors you aren't considering when your mocking moves your favorite team could make? This is the podcast for you! Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom and Bleacher Report joins the podcast to talk about the process he goes through when he's concocting trade articles for Bleacher Report. He lifts the hood o...

Morten Stig Jensen jumps on the podcast as we take a break from the rigmarole of the regular season to go global! Listen in for our plan on how the NBA can grow in Europe. We talk taking the game on tour; imagine Giannis in Athens, Luka returning to Madrid, Nikola Jokic in Belgrade... We discuss how the Olympics is set to be a "Dream Team" level event for the NBA, a Top Gear style European NBA sho...

Tyler Rucker of No Ceilings fame jumps on The Drop Step as we unpack the first week of NBA action for our rookie class. Listen in for our takes on Brandon Miller, Ausar Thompson, Dereck Lively II and a few more of the guys who have taken the league in their stride! We mix first week reviews with Tyler's predraft evaluations to bring you an action packed hour of first year analysis. Who's leading t...

Derrick White? Lauri Markkanen? Onyeka Okongwu? Which NBA player will be signed to the best contract by the time the 24/25 season starts in the NBA? It's a difficult question but in this episode of "The Drop Step" Ben Pfeifer and I break down who the biggest bargains are on NBA teams going into next season. Listen in for analysis of the Jaden McDaniels, Devin Vassell and Onyeka Okongwu extensions....

Join Lucas Kaplan and I as we talk all things Nets this year! We get into Ben Simmons, fun bench units, progression from Mikail and then zoom out to the future of the Nets as we try and figure out what stars Brooklyn could covet to catapault them back to title contention. Lucas is an exemplary beat writer. The chat we have goes deep on long term projections for the team, what the two rookies could...

Youtube sensation Frank Michael Smith joins the show to talk awards predictions. Frank and I make our picks for all the big awards talking favourites, dark horses and long shots providing you with some analysis, hot takes and betting odds in an enthralling episode! Will Jokic win a 3rd MVP? Can anyone beat Victor Wembanyama to Rookie of the year? Will the best defensive player in basketball finall...