Thinking Basketball

We discuss Jrue Holiday's great offensive season, the synergy between Giannis, Khris Middelton and Holiday, and the success of the Bucks Big 3 on offense this season. Also, why does it feel like there's no defense played in today's NBA? Would Giannis fail in a prior era? And who is the ideal teammate for LeBron James? With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketbal...

The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann (the Dime Drop) joins to discuss how prospects can blow through their projected ceilings by playing in a unique, different way, and what that means for players like Darius Garland, Cade Cunningham, Chet Holmgren and more. Follow Kyle @jkylemann. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We attempt to stack up the title favorites, but first, an old LeBron tweet reminds us how quickly narratives flip on elite players. Then we try to make sense of the parity, injuries and incredible offensive explosion (and state of foul drawing), along with some Bam Bam moments. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Supportat  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Is Donovan Mitchell one of the best offensive players in the game today? How does he compare to someone like Ja Morant? We discuss some of the game's best penetrators (2011 Derrick Rose) and the potential issue with the “heliocentric” boxes so many guards are put into today. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Supportat  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

It seems like an obvious question, but how do we define great shooters? How do we measure them? And who are the best shooters in the NBA right now? We look at two different ways to view shooting and a bunch of data on the best 3-point shooters in the league today. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. There is a full list of the top shooters (by tier) and the data for this episode for subscribers at www.p...

We discuss the white hot Celtics and Ime Udoka's tactical decision to unleash Rob Williams on defense, Rudy Gobert's consistent absence from MVP discussions, and Nikola Jokic's offensive ranking among the all-time greats. Also some trade deadline housekeeping with the Porzingis and Haliburton deals and the Bucks depth.  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Mike Prada (formerly at SBNation) stop by to discuss the evolution of the “Pace and Space” era, the tactical chess match in the 1998 NBA Finals, playing fast in the 1940s and how we landed on today's switchable, helping schemes to combat the pick-and-roll. Follow Mike at @MikePradaNBA. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We react to the Harden-Simmons blockbuster trade, the Celtics moves and what it all means for the upcoming Eastern Conference playoffs. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

It's that time of year to honor the best players who aren't quite All-Stars. I lay out my All-Star caliber players in the league right now, and then the 4th annual sub All-Star team. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We make a feeble attempt to sort out the best point guards in the NBA this season. Somehow, grilled pineapple and chocolate souffle are discussed as well. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

The Ringer's Seerat Sohi joins to discuss the exciting season so far, including all of the diversity and experimentation of styles around the league, and what to make of the Phoenix Suns and their league-leading record. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We discuss the incredible scoring tear Joel Embiid is on, what makes his scoring so special, and where he ranks as a scorer this year. After that we attempt to discuss Steph Curry's value during his 2 month shooting slump, along with Klay Thompson's chucking. Also thoughts on the Hawks leaky defense and Grayson Allen's foul on Alex Caruso. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/t...

We discuss Jalen Brunson and the rising Dallas Mavericks, who have won 7 of 8 games and are surprising with their defense. We also debate the value of perimeter playmakers like Matisse Thybulle, how we measure them, and how they compare to big men on defense. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Who are the best teams in the league when “healthy” right now? With everyone missing time, we stack up the best performances of teams when their core pieces are on the floor, and discuss whether Kyrie's return can cure the issues with the surprisingly low Nets. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Debating Draymond's offensive value and whether limited scoring puts a hard ceiling on offense for players. Also the state of the top contenders, the rise of the Grizzlies and what to make of Ja Morant's 12 injured games. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Nate Duncan discusses the best players in the NBA right now, culminating with the big question about Nikola Jokic! We also discuss Curry, Giannis, Durant, and whether Anthony Davis still belongs in the conversation. Listen to @NateDuncanNBA on the Dunc'd On podcast, Hollinger & Duncan, and the NBA cast on League Pass digital (next game Monday, November 22 between Memphis and Utah). Support at www....

This is a companion episode to the video on stars affecting each other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3iJwi4btAI&t=16s In this episode, we look at some of the most important recent examples of the effects stars have on each other, the importance about this kind of research and more. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

In Part 2 of a mega 2-part episode, reactions to the official NBA at 75 list. Then I attempt the hopeless task of filling out a 75th anniversary ballot with the help of Cody Houdek. It's unclear whether we even selected 75 or 76 players at the end of this hopeless and slightly impossible endeavor. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball and access the full list there.

The Athletic's Dave DuFour joins to preview the 2022 NBA season! We discuss who can win the East and West, teams with wide-ranging outcomes, darkhorse MVPs and more. Of course, there's a post show. Follow him @DaveDuFourNBA. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

In Part 1 of a mega 2-part episode, I attempt to predict the upcoming NBA at 75 team with some help from Cody Houdek. Who is a lock to make the list, and what players are candidates for those new 25 spots? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball.

The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann joins me for a wild discussion on player development and grading draft picks. We revisit 2016's top 10 picks, discuss the idea of the Black Swan fallacy in player development, the inverted black swan, developing ball skills in infants and more! Get $200 off Sports Business classroom with the promo code Thinking Basketball at www.sportsbusiness.classroom.com for this year'...

Where does Giannis Antetokounmpo's Finals performance rank among recent history? Before answering that question, I recap the key strategies, players, twists and turns that jumped out to me over the course of the 2021 Finals. Get $200 off Sports Business classroom with the promo code Thinking Basketball at www.sportsbusiness.classroom.com for this year's session in Las Vegas (August 9-14). Support...

Have the Bucks or Suns been lucky this series? Is Chris Paul cold? Devin Booker hot? The founder and CEO of Shot Quality joins to explain his comprehensive model for both teams and players, and what it says about the 2021 Finals participants through five games. Get $200 off Sports Business classroom with the promo code Thinking Basketball at www.sportsbusiness.classroom.com for this year's session...

The Athletic's Seth Partnow returns to discuss the randomness in the NBA and these 2021 playoffs, although we detour off topic to discuss the Suns and Bucks, depth, the importance of wing players in today's game and much more. There's also a red-hot post show with an incredible Scottie Pippen take at patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

David Thorpe (TrueHoop) stops by to discuss “small ball,” the magic of Trae Young and the Hawks, innovation in the NBA and marketing diverse stars. Support at patreon.com/thinkingbasketball.