Off The Bench with Chase Hughes & Chris Miller

The guys are joined by NBC Sports Washington's sideline reporter and man of many talents Chris Miller on the road in Milwaukee. Topics include John Wall's absence in Toronto and his status, Marcin Gortat's underrated play of late, expectations so far on the season, Miller's shows on NBCSW, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After the Wizards' big road win in Miami, the guys recap what's been going right during the team's four-game winning streak. Topics include who the team's x-factor is, John Wall's play of late, and why Bradley Beal's scoring could take off even more.

D.C. sports journalist and Wizards fan Patrick Hruby (16:00)- find his work in Vice Sports, The Atlantic, ESPN, and other outlets - gives his take on the Wizards so far, his expectations for the team this season, the competition in the East, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The guys debate whether Paul Pierce's "I Called Game" or John Wall's Game 6 shot against the Celtics was a bigger moment, the Wizards' two-game winning streak, the week ahead, the first few weeks in the NBA, and more.

Former Wizards forward and NBA legend Paul Pierce (13:30) joins Off The Bench to talk about what the Wizards' organization meant to him in his one season in D.C., "I Called Game," the growth of Otto Porter Jr., and his sports media career.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NBA Hall of Famer and former Bullet Bernard King joins the podcast to talk about his new book "Game Face: A Lifetime of Hard-Earned Lessons On and Off the Basketball Court," his journey from being the 12th man off the bench early in life to one of the greatest scorers ever. King goes through some of his favorite moments of the book, where his game face came from, returning from a terrible knee injury, playing with the Bullets in D.C., and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a big win in Toronto, the guys break down the Wizards' win over the Raptors, Bradley Beal's 114-point week, Otto Porter Jr.'s jump, the upcoming four-game homestand, and more.

ESPN's Rachel Nichols (25:00) joins Off The Bench to talk about growing up in the D.C. area, where John Wall and Bradley Beal rank among the best backcourts in the NBA, working in the sports media business, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NBA analytics writer Tom Haberstroh joins Off The Bench to discuss the bizarre start to the NBA season, contenders and pretenders in the Southeast Division, why he’s not worried about the Wizards, the best stats to evaluate the NBA, and his new venture with Spotlight Media Ventures, new podcast network Leverage The Chat, and Bleacher Report Mag.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The guys go through the Wizards' trip out West, give their takeaways from the team's 4-2 start, previewing the Phoenix game on Wednesday, and more.

Then, The Washington Post's Tim Bontemps (25:00) joins the podcast from San Francisco to talk about the impact of Gordon Hayward's injury and other NBA storylines, the growth of Otto Porter Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr., the Wizards' competitive nature, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reaction from the Wizards' 102-99 overtime loss to the Lakers, what has gone right so far with a 3-1 start, the importance of at least splitting the trip out West, previewing Friday's big Warriors game and Sunday's matchup against the Kings, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The guys discuss the Wizards' strong 3-0 start, including observations from the team's first three games, Otto Porter Jr.'s hot start, Kelly Oubre Jr.'s development, previewing the Lakers game, and more analysis.

Bullets legend Wes Unseld and his wife Connie (21:00) join the podcast from Baltimore to look back on their memories of the 1977-78 championship season, being the face of the Wizards franchise, the next step for the current Wizards team, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The guys react after the Wizards' 120-115 win to tip off the 2017-18 season including keys to the game, John Wall and Bradley Beal's combined 53 points, how Marcin Gortat and Kelly Oubre Jr. stepped up, how the team looked overall, and looking ahead to Detroit.

Then, NBC Sports Washington and ESPN's Kara Lawson (18:30) joins Off The Bench to discuss her role as the Wizards' new TV color analyst, how the Wizards have looked in practice, why she's optimistic about the team's chances, being one of the only female color analysts in the industry, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.