The Ringer’s Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor question whether LeBron James’s comments about Dennis Smith Jr. are true (1:55) and analyze how potent the Milwaukee Bucks’ defense really is (8:30). Then, they dissect the winning ingredients that make up the Boston Celtics (14:25), consider the Detroit Pistons as a sustainably good team (22:55), highlight Anthony Davis’s dominant string of games for the New Orleans Pelicans (31:00), project how the Utah Jazz will adjust to losing Rudy Gobert (39:00), and diagnose the extent of the Los Angeles Clippers’ problems (42:00). Afterward, they look ahead to the college basketball prospects who may make an impact in the NBA (48:00).

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