Game Theory Podcast

By The Athletic

What's Game Theory Podcast about?

Sam Vecenie, a Senior NBA Writer at The Athletic, talks all about basketball. From the NBA, to the NBA Draft, to college hoops and even some high school, Vecenie is has you covered in this show. And some thoughts on movies, too.

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Final Four is set! UConn, M...

03.27.2023

Adam Spinella joins the podcast today to dive into two topics. First, we talk about the Final Four. Who joined Connecticut and Florida Atlantic in the Final Four? We dive deep and explain how we got to this wild group ...

Game Theory Podcast episodes:

03.27.2023 Final Four is set! UConn, Miami, Florida Atlantic, San Diego State! Diving into the Elite Eight! Also, the Dallas Mavericks are in the Danger Zone Adam Spinella joins the podcast today to dive into two topics. First, we talk about the Final Four. Who joined Connecticut and Florida Atlantic in the Final Four? We dive deep and explain how we got to this wild group ...
03.25.2023 Sweet 16 Deep Dive! Alabama Loses! Gonzaga-UCLA another classic! Plus: NBA DPOY Top-Five Outlook Mark Schindler joins the show. We break down the action we saw from the Sweet 16 this week. Alabama loses! Gonzaga-UCLA classic! Houston losing as we start! Absolute madness! Then, we dive into our 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the ...
03.22.2023 NBA Title Contenders Ranking and Oklahoma City Thunder Deep Dive with Andrew Schlecht In this episode, Andrew Schlecht joins and we dive deep into two topics of NBA conversation. First, we chat about ranking the top-five NBA title contenders right now. Who are the teams best equipped to win a championship over the ...
03.20.2023 NCAA Tournament Second Round Deep Dive! 2023 NBA Draft Prospects! Sweet 16 Tickets Punched! Breaking Down Every Game! In this episode, Adam Spinella joins the show to break down everything that occurred in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Kentucky and Duke fall to Kansas State and Tennessee. Alabama and Houston continue to march onward. Connecticut ...
03.18.2023 NCAA Tournament First Round Deep Dive! FDU Stuns Purdue! Princeton over Arizona! Notes on every game! Mark Schindler joins Sam Vecenie and they breakdown everything that occurred over a jam-packed first two days of the NCAA Tournament, including Fairleigh Dickinson's massive upset over Purdue, Princeton's upset over Arizona, Furman over Virginia, Duke's dominance over Oral Roberts, ...
03.16.2023 Five Players Across the NBA that Look Like Future All-Stars, including Jaden Ivey, Jalen Williams, Scottie Barnes and more with Jason Timpf Jason Timpf from The Volume and Hoops Tonight joins us, and we dive deep into what we love about some of the most interesting future stars in the NBA. We talk Mikal Bridges, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Williams, Franz Wagner, and ...
03.13.2023 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket Analysis: Picks, Betting Tips, What games to watch? Best Matchups? NBA Draft Prospects to watch? Adam Spinella joins the show to break down the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal. What teams are in the NCAA Tournament bracket? Who got left out? What games do you need to watch? What NBA Draft Prospects do you need to ...
03.11.2023 The Future of NBA Team-Building; Plus, The Nuggets, the Kings, and Defense: does either have enough to win the title? Danny Leroux joins us for a talk about the top two teams in the Western Conference: The Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings. They are the two best offenses in the league, but each have defensive warts (the Kings much ...
03.08.2023 Are the Cleveland Cavaliers genuine contenders? Pelicans keep struggling; 2023 NBA Draft Comparison Battles, Round One Mark Schindler is here, and we have three topics for the day. First, we chat Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell, asking if Mitchell has been the most consistently great guard in the NBA this season? And can they actually win ...
03.06.2023 Ja Morant Out Two Games, Brandon Clarke Out For Season, and the Grizzles; Lakers/Warriors; Plus, 2023 NBA Draft Conference Tourney Preview Adam Spinella joins the show to talk about three topics today. First we're going to chat a bit about Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, and the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant will miss the next two games after his Instagram Live from a ...
03.05.2023 Kevin Durant Debuts for Phoenix! Russ's Clippers 0-4 start! Also, Pistons and Hornets Rebuild Deep Dives! James Edwards joins the show today, and we dive into four topics. First, we're going to talk about Russell Westbrook's inauspicious first four games with the Clippers, where things haven't exactly been great. Then, we're going to talk about Kevin ...
03.01.2023 The Bucks and Knicks are Going Streaking! Rockets Check-In! Quin Snyder to ATL! Plus, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Dereck Lively Talk! Mark Schindler joins the show for a bit of an across-the-gamut look at the NBA. We'll start with the good, breaking down the streaking Knicks and Bucks, and what makes these two teams work so well: the Knicks shot-making and ...
02.27.2023 Lakers come back to beat Mavericks, Celtics-76ers Deep Dives! 2023 NBA Draft Prospects You Need to see NOW! Adam Spinella joins Sam Vecenie this episode to break down two hugely important NBA games over the weekend. We start with the awesome Lakers-Mavericks game where the Lakers came back from down deep in the first half against the Mavericks ...
02.26.2023 2023 NBA Championship Race: The Most Important Non-Superstar X-Factors; Plus: Leonard Miller Deep Dive! Mark Schindler is here, and we're talking Schindler dudes. We're talking about the most important X-Factors in the 2023 NBA Title Race. Essentially, the goal here is to look below the superstar level and dive into guys whose presences on ...
02.23.2023 NBA Title Tiers at the All-Star Break: Ranking the 13 teams that have a reasonable shot to win the 2023 NBA Championship Kane Pitman from ESPN and Locked on Bucks joins the show, and we dive into NBA title tiers. Who are the favorites currently to win the NBA Championship. This will be broken out very simply: We're going to dive into ...
02.20.2023 A Messy NBA All-Star Weekend + Plus: 2023 NBA Draft: Keyonte George Look-in! Adam Spinella joins Sam Vecenie to break down all that we saw over the course of NBA All-Star Weekend. From Jose Alvarado and Josh Giddey's fur coat on Friday, to Mac McClung's dunks on Saturday, to Damian Lillard drilling halfcourt ...
02.18.2023 First Impressions of 2023 NBA Trade Deadline; What do new faces look like in their new places? Mark Schindler joins the show to break down the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline and our first impressions of it coming up to the All-Star Break. What has Mike Conley looked like in Minnesota? Kyrie in Dallas? D'Angelo Russell and the ...
02.16.2023 The Toronto Raptors Were Surprise Buyers at the NBA Trade Deadline. What now? How do they build from here? Samson Folk from Raptors Republic joins the program to discuss the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors surprised many by aggressively buying at the NBA Trade Deadline, acquiring Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs. With Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. ...
02.15.2023 2023 NBA Draft Big Picture in February; Everything you need to know about where the draft stands right now; Also: What does Brooklyn do with Ben Simmons? Adam Spinella joins the show and we re-set the table for the 2023 NBA Draft now that the Super Bowl has passed and we're into February. It's time for a Big Picture look at scouting the 2023 NBA Draft. We'll ...
02.10.2023 KEVIN DURANT TRADED TO PHOENIX! Everything that happened in the 24 hours of NBA Trade Deadline Day It's a jam-packed NBA Trade Deadline day, and Mark Schindler is here to join me to break down all of the action. We dive deep into everything that happened, including the Kevin Durant trade to Phoenix, the biggest deadline deal ...
02.09.2023 Russell Westbrook Traded in Deal With D'Angelo Russell and Mike Conley! Breaking down the Lakers-Jazz-Wolves trade, and LeBron Passing Kareem! Other Deadline Thoughts! Cole Huff joins the show to chat a bit about a few topics! We're going to start with the big news of the NBA on Wednesday, which is that the Russell Westbrook era in Los Angeles is over. The Lakers ...
02.06.2023 Kyrie Irving TRADED to DALLAS: How does he fit with Luka Doncic? What do the Lakers, Clippers do? Adam Spinella joins the show. He and Sam dive deep into into the Kyrie Irving trade saga that exploded over the weekend and culimated in his move to Dallas for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a first rounder and two second ...
02.03.2023 The Wolves are Hot! Our favorite potential NBA Deadline Fake Trades! Walker Kessler! Breanna Stewart to NY Liberty! Mark Schindler joins the podcast today, and we break down a bunch of different topics! -How NBA teams seem to be valuing incumbency over potential trades, and how Bird rights have become valuable as a trade asset or retention tool. ...
02.01.2023 NBA All-Star Reserves Picks! Breaking down the MESS that is picking All-Stars in both the Eastern and Western Conferences with Dave DuFour In this episode, Dave DuFour joins the show to break down our choices for All-Star Reserves in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. With the starters already chosen, now the fun begins in trying to determine who the best choices ...
01.30.2023 Embiid wins Jokic Showdown! Weird Lakers-Celtics Ending! Myles Turner Extension! Sochan Breakout! Adam Spinella joins the show for a jam-packed show that includes a breakdown of Joel Embiid's masterclass against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets; the weirdo Celtics-Lakers ending from Saturday night; the Myles Turner extension that remains fascinating; the Jeremy Sochan ...
01.27.2023 The Orlando Magic are Super Fun! Midseason Defensive POY Top-Fives! Also, Brandon Miller and Dariq Whitehead Thoughts! Mark Schindler joins the show, and they chat about three topics. First, the Orlando Magic! One of the most fun teams in the NBA resides in Orlando. With Jonathan Isaac back, Franz Wagner emerging, Markelle Fultz leading, and Paolo Banchero ...
01.25.2023 What NBA Players Could Use a Change of Scenery at the NBA Trade Deadline? Also, Rui Hachimura traded to the Lakers! In this episode, Seth Partnow joins the show! We'll start by talking about Rui Hachimura's deal to the Los Angeles Lakers, where the team acquired him for three second round picks. Then, we move on to other players at the ...
01.23.2023 2023 NBA Draft: Does Scoot Henderson have a case at No. 1? Also, NBA Rookie of the Year Midseason Top-Fives: Paolo, Mathurin, Kessler, more Adam Spinella joins the show and we dive deep into two topics. First, we start by investigating something that has been seen as a done deal for years: are we positive that Scoot Henderson does not have a legitimate No. ...
01.20.2023 What swing skills for Ja, Zion, and others could impact the NBA title race in the coming years? The NBA is loaded with terrific young players and a boatload of parity. It feels like a number of different teams could win a title within the next few years. Largely, that will depend on the development of certain key ...
01.18.2023 Who are the Most Fun NBA Teams to Watch at Midseason? Drafting our five favorite teams with Andrew Schlecht Andrew Schlecht is in the building and we chat about a very simple concept: who are the most teams to watch right now in the NBA? Who do you find yourself switching over to most often if you have some ...
01.16.2023 2023 NBA Mock Draft, January Edition! Wembanyama, Scoot, Thompsons, Brandon Miller and more; Prospects Deep Dive Adam Spinella joins the show for his weekly Sunday appearance, and this week we're doing our monthly 2023 NBA Mock Draft Deep Dive! Join us as we dive deep into the top-30 selections, breaking down what we'd do in each ...
01.13.2023 The Midseason WTF teams in the NBA; Breaking down the Blazers, Clippers, Knicks, Hawks and Pacers Parity is everywhere in the NBA this season, and it's made it extremely difficult to gauge exactly where exactly many teams across the league fall. So today, Mark Schindler joins the show, and we try to figure out what in ...
01.11.2023 2023 NBA Trade Market: Setting the Table on What Targets Could Be Available at the Deadline Danny Leroux joins the show today to break down the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline by diving into the targets that could be available at the deadline. Who are the real move pieces that could shift the title race in what ...
01.09.2023 2021 NBA Draft, 1.5 Years In: Breaking down the NBA's sophomore class midway through Season Two In this episode, Adam Spinella joins Sam Vecenie to break down how the players in the 2021 NBA Draft class have fared thus far into their careers. We break down names like Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, ...
01.07.2023 Midseason All-NBA Picks! Time for a change in Houston? Brice Sensabaugh Breakdown Mark Schindler is here! It's time for midseason All-NBA choices now that multiple teams have played at least 41 games this year. We break down our picks for first team, second-team, and third-team All-NBA, and some of the candidates for ...
01.05.2023 Midseason NBA Rookie Scouting Deep Dive: Who are the best rookies in the 2022-23 draft class? In this episode, Adam Spinella joins the show to dive into the 2022-23 NBA Rookie class. We chat Paolo Banchero, Dyson Daniels, Keegan Murray, AJ Griffin, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Jalen Williams, Jeremy Sochan, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, and plenty, ...
01.03.2023 Midseason NBA MVP Rankings Deep Dive! Also, should the Lakers be All-In at the Trade Deadline, or out? Who should be their target? In this episode, The Volume's Jason Timpf joins the show for the first time! Jason comes on and chats about the MVP race, with this week marking the midseason point as most teams get to their 40th game of the ...
12.31.2022 2022: The Year of the NBA Superstar, and the most talent in league history; plus, Cam Whitmore breakdown, and Nuggets breakdown! Mark Schindler joins the show, and we dive into the biggest takeaway from 2022 in the NBA: this is the year that redefined what a star is within the league. The talent level has never been higher. We dive into ...
12.28.2022 2023 NBA Draft Prospects New Year's Resolutions: What are improvement areas for potential top picks? Adam Spinella joins the show this week to chat about improvement areas for 2023 NBA Draft prospects, this time in New Year's Resolution form. What are some of the ways top prospects in the class like Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, ...
12.23.2022 Non-Conference Superlatives for College Basketball and the 2023 NBA Draft; Best team, biggest disappointment, biggest question marks, fastest rising prospects and more! In this episode, Adam Spinella is here and we're doing to dive into some topics within college basketball and the 2023 NBA Draft. And to do so, we're giving out superlatives! Best Team so far! Fastest Rising Upperclass prospect! Surprise ...
12.21.2022 The Bulls and the Raptors are Struggling; What's going on, and how should they handle the season with Ricky O'Donnell and Samson Folk Sam Vecenie is joined on this episode of the Game Theory Podcast by Ricky O'Donnell and Samson Folk in a two-part episode. In the first part, Ricky joins to talk about the Chicago Bulls, who beat the Heat last night ...
12.19.2022 Anthony Davis out for a month, what should Lakers do?!; KD's MVP chances; Keyonte George Breakdown! In a reversion of the usual schedule, Mark Schindler is here to break down a few different topics. First, we start with something I have a vague idea about scrolling through Twitter and looking at fans' pages: are NBA fans ...
12.16.2022 Cade Cunningham out for the year; Killian Hayes resurgence! PLUS, some Hornets, Maxi Kleber injury James Edwards from The Athletic is here to break down a few different things across the NBA. First, we chat about how Maxi Kleber's injury will impact the Mavericks, and where they're headed. Then, we chat about Cade Cunningham. What ...
12.14.2022 Jaren Jackson for DPOY? The Mavs and Heat need shake-up trades; Eric Gordon and KJ Martin value? Jarace Walker Breakdown! Mark Schindler is here and we're diving deep across the NBA. First, we're going to start with Jaren Jackson, whose emergence for the Memphis Grizzlies from elite defensive player into "best defensive player in the NBA" has pushed them to ...
12.12.2022 Who is the No. 3 prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft behind Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson? Also, Tank Watch and FOUR Prospects of the Week In this episode, Adam Spinella joins to break down the race for the No. 3 prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft. Assuming that Victor Wembanyama goes No. 1, and Scoot Henderson is the second-best prospect, who is the third-best? Is ...
12.10.2022 NBA First Trimester Contender Tiers: Who can win the 2022-23 NBA title? with Dave DuFour Dave DuFour from The Athletic joins the show! And we dive into NBA Contender tiers. As in: which teams do we think have the best chance to win the NBA title as presently constructed? Which teams need to make moves ...
12.07.2022 Pelicans are on fire; Hawks are Weird; Scottie Barnes is having a sophomore slump, what's going on?; Jett Howard Breakdown Mark Schindler joins the show to talk about some birds. First, we chat about the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that has a case as the deepest team in the NBA and one that is playing exceptionally well right now. ...
12.05.2022 Re-Drafting the 2020 NBA Draft; Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Desmond Bane or Tyrese Haliburton at No. 1? With Adam Spinella In this episode, I'm joined by Adam Spinella where we decide to dive deep into what has been a disappointing 2020 NBA Draft and re-draft it. What order should that class have gone in? Should Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo ...
12.03.2022 What are the New York Knicks? NBA News: Horford Extension, Tatum God Mode, MVP Power Rankings, Towns Out Dear friend of the program Fred Katz joins the show to talk about a few different topics. Our plan is to start with a quick word on the Al Horford extension, talk a bit about Jayson Tatum's incredible run. We ...
11.30.2022 First-Time NBA All-Stars in 2023? Fox, Haliburton, Shai, who else? Also: GG Jackson Early Season Prospect Breakdown with Mark Schindler Mark Schindler joins the show! We chat about potential first-time all-stars for the 2023 NBA All-Star game. Who is shaping up to potentially make the event for the first time by leveling up? Can Tyrese Haliburton, De'Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ...

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