The Deep 3 Podcast - Are These 2025 NBA Star Leaps Real Or FAKE? | TD3 Clips

Episode Date: November 24, 2025

Are these NBA player breakouts real or fake? #nba Check out the TD3 merch: https://the-deep-3-shop.fourthwall.com/ Listen on Spotify!: https://open.spotify.com/show/3elbbqVumwqz8wlIdknsLW Listen on Apple Podcasts!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deep-3-podcast/id1657940794 Follow us on TikTok!: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedeepthree Follow us on Instagram!: https://www.instagram.com/thedeep3podcast/ Isaac's twitter: https://twitter.com/byisaacg Mo's twitter: https://twitter.com/Mojo99_ Donnavan's twitter: https://twitter.com/Dsmoot3D Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've been talking a lot this episode in our hot takes about how many players have been breaking out this season. There is like 10 players right now that we can say are the most improved player in the NBA. So what we're going to do is, I'm going to show you an NBA player. You let me know if this player is leap this season is real or fake. Okay. So whatever that means to you, you know, if you think they're bound to have some regression or if you think they're just a star now.

Okay. Okay, I got my diamond tester out. Yeah, exactly. First off, Jalen Duren. Oh, that's real. Real as fuck. That is real. He is real.

He is a all star now. He has leveled up. everything that everybody wanted him to be, he is that now. Exactly. The defense is more than passable now. Offensively, the level of ball handling he has. The fact that he can take mid-range jumpers after between the legs dribble, while also being the ferocious rim finisher and pick and roll threat, All-Star.

Yeah. I don't know how many centers in the league that I'd rather have over Jill and Duren. There's just, when be, Wembe, you could say, Yokic. Yolkich, of course. And then after that, Sang-Goon maybe, but it's a tight conversation. Convo's began, but I'll take probably Shen Goun and Chet. Yeah. And then I'm, but those are like, you, if you tell me Jalen Duren gets in that tier and those talks, I believe you.

It's close, man. It's close. Yeah, this is everything the Pistons needed from this position. They have a bona fide second star now. Yeah. Welcome to the upper tier of contention in the Eastern Conference, Detroit. Tyreys Maxie. Curly average two over 30, 40 minutes for game, being the best player on a team's offense, carrying the load.

Is this real? Can he be this player? Real as fuck, bro. He has shown nothing. over the last few years, but signs that he will eventually come into this. One of the biggest issues with his game was his ability to have gears into his game and no one to start and stop. And then, oh, no, like, Hardens there.

And he's, like, one of the best heliocentric players of all time or whatever. He leaves, gives Tyre's Maxi a buffer year. And he just becomes this demon on offense who can finish at the rim. You already know what he does from the mid-range standpoint. He's developed and took a real leap from playmaking and just like continuously polish his game. It's so real he's here. I think it's probably pretty real. It's like when the best score he's in the NBA. So if this is real to this point where he's averaging over 30, granted, it's 40 minutes for game. They probably don't want him to keep doing that. But usually he's averaging 28 and a half

points for game. This is the top 15 player in the world. Yeah. Yeah. This, I mean, I said earlier, he's going to win clubs player of the year because I do think that he's going to get to a point with all the closed games that the Sixers are playing. He's going to keep scoring 30. He's going to start having game winners. I believe in everything that Tyrese maxi do. At this point, if this is real, what have you seen to start the season? How different is he than Donovan Mitchell?

As this slightly like smallish guard, that's just this nuclear shooter slash slashing combination that can lead an offense with the scoring gravity? Yeah, the difference would just be vertical at that point. Yeah, pretty much. Vertical and braids. That's it. Next up. Aaron Gordon, now being one the best three-point shooters in the league.

it's real I mean it was real last year and you can say oh you know when got even better yeah 20 points your game now I want to call this fake so bad because we don't see this ever in NBA history but I figure it's real this feels like super similar to the late career development that Brooke Lopez made yes like never took threes and all of a sudden that's what he's known for that's what's keeping his NBA career alive and then Aaron Gordon already like one of the best maybe the best role player in the league just becoming like a sharpshooter what the It's crazy.

It's insane. What are we talking about? This is so weird. Yeah, the Nuggets, they didn't even have to go out and get anybody really, really new. Obviously, they had to add to Camp Johnson, but they didn't have to add another piece because they just say, hey, keep, Aaron Gordon, keep getting better. He said, okay, I got you. And now I'm just here. All these feel real.

This is a crazy year for leaps. Josh Katie. The diamond tester is silent. He is not. Those are not VBSs, man. Oh, here's the thing. He's better. He's better.

But he's probably not as good as the numbers say. Correct. I think he's a better version of him. He still's the same flaws, except for the fact that I think he can shoot now. The three-point shot from a standstill, catching shoot, running in transition, feels pretty real.

So you improve that big weakness. Still not a good defender. And still, if you ask him to create a shot for himself in the half court, shit's going to get scary real fast. That's not a strength. I don't think you'll ever build around him as one of your better players,

but he is a better version of himself in some meaningful ways. He's way better in transition, which means something. But if you're asking me, is he a star is fake? No, yeah,

I'm not buying into that. Sorry. Yeah, I'll buy into him that he's improved, but as far as he having, like, all,

like star build around my team equity, fake. Yeah, because he's still, like, he's still gonna lead the bulls to the playing.

Yeah, and it's still a style of play that that will probably rarely work in the playoffs. It's not. They do that every year. he's guard to Monta Sabonis now okay

wow which is a good player that can get numbers but it's gonna be real hard to win the playoffs with that you can get numbers and you can get yourself a bag yeah and who won't want that

it's a good life for him Ryan Rollins we could easily say fake but I feel like this might be real man that seems pretty goddamn real it's two years in a row now where he shoots really well and he's simply given more usage

and he's had more numbers because of it still a very good defender can attack a pick and roll great driver attacking a closeout can run in transition it feels like he's just an elite role player now yeah and that's that's completely fair because you can say that for a lot of you can say that for a lot of role players but also sometimes you give somebody more usage and they just throw more bricks yeah and his shots are actually going in and it's it's also very clear that for this team

construction especially whenever janus is there having somebody like ryan rollins who is contributing the way he is he's also like legitimately helping the team and they need to him to is doing it. I would rather have him than a lot of ball handlers I put up 20 and 10. You think about them as a best player on their team. I would rather have Ryan Rollins in them just because he's probably better in his role. 2010, be more specific.

Josh Giddy, I'd rather have Ryan Rollins on my team. Trey Young, I'd rather out. But am I? No. You're kidding. Okay, okay. Austin Reeves. Is he the newest all-star shooting guard? I mean, we just put him

in A tier. It's real. Listen, man, seeing the way he's just barreling, barreling his way into defenders, get into the line and his playmaking lead two feels real as fuck too. I'm going to say he's real. His swag's too different. He's doing money spreads. I hope so. Yeah, he needs to be. He's about to do a lot more because he's going to get paid by the Lakers.

They're going to give him a brink struck. He is the future co-star, the current co-star with Luca Dunchit. They're an amazing duo, incredibly hard to defend them when the. both in the court, the level of three-level scoring he brings, the playmaking he brings. Going back to what you said, though, we need to see it in the playoffs. Yes. We keep saying that. He had that bad rough

stretch last year. That wasn't his first year in the playoffs. He's not a pumpkin every single time. He plays the playoff team. I never wrote. Jam and Dan just put him in the torture rack. It is what it is. It was one bad series. I don't know, man. Can't have that happen. It's stacked up. No, it's not. It is. Okay. I mean, going from zero to one is the beginning of a stack.

So I guess that is true. Yeah. Fair enough. Ooh, AJ Mitchell. I really think that anybody in the OKC jersey, if you get better, it's real. It's real. It's real. Everything they touch terms of the motherfucking goals. It's, it's real at this point.

It's like when all those NFL coaches are getting opportunities and head coaching jobs because they knew Sean McVeigh. If you know Shay Goodless Alexander, you know Sam Presti, you're probably going to get rich one day. Dap him up, you're going to make money the next day. Yeah, he's getting, he, when his contract is up, he's getting paid. He's everything that, the times that I think that leaps are real. are whenever your team needs you to be a specific type of player. And they say, hey, Jay, do you think you can do this? And he says, yes, I can.

And then you start producing. You know what's hilarious? Last year during the playoffs, specifically I think it was in the finals. He was spotted minutes, force-fed minutes. And everyone was like, oh, my God, what the fuck are we doing? Put this guy on the bench. Mark Dagnall, we see what you are doing. We understand you now.

It was too early, but now you're on perfect timing. Yep. And the Thunder needed another ball handler. Desperately, we saw it up and down the playoffs. Now they have it. We're going to lose the game again, apparently. Yeah. Dude, there's so many leaps that are real.

I'm dying to find a fake one, but all these guys are amazing this year. I don't know. Did he? I say, did you, child? We just say giddy need some company. James Hardin, going back to 26 points per game, the highest he's had since 2019. I think this is going to be fake. That's fake.

Yeah. I've seen so many times where he's given it all scoring 20 in the first half and then the next two quarters, pumpkin. When you can only choose. one half or when only one half is going well that's when you know I think he's real

it kind of feels like he's been coming back from his hamstring injury a couple of years for five years he heard again on the six years so it's really been like

the past two and a half years kind of does feel like he's getting a little bit better every year and get a little more juice under him 26 points of game is a lot maybe it'll fall back down to 23 but I do kind of feel

like we're getting a better version from the last year I don't know I think it's just a simple fact that Norm Powell is not there Kawhi is consistently not there too So you need someone to score those points Best believe Harden don't mind

Jacking up a couple threes a couple more threes a game Yeah, but it doesn't mean anything in terms of like In the playoffs he's probably gonna be the same It's kind of hard to rely on his scoring They're not making the playoffs It's not happening Okay if he did though if he got traded They're not making the playing

They're not Norm Powell I mean he made the leap last year He's making another leap this year This guy is an all-star This is a real leap At 32 He is showing people

People will never give up on your dreams. I don't know if that's great advice to everybody, but for him it worked. It's a real leader. Now, fuck that. If you're 32 at home, so trying to be a rapper, keep going. God, no. Keep printing demos. Keep going.

God. If you're trying to make a clothing brand, you got some T-shirts, 28 years old. Nobody's buying them. Keep printing those shirts. If you are, see, this, and this is how I know. If you are printing demos in 2025, give it up. You don't know how the game works. Please, God.

You're out of burning CDs. Indie, LinkedIn. If you're still selling knives at 28, keep selling knives. Trying to be the CEO, Cutco. Come on, man.

If you're still making parlay, he's trying to be a Rala Bob. Oh, my. Keep setting parley. What the fuck? Stop making those deposits. You're setting a bad story, man. You go get a job with a union.

Please. This is real. I think we saw him last year start to make a pretty, like, noticeable leap to the point to where like, yo, like the pro and trailblazers aren't a completely irrelevant team. They're like a feisty team who no team wants to play, play against, simply because their defense is like disgusting. Defense is so nasty and he's been barreling himself to the rim getting like eight, nine

attempts per game. And he's putting up star numbers. I don't see how this is. six points for game yeah 26 he's currently shooting 6.7 3s a game yeah this is very real this is who denny is and this is who the watchtting wizards gave up on for nothing if this is real danny you are who we've always wanted franz wagner to be welcome to being the best big point forward in the league wow those are heavy conversations franz has never shot threes like this all right so now we have to get palo to portland this even experience really works jade and

Daniels currently shooting 50% from three. Oh, this is your guy. This fake. 50% fake as hell is not real. It is not real. It is a replica, bro. I've seen this before. Second half of last year when they were cooking, Julius Randall came back.

He was hooping his ass off too. I don't think 50% is real, but I do think he got better since last year. If you take the best 20 game stretches of Jamie Daniels's career, that is a top 10 player in the world. Every year he does this for stretches where he's unstoppable. This year it happened when Anthony Edwards missed some games out of ankle injury. he came out and he couldn't stop getting buckets. I've been burned too many times. Fake until I see Jamie Daniels look for 40 straight games.

Then I'll believe in you again. 40. 60. I need to see a whole season of 20 points for game. Yeah. Until then, you're an elite amazing defender, but I'm not getting my hopes up with a scoring leap. John Morant. Is it real that he's completely falling off?

Is it real that he's no longer an all-star level player? Yeah, I saw the highlight where he tried to dunk on Hartnstein. Got two inches off the ground. at 24 it's over it's over it's real we gotta recalibrate our opinions about him I think

oh no man he's just so weird like there was no catastrophic injury or none like that he's still young relatively like what

I don't I don't believe the athleticism was just gone like that bro I do believe there's a lot of think attack injuries I do believe

a little bit I also do think there's a chance that he gets traded and he's no longer on a team that he completely fucking hates

and maybe he's reinvigorated and like plays a little bit better So there's a world he gets better and he's not a complete dumpster fire like he has been to start this year. But the days of me thinking that's a top 20 player in the world, let alone top 15, I'm never going there again. Oh, it's over. Been over. That's over.

But he can still be like a very good, like $30 million worth of a year player. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe. But just none of my team. Yeah, you're not leading my friend. Not my team. I won't be the one giving you 30.

Yeah. Michael Porter Jr. Is it real? No. Like 24 games? Something stupid. No, this is not real. This has happened multiple times.

You got to stop, stop being so loud because we need them to be able to sell him for a first round pick and get their rebuild going. No, no. You need to stop being so loud. I don't even trust them to use the first round pick on anybody. No.

Specifically one that can't shoot. Yeah, we're not going to do this. This is fake. He's not any better than last year, but it is real that he can get buckets on a bad team and some team out there will buy him because of it. It's plastic. Yeah.

And that's the last one.