The Hoop Talk Podcast with Jalon Dixon and Ryan Leshko

Man oh man if you guys thought that the NBA MVP Race was stacked with some talent, the Most Improved Player Race may be giving it a run for its money.

From ascending first time All Stars like Julius Randle and Zach Lavine to fringe guys like Jerami Grant in Detroit or the injured Christian Wood who was balling for the Houston Rockets, the NBA has seen a drastic uptick in talent from 2020 to 2021.

We briefly had this conversation on The Impact w/ Ian Evans Podcast, but we felt that we should really dive into the list and breakdown the seasons of some of the top contenders for the award. With that being said, we brought in Ian and even called in one of our other esteemed guests in Brooks Warren of the Hear Me Out Podcast.

On this edition of the Hoop Talk Podcast, the Gang discusses front runners for the award, who we believe are legitimate contenders and list off a few dark horse contenders! We're Back Baby! No more Hiatuses lol! Hope you guys continue to enjoy the HTP as we continue to cover everything in the basketball world!

Instagram Handles: @jalonsworld @rleshko_10 @Broookkss @ianacevans @strongimpacts

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

The first half of the season is reaching its climax as teams have played about 30 games with a few more to go before the All Star Break.

So we got to thinking, it is probably about that time for a good 'ol HTP NBA Power Rankings! But we could not do this one alone. Welcoming him as a guest on the HTP for the first time, we had a special guest in our good friend TV most known for his basketball podcast TVonBasketball and his NBA coverage on TikTok.

Definitely was a great discussion as we analyze and break down all three of our Top-5 lists for the best teams in the NBA as of right now. Also with TV being a proud resident of Canada, it was only right that we close the podcast out talking about his Toronto Raptors and how they look to turn things around after a rough start to the season.

Stay Tuned! Also remember to check TV out @tvonbasketball on Instagram and TikTok as well as find him on podcast streaming services!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

You thought we were done talking about HBCU Hoops? Well guess again, because we are right back at with yet another edition of the HTP's HBCU Basketball Spotlight.

Rather than focusing on six standout players like we did on the last HBCU episode, this time we are talking about HBCU teams with a real chance at making the NCAA Tournament. The six teams in question are Morgan State (Go Bears!), NC A&T, Coppin State, Grambling, Prairie View and Hampton. Definitely some great teams all with contrasting styles and are getting the job done in their respective conferences.

On this edition of the Hoop Talk Podcast, Jay and Ryan will be discussing all six of these teams while discussing how they have played so far, what has stood out so far for them this season, what their roads ahead look like and the likelihood of each team potentially making the NCAA tournament! Hope You Guys Enjoy! Stay Tuned!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

Yes Sir! NBA G-League Basketball is in full effect as we get to watch some of the league's most talented up and coming stars fight for a chance at a spot on the main roster of an NBA team.

The new team on the block, the G-League Ignite headlined by potential top 2021 NBA Draft picks in Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, have put the G-League on notice with a hot undefeated start to the season. But some other teams have also had some serious standout performers including 1st round picks, late draft picks, undrafted free agents and even some veteran guys still looking to get some burn.

On this edition of the Hoop Talk Podcast, Jay and Ryan highlight six standout performers so far in the early stages of this G-League season!

The HTP will be talking about the G-League all season long keeping you up to date on the next generation of potential NBA stars looking to follow in the footsteps of guys like Seth Curry and Christian Wood who are now known commodities in the NBA! Stay Tuned!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

When it comes to the sport of college basketball or even college athletics in general, the Historically Black Colleges tend to be left out of the discussion more times than not. With the Power 5 schools dominating both in the recruiting process and in the television ratings, the production by HBCU athletes goes unnoticed. But not any longer!

To celebrate Black History Month as well as to shed more like on HBCU Athletics, the Hoop Talk Podcast is focusing on some of the top basketball players in the country attending HBCUs. Schools like Alabama A&M, Howard and even out here in Maryland with Morgan State!

We would like to openly thank our HBCUs for what they have to uplift the African American community and highlight the talent they display on the hardwood each and every night! Stay Tuned!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

With NBA All-Star Weekend around the corner and the NBA Trade Deadline just weeks away, the NBA rumors are swirling like crazy. Kyle Lowry to the LA Clippers? Andre Drummond to the Brooklyn Nets? Harrison Barnes is the missing piece for a championship contender? On this edition of the Hoop Talk Podcast, we discuss rumors like these and more as some teams may be looking to shake their roster up a bit in pursuit of chance at the Larry O'Brien Trophy! Who do we think could actually be on the move? Stay Tuned to find out!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

College basketball is jumping as teams are engaging in conference play. The NBA is fast tracking its way through as teams approach the NBA All Star Weekend. Even the NBA G-League is up and running as the G-League Bubble is underway. But you know this would not be the Hoop Talk Podcast if we did not talk about the WNBA!

The WNBA season is not supposed to start until May, but WNBA free agency is in full effect as teams approach the 2021 WNBA Draft in April. With free agency, we have already seen some of the biggest stars in the game like Candace Parker, Ariel Powers, Chelsea Gray and others sign with new teams this offseason.

But how will they fit on their new teams? What does signing these players do for their new teams' championship chances?

On this edition of the Hoop Talk Podcast, Jay and Ryan analyze and grade these moves while discussing how free agency so far could impact the landscape of the WNBA season in 2021. Stay Tuned!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

The NBA season is a quarter of the way through and things are starting to slowly take shape across the league.

The Utah Jazz are the hottest team in the NBA. The Lakers and Clippers are playing at a high level. The Brooklyn Nets are still trying to put things together with their new superstar trio. The 76ers look like the best team in the Eastern Conference. We could go on and on and on. But with all these things circulating, the talk of the town is the NBA MVP Race.

On this edition of the Hoop Talk Podcast, Jay and Ryan share their lists for who they believe are the Top-5 candidates for the award through the first 25 games of the season.

Who will make it on our lists? Who just barely missed our lists? Who is our MVP so far this season?

We answer all these questions and more! Stay Tuned!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

The start of a BRAND NEW SERIES and our first College Basketball series on the Hoop Talk Podcast! Very exciting and a brand new chapter for HTP, but that also means that we have to start out with a banger! This series is called "The Race to March Madness" where we breakdown 10 of the most prominent conferences in College Basketball.

In this series we will be looking at the Top-7 teams in each conference and also choose a Sleeper team that College Basketball fans should be on the look out for as a potential low-seed threat come March Madness tournament time if they get in.

On this edition of the Hoop Talk Podcast, we continue the series by rounding out the Power 5 Conferences with the Pacific Coast Conference otherwise known as the Pac-12.

At the top of the conference is potential Lottery pick Evan Mobley and the USC Trojans at 15-3 with 10 wins coming at home. Scrappy teams like UCLA and Colorado follow with 9 wins in conference play. Then you have tams like Stanford and Arizona State who both have some potential NBA Draft prospects of their own in Zaire Williams and Josh Christopher. This is a really interesting conference overall with a handful of questions across the board.

Who are the threats coming out of the Pac-12? Which team most likely has the Pac-12 player of the year? Who is a team at the bottom of the Pac-12 that could sneak into the NCAA tournament?

We answer all these questions and more! Stay Tuned!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip

We have another banger for you guys with a new guest on the podcast!

On this edition of the Hoop Talk Podcast, we went live on YouTube to talk with Steven Adeyemi aka @highlevel000 who is an avid listener of the show and creates Hoop Mixtapes for notable pro players like Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and New York Liberty guard Asia Durr in the WNBA as well as guys like Malik Beasley, CJ Watson and PJ Dozier in the NBA.

With Steven, we discuss the latest news regarding the 2021 NBA All-Star game, debate whether or not it should be played and even choose our own East & West starting 5s if the game were to be played the traditional way. We also get to learn a little more about Steven and his work and look back at some of the greatest moments in All-Star game history. Two words dominate that conversation: Dunk Contests!

Definitely appreciate Steven hosting us on his YouTube and we hope you guys enjoy our conversation with him! Also for anyone else who is a fan of the show and would like to come on, you are always welcome! Feel free to DM us @jalonsworld, @rleshko_10 or @thehooptalkpodcast so we can set something. We would love to interact more and more with our fans as we continue to grow!

Music Sample from: Impossible Beats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26UIYCRg1o

Original Song from: The Boondocks Intro Theme song by Asheru- Judo Flip