J. Kyle Mann is joined by Tate Frazier from One Shining Podcast as they discuss the ongoing debate over evaluating players based on their physical tools versus their game tape, NIL’s effect on the NBA draft, upside for some of the players who decided to return to school, Michigan’s portal haul, and whether Florida can still be an elite team (02:25). Next, they dive into the Charlotte Hornets, as Tate explains why they should draft Tre Johnson, Brandon Miller's role with the franchise, and whether it's time to move on from LaMelo Ball (31:22).

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

Host: J. Kyle Mann
Guest: Tate Frazier
Producer: Jessie Lopez
Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz
Social: Keith Fujimoto

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BYU freshman guard Egor Demin joins J. Kyle Mann to discuss his basketball journey (03:13). They go through how Egor’s time with Real Madrid pushed his love for playing basketball, why he decided to go to BYU instead of playing professionally overseas, the mental experience gained while playing in college, and lessons he took after BYU’s blowout loss to Providence. Egor also shares why he enjoys watching Deni Avdija and Cade Cunningham, his unique passing style, and confidence with playing in the pick-and-roll at the next level.

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

You can read Kyle’s article mentioned in this episode here.

Host: J. Kyle Mann
Guest: Egor Demin
Producer: Jessie Lopez
Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz
Social: Keith Fujimoto

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

J. Kyle Mann is joined by The Ringer’s Danny Chau to process the 2025 NBA draft lottery.

The guys discuss the bizarre past three months for the Mavericks, which somehow culminated in them landing the no. 1 pick (and likely Cooper Flagg), despite only having a 1.8 percent chance to do so. They talk through why they’re betting on Flagg’s NBA success and his ability to step into the shadow of Luka Doncic in Dallas.

They round out the show by trying to figure out what the Spurs should do with the second overall pick, talking through the Sixers’ options at no. 3, commiserating with the Jazz's and Wizards’ awful lottery luck, and much more.

Check out The Ringer's post-lottery mock draft and Danny's latest piece on Cooper Flagg!

Host: J. Kyle Mann

Guest: Danny Chau

Producer: Ben Cruz

Social: Keith Fujimoto

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

J. Kyle Mann begins the show by talking to The Ringer’s Joe House about the upcoming NBA draft class and how some of the top prospects would fare with his beloved Washington Wizards (00:00). Then, 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner joins the show to discuss his evolution at Creighton, NBA hopes, some misconceptions surrounding his game, and more (33:09).

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide here.

Host: J. Kyle Mann
Guests: Ryan Kalkbrenner and Joe House
Producers: Ben Cruz and Troy Farkas

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

J. Kyle Mann welcomes CBS's Adam Finkelstein to talk about the evolution of college recruiting, the challenges of assessing young talent, the impact of NIL, and the rise of AI in scouting. Plus, they evaluate the NBA prospects of guys like Boogie Fland, Yaxel Lendeborg, Cooper Flagg, and AJ Dybantsa. After that, Maxwell Baumbach of No Ceilings joins the show to talk about the challenges of identifying hidden talent before getting into emerging prospects like Cedric Coward and Nique Clifford.

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

Host: J. Kyle Mann
Guests: Adam Finkelstein and Max Baumbach
Producers: Ben Cruz and Troy Farkas

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

J. Kyle Mann is joined by Ben Taylor, author of ‘Thinking Basketball’ and creator of the Thinking Basketball YouTube channel, to break down the film and assess the potential of three prospects: Michigan’s Danny Wolf (22:06), Duke’s Khaman Maluach (35:47), and UConn’s Liam McNeeley (47:50).
Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!
Host: J. Kyle Mann
Guest: Ben Taylor
Producer: Jessie Lopez
Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz
Social: Keith Fujimoto

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

J. Kyle Mann is joined by ESPN college basketball analyst and former head coach Tom Crean in a new segment called Expert Witness (03:04). Tom shares his insight from his 20 years in coaching, discussing the importance of developing complete players and what he looked for when recruiting Anthony Edwards, Victor Oladipo, and Dwyane Wade. They also break down the NBA potential of Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe (23:39), what skills Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper needs to improve to succeed in the NBA (33:24), and Illinois freshman Kasparas Jakucionis’s upside as an efficient scorer (44:40).

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

Host: J. Kyle Mann

Guest: Tom Crean

Associate Producer: Jessie Lopez

Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz

Social: Keith Fujimoto

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

J. Kyle Mann is joined by The Athletic's senior NBA draft writer, Sam Vecenie as they discuss the ever-growing interest in the NBA draft and how Sam manages to scout players while living halfway across the world in Australia (01:50). While discussing his scouting process, Sam shares his scouting report on BYU freshman guard Egor Demin and why he compares scouting to math (08:32). Next, they discuss which prospects climbed up the draft board and which ones have dropped, starting off with Arizona freshman guard Carter Bryant (18:45). They then debate whether Georgetown freshman Thomas Sorber has the athleticism to make it as a modern-day NBA big (31:02), and what type of role is best for Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey’s development (35:12). Lastly, they discuss the NBA potential of underrated prospects Collin Murray-Boyles from South Carolina and Cedric Coward from Washington State (45:45).

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

Host: J. Kyle Mann

Guest: Sam Vecenie

Associate Producer: Jessie Lopez

Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz

Social: Keith Fujimoto

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

J. Kyle Mann and Danny Chau discuss Rutgers's freshman wing Ace Bailey and his potential at the next level (03:44). They discuss player comps for Bailey, his shooting and athleticism, and whether there are any good fits for him among the teams atop the lottery standings. Next, the guys discuss the NBA potentials of two freshman guards: Texas's Tre Johnson (26:25) and Michigan State's Jase Richardson (36:06), who is the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson. Can Tre overcome his lack of burst and his struggles to create space to prove he is one of the best shooters in this draft? Can Jase maximize his unique skill set and small size to become an effective player in the NBA?

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

Host: J. Kyle Mann

Guest: Danny Chau

Associate Producer: Jessie Lopez

Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz

Social: Kiera Givens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'The Ringer’s NBA Draft Show' is back! Join J. Kyle Mann and Danny Chau as they share their experience building this year’s NBA Draft Guide, from their process for ranking the prospects to how they came up with the comp clouds (01:55). They then debate the MVP potential of Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Rutgers's Dylan Harper (14:06). Next, they discuss why they love to watch Alabama’s Labaron Philon (26:30), the huge defensive upside of Duke’s Khaman Maluach (31:40), why Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber is ranked higher (38:05), and how BYU’s Egor Demin could potentially succeed at the next level (41:57).

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

Host: J. Kyle Mann

Guest: Danny Chau

Associate Producer: Jessie Lopez

Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz

Social: Keith Fujimoto

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices