The NBA Podcast

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) are joined by Adam Fromal (@fromal09) and Dan Favale (@danfavale) of the Hardwood Knocks podcast (@HardwoodKnocks) for Part 1 of their 2021-22 League Pass rankings. Follow us on Twitter: @TheNBAPod Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook: https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/sports/navigation/830.1/10107.3

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the Brooklyn Nets' conundrum with Kyrie Irving, Deandre Ayton's extension talks and the latest on Ben Simmons. If Kyrie doesn't get vaccinated, should the Nets consider trading him? Who might they be able to get in return? Should the Phoenix Suns be willing to give Deandre Ayton a max contract extensi...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their awards predictions for the 2021-22 NBA season. Who will win the wide-open MVP race? Can anyone challenge Rudy Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year? Will Cade Cunningham or Jalen Green win Rookie of the Year? Who are some of the top candidates for Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player? C...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) answer a number of questions submitted by listeners. Should the NBA work harder to prevent tampering? After implementing the play-in tournament, what other changes should the league make? Which Spurs players have All-Star upside? When will the OKC Thunder stop tanking? Should the Timberwolves blow it up and s...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the biggest questions for every Atlantic Division team ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. Who should the Boston Celtics start in their backcourt? Is any team capable of beating the fully healthy Brooklyn Nets in a seven-game series? How much can the New York Knicks rely on Kemba Walker? What should the...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the biggest questions for every Central Division team ahead of the 2021-22 season. How will DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball fit with the Chicago Bulls' existing core? Who will the Cleveland Cavaliers start at PF? Could Cade Cunningham have the sixth 20-5-5 rookie season in NBA history? Who should the Ind...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the biggest questions for every Southeast Division team ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. Who should be in the Atlanta Hawks' starting lineup? Should the Charlotte Hornets start Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington over Kelly Oubre and Mason Plumlee? How will Kyle Lowry fit with the Miami Heat? How will t...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the Houston Rockets' attempt to trade John Wall, Aaron Gordon's extension with the Denver Nuggets, the NBA's proposed in-season tournament and COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-22 season. Which teams make sense (if any?) as potential landing spots for Wall? Did the Nuggets overpay for Gordon, and will t...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) preview the biggest storylines for every Pacific Division team ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. What are realistic expectations for Klay Thompson this season? Who should the Los Angeles Clippers start in place of Kawhi Leonard until he returns? Will Anthony Davis finally embrace playing center more often? Sho...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) preview the Northwest Division ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. Should the Denver Nuggets sign Michael Porter Jr. to a max contract extension? How does Anthony Edwards build upon his promising rookie campaign in Minnesota? Which young player should you be most excited to watch in OKC? Did the Portland Trail B...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) preview the Southwest Division ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. How much of an upgrade will Reggie Bullock be for the Dallas Mavericks? Can Jalen Green beat out Cade Cunningham for Rookie of the Year? Should the Memphis Grizzlies consider Jaren Jackson Jr. a franchise cornerstone? How will Jonas Valanciunas f...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss Ben Simmons' holdout threat, the Nets and Lakers' new additions, Clint Capela's extension and Kevin Love's future. Are the Philadelphia 76ers now under more pressure to move Simmons before training camp? Should they call his bluff? How much will Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge help the Nets? Are th...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the three-team Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade and the best free agents still on the market. What were the Cavs thinking with regard to their acquisition of Markkanen? How much will Larry Nance Jr. help the Portland Trail Blazers? Could the Chicago Bulls be the biggest winner of this deal? Who are some...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) are joined by special guest Mirin Fader (@mirinfader) of The Ringer to discuss her new book, "Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP." What was Mirin's inspiration to write a book about Giannis? How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect her reporting process? What surprised her the most while writing the book?...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the recent extensions that Terry Rozier, Robert Williams III and Josh Richardson signed before examining who might be next in line. Did the Charlotte Hornets overpay for Rozier, or could it wind up being a steal? Why were the Boston Celtics in such a rush to extend both Williams and Richardson? Will e...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the two recent Patrick Beverley trades, Joel Embiid's new supermax extension, the Boston Celtics extending Marcus Smart and the NBA's Christmas Day slate of games. How much will Eric Bledsoe help the Clippers until Kawhi returns? Can Jarrett Culver turn his career around in Memphis? Will Beverley help...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Mark Deeks (@MarkDeeksNBA) discuss NBA Free Agency 2021. The guys discuss the revamped Chicago Bulls, the Knicks making some big changes, what to make of Ben Simmons not having been traded yet, and what is going on in Portland. Check out the episode to hear Morten and Mark discuss all of that and more. Follow us on Twitter: @TheNBAPod

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the latest free-agent signings, including DeMar DeRozan to the Chicago Bulls, Kemba Walker to the New York Knicks and Spencer Dinwiddie to the Washington Wizards. Did the Bulls overpay for DeRozan? Does it matter? Where does the signing of Walker put the Knicks in the new Eastern Conference hierarchy?...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the most notable signings from the first day of 2021 NBA free agency. Who did the best job on Day 1? Are the Miami Heat now in the same tier as the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets? Should the Phoenix Suns be favored to win the West again? Did the New York Knicks maximize the value of their cap space...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) preview the 2021 NBA free-agent class. Are Kawhi Leonard or Chris Paul actual flight risks? How will the point guard carousel shake out? Who are some of the top restricted free agents on the market? Which veterans should contenders be pursuing? Check out the episode to hear Morten and Bryan discuss all of tha...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss their biggest winners and losers from the 2021 NBA draft. Which teams came out as the biggest winners on draft night? Who were some of the best player-team fits? Which teams might regret their moves during the draft? And how will the Los Angeles Lakers' trade for Russell Westbrook work out? Check out...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) speaks with Matt Babock (@MattBabcock11) of Basketball News about some of the potential sleepers and busts in the 2021 NBA draft class. Which prospects in the mid-to-late-lottery range have the potential to outperform or underperform their draft slot? Who are some of the prospects worth targeting later in the first round? Which second-r...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) are joined by Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, the author of "Built to Lose," to discuss NBA tanking and the latest free-agency buzz. Is tanking as much of a scourge in the NBA as its critics make it out to be? Will the play-in tournament and lottery reform prevent tanking in the future? Why aren't the Oklahom...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) are joined by FanSided's Gerald Bourguet (@geraldbourguet) to discuss top takeaways from the 2021 NBA Finals and what's next for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks. What do the Finals mean for the legacies of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris Paul? What lessons can the Suns take away from the Finals? Will the...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss what the Phoenix Suns need to do to force a Game 7 in the 2021 NBA Finals and come up with Damian Lillard trade destinations. Is Devin Booker isolating too frequently? How can the Suns get Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges more involved offensively? Should the Blazers start listening to Damian Lillard t...