The Sean Jones NBA Show

Sean's annual top 100 player rankings are out now, and so Nick Walas (host of Words with Walas) comes on the show to discuss them.

Sean and Nick start off by discussing the top 10 (3:58), then Nick calls out a hand full of players he thought were too high or too low (16:11), and finally, Nick names a few potential snubs that didn't make the list but should have (52:19).

Check out the full top 100 list here: https://www.theseanjonesnbashow.com/articles/nba-top-100-players-2026

LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers! On this episode, let's discuss:

• Initial reaction to the signing (0:56)
• The on-paper outlook for the Sixers (4:05)
• What variables can make this successful or not? (11:23)
• What holes still exist on the Sixers' roster? (25:46)
• Where does Philly stack up in the East? (35:36)
• Did LeBron make the right choice picking Philly? (44:12)
• Where does this leave the LeBron suitors who missed out? (52:45)

Let's discuss the long list of big-time transactions that have gone down over the past few weeks with the offseason in full swing, including:

• Giannis finally being traded to Miami (1:04)
• Boston dealing Jaylen Brown to the 76ers (21:22)
• The Wolves adding LaMelo Ball (39:52)
• Kawhi being traded back to the Raptors... again... we think... for now (57:23)
• Lakers roster revamp, headlined by the Walker Kessler signing (1:07:13)
• Memphis shipping Ja Morant to Portland (1:15:18)
• The fit for each LeBron destination that still remains in play (1:22:00)
• And rapid fire reactions on a few of the more minor free agent signings (1:34:54).

Let's discuss the 2026 NBA draft, starting with a brief overview of some historical draft data (1:03). Then, I'll go through each of the lottery picks with a scouting reports, team fits, and will decide if each player will be a Bust, Role Player, or All-Star:

1) AJ Dybantsa (3:36)

2) Darryn Peterson (8:44)

3) Cameron Boozer (13:35)

+a quick discussion on the top 3 (18:58)

4) Caleb Wilson (23:00)

5) Keaton Wagler (28:48)

6) Mikel Brown Jr. (34:31)

7) Darius Acuff (39:06)

8) Kingston Flemings (43:11)

9) Morez Johnson Jr. (48:45)

10) Brayden Burries (52:58)

11) Yaxel Lendeborg (57:20)

12) Aday Mara (1:01:04)

13) Nate Ament (1:05:58)

14) Hannes Steinbach (1:09:58)

Lastly, I will wrap up with a few players outside of the lottery that I am higher on than most (1:14:54).

Let's give a full preview of the upcoming 2026 NBA Finals matchup between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. First, Sean sets the stage with summaries on how the Knicks (1:14) and Spurs (11:18) got to this point and the key moves that eventually led to this year's Finals teams. Then, Sean runs through seven "swing factors" that could decide the outcome of the series, starting with the Spurs making Jalen Brunson compete defensively (16:58), Mitchell Robinson's health and effectiveness (22:52), Josh Hart's ability to make the Spurs guard him (28:11), whether KAT can properly take advantage of matchup advantages (34:02), if the Spurs can survive the Luke Kornet minutes (38:30), the Knicks' willingness to play with pace (41:34), and the winner of the corner 3 battle (45:17). Then, Sean takes a look at what a Finals win and loss would mean for the Knicks (48:36) and what a win and loss would mean for the Spurs (1:00:29). And lastly, of course, Sean gives his formal series prediction and justification (1:12:35).

Let's discuss the Knicks and Spurs advancing to the 2026 NBA Finals, starting off with a quick recap of the Western Conference Finals (1:15), the Spurs' keys to victory and what this run means for Wemby big-picture (8:00), why OKC fell short and Chet's implosion (27:50), and what the Thunder's next move is (46:14). Then, we'll move back east to give a quick recap of the Eastern Conference Finals (56:55), New York's absolute heater and Mike Brown's brilliance (1:00:50), the Cavs and their "stars" falling flat once again (1:20:14), and where Cleveland goes from here (1:30:43). Lastly, we'll wrap up with the new 3-2-1 lottery reform that passed for next season (1:39:21).

The first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs are in the books, so let’s recap and discuss each series and how they played out, including the keys to victory for the winners and what’s next for the losers.

Pistons beating Magic (1:10)

Sixers beating Celtics (20:12)

Cavs beating Raptors (38:27)

Knicks beating Hawks (55:06)

Wolves beating Nuggets (1:07:27)

Lakers beating Rockets (1:23:27)

Thunder beating Suns (1:35:58)

Spurs beating Blazers (1:44:42)

Then, I’ll make my round two picks (1:53:00)

With the playoffs officially underway, Sean is here to preview each first round matchup and give his series-by-series predictions, including:

Thunder vs. Suns (1:38)

Spurs vs. Blazers (12:11)

Nuggets vs. Wolves (23:18)

Lakers vs. Rockets (37:00)

Pistons vs. Magic (47:51)

Celtics vs. 76ers (1:00:49)

Knicks vs. Hawks (1:11:50)

Cavs vs. Raptors (1:21:40)

Then will wrap up with his round-by-round formal playoff picks (1:32:11).

The 2026 NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone, and so Sean discusses all the major deals that went down during deadline week, including the Harden and Garland swap (4:39), AD being shipped the Wizards (16:42), Utah adding Jaren Jackson (29:07), Zubac to the Pacers (38:03), Kuminga being swapped for Porzingis (52:49), OKC adding Jared McCain (55:57), Coby White to Charlotte (59:38), the Vucevic and Simons swap (1:02:02), the Wolves adding Ayo Dosunmu (1:06:17), Jaden Ivey (and a bunch of other guards) to the Bulls (1:08:45), the Lakers picking up Luke Kennard (1:12:20), and the Knicks adding Jose Alvarado (1:13:17).

With the NBA All-Star rosters announced, Sean talks through his thoughts on the selections—what did they get right and who got robbed? (1:03) Then, with the NBA trade deadline this week and all eyes on the Giannis sweepstakes, Sean talks through Giannis’ (sort of?) trade request (24:38), why an offseason deal makes more sense than a deadline deal (29:12), and then discusses the teams that could be involved, including the top four rumored destinations (36:05), some teams that could pull it off if they wanted but probably won’t (57:28), a few teams that make more sense in the offseason (1:12:01), and then Sean’s favorite destination of them all (1:21:18). Lastly, Sean briefly touches on two minor trades that went down already, centered around De’Andre Hunter (1:28:18) and Vit Krejci (1:34:25).