I advocate why a standings freeze on January 1 followed by a wins race for lottery odds among the bottom 7 teams would solve the NBA's tanking crisis.

Enjoy! And credit to Matt Powers ( @DraftPow ) of Swish Theory for the first version of the idea that I have heard.

Bennett Herbert (@bendog28) stops by to discuss the San Antonio Spurs' rise and their title chances "ahead of schedule," the James Harden trade, and a loaded top of the 2026 draft (Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler).

Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS
(3:40) The Spurs and the West
(41:30) James Harden Trade and the East
(52:30) 2026 Number 1 Pick

Brian Geisinger, host of the Buzz Beat podcast and the Split the Action Substack, returns to check in on the scouting reports of prospective top 5 picks Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson. We also contrast and debate Mikel Brown, Neoklis Avdalas, Patrick Ngongba, and Henri Veesaar. Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(6:30) Cam Boozer
(43:50) Caleb Wilson
(1:07:30) Mikel Brown Jr.
(1:28:50) Neoklis Avdalas
(1:45:30) Patrick Ngongba Jr. + Henri Veesaar and Wrap

Sam Ferris (@DraftDummies) joins to bring back Dart Rank, a cumulative redraft of the 3 most recent draft classes headlined by Victor Wembanyama, Zaccharie Risacher, and Cooper Flagg, respectively. We go out to 21, identifying the "average" top 7 picks over a 3 year sample, and cover a bunch of draft philosophy as well. Dart Rank is back! Enjoy.

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro + Dart Rank Explainer
(9:35) Picks 1-7
(1:03:25) Picks 8-14
(1:38:35) Picks 15-21 + wrap

Nathan Grubel of @NoCeilingsNBA returns to discuss his weekly rookie rankings 1-10, and we update our scouting reports and thoughts on a rookie class with landmark responsibility within the league, from Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Cedric Coward, Kon Knueppel, to many more. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(5:30) Kon Knueppel
(28:10) Cedric Coward
(47:55) Cooper Flagg
(57:00) VJ Edgecombe
(1:10:20) Dylan Harper
(1:21:10) Ryan Kalkbrenner
(1:27:45) Derik Queen
(1:34:45) Jeremiah Fears
(1:43:15) Will Richard, CMB, Tre Johnson + Wrap

Esfandiar Baraheni (@justesbaraheni) of @TheAthleticNBADaily and @raptorsrepublic joins to round out a belated preview ranking where we expect all 30 offenses to end at the end of the season. Es also analyzes the curious roster build of his beloved Toronto and we mix in some early reactions as well.

Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro
(6:55) Raptors Roster Build + Collin Murray Boyles
(16:30) Offense Ranks 1-30

Jack Quantrill, host of the Drop Step NBA POdcast and contributor to Celticsblog, swings by for a season preview episode where we draft our favorite "locks" for over or under performance by teams this year. Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro
(7:35) Grizzlies
(18:10) Bucks
(29:30) Orlando Magic
(38:05) Spurs
(49:40) Kings
(57:45) Pelicans
(1:03:05) Hornets
(1:12:30) Bulls + Wizards
(1:23:45) Thunder + wrap

Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_), Nets beat writer and contributor to Nets Daily, Basketball Insiders, and Swish Theory, joins to chat about the demented Nets" gambit surrounding their 5 first roundrs, predict all rookie teams, and tier out regular season defenses 1-30. Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(3:30) Brooklyn Nets' 5 rookies
(37:05) Predicting All-Rookie Teams
(44:30) NBA Defenses Tier 1 + Tier 2
(50::55) Tier 3: Rest of Top 10
(59:30) Tier 4: Mavs, Hawks, Pacers, Heat, Knicks?
(1:14:00) Tier 5: LAL, Den, and the Contender Middle
(1:25:00) Tier 6, DPOY talk + wrap

Lauren Gunn returns to sort through one of the West's most polarizing teams as the Mavericks try to turbo-charge two timelines into a title contender. How the youth, age, and uncertain offensive and defensive identities converge for the confounding Dallas Mavericks, and around its number pick Cooper Flagg.

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro
(3:30) Anthony Davis + Offensive Identity
(16:45) Cooper Flagg + Anthony Davis
(23:30) Mavs' Bench and Trade Options
(29:25) Cooper Flagg's Timeline
(35:30) Defensive Identity + Most Improved Naji Marshall
(1:01:20) Mavs vs the West and Wrap

Enjoy!

Sam Sheehan (@NBABabysecret) of the You Know Ball podcast + patreon joins to review the NBA's full offseason and determine which teams changed their stars, with a focus on new contenders in each conference.

Plus, some awards discussion. Enjoy! And subscribe to the You Know Ball patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/YouKnowBall

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(4:10) Orlando Magic
(23:30) East Middle
(26:10) Atlanta Hawks + Jalen Johnson
(38:15) Houston Rockets
(48:55) Denver Nuggets
(56:00) Spurs, Mavs, Blazers
(1:20:00) Wiz/Hornets + Wrap