Can Canada go for gold in the 2028 Olympics? With SGA leading the OKC Thunder to a championship this year one has to wonder if the best player in the game could do the unthinkable and help his nation knock off Team USA on their home turf in three years time.

With that in mind Raptors Republic's Samson Folk hopped on the podcast to pick a 12 man roster for the maple leafs to go to battle with in Los Angeles. Mathurin or Sharpe? Can Zach Edey be an All-Star? Where are the other big men? All questions asked and almost answered in this episode of The Drop Step. Check it out!

Follow Samson on Twitter here: https://x.com/samfolkk

Follow me on Twitter here: https://x.com/TheDropStepNBA

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MVP predictions? LeBron trade talk? Not a chance in hell! Jack Simone joined the pod in the depths of the offseason to trawl through expected rotations for the 25/26 season in search of diamonds in the rough.

Listen in as we discuss our summer league favourites, some wisened vets and those guys just waiting for a chance to fall their way.

Truly nerdy stuff in August. I hope you wouldn't have it any other way!

Thanks to Jack Simone who was a true oracle on today's episode. Check him out down below:

Jack's Twitter: https://x.com/JackSimoneNBA

How Bout Them C's Podcast Feed: https://www.youtube.com/@HowBoutThemCeltics

The Drop Step Twitter: https://x.com/TheDropStepNBA

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Indianna Pacers were a game away from winning a maiden title after a breathtaking playoff run. As it stands the OKC Thunder hoisted the Larry O'Brien, proudly hanging banner one of the OKC era.

With that playoff result there are still 10 teams yet to win a championship. SerbYourEnthusiasm joins the show to discuss which of those franchises is most likely to exit the list, winning an NBA championship first.

From rebuilding projects that already need a teardown to darkhorse contenders. This episode has a ton of fun discussion and isn't to be missed!

Check it out!

Follow Serb on Twitter here: https://x.com/markocantdunk

Follow The Drop Step on Twitter here: https://x.com/TheDropStepNBA

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Masai Ujiri is on the lookout for the catch of the offseason, as the Raptors search for a "big fish" to add to their roster. With that in mind, Raptors aficionado Esfandiar Baraheni joins the show to explore the potential options Toronto could pursue. Listen in as we discuss Giannis, Ja, Lauri Markkanen, and a few other names that could help send the Raptors back up north—to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Big thanks to Es for coming on—he does amazing work, and you can find it all here:

Twitter: https://x.com/JustEsBaraheni

The Athletic NBA Daily: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hVMyKCBLJ6uqIKcvKuz88?si=fd766c72b56948c0

Check out The Drop Step podcast here:

Twitter: https://x.com/TheDropStepNBA

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6y7i6Tgsp1vQYELsZzZ2Ni?si=46a8828c7df64efe

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stone Hansen of the Upside Swings podcast joins the show for some tough conversations — comparing draftees from the last cycle to the prospects set to be picked in the 2025 draft. Who’s the better skilled big bet: Maxime Raynaud or Kyle Filipowski? Would you rather have Collin Murray-Boyles or Reed Sheppard? Is Ace Bailey a better bet than last year’s No. 1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher?

Follow The Drop Step here:

https://x.com/thedropstepnba

Check out Stone down below:

Twitter: https://x.com/report_court

Upside Swings: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qjOdZy01nxRzC5VvLwD6E?si=f6bb0989e28947d9

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Squint for a second. Look at that college player that's made his way from D3 to D1. Look at the guy who's worked on his craft and transformed his game from the first time he stepped on a campus court. What's to say that his metamorphosis is complete? Is there another stage for him to get to?

That's the question that Bryce Simon, (Game Theory, Pistons Pulse) and I are asking of Maxime Raynaud, Walter Clayton Jr, Cedric Coward, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Nique Clifford in this episode of The Drop Step. We look at the college seniors who have scrapped and fought to get here and ask if they might be diamonds in the rough, ready to contribute, ready to change the fortunes of your favourite NBA team. Give it a listen!

Check out Bryce here:

Bryce's Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MotorCityHoops

The Game Theory YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GameTheoryPodcastwSamVecenie

The Pistons Pulse:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5zYsMLyTnrQW68xALK7Enz?si=aab6a0bf2d49408c

Follow The Drop Step on Twitter here:

https://x.com/TheDropStepNBA

Subscribe to The Drop Step YT channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDropStep_NBA

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lucas Kaplan of Nets Daily jumped on the podcast to talk about the Clippers and Lakers first round series. We dissected these future California classics games, making predictions about where we think each series will go and what their outcome says about the league in general.

Lots of fun chat with one of the best analysts in the business! Make sure to check Lucas out down below:

Follow The Drop Step on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TheDropStepNBA

Follow Lucas on Twitter here: https://x.com/LucasKaplan_

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chuck of Chucking Darts podcast fame joins the podcast for the 2025 edition of The NBA Stock Exchange! We each picked the 5 guys we think will see their stock rise the most over the next calendar year of NBA hoops. Listen in as we discuss potential primaries hiding in plain sight, rookie wings set to fly and a superstar who might be challenging for the Larry O'Brien this post season. This was a really fun episode to record. Chuck is genuinely one of the best people in the NBA space and if the NBA stock market was real I think he'd make a killing!

Check the episode out and let us know who's stock is set to rise the highest over the next year in the NBA!

Check out the Chucking Darts podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7LC9VGKrFdKeeOhYZ1bl6H

Check out the Chucking Darts Substack here: https://substack.com/@chuckingdarts

Drop Chuck a follow on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ChuckingDarts

Follow The Drop Step on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TheDropStepNBA

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're a week out from the post season and Ryan Kaminski of Swish Theory joins the show to talk about a recently reemerging Orlando Magic team. In the wake of the Taylor Jenkins firing in Memphis we talk about how the two teams share similar traits and how the Magic can avoid finding themselves at a corssorads next season.

Do big trades need to be made? Is internal development the key? Or are Orlando good enough already to make real noise in the Playoffs this year?

Ryan was a great guest; Make sure to check him out here:

https://linktr.ee/beyondtherk

My Links:

Twitter: https://x.com/TheDropStepNBA

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/jackquantrill.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDropStep_NBA

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Eudy of Fansided joins the show to talk about the Hornets and small market team building strategy. How do you build a contending team when you aren't a historic franchise? We put our mad scientist hats on and blend a chat about the Hornets exciting young core with ideas we think teams in Charlotte's position should be exploring. Check it out!

Check out Will on Twitter/X here: https://x.com/willceudy

My Links:

Twitter: https://x.com/TheDropStepNBA

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/jackquantrill.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDropStep_NBA

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices