Thinking Basketball

Are the Golden State Warriors good enough to win a playoff series this year? We discuss their good play of late when Steph Curry is on the floor, but first, there's been a drop in defensive rating and a change in officiating. Also, what are the indicators that a player will translate to the highest level of basketball in the playoffs and NBA Finals? Early bird price at Sportsbusinessclassroom....

The Boston Celtics are on the most dominant 11-game win streak in NBA history! We rank the most important Celtics for their playoff run, attempt to contextualize some of their regular season success, and attempt to list possible playoff weaknesses for Boston heading into the postseason. Early bird price at Sportsbusinessclassroom.com with signup code THINKING BASKETBALL. With @codyhoudek. Support...

We discuss whether the incredibly young Oklahoma City Thunder can be the youngest team in NBA history to win a title. Plus, what's really wrong with the Milwaukee Bucks after hiring Doc Rivers, and MVP narratives and a darkhorse Cody prediction. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

The No Dunks team stops by to discuss the stretch run of the season in the Western Conference (with some Eastern Conference discussion). Who will take the top seed? Where are the Oklahoma City Thunder headed? Can anyone knock off the Denver Nuggets? How do the Clippers and Timberwolves matchup with their size? Follow @TasMelas @treykerby @jeskeets Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

What can turnovers tell us about ball-handlers, passers and scorers? Who becomes the most efficient scorers when we account for “scoring” turnovers? In this solo episode, Ben looks at how this impact Nikola Jokic's scoring, Steve Nash and Chris Paul as “aggressive” vs. “conservative” passers, Tyrese Haliburton and Allen Iverson as ball-handlers and more. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbas...

We select the 6th annual Sub All-Stars or “Almost Stars,” the players who are in the next tier after All-Stars. First, we sort out All-Star level players, then discuss players on the fringe and possible Sub All-Stars. Who makes the cut? With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann returns to discuss Wemby's incredible potential after exploding in the last month. What are realistic areas of improvement for him? What does he look like with more size? We discuss his offensive potential, defensive feel and IQ and whether he could have the highest peak we've ever seen. Follow @jkylemann. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Cleveland has moved into the 2nd seed in the East after a bumpy start. Why are so many teams catching fire in the mid season? How do we make sense of a league with so many poor teams at the bottom of the standings? And is there another team waiting to make a run up the standings? Mo Dakhil and John Schuhmann join. Follow @johnschuhmann @MoDakhil_NBA.  Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Dave DuFour joins to discuss the surging Knicks since the OG Anunoby trade, what makes him such a good fit in New York, and why the Knicks are so good at offensive rebounding. But first, a big Clippers announcement after the Boston game. Follow @DaveDuFourNBA. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

There can be a razor's edge for young players putting up big stats on bad teams. We discuss these polarizing players, whether they're miscast as primary options, the inconvenient truth about shooting efficiency, and why we're lower – for this season, at least – on players like Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero because of it. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasket...

What makes a great passer? What characteristics set the best apart from the rest? We discuss the different types of passers in the NBA, some archetypes of passers that aren't quite as valuable, and attempt to sort out the best passers in the in 2024 right now. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Is Will Hardy making a push for Coach of the Year? How are the Jazz suddenly playing so well? Are they going to make the playoffs and bump Golden State or the Lakers out? We discuss Utah's white hot month, coaching adjustments, and the all-time legendary team the Jazz remind us of. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We break down the Knicks-Raptors trade involving Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett and O.G. Anunoby, and discuss trading a known commodity versus a potential breakout star in a bench role. Plus, with LeBron James and others excelling in their late 30s, are stars playing longer today than ever before? With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

The Clippers are hot and the Thunder are fighting for the top seed – are either inner circle contenders for the 2024 NBA championship? Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC's creative offense be schemed for? Plus, Cody makes a bold proclamation about Nick Nurse and the 76ers, and there's a violent disagreement (or agreement) about the Bucks. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thin...

Who are the best young players in the league right now? We draft the top players who are in their age 24 (or younger) season according to basketball-reference, if the playoffs were to start today. What happens when Ben forgets to follow his board and forces Cody to do a re-draft? What do we make of players struggling to start the season? Where should the microwave scorers go? With @codyhoudek. Sup...

Offensive rating around the league is up AGAIN! Multiple teams would be “the best offense in NBA history” by efficiency right now – why? What's changed? What's driving this? Will it stop? We discuss three major factors driving the offensive explosion, whether it “should” be changed, and how defenses can be helped going forward. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketba...

Boston and Minnesota have the best records in the league, but who has a better playoff defense? We discuss the sustainability of the Timberwolves impressive defensive, along with the makeup of the other top defenses team in the league. Plus, Derrick White, Kirstaps Porzingis, and the incredible way the Celtics assembled their starting 5. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasket...

Who is better right now, Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo? We discuss the offensive and defensive strengths of these former MVPs, the new context of their seasons (and coaches), Embiid's passing improvement, their defensive versatility and more in this resurrection of the Great Debates series. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Can you have an all-time peak without a big regular season? How important is a “single series” playoff peak? After Anthony Davis's dominant NBA Cup Final (In-season Tournament) for the Lakers over the Pacers, we discuss bully ball, defensive versatility, twin towers and the importance of size in today's NBA. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We make our MVP predictions for the 2024 season, filling out our predicted top-5 ballots by balancing narrative, player performance and team trajectories after the first 20 games of the year. But first, more NBA Cup predictions. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We break down the quarterfinal matchups in the first ever NBA Cup while handicapping the games – will there be adjustments? Added intensity? A massive home-court edge? But before that, we dive into the recent “Luka is overrated” thread and try to make sense of his massive box score stats and underwhelming scoreboard signal. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We attempt to rank the best pairings of current teammates in the NBA, taking into account the fit of each player and building around them. What great duos are in bad situations? Which ones look better because of their team success? Are there any duos that Cody actually likes? With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We discuss the importance of pace and the shot clock – both offensively and defensively – but first! We break down the top-rated defense in the NBA, what makes them successful, and whether they can sustain this. Along with “do you believe” in great starts like the Timberwolves and Chet Holmgren's outside shooting. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

In a crazy episode, The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann discusses his new Rookie rankings, the floater 3-pointer, Chet vs. Wemby, Scoot Henderson's bumpy start and more. With @codyhoudek and @jkylemann. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Who is taking a leap? Which players look like the most improved? We discuss our candidates for the Most Improved Player award, and debate whether the Rockets can make the playoffs based on their strong start. With @codyhoudek. Support at  www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball