Learning Basketball

Ep. 19 Learning Basketball with Spencer Davies

Timestamps


0:00 Introduction & Background

2:10 Writing Process


11:10 How to build a full time career in freelance basketball media

15:55 What to look for when watching film


24:20 How to think of good interview questions


29:30 Diving into this Cleveland Cavaliers season: What’s different this year?


37:38 Evan Mobley’s Star Ascension & grab-and-go playmaking skills, Donovan Mitchell leading the way, role players Ty Jerome, Caris Levert, Isaac Okoro stepping up as efficient outside shooters


41:17 Darius Garland’s scoring efficiency and Jarrett Allen the steady hand with experience playing for Kenny Atkinson


48:00 Can the Cavs’ hot start help them secure 3 All-Stars?
49:55 How will Max Strus fit into this machine after finally recovering from injury? Kenny Atkinson wants multiple ball handlers running the offense


54:45 Looking back at the Magic - Cavs 2024 NBA Playoffs Round 1 Series


1:04:50 Cavs season goals and thoughts about some other playoff teams - Boston, Milwaukee, Denver, Thunder, Magic

Joel Rush is an NBA writer with Forbes who covers the Denver Nuggets from Japan!

Hear about his background, process watching film, ideas for writing stories, and dive into this Denver Nuggets season

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction & Background

2:28 Writing Process


5:00 Michael Porter Jr.’s Playmaking Development

6:50 What’s going on with Jamal Murray?

12:50 How much will Denver miss KCP?


13:45 Is Nikola Jokić having the best single player start to an NBA season, ever?


17:40 Michael Porter Jr. becoming Denver’s 2nd scoring option

18:30 Russell Westbrook 2-man game connection with Jokic + Jokic assist combos


27:17 Denver Nuggets league standings, four factors and team rankings


30:00 Is Aaron Gordon the Nuggets’ best option at backup center? Valuing AG’s defensive versatility going back to Denver’s championship run
, Role players stepping up with KCP no longer in Denver


43:30 Appreciating Nikola Jokic’s insane tough shot making and the 2023 Nuggets title


44:55 Aaron Gordon’s development and changing roles from on-ball perimeter potential star in Orlando to off-ball secondary play-finisher in Denver


58:25 Joel makes Ryan pick which family member to choose with a gun to his head: Franz or Paolo

Evin Gualberto is a Basketball Coach at DeMatha who loves film study, as his YouTube channel will show you:

 http://youtube.com/evingualberto

Evin is a Freelance basketball writer, a pro video scout.


Evin is a Cohost of multiple podcasts: The Step Through WNBA Podcast with Sabreena Merchant; Bouncing Around with Samson Folk; Ready to Diagram with @bowser2bowser, who he helps define terms for at the Basketball Action Dictionary.

NBA Legend Traits + Film Breakdowns (Veer, Grenade, Skip)

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction & Background

10:05 What inspires videos on players or moves?


16:00 Victor Oladipo’s Magic Defense


19:50 Don’t Switch against Steph Curry


27:10 Carmelo Anthony’s Post Up Footwork


38:08 Tracy McGrady’s Triple Threat Footwork

46:20 Manu Ginobili P&R Maestro


55:27 Franz Wagner’s Gliding Footwork

1:09:20 Herb Jones Defensive Dynamo

1:15:10 What makes a play/action interesting enough to break down on film?


1:19:20 Breaking down the Action: 77 Spain Veer (77 is also known as Double Drag)


1:28:28 Breaking down the Action: 77 Post Split Stagger (+ Gaggle/Bilbao)


1:39:50 Breaking down the Action: Ram Ghost Skip (Skip Passes/Skip Concepts from JJ Redick, inspired by Dan Hurley)


1:49:50 Breaking down the Action: Delay Zoom Skip (Skip passes with Kenny Atkinson)

Ep. 16 of Learning Basketball with Prolific Prep Basketball Coach Mo Haroon!

Coaching AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Tyran Stokes, Niko Bundalo, Seven Spurlock, Winters Grady, Aiden Sherrell, Obinna Ekezie, Mikey Lewis, Zoom Diallo, Rajan Roberts, Derrion Reed at Prolific Prep with Mo Haroon

Projected Top-3 2026 NBA Draft Pick Darryn Peterson and Prolific Prep are fresh off beating fellow projected Top-3 picks AJ Dybantsa’s Utah Prep and Cameron Boozer’s Columbus


Dybantsa attended Prolific Prep last season, at the same time as projected #1 2027 Overall Pick Tyran Stokes

Timestamps:



0:00 Introduction


2:55 Background



9:40 Coaching and getting to know Obinna Ekezie Jr.



15:00 Getting to know AJ Dybantsa, Tyran Stokes, Mikey Lewis, Derrion Reed, Zoom Diallo, Aiden Sherrell up close as human beings and Prolific Prep’s pro pipeline (Jalen Green, Gary Trent, Josh Jackson)


18:20 Scouting Prolific Prep - Montverde matchups in 2024, the first time ESPN aired a matchup between 3 projected #1 Picks: ft. AJ Dybantsa, Tyran Stokes, Cooper Flagg, Aiden Sherrell, Mikey Lewis, Winters Grady, Zoom Diallo (Swish Theory Written Scouting Report

LINK: https://theswishtheory.com/analysis/amateur-basketball/2024/04/scouting-the-2024-hoophall-classic-title-game-montverde-academy-invitational-tournament/


21:50 Scouting, Coaching, & getting to know Winters Grady at NBPA Top-100 Camp and marquee matchups last two seasons

LINK: https://theswishtheory.com/analysis/amateur-basketball/2024/07/2024-nbpa-top-100-scouting-report-notes-film-quotes-and-data-visualizations-on-70-standout-players/

25:58 Scouting Darryn Peterson’s Claim for the Throne as 2026 #1 Overall Pick Upsetting Cam Boozer’s #1 Ranked High School team Columbus

LINK: https://theswishtheory.com/analysis/amateur-basketball/2024/11/darryn-peterson-makes-his-claim-for-the-throne/

31:15 Scouting & Coaching Seven Spurlock

34:29 Scouting & Coaching Niko Bundalo

38:05 Scouting & Coaching Rajan Roberts

41:09 Getting to know AJ Dybantsa off the court + Scouting AJ & Darryn Peterson in marquee matchup between Prolific Prep vs. Utah Prep


47:55 AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and the incredibly talented 2026 NBA Draft loaded with start potential throughout the lottery

49:14 Scouting Darryn Peterson, the “Up-and-Thunder” driving jams



54:49 Who will wind up the #1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft between Darryn, Dybantsa, and Boozer?


57:00 Early impressions of Mazi Mosley, Magic Johnson’s nephew, after his transfer from Montverde to Prolific

Jordan Allen is the Founder at Rising Stars Scouting and Creator of the Rising Stars Substack covering under the radar prospects and g-league players



Basketball Insider and Advisor at Basketball Intelligence


Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction & Background, Rising Stars Scouting & Substack

3:28 Jordan's Scouting Process


6:55 Meleek Thomas Commits to Arkansas + NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report


14:11 Kiyan Anthony Commits to Syracuse + NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report


19:10 Chris Cenac Jr. NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report + Recruitment Talks


26:25 Kingston Flemings Commits to Houston + NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report, imagining Flemings + Cenac playing together at Houston


30:16 Deron Rippey Jr. NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report


33:05 Acaden Lewis Commits to Kentucky + NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report


37:50 Dwayne Aristode Commits to Arizona + Shon Abaev Recruitment Talks + NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report


39:55 NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report Standouts + Commitments: 


King Grace makes two-way winning plays + commits to Mississippi State, 


Malachi Moreno commits to Kentucky,


Nykolas Lewis Commits to Xavier, 


Zymicah Wilkins Commits to NC State, 


Winters Grady commits to Michigan, 


Jaylen Petty impressive two-way feel + commits to New Mexico,


Davis Fogle shows great motor + commits to Gonzaga,


Kaden Magwood walking bucket commits to Auburn,


Tyler Jackson natural point guard impresses (considering Maryland, Syracuse, Auburn), 


Marcus Jackson’s popping athleticism but decommits from Maryland, could he end up at Charleston?

Dante Allen two-way impact transferring to Montverde


46:50 Darryn Peterson’s claim for the throne leading to Utah Prep’s upset over Boozer Twins’ #1 Columbus team


51:20 Full NBPA Top-100 Camp Scouting Report on theswishtheory.com , Shoutout to other standouts Tounde Yessoufou, Jamarion Batemon, Jacob Wilkins, Mike Williams, Brayden Burries, Jerry Easter, Tajh Ariza, + Trent MacLean Commits to West Virginia



54:00 Jason Crowe NBPA Top-100 Camp Scouting Report + Recruitment Update (Crowe to USC?)

57:05 Scouting AJ Dybantsa vs Nate Ament Matchup + Recruiting Update (Ament to Duke? Dybantsa to BYU?)


1:09:05 Scouting Alijah Arenas + Recruitment Talks: Is Arenas The Best Player in High School Basketball? (Arenas to Arizona?) (Reclassifies to 2026 NBA Draft)

1:15:10 Scouts need to sign Landyn Colyer (SFA Academy) under the radar Tall Guard 3pt sniper with two-way feel


1:22:15 Jordan's Under The Radar Prospects who need more attention: Gene Roebuck, Isaiah Rogers, Kamden McGilveary, Hunter Caplan & Bradyn Alward

Ep. 14 of Learning Basketball with Krishna Narsu!

Find his work at @KNarsu3 and @The_BBall_Index on Twitter

Timeline:


0.5 Decision-Making Advantage Creation with Flagler Basketball Coach Brandon Benson on his experience from Prep to D1, studying NBA Head Coach Concepts, and Coaching Moustapha Thiam and Savo Drezgic

Timestamps:


0:00 Introduction & Background, how Brandon got into coaching


13:50 Getting to work with different coaches with different experiences

21:50 Valuing hustle stats, winning plays, and fundamental skills that apply to every level - controlling what you control, accountability

32:35 “0.5 Decision Making” Mentality, dribble pass and shoot ideals, Princeton sets, off-ball movement, setting up advantage basketball more than scripted sets

47:25 Learning from NBA Coaching Concepts:

25 teams probably run similar sets like 5-out, Wide pindowns/screen aways, Spain P&R, staggers, traditional Horns



Coaches covered:

Quin Snyder Hawks - Blender system,

Kenny Atkinson Cavs - Advantage Basketball, 2 on the ball, force long closeouts

Joe Mazulla Celtics & Charles Lee (Hornets/Celtics) - true selfless 5-out, Delay/Wide/swing to trailer, Stagger/Pindown flow, moving 5 to the wing/taking rim-protector off the ball


JJ Redick Lakers - showing off modern sets, Decoys/False actions movement, advantage, might have taken Dan Hurley play on first play as head coach, move bigs to weak side corner force big in help, immediately handoff 


Steve Kerr Warriors - Split actions, steph+klay pin downs, Looney throwing post feed


Taylor Jenkins Grizzlies - hired development gurus Noah LaRoche, Joe Boylan, to help build modern offense


Mark Daigneault Thunder - drive at you all game long, Hartenstein with DHOs, ZOOM actions involving any combination of down screen into dribble hand off — okc is doing like a Triple Zoom between big men with multiple down screens and handoffs

Charles Lee Hornets (formerly Boston/Milwaukee) bringing that experience to try to implement culture with a winning pedigree

Ime Udoka Rockets - Horns 1-4 High, Iverson Curl

1:10:10 The value of having a veteran presence in an NBA locker room

1:12:35 Getting to know Projected NBA Draft Picks Moustapha Thiam and Savo Drezgic as people and players

1:27:38 Breaking down the Horns 1-4 High play that Ime Udoka and Coach Benson like to run to start games, one guy curls over top, one guy loops underneath, as soon as cutter cuts pass the face

Ahmed Jama (@SlipTheScreen) covers NBA Draft and Grassroots Basketball
, does NBA Scouting work with Next Up Basketball Consulting and Swish Theory, and is the 

Co-Host of The Draft Council Podcast with Dan Olinger.

Best NBA Draft Prospect Alive?

Scouting 2025 & 2026 NBA Draft: Cooper Flagg, Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Chris Cenac, Meleek Thomas, Acaden Lewis, Jamarion Batemon, King Grace, Shon Abaev, Nolan Traore, Braylon Mullins, Liam McNeely

His Swish Theory Piece "The Draft Shooting Heuristic" evaluating shooters from Shot Speed-Volume-Versatility to Room-Rhythm-Range

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction & Background

1:37 2024 NBA Draft Shooting Heuristic piece with Swish Theory - Developing a scouting evaluation process from Shot


8:32 Scouting Jamarion Batemon


9:01 Scoring Versatility to threaten defenses & two-way impact for long-term careers in the NBA


14:43 Scouting King Grace


16:04 Scouting Chris Cenac Jr.

24:00 Boozer Twins Commit to Duke - Scouting Cameron & Cayden Boozer

28:25 AJ Dybantsa & Darryn Peterson in the talks for #1 Pick in the 2026 NBA Draft

33:53 2026 NBA Draft may be deepest in years - Meleek Thomas (Arkansas / Overtime Elite) , Acaden Lewis (Kentucky), Davis Fogle (Gonzaga), Shon Abaev (Overtime Elite)


38:55 Who’s the Best Prospect alive not in the NBA right now? Spoiler Alert: still Cooper Flagg


45:08 Is Nolan Traore the Top 2025 NBA Draft Prospect after Flagg?


55:00 Most Underrated Draft Prospect in 2026? Braylon Mullins (UConn)


58:00 Scouting Liam McNeely (UConn / Montverde)

Learning Basketball with Maurya Kumpatla

Covers the Oklahoma City Thunder and NBA Draft

Writer for Swish Theory and an NBA Draft Writer on SI.com for Draft Digest

Studying Data Science at University of Tennessee Knoxville

Find him on Twitter at @TheFlareScreen

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Background

7:50 Amen Thompson’s impressive athleticism, instincts, and surprise skill acquisition as a rebounder

11:34 Nolan Traore’s rare ability to get low, attack gaps, comfortability shooting, tracking if his ability to drive and finish left improves

13:39 What surprise skill does Amen Thompson share with Angel Reese?

14:09 Isaiah Hartenstein’s offensive fit with OKC Thunder, full article on Swish Theory

22:55 Team Goals for Thunder signing Hartenstein: Win the non-Chet minutes, stagger 1 defensive anchor at all times, twin tower mismatch lineup versatility, more traditional big man matchup option, and improving an already elite defense, and more on his offensive fit as a dho passing hub, decision-maker, off-ball mover in paint, sweet floater touch

25:38 3 Concepts: Delay/Open series, 4.5 Out, 5 Slot - how Hartenstein will fit smoothly into OKC’s playsets and how it relates to Draymond’s Warriors halfcourt playmaking

37:03 2025 Thunder Season Predictions

Brian Geisinger covers College Hoops, NBA Draft, and Charlotte Hornets with 247 Sports and Sports Channel 8

. He’s the cohost of the Buzz Beat pod and a color commentator for High Point University
. He’s worked as a scout with SIS_Hoops, a writer for ACCSports.com, and credentialed media for Duke Basketball

Timestamps: 



0:00 Introduction and Background

0:57 Calling Games as Color Commentator for High Point University


13:15 Seeing Cooper Flagg and Duke Stars like Zion and Paolo live in Person over the years


19:12 Scouting Cooper Flagg at Montverde and Duke


24:14 Duke-Kentucky, Scouting Potential 2025 NBA Lottery Picks Kon Kneuppel & Khaman Maluach + Comparing Big Wing to Movement Scorers Chemistry between Cooper Flagg and Kon Kneuppel at Duke to Flagg and Liam McNeeley at Montverde to Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick on the Raptors

37:45 Duke-Kentucky - Scouting Sion James, Tyrese Proctor, Malik Brown, Caleb Foster


45:30 Film Breakdown: Duke’s 5-Out Beilein Sets

1:00:25 LaMelo Ball’s Resurgence as Charlotte Hornets Star & recapping Orlando Magic - Charlotte Hornets matchup, Hornets Season Expectations with Brandon Miller’s and Tre Mann’s Breakout

1:24:21 Film Breakdown: Hornets’ 5-Slot, 77 Double Drag, Ghost Double Exit ATO, Delay Pindown Elbow Zoom and the strategy of building out multiple plays from the same formation


1:53:30 Scouting Alabama’s LaBaron Philon