Our annual best players (for a playoff tournament right now!) who will be under the age of 25 on February 1, 2026! Will a rookie be picked? Paolo Banchero? How will handle our annual struggles between role players and one-dimensional scorers? Whose team would win in a series? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
How are the Celtics so good on offense right now? We examine Boston's blazing month, Neemias Queta and Jordan Walsh's role, Joe Mazzula and a wide open Coach of the Year, the Bruce Bowen All-Stars and the changing of the guard in this year's NBA. Use code THINKING BASKETBALL at www.sportsbusinessclassroom.com/all-star.Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Hoopvision's Jordan Sperber joins to discuss trends in the NBA this season, and in basketball in general in the last few years, from bigger lineups and offensive rebounding to zone and full court pressure. We discuss the Rockets size, Celtics, Suns, Zach Edey's recent success and more. Use code THINKING BASKETBALL at www.sportsbusinessclassroom.com/all-star.Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
We start with the increase in scoring (again), increase in fouls, and complete undercutting of defenses based on the way the game is being called right now. Then, are the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns or Miami Heat actually good? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
OKC is a machine and Jokic can't miss! We discuss our first title contenders of the year, the Rockets offense, the strange Eastern Conference contenders, and the large middle class in a weird distribution of teams so far. Plus, addressing the Derrick White efficiency hate! Support atwww.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
We discuss the Rockets unique, league-leading offense this year, Doc Rivers floor-raising coaching around Giannis and the Bucks, and the trend toward optimizing shooters and ball-handlers who aren't stars. Plus Spoelstra's Heat and the challenge of ceiling-raising as a coach. Support atwww.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
We discuss the Lakers resilience and Austin Reave’s place among the 2021 draft class, Cade Cunningham’s passing and Jrue Holiday’s point guard resurgence in Portland. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
We discuss the incredible start from Victor Wembanyama, and where he fits into the NBA hierarchy right now. Plus the teams and players that jumped out to us in week 1, including the Warriors, Blazers, 76ers, Magic and Pelicans. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
We preview the 2025-26 NBA season. We discuss Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, the enormous Denver Nugget off season, teams that could win the west, the Clippers/Warriors age conundrum, Franz Wagner's lack of shooting, the Rockets and Knicks new offenses and more. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
What were the big themes and takeaways we had from this series? What specifically players changed in our minds and why? We reflect on the series, rankings in general, p layer synergies and more before discussing our best offensive players and overall players from the series. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Bubble : Jimmy Butler, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Paul George
'03 Jason Kidd [21-32]
'17 Russell Westbrook [20-32]
'25 Jayson Tatum [20-28]
'11 Dwight Howard [17-28]
'16 Draymond Green [18-26]
'05 Manu Ginobili [17-24]
'21 Joel Embiid [11-23]
'19 James Harden [13-25]
'24 Luka Doncic [12-24]
'20 Anthony Davis [12-23]
'03 Tracy McGrady [10-24]
'25 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]
'09 Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]
'05 Steve Nash [8-19]
'14 Chris Paul [6-17]
'17 Kawhi Leonard [7-16]
'16 Kevin Durant [7-15]
'22 Giannis Antetokounmpo [6-15]
'08 Kobe Bryant [6-15]
'09 Dwyane Wade [4-11]
'03 Tim Duncan [2-10]
'25 Nikola Jokic [2-9]
'04 Kevin Garnett [2-9]
'17 Steph Curry [1-8]
'01 Shaquille O'Neal [1-6]
'13 LeBron James [1-3]
For our final two players, we quantify the unique and devastating forms of “gravity” in basketball. In particular, off-ball gravity that is essentially missing from the box score and traditional NBA stats or measurements, the strongest interior force of the century and what happens to a team with a mega gravitational force running around the entire court. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
We look at, perhaps, the 3 best peaks of the 21st century, all from slightly different time periods, environments and circumstances. How does an “ideal” or non ideal environment influence how we evaluate a mega peak? How do we account for era changes that influence spacing and the proliferation of shooters? Can anyone solve the 3 LeBrody problem? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Previously discussed players and their ranges:
Jason Kidd [21-32]
Jayson Tatum [20-28]
Dwight Howard [17-28]
Draymond Green [18-26]
Manu Ginobili [17-24]
James Harden [13-25]
Luka Doncic [12-24]
Tracy McGrady [10-24]
Anthony Davis [12-23]
Joel Embiid [10-23]
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]
Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]
Chris Paul [6-17]
Steve Nash [8-19]
Kawhi Leonard [7-16]
Kevin Durant [7-15]
Giannis Antetokounmpo [6-15]
Kobe Bryant [6-15]
Dwyane Wade [4-11]
How do we make sense of small samples and outlier signals in the playoffs? How much should specifically good or bad matchups influence playoff “performance?” We discuss some titanic big men, their coaches, environments, teammate synergies and how much we should care about their individual scoring numbers in the postseason. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Previously discussed players and their ranges:
Jason Kidd [21-32]
Jayson Tatum [20-28]
Dwight Howard [17-28]
Draymond Green [18-26]
Manu Ginobili [17-24]
James Harden [13-25]
Luka Doncic [12-24]
Tracy McGrady [10-24]
Anthony Davis [12-23]
Joel Embiid [10-23]
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]
Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]
Chris Paul [6-17]
Steve Nash [8-19]
Kawhi Leonard [7-16]
Kevin Durant [7-15]
Giannis Antetokounmpo [6-15]
Kobe Bryant [6-15]
Dwyane Wade [4-11]
We discuss two of the most dominant downhill penetrators in league history, and the critical ways in which they're different. First, the strengths and weaknesses of Giannis's battering ram approach and how that influences his playoff impact. Then, Dwyane Wade's unique balance between slicing through traffic and passing through traffic. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Previously discussed players and their ranges:
25 Jason Kidd [21-32]
24 Jayson Tatum [20-28]
23 Dwight Howard [17-28]
22 Draymond Green [18-26]
21 Manu Ginobili [17-24]
20 James Harden [13-25]
19 Luka Doncic [12-24]
18 Tracy McGrady [10-24]
17 Anthony Davis [12-23]
16 Joel Embiid [10-23]
15 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]
14 Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]
13 Chris Paul [6-17]
12 Steve Nash [8-19]
11 Kawhi Leonard [7-16]
Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant were both voluminous score on and off-ball. We discuss Durant's playoff scoring, the impact of his gravity, his floor-raising in Oklahoma City and his more mobile Thunder defense. Then, we upend Kobe Bryant's “inefficiency” narrative, contextualize his problem-solving and huge scoring numbers without dominating the ball. Support atwww.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
We tackle Chris Paul's “floor general” approach to offense and the pros and cons of how he pressured defenses (and his turnover suppression). Also, how did he change defensively from 2008 in New Orleans to his Clippers tenure? Where does he rank among small defenders? Then we make sense of Kawhi Leonard's historic scoring numbers and shooting, and the surprising heights of his team's offenses, along with his fluctuating defensive signals. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Steve Nash was an early “heliocentric” star. Dirk Nowitzki was a big man who played on the perimeter and off the ball. We discuss team building around them, how big of a concern their defense is, exactly how and why they imparted so much value on an offense and whether they were beneficiaries of a fortunate system. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joel Embiid are all-time level scorers with a ton of midrange shots. We discuss their unique (and concerning?) geometric footprints on the entire team, the concept of influencing stats for the entire team, and then the conundrum of evaluating Anthony Davis. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Would Shaq's Lakers have won 3 titles with T-Mac instead of Kobe Bryant? We tackle this question and more discussing Tracy McGrady's magical but brief peak in 2003. Then we discuss Luka Doncic's improvements in the playoffs, how hard he is to scheme for, and he polarizing defense. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Harden and Ginobili had nearly opposite roles and box score stats. We discuss Manu's underrated defense, his role filling in the gaps in San Antonio, what to make of his more pedestrian numbers, and then dissect James Harden's offensive environment with Mike D'Antoni and what changes with him from the regular season to the playoffs and the tradeoffs of extreme heliocenstrism. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball