The Deep 3 Podcast - We Measured Our Confidence In NBA Stars | Ep. 249

Episode Date: October 12, 2026

NBA Confidence Meters! #nbaCheck out the TD3 merch: https://the-deep-3-shop.fourthwall.com/Listen on Spotify!: https://open.spotify.com/show/3elbbqVumwqz8wlIdknsLWListen on Apple Podcasts!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deep-3-podcast/id1657940794Follow us on TikTok!: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedeepthreeFollow us on Instagram!: https://www.instagram.com/thedeep3podcast/Isaac's twitter: https://twitter.com/byisaacgMo's twitter: https://twitter.com/Mojo99_Donnavan's twitter: https://twitter.com/Dsmoot3D 0:00- Intro3:58- NBA news of the week25:44- NBA Star Confidence Meter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, we're going to talk about confidence. Be Souls on a scale of 1 to 10, how much confidence do you feel in the direction of your franchise? The direction of my franchise? Well, I've seen PG hit that first three. Yeah, we're back. We're back. Eight. How much confidence you feel in yourself?

Myself? 10, always. Always. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Yeah. How much confidence you feel in James Dolan? Me?

Probably about a one, two. to be like to do what have money spreads exist have money spreads 10 hell yeah share the money spreads I don't know yeah to have money spreads 10 to show off the money spreads too like why do you have it you're not going to show it off exactly because money spreads in the house is actually a very lonely thing and I think that like that that probably needs to be dissected a little bit more if you are in the crib doing money spreads by yourself but certainly some strange behavior to say at least yeah not taking any fix either just Yeah.

Nobody knows. Because ultimately it is like the thing of like if a tree falls in the forest and nobody's on to hear it does actually make a sound. If the money gets spread and nobody's around to see it, is the money actually spread. Nobody knows. Nobody knows. Especially billionaire level money spreads. Right.

Like if you're just like, I have a good job, like you don't got to do money spreads. Like you should be financially savvy, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. If you have a billion dollars? If you own Madison Square Garden. You have to show it off. What's the point? I put myself on the billboard in front of Massachusetts Greg Carter. Just like this.

Everybody would know. Maybe I understand the new son's owner. Maybe I also would want to be involved in basketball operations. Maybe I also would make bad trades on my behalf because I can. I'd probably do the same. Now I make good ones. If I was an owner, I would, I wouldn't, I don't think I would be there on the day-to-day, but I would perish-d-old.

I would be like Jerry Jones. I'd make myself GM. You're giving press conferences after every day? I'll be back. I want a GM to do the day-to-day stuff, like you said. I'll be present basketball operations. Sink or swim, we're going down with what I think. Okay.

Like, on one hand, I do understand it. Like, why own the team if you're not going to be involved? Yeah. No, they shouldn't. It's not actually smart. I do understand. Nah, man. I think press conferences after every game is kind of wild.

Yeah. Yeah, I think, like, you in the locker room as well, that's kind of crazy. No. I'm coach. Some money. I go. Yeah. I can have, I think.

I think you can have a weekly press conference. I don't think you should be there directly after the game. Because if anybody is going to be the most upset, think about how upset you are as a fan when your team loses the game. Now imagine you are paying everybody on that roster $250 million and they just lost the game.

You're going to be way too hype. I don't think you can be there directly after. Fair. Well, as you guys see about the title, we're here today to discuss confidence, not on the Jerry Jones level, not on the James Dillon level. we are going to give you guys our confidence level as a group

and all of the major superstars across the league will see a superstar each of us will give an individual rating for confidence that individual rating will be averaged out until we get our group confidence level going into the season for your favorite NBA player there is 20 superstars on here today so not like literally every star

but all the ones that I think there's like interesting combo about like should you be confident in them or not okay I'm gonna take these ratings I know you're gonna fuck our score and you can give a zero if you really like zero to 10 the range here.

If you just have absolutely no confidence in the guy, go ahead and give him a zero, I guess. Okay. Now with that being said, let's talk about the news of the week. Cue that intro of music. Woo. We're about to run him.

Mixing four. Mixing four. It's all. It's up. I big man. And he's buggy. Damn. Jesus Christ.

Holy! Nuggets! I could cry. Brown eaters. I mentioned James Dolan in the intro for a reason because he is back on more bullshit. We have a report that they are not paying Carl Anthony Towns in season no matter what. Damn. The Knicks say they would no longer discuss contract extensions with the likes of Carltony Towns

and Josh Hart until quote unquote later in the season. Full team statement is as an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of. As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions. until later in the off season, my bad, later in the season, so whatever that means, and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of this season. I have never seen a team do this once in my life, put down their foot and say, the star we have right now who's in a vocal, I want a contract situation and it's set it to the media,

we will straight up say we're not doing it. I have never seen anything like this before. We talked about Jerry Jones. This is straight out of the Jerry Jones playbook. Yeah, you're right. I've never seen anything like this in the NBA. I have seen Jerry Jones do things of the sort. Yeah.

Very strange, to say the least. How do you feel about this as a Knicks fan, given the fact we've talked about this for weeks now that, hey, this is something. The end of the team statement is what's the most shocking of it in terms of will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season. I'm sure Kat and Hart and everybody,

like the janitor, everybody on that team coming into this year would be more focused on the start of the year if they had their, contract situation settled. Yeah. And now this is going to be something that is looming. And if Kat has a start to the season, the way that he did last year, where it was kind of a slow start, you already know the conversations about the contract are going to come

going to come up. This is something that's going to stay around the team through every single up and down throughout the season. And if there's one thing that we've seen with the Knicks over the last couple years, even though that they, you know, normally end up in like the two or three seed, they do have some lows. And like last year, whether it be the game on MLK Day, where you're being blown out by the Mavs, you have these four-game losing streaks, you have Kat coming out, 72 games into the season saying, I still don't really know my role.

I think it just provides an environment for the team to be set up for distractions. And that's the worst thing when you already. know that the season's going to be hard defending a title, you're going to get everybody's best shot, you're going to have all these other expectations that you've never had, and you're just adding one more thing onto their plate. Yeah, having this whole contract dispute happened between multiple players, like not even just Kat. It's Josh Hart and also Deuce McBride. The only one guy who remember Craig Lee were they were for me like, we got to keep you here. Didn't Landsham and get a contractist? Yeah, he got his. So if I am Kat, Josh Hart, Deuce McBride,

McBride, I'm looking at I'm like, what do you have that I don't? A cheap number. That's what you got. Being affordable and easy to negotiate with us with any of guys. But also, if I'm Deuce, I'm looking at it because it's like, bro, y'all probably run for the same fucking price. But at the end of the day, the thing is,

Deuce is going to get traded pretty soon. He's the odd man out. You think so? Yeah. If Deuce had a better playoff run and really a better finals, I think he would be in a better spot for him. but when Duce signed his, this, the deal that he's on,

he had one of those deals where everyone was like, hey man, you got to fire your agent because that's a, that's a fantastic deal for the Knicks. So I think he's definitely in the space now where he's contributed to a team that, that's won a lot over the last couple of years. He wants his money.

The Knicks are like, well, we already have a whole bunch of guards that we have. You have, you have Colick. They gave Avarado his money. You have Brunson. At a certain point, you can't play all of these small guards together, so Deuce is going to be out. Yeah, that makes sense.

That makes sense for sure. Hart, I have no clue what's going to happen. Deuce is the Ottoman out. And the cat, like, I would, when I say, I don't know, I have no clue what's going to happen with Hart. I guess I don't either with Kat. I would think that the obvious is that they're just going to pay them at some point that they'll do negotiations.

I think the max can get, what was it, like 278 or something like that? And they're off from $276, I think. 276. Rough from 200, maybe they'll land on 240 or something of the sort, right? But considering they're doing this performative, I'm putting my foot down thing and telling everybody, I don't even know if I can say, though, obviously come to an agreement.

like this is weird and something's here that's i don't know hopefully they figured the shit out and nothing happens but i don't think i can say that with certainty this is how a team moves after having a couple of years of like disappointment or being an early first round exit or second round exit or something like that it's just so backwards and i feel i felt like we were past the days of the nicks doing just the most head scratching things all right donovan this is a confidence-based episode yes one to ten how confident you that start of the twenty seven twenty two twenty two season, a year from now, a year and two weeks from now, that cat is on the Knicks. Six.

That's not very high. It should be much higher. You should be 10. It should be. Yeah. I just, yeah, I don't, I just don't understand. I don't get it to trade. Like two years ago after you come off of the 24th season, and it's the best feelings that

Knicks fans have had about the team in 20 years, and then you blow it up by trading. Randall and Dante and a pick to go get Kat. In those two years, like you said, they have had the most successful two-year stress that they've had in the history in terms of winning or getting to the conference finals and then winning a chip. And this is what you trade the cat for.

And then to do this is some very weird, like, 2K simulation, cut throw, maximize asset type of thing. And it only works if you trade Kat and trading Kat the year after you win the title is not what you want to do. Yeah, if you were going to trade them, you should do it like sooner or rather later, I guess, not get ahead of it.

But you shouldn't train them at all. But like you've got to pick a path. Like I feel like they either know now if they're going to pay them or not, right? I should. I think so. I generally believe that teams know the moment somebody is eligible for an extension, especially for players of cat's caliber, you know how you feel about them and you either give them the money or you don't.

Yeah, you know the equation. You know exactly what the cap situation is. like this doesn't bode well for me for the decision being we're going to pay him. Yeah. And that's why it's so low because if they were going to pay them, it would just make sense to pay them right now. But

you know, they don't feel like that's the right thing to do. And the last time, the last two times that I have felt this way in terms of a team not giving their start of the money have been with Tray Young and Jalen Brown and they are now on different teams. I was just about to say that. If I'm Kat, Brown, I'm not happy. Of course you, we want to

NBA championship and yada, yada, yada, that's all great. But the end of the day, like, he's probably going to be on one of his last big contract, second last big contract. He's, what, 29, 30 years old at this point now? I mean, what more else is he need to do or prove he did everything? And then I feel like he's his story now as an NBA player. He cheated everything that anyone could ever want. Just give him money.

Yeah. Yeah. February is going to be interesting for Chronothie Towns. Because the writing is on the wall. We'll see if they rub the bitch off. not. But right now, I don't feel good about it at all. He said February. My should might be sooner.

Can you imagine how he seems to be running for him? Oh, a lot. Well, I don't know. We say that, but again, the Nix campaign, the second-year period is weird. Probably less teams than you think, given the, like you said, 30 years old, wants a four or five-year deal. Second Airpin is hard to trade for big contracts, especially in season. Otherwise, I mean, Janus didn't get traded the deadline because it's so hard to put

together money. Kat is not more special than Janus. So, we'll see. speaking of players who are not special, told this by their own team. Jalen Duren was told by the Pistons in their contract negotiations that quote unquote, he is their fourth best player.

All right, man. Per Vince Goodwill, a reporter who is tapped into the market of the Detroit Pistons, ESPN Senior MBA writer. When I read this, no, I don't doubt Vince Goodwill was told this. My assumption here and how this convoy actually happened was they told him that they want him to be their fourth best player and can't give him max money.

Because if you remember, they were trying to get Austin Reeves, they were trying to get Kyrie, they were trying to get Kwai Leonard. I think the thought here from the Pissons was probably Cade, Austin Reeves, Asar, insert Duren. We want you to be our fourth best player. But it was construed by the camp to say, I'm worse than Ron Holland.

I'm worse than Tobias Harris. Yeah, let's do this exercise. Who is their third best player right now? Because those names are up for discussion. John Collins. Hell, nevertheless, even if that, Even if you say that what I was thinking is probably right, that it was we want you to be a fourth best player,

still pretty disrespectful when he's proven more than a star at this point in terms of team accolades, making all-N-Ba, making an all-star, would you be upset by this if you were Jalen Dern? Absolutely. He'd been upset. Yeah. We clearly saw he was mad all summer.

But was it valid? Would you be upset? Yes. Man, you're a fourth best player, but sit your ass down and take this one-hast. Yes, I'm upset. I don't know. I would have went up there and be like,

tell us I to come here right now. Let's have a three-four shooting contest day. Since that's your guy, since he's better to me. Like, let's do it. I just, yeah, whatever the reason was, the fact that it came off this way, which I do think, I do think from the Pistons, overall, it's not, it's not wrong for them to feel some type of hesitancy towards giving Jayland during $200 million,

especially coming off the playoff run that he did. Their issue is how they handled a lot of it. And in the middle of those negotiations, going out, giving a SAR, his money, and showing the world and showing during, we do think that at least on our priority list, you're not number two. And given his production last year,

I can see step by step where the disrespect and or the feelings of disrespect and where the anger can bubble up after every single time. So it's real. And I get it. I get it from Duren. I also get it from the Pistons that the vision is for you to be

our fourth best player and we can't pay our fourth best player of $40 million a year in the ideal world. They didn't get the guy to make the fourth best player though. They didn't get Carrie. They didn't get Kauai.

So you got to massage their relationship when you strike out and miss there. Maybe that was said to him before that early in the off season when they initially started and they asked for contract. He said, you were trying to give Austin Reese 45 M's right now.

I don't know the timeline how this happened. Part of the job of a GM is to massage the personalities of all those involved the NBA people person and be able to communicate with the players, agent, etc. Right or wrong in their takeaway, they clearly didn't do a good job at that. Yeah, it doesn't matter what they're trying to say.

Like, you never tell someone that, oh, you are the fourth best way. You just have zero people skills at all, bro. So I understand why the way. You just don't got to tell them, Matt. Yeah. Like, it's just not smart. Like, no high-level head coach or whatever executive is going to look at someone and tell them exactly where they rank.

That's like literally ranking someone in real life. You don't do that. You think you're us? What the fun? Honesty is not the best policy when it goes to be a GM. You've got to lie to these athletes. Eagles are through the roof. You cannot be real with them.

Yeah, bro. Unless you're not. And even then, I mean, that's not working quite as well in the last decade. Yeah, but still, it's a fucking fan's job.

Speaking of rankings, Janus thinks he's a top 20 player of all time. And he aims to be a top 10 player of all time. Do you agree with Janus in his assessment of himself that he is one of the 20 greatest players to ever live? Yeah. Hell yeah. Do you think he can get the top 10 all time?

In order for him to get top 10, he got to go in a run. Yeah, when like two more rings or something like that. If there's any, I think another one's good enough. No, it's not. Probably not. To get the 10? If it is, then you got to win a couple MVP.

It's like another MVP or two. It'll be in that tier with Hakeem and though. He could. Depending on the ring, paying a holly like if it's like a really, really respectful one, like a 20-22 carrie one, everyone is glazes. I can see in getting in the convoy.

That might result in like most people saying you're 12 or 13 or whatever. But like you're talking one ring doesn't put him in KD conversations. Katie's like 12-13-ish for most of people. I think he already is at KD conversations from you first. Okay, well, I think we rank all Yanis like 17 or whatever. So if you think 12 to 17 is the same combo, then that's,

that to me says one ring probably gets you closer to 10. That will conversation is done if you guess one more. He said, Will? Yeah. Okay. Well, that was like surely, breaking into the top 10. That would surely put him top 10. Donovan?

Come on. Back me up here, man. Well, I think they currently, and I need to go back and look at my list. I haven't done the top 15 in a while, but like, I think I had what at like 16. So he's already a local competition. But around there in terms of like Hakeem on a bad day stuff, like it's hard to to jump up and get into top 10. Yeah. Well, if he gets one more ring, he does just to kind of match Hakeem's accolades.

So then it would get to the point of like talent and like, I guess individual. production and it could be a debate for sure like i know hakeem is like on a pedestal for everybody as like the most underrated respectable star of his era only one to win rings in jordan's era yeah it's kind of the same for yannes in terms of most most underrated in his era especially because the lack of playoff runs in the last couple years yonis's production will age very well his scoring numbers are insane even with the modern era applied yeah maybe i just that that 10 through 13 it really is a hard wall to break into those conversations. I think we're going to need another two or three years,

and it's going to have to take a ring. It's going to have to take one more of the piece of hardware, like another DPOI or another MVP or something like that. It would have to be crazy. Oh, an MVP in a ring definitely gets those complicated going. Okay. Paul George is saying all the right things in the first month of him as a Celtic. He was asked about his placement on this team

after being traded for Jalen Brown. he says, I know that I can be a 20 point score. I know that I can guard and lock up the best player. But Jason Tatum is the guy. I'm here to help him be in that MVP conversation. I saw this quote. I saw this healthics fan saying, damn, I waited five years for Jalen Brown to say this.

And Paul George said it at day one. Beasoleth, how did you feel reading your second star? Talk about being a second star. It's just nice to have clarity in the locker room. You know what I'm saying? Not to say that obviously Paul George is better than Jalen Brown because we did our second options tierless. and we had

Jill and Brown at S and Paul George at D. That was politics. Yeah, yeah. I don't agree. But like, you know, just seeing the vibe of the team, like, boy, that first preseason game,

I know it's the Sixers and their big three outside of Matt, big four outside of Max who wasn't playing. Boys is moving, man. Paul George had five steals. Come on. We're here. I see the vision.

I'm not going to lie. I like that it is clearly, like you said. I think it makes sense on paper. The fit is there. As long as he's healthy, I agree. I see the vision entirely. He's saying everything that he's supposed to say, right?

Like, what else is he supposed to say? That's not a given, though. Not everybody says what they're supposed to say, especially not stars that are past their prime. It's not a given at all that they say what they're supposed to say. He's pandering. And I respect it. And I respect it.

I think coming in after Jaylon Brown, the expectation for the Celtics, I do think is to, even though that the team is kind of in flux, it still is, hey, we're supposed to compete to make the finals. Like, we're supposed to be a very competitive team. And they just had a season where you didn't have Tatum

and they still won 50-something games. Oh, yeah. Coming into the year, you need to be on everybody's good graces. And replacing the guy who had been here for 10 plus years, yeah, like, yo, I'm signing babies. I'm handing out cookies. I'm shaking hands when people, you know, walk into the arena.

I'm doing all those things. And PG, he's been around the lead for a long time. He knows exactly what to do. So I respect this a lot from Paul George. Shout out Paul George, knowing his role. I respect it to. Shout out to Brandon Pajemski, who has recently been paid a large sum of money by the Golden State Warriors. We knew this was coming, but we also knew the way that Golden State Warriors fans treat him like he is a disgusting human being for no reason.

So I'm sure the reaction was mixed, but he was paid a five-year $110 million deal. I thank God we know. He was brokered by Agent Bill Duffy of WME basketball, sorts of L.SPN. I'm so glad we have that detail in there. How do you guys feel about this deal? All right. Good deal. Good player.

Another mutual option. Oh, I didn't even read that part. Yeah, mutual option. Maybe that's new meta. Yeah. They're coming around a lot for 2031, 232, including a trade kicker. So there's a mutual option that if we do mutually agree,

you also get paid more. So might as well be a player option. Okay, smooth. I like that. Shout out of show again. Apparently shout out Bill Duffy, getting all the details is good for him. I guess maybe Bill Duffie deserves his flowers.

Anybody who thinks he's overpaid, just simply doesn't watch him play at all and just hops on the hate train. And also just like isn't acclimated yet to the numbers we're dealing with. This is what, 22 million a year? Half a max. Yeah. That's fine. Yeah, this is solid contract.

Good rotational player. It's also crazy because like if I'm pods too, you can get honestly whatever you want right now. Because what else do the words have gone for them? Like they haven't everybody else that they have drafted. has either not panned out or is hurt in terms of like him and Moses Moody. If I'm positive, listen, the next deal, especially over the next five years, like you, if half of this deal, Steph is there, that last year, I'm walking into that year with the mutual option.

I want 50 million. Go ahead and slide that 50 mil over. I'm getting everything I want. So, yeah, shout to him, though. Good for him. It is a good deal. In my trip, like, I'm not trying to troll. Does he have a black eye in this picture?

No, I think his cheek is just rosy. Oh, okay. I think. Oh, you're talking on his eye. It's just a shadow. Okay. Okay. I'm about to say.

Yeah, it's a shadow. Yeah. They're paid him. Dram on. Dram on. Other story about the Warriors. Apparently they cannot find Christos Porzingis. They don't know where he is.

What health issue is currently dealing with? Or when he'll return to the court. And how much way they pay him? Yeah, he's just running off with a lit. Does he just kind of one-year contract? There's a two. They came up to you. It was like 10 mil?

20 20 20 was it 2 years 40 something like that they can't find him he's out there in the wild oh man hope his health was okay hope he's at a hope he's at a hospital

they can't find him it's the most like perplexing way to do a way your career is dude who he's at bro that this might be a bullshit report I don't know

so that's why a warrior's beat writer they probably know where he's at to be real or he's don't know work for his son they probably just know he's not with the team

so it doesn't really matter where he's at like if you ask Steve Kerr he's like I don't know probably home who cares like he's not with the team

where he is who gives a shit but it's quite funny to say you can't find him he's lost he's lost find a missing

person's report what the fuck he's fucking rogue oh my gosh I'm shooting like a lost kid yeah he's on a journey bro I don't know

20 mil a year just on crazy They're so lucky that Steph just doesn't want to move. Yeah, they're literally just lucky that he likes the school his children are in. Yeah, he's too, yeah. That he found a good charter school and he's like, I like it here. Are they lucky or unlucky? Because what if they just want to go rebuild and stuff's holding them back?

That might be true. But they make a lot of money with him filling butts in seats. So it's probably all right in the long term. Ownership is lucky. The GM's unlucky. But also, I think Steph's probably so such a presence that, like, they're probably okay just getting every year from them. they can.

And they'll wait. The rebos not going nowhere. Yeah. They're probably all right with it, regardless. Yeah. Now, also, go for it. Right now. Wait, I forget, what picks do they have?

They have all their own picks. They don't have no other, like, new lottery odds. Are they in blessed the number one overall pick? They could. They could. Very much good. Yeah.

If I also bet right now, which obviously would be a bad bet, but I think they're definitely up there to get a top two or three pick because they have the most mid-roster ever. and Jimmy Barnes will be coming back later this year To scoop up some wins You know what I like Is that like you're definitely gonna be in that perfect mid zone

I love that with these odds We can't even really say somebody's up for a number one pick Like it might as well be random if you're a non-playoff team Like it's so flat You can name 10 other teams You can get the number one pick Like the idea of being in a good spot For number one pick is kind of just gone

Yeah If you're not a playoff team You're in a good spot for number one pick That's crazy Yo dude got a demon man If the Warriors get him I think it's a relatively weak draft class But every time we say that, somebody like him who's been popping up early on in the college preseason comes up and we're like, okay, now there's somebody.

But before him popping on my Twitter fee for the first time in the past week, I think people were talking about this is a pretty week class. All I knew was Sharon Stokes up until this week. Yeah. So now we got two names to look at there. Well, he's not getting, the other dude, Boonze is not getting drafted until like next year. Oh, because he's so young. He's seven year. Yeah, so he's 17. That's crazy. When I see something like that, I never know if they have to play one year or two years.

It's always confusing because Cooper Flat was also 17. Yeah. It's real wonky. but it's one year removed after high school and I guess the school shit is different. So it makes sense. Ah, damn. Two years from now you'll see them.

Yeah. Okay. And that is what's happening is two years? Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah, I didn't know. All right. On to the main topic of today's episode.

We are going to see an NBA star on our screens. We will decide how much confidence we have in them for this year. Framework. What are we, what are we gauging in this? We're deciding one through 10. Are you guys saying confidence in them to lead their team to the finals, to do what you'd expect them to do, given their circumstance in the league?

Like, what is confidence in the league? level me do you? I think it's a it's a case-by-case basis. Obviously everybody has different expectations. For the top, for the top 10 guys, I think a lot of it will be can you get, especially in the Eastern Conference, can you get your team to the conference finals? Can you, can you get your team to a position where you are, you have an opportunity to make the finals? In the West, it's obviously very hard because you got to go up against OKC and in San Antonio. So I'd say for a lot of those guys, it's really going to be like, can you be? Can you be like a second team all NBA type of guy can you make those types of leaps and really stamp

yourself as one of the elite of the elite in the league yeah i agree there's not gonna i don't think we're gonna have i don't think we're gonna be able to carry the same principles for every single person because every player is in different stages of their career like for someone like i don't know jeline johnson i'm not gonna say can you take my team to the eastern no right can you do a pull-up dribble please for the love of fucking god you know hey man don't you're about it. I ain't put his else on this list. Great. Don't even worry about Joe Johnson.

Great. For players, but players like that or a little ball, whatever it is, we're going to ask them to take steps to meet a while for someone like, I don't know, Curry, can you just stay healthy? Be normal, bro. You use the right word in there. I think it's a confidence in them to take the next step, whatever that looks like for them, the next step. Whether that that be winner ring, because you get really far,

become an MVP, become Olympia, whatever it looks like, take the next step. All right, who's up first? All right, first. My guy's here. man. Jason Tatum. Okay. So confidence in Jason Tatum means to make this team get back to being a final level team without Jalen Brown because you are back to producing at that level as you were pre-A yeah. I think for Tatum first team all NBA is what we're judging this by because that's

that is the standard that he was. You know what I'm gonna say? What's up? Solid eight. You're feeling good. I would feel 10 in terms of his ability to carry this team posturing them around I would say 10 if he didn't tear his Achilles. I'll go eight just to leave a little bit of room that maybe he's never quite the same and we just assume he will be but i'll go eight i feel as good as i could for a guy that tore his Achilles i don't know if i can go eight because he did leave the playoffs not and i don't and there was like a lot of smoke around what he was really injured with but he still did look really damn good i think i'm gonna go seven slightly below because those injury concerns are still in my head and

how consistently he'll be able to play. I think the talent will be there regardless, but the injury stuff is just, I just can't get over that fully. Yeah, it really is just a hope that one year removed from it, he looks closer to himself, and that we're in this age of Achilles' injuries and no longer being the athleticism, death that it used to be.

But I think we still don't have enough sample size of these top guys to understand just how long the recovery takes and if they ever hit the same level. Obviously, we've referenced Kevin Durant. We've talked about that even he didn't have the same burst off the ball. He just is an amazing shooter.

I think the assumption here with me is that year one, he looked good enough that I can assume year two. He looks more like himself. But it's not a given at all. Yeah. I think I'll say eight. Because I agree with you for the way that he went out last year and not playing game seven because he had that injury.

I also think the way that the Celtics managed it was dumb as hell. Because I think for the first game back, and obviously they have been with him the entire time. right, they know his medicals. Just from the outside looking in, from that perspective, it seemed kind of dumb for his first game back to have no minute restrictions whatsoever and to just be like, all right, like, you're good to go.

And I do think that from him doing that, he came back in like March, playing like 16 games of regular season basketball and then immediately transitioning into playoff basketball, I can see where some type of reaggravation, you know, comes in where your body isn't fully, fully ready. I think the offseason is going to be five. So that's why I do feel better about him coming into this year as opposed to last year.

Beesles. Oh, my bad. What's up? Didn't mean cut you off? No, that's all. Beesles. Yes. How much confidence do you have in zero?

I'm, I'm going to have to go the highest. I don't have to. I'll be real. I'll be principal. But for real, for real. I think I've been waiting for Jason Tatum to have his best shot at an end. MVP. And I've always been of the mindset of like, you know, when Yokic and Janus are in the race and Wembe now, you know, he's not going to put up the numbers that it takes to require that,

that it takes to actually be in the conversation. I do think this year is his best chance being that conversation. I think you should stick in that mindset tonight to set yourself up for failure. Because you mentioned a few guys that put up better numbers in him and Shea and Luca. It is tough to break into that. I think, I think Shea set up the framework for what it takes to win a MVP without being like a triple double machine. That's why I'm more optimistic going into this. Fair. He also averaged 32.

It's tough. The most efficient 32 ever, bro. I know what I said. And it's not going to be the most efficient 32, but. It'll be a 32. Okay. He might.

44% from the field, from the field. Okay. He might pair with nine rebounds and seven assists, though. And at that point, if it's 32, nine and seven, then yeah, I think he might be MVP. That'd be a crazy stat line.

I'm here for it. Does he average 30 this year? Yes. Mm, stamp it. So what does I give you a 10 at 10 confidence? Nine. Because the injuries, I think he looks very well for a person, a player coming back from an Achilles tear. It's just I think I had the mindset of him being like this Iron Man pre-Akilles.

And in the playoffs, when you look at like his track history in the playoffs, he just gets injured at the worst moments. So I'm not sure if it's like he just gets injured at the worst moments or is, is there something more there? And if he does get like a injury that sidelines him for like two to three weeks this year, then I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be looking a little sideways. Okay, fair.

So bare minimum, because I can kind of see the path that you're on to Tatum MVP. I can kind of see it like, Yolkits and Nuggets, like if they have a down year and the west is, you know, the middle of the west is so loaded,

if they're at, they're at five. Yeah, you know, if they're in the five seed, if the wolves are super, super good, they're three. Are we going to give it to Luca and the Lakers if they're four? Are we going to give it to Yokic if they're five? And obviously you'd like have Shay and Wembe right there. But as a finalist, if the Celtics get the one seed, Tatum looks good. He does average 30.

I think there is a world where he could be on the ballot. Sure. Yeah, I think all the ballot is the word. Yeah, man. But like, no, but like it. And I'm pushing nasty narratives. You're a serious way. dude, come on, man.

In a serious way. Because there's been other times where we've had the March post of Jason Tatum should be on the MVP ballot. He ends up fourth. He's not really in that conversation like that. I'm talking about like two or three. I don't know if he's going to win it

because I think Wembe just does so much. But I think there's a world we could look at Jason Tatum differently after this year. Okay. I think three is possible. I would be again, unless injuries happen, which they happen a lot now, I would be very shocked if he's second MVP

just because of the aliens of the top. But again, I agree with y'all in principle. But Jason Tatum is just that MVP bar is hard to clear. You don't think there's going to be a nasty narrative push of like, oh, he lost, Jelam Brown this year. Yeah, that's all the NBA. No, that's how we get the three. That's how we get on the ballot.

That's how we get even close. That's how we pass up, be honest. Yeah. And probably we go. But passing up Wendy and Shay is pretty tough. He won't even get past this year. We got some Davis for Ant too. Can he get passed by Brunson this year?

I don't know. Brunson is never going to be in regular season, talks like that. It's not happening. and hasn't been better than Taiton with Dave Never mind, never, that's also true That's also true Okay, we all

What we average out to like 8.1 Or what would you do you put years in? Yeah Yeah, yeah So yeah a little bit above eight Yeah fair I think that's a good confidence level to have in Jason Tatum

Okay Who's up next? Jaylen Brown How much confidence do we have in Jalen Brown this year? To do what? What's the what is What's the expectation for Jalen Brown and what's the goal?

I think do everything he did well with the Celtics playing off of Tatum but do that now with the Sixers playing off of multiple stars, still being off ball, being a type of do-it-all wing that can make it work and prove that you don't need the ball in your hands, that you didn't love last year so much that you have to be the one option. Prove that you can be versatile and allow this team to reach contender status because you were here. Yeah. Can you do the same thing as last year? Give me, like, instead of 30,

give me like 25 Mata Fitchin compared to last year to. Five out of ten. And then also remain healthy. I think you can do that. I think honestly, nine. I'm gonna go five out of ten. Really? Really? Wow. I just, when people tell me things about them, I listen.

And he told me he loved getting all the shots last year. And I don't know. He's saying he's going to sacrifice and do all this stuff. I listened the first time you talked. And I believed him a little bit. And I think this team can't work. There's so many moving parts that I'm not really the one buying Sixers stock if somebody's trying to sell it.

I'll split the difference. I'm going seven. Fair. I just think, I think Jaylon Brown and his skill set is very good. in just so many situations. And I think that he proved last year that he can scale up and be a one option. Even if now, is the team going to ultimately win? I don't know, but that's also because they have a lot of pieces that they have to figure out.

And it may not be a singular Jalen Brown problem, right? Oh, definitely not. Yeah. And so I think that there's, he's going to have 50 games this year. Even if he plays like 67, 70 games, whatever, he's going to have 45 to 50 games. games this year where he looks really, really good. Now, I do think that the other games we're going to see some of that stuff pop

in a little bit. You're going to see some force jumpers from the mid-range. You're going to see the right. You're going to see the sixers in a weird spot and J.B.'s going to be like, it's Jalen Brown time. But on the night-to-night basis, I do think that he has

a very good shot of just being regular and being very additive to them. Yeah, I think it depends on what their expectations are because I don't think J-Lond's bad. I think he's very good. I think he's the 17th best player in the world or whatever. All-Star, third-team all-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-a-level guy consistently that I think for what he is, fantastic player. You would love to have him on any contender, can play off a wing, can play off of guards, all that stuff.

I think a lot of people are going to expect him to do what he did last year and be the high-volume guy that showed. It's my team on the leading guy. And that's the part that I don't have a ton of confidence in him living up to. Really? I don't know because I do, I do feel like Sixers fans are getting me like, hey, now, listen, you're good. Maxie's still here. Sixers fans, I agree. But I think the general public expects, like, you don't got to hit him anymore.

We did a video where we talked about second options, and I guarantee you read the comments. People are like, Jalen Brown is clearly the first option. And I think there's like an expectation of level up and like taking the reins to some degree, at least as the score for the team. And that's the part that I hope they don't do.

I hope they keep him in a world that makes sense for him, given all the other talent around him. And if it did become a Jalen Brown-centric team, I wouldn't feel the best about the six years compared to other approaches. What essential team should it be, the Sixers team? You know, that's a hard question.

No one knows. I don't fucking know. I don't fucking know because of the weird big man group they have there with the injuries that Duelan being inevitable, the age of LeBron. I honestly don't fucking know. And I do not want to be Nick Nurse in this moment to try to figure it out. On a very basic level, I think Maxie should have the most shots on the, on the team. I think so.

I do you think it will be? I don't know. I think it will be Jalen Brown, right? No. Yeah, I think it will be Jalen Brown. I think Maxie should have the most shots. I think it will be Jalen Brown. I think if you look at the offensive rating of the game.

in which Maxi's a moose shots and the games in which Dylan Brown has the most shots, it'll be stark. Yeah. From Maxi, though, there, I do think this is also going to be a very interesting challenge from him, because last year was such, like, on his shoulders, and they're asking him to take all these shots. They're asking him to play 42 minutes a night, like, to go from that to now reversing back into a role, not as small as it was when you had Hardin and Embed there, but still, you know, to scale back a little bit. Because there were times with Maxi's game where he,

you could see him get into rhythm, but it took a lot of shots for him to get into rhythm. And he, like, they needed that from him. I don't think that they're going to need him to go balls to the wall, you know, 27, 28 shots of a night to do that. And so it's going to be very interesting seeing him find his rhythm in pockets this year as opposed to all I'm you know I'm touching the ball every every time down the court going back to what you said I think him finding his rhythm in pockets is like the best

version of Tyree smacksy I think he was overtaxed on a consistent basis for like the last two years because of circumstances and he did good he's become an all-star multiple times and all this but the best version of him is playing alongside a all-time facilitator like lebron james and then also a guy who's a great slasher in Jalen Brown who can access certain areas of the court that Tyrese just sometimes has a not a harder time at because he can get any shot he wants but in terms of like playing bully ball and shit

Jalen Brown and also obviously the Bronn and Jol and Bade occupy those areas a lot better. Yeah yeah the half court scoring inside the arc isn't Tyrus Maxie's like strongest part of his game for sure and that is a Jalen Brown area that playing off him is good and it's also a Jol Mbid as a hub hopefully get off on moving around him's answer we'll see

As long as Jaylen Brown can do normal General Brown stuff, which I think he had should know I have no issue with. Like I have a lot of confidence in him and what the six people will do. Yeah, honestly, I have a 10 out of 10 confidence in Jalen Brown being Jalen Brown. Like I don't think he's going to fall off or anything. I guess the number I gave was like taking the next step, like I said.

And if that's the thing, can you take the next step and like do what you did last year on another team, get them further? That support, I'm weary. But as far as Jalen Brown, like being a disaster or anything, there's no chance that happens to me. I'm going to put him out of eight. I do have I feel like my questions with him

are more so in like the healthy context of the team like if the team is fully healthy but I feel like given the health concerns with Embed and also LeBron's age there is going to be more opportunity for him to carry and play hero ball which is he's pretty good at and in that context like I think he can fulfill that job

yeah that's the thing I don't know if he's good at that without the infrastructure to Celtics I don't know without Missoula if Jay Lambride and Hero Ball is going to be be good. You know, in terms of winning some regularics and games, when people miss out, like, yeah, that'll be helpful. If a playoff series comes around and we have games where it's Jaylen Brown Hero Ball, I don't

see that being that conducive to winning. I can just see, like, is Game 6 and B's knees are falling off the bone, you know, LeBron's gas, he's not running back on defense anymore. Gillen Brown put, he's going to put his head down again and do something. Now, will he make the shots? I don't know. If the team of defense is good, I think you're right. That can be a method to winning some big games.

But you need to have a good defense fat to work, I think, and we'll see. Yeah. All right, who's up next? All right, next. Luca Donchage. How much faith do you guys have in Luca Donchis taking the next step? So for Luca taking the next step, it pretty much means can you get back to like 2024 math status to be in MVP convos, which I think he normally somewhat is, but can

you like legitimately be like viewed as the third best player in the world next season? And get your team back to the finals is really what it is. You kind of know who he is as a player. Lucas not falling off, not getting better for real. It's really a team success thing. Is like, can you, do you have the team now? And are you good enough and ready to take them to the highest level again in the playoffs? And I think he's tracking to do that.

I think everything's been tracking the Lakers way to do that, whether it be him and him losing way or being in regular playing shape or whatever for the first time in a minute, him and JJ Reddick having an actual squad that's catered towards their play style and their strengths for the first time in forever in this new Lakers. era. I think me personally, I have like a 10 out of 10 conference, Luca, the highest confidence, because he's so solidified compared to all the other players that we listed so far in the situation makes the most sense by far for some like him. Yeah, I know some people are worried about like Hardin-esque things coming out about Luca. I'm feeling like, you know, the room

pressure is down. Can we just make him ISO? He's not passing the same we're used to. Can we just make this guy take hard jumpers? Do what OKC did and get exposed? That's OKC. I don't know. I feel like they're uniquely capable of doing that to a score like Luca. I understand those criticisms, and I understand those worries about Luca, maybe being, just having more warts to his play style than people give him credit for.

I can understand that. I do still think I agree, 10, that we know what he is, strengths and weaknesses, he's going to do what he does, whether or not the team makes it to the highest level, probably it will be but everything around him. Yeah, I agree.

I'll probably go nine, just because I think, whatever the bar has been for Luca, and I guess for the past, couple years, it's always been like, all right, it's your time. Go win MVP. Go, right? Go do this. Go, go. That will be the next step, logically. Yeah. We've kind of said that for a while. I've always had 10 out of 10 confidence. And I think I'm kind of getting to a point where I clearly expect him to perform at a very, very high level. But to take that next step and basically snatch your chain back from, from Shea or get back

into, at least for us, get back into those Shay conversations. I think that. I think that. that's a very, very high bar to get to. And that's why I'll say nine. But I think that he should still have, like, a 30, 32, 33 point, you know, per game season. He should still have hella, he'll always be good. He will always be a force to be reckoned with. That next step of just getting to, you know, like, you're going to win MVP when Wembe is ascending into a problem. When Shays off, you know, back to back, like, that's a tough place to be.

You said one thing that just fried me. Him snatching his chain back from Shay. That bitch is gone. It's melted down, bro. He is never getting that chain back ever. I think two things to be true. One, he's not going to win an MVP. And to me, that's not even a bar I care about anymore.

Winby and Shea just have insane teams. They're going to be the one in two seats easily every year. I think one of them are just like the smartest bet to win MVP. You add in Yokic, who's obviously a numbers machine. I don't really expect Luke would win an MVP like ever at this point. Just because of the nature of his team versus his contemporaries teams. he can't get that chain back though with playoff performances I think there could be a world where he looks like if

God forbid she plays like he did last year in the playoffs again and they don't make the finals again and Luca has a team around him that is equipped for Luca ball to get you far like it did in 2024 he can just go out there and give you 30 point per game playoff series again and to show that you keep your MVP's I'm the playoff demon I think that narrative can kind of pick back up again and that could kind of again especially if Shay shoots some tour dates again like he did last year that could be a narrative that picks up and people were saying

Listen, he doesn't have the O KC Squaw, but I'm telling you, you had to rather have Luca. Playoff, Deemondon, no Larry? Yeah. Exactly. If he goes crazy in the playoffs, but lose this to Wembley. That's the same thing as Jimmy Butler. Yeah.

Well, you know, he feels like Jimmy Butler. No Larry. No Larry. You're still scared of Jimmy Butler. Not anymore. Now you can, what do you call it? We call when you talk to it when you're ahead. No, Larry?

No, Larry. He can be a front-hunter now now that he probably fell off. Yeah, I think maybe there's a world where people kind of say maybe this chain really is Lucas in terms of best guard. If he loses a hard-fought series of the Spurs, because they're just the fucking Spurs,

but he goes insane and Luka loses and She loses the Spurs because he shot tour dates, but combos would be had. But that's weird though because it's interesting and I will definitely be entertaining those convos because for the longest, I used to be like, no, I think Lucas is more talented than Shea. It's funny because

specifically against the Spurs, Lucas game is way more tailored to like give them fucking hell compared to someone like Shea because Luca has extended range and he's overly gifted passer. I would understand those conferences. Yeah. And you know what? We're talking about fucking Maple Leaf scenarios that haven't happened. If that did happen, there would be something to that, I think.

That I comfortably think Shay is better and has earned that right. If that exact scenario happened that we can very much envision, there'd be something to that if Shay has those playoff struggles again for the end of the year, they wouldn't be ridiculous. Especially if it happened against the Lakers and not against the Spurs. Oh, well, if he struggled against the Lakers. we have problems. Oh, yeah. That's what I'm in.

That's what I'm going to be, bro. That's it both playing against the spurs. Oh, okay. Yeah. I think to your point, this spurs are very equipped to deal with, Shea, in, like, specific ways that they're not with the lit,

with Luca, because he has this, like, Stefan Castle's not going to bully him and make it hard for him to get to the pain with one and B. Like, Luke doesn't get his mid-range jumpers off over here. Stefan Castle with the big body post stuff. Yeah, exactly. He's shooting over you, bro, every single time.

Gotcha. Okay. There could be something to Luke is a better playoff player. All right. So, Isaac, what do you want to do? Oh, 10. 10. Yeah, yeah.

I'm going to go seven. All right. Just, just make a knock glaze. Just to make a knock, raise. All right, next. Chat, home grid. Oof. He gained two pounds this all season.

Man, that's gone. He's not playing fair. Like, do you shit this morning? It's a brisk walk to the kitchen. This is going to be high. No, Casey. He's going to sweat that off by the morning. Well, conventional was,

would say zero. Everybody's out on Chet at this moment. It's the lowest his rep has ever been. If Wembe's another side of the court, you should have a zero confidence in him. What does that do in terms of overall confidence, though? It's kind of hard because I think to just be Chet, I'd have probably like eight out of ten. Again, we're engaging everybody's confidence to take the next step, whatever that means for them. For him, that's once again be a D.P.O. I love a player. Please, for love of God, give me an efficient 15 points per game in the playoff series and hopefully shoot the ball a little bit better. See, when it comes to the last two things you said, 15 points per game in the playoffs,

and shooting the ball better. That's what I don't look at you when I look at your teammate. I look at Jay Doe specifically is he going to be there? Yes. Does that really inspire confidence in you Shea or in UChet? No, because I'm looking at your teammate because I know it'll be a lot easier for you. So I think for me personally, it's like, net-out at five. Yeah, I'll go five confidence.

I think I'll go five because I think he is who he is and it's a good player even when he shits himself and even when he's at his lowest. It's still like a good role player when he's not doing star-level stuff at all. But I don't have immense confidence that the three-point shot gets better. I think we've had enough years now that tell me he figures it out. Cool. I believe you what could happen. I'm kind of past the point of assuming progression with him.

I think we're closer to he is who he is. His shot is getting slower and slower. And I wouldn't be shocked if he had like a set shot now. You know, just. Oh, they tinker at the death and it's terrible. Yeah. Oh, that would break my heart. And so I think there's a lot.

There's a lot going against them. And the fact that OKC, and listen, it works, it works for them. and they kind of do have to play this way. But because they insist on playing him at the four, he can't really take advantage of the things that would make him a, like, I think if Chet played at the five, they're like full time. There could be stretches in the season

where he could average like 22, 23. I think that he actually could attack so many mismatches either way. But because he's always at the four, I think it limits him so much. still think that he should, especially if J-Dub's out, he should still have the ability to average 20, but he's just not like that. So I, so I will put my confidence level at like three. To take the next step. Yeah, to take the next step. Because to also to do that, you're going to have to play the spurs. And he's just not up for the challenge. Yeah. Let me say that. I just say he's not

going to ever do good against maybe just to like be real. But I suppose you could figure something out. I'll stick to five, but three is not ridiculous. Because if you have a zero confidence in him taking the next step, that's just saying you think he is who he is. And he's just Chet. Yeah, I think he still has a little, I still think that Chet can and should average more and be a better score than what he is.

I still think that he has the ability to do that. The next step, going up against Wemby, you just, it can happen. based on what you've shown me, I will. I'm believing that it will not happen. Yeah. Yeah.

The power forward thing really makes it tough for me too that like I don't see a world where he's a good power forward score. Nah, like at all. I think he'd have to play center and they don't want to do that

for the better way of the team. I understand it. That nukes the scoring value to me. So I think we're here to crisp four and a half, that's fine. Makes sense. There's nothing wrong with that too.

He's still going to be good. Still might make an all-star team. They have never at crisp four, Bucosos hated. Yeah. I'm out of three, too. Okay. Fair.

It can't be mad at it at all. All right. Next. Victor Wenbinyama. Then. Next step. Win the finals? MVP?

I think he's, if I'll vote for MVP right now. Just have the greatest season of anybody. Just go get MVP, D.P. O.Y and win a ring. That's like actually the bar. No, yeah. I feel pretty confident that I don't think it win the ring this year.

I'm going to pick the thunder, I think. But he clearly can win the ring. Yeah. I think he's going to do. I do it will be MVP. Yeah, I think he's going to do, out of all those three things, I think he bare minimum, which is the bar a bar, so high. He's going to reach two of those feats.

It feels like he's penciled in to be MVP. A lot of people think you should have been that last year. The expectations are crazy, bro. I think you're this generational prospect last year. We were coming up here and we didn't know when had the spurs at like a top three seed at all. And I'm like, yo, if you are who everyone thinks you are, which is one of the best players you've seen in our fucking lifetime, then you should elevate like crazy everyone around you because of the simple defense that you play, which complicates

everything for everyone. I think that this guy right here should be 100% like, I'm not going to say he should be a runaway MVP because I think those days are just done with because of his peers. But when it comes to winning 60 games,

doing that VP self-winning DPOI and winning a championship, all that shit should be up for cards and that's my expectation. You know how crazy it is? The expectation for you and what is your four? Yeah.

Is to do the best season of Yonis and Nukubu's career? At what? Year four again. insane. We're glazing, but it's fair. 10. 10 confidence.

I do think he'll do the MVP, DPOI combination that is so rare. What is it? Three guys in history have done it. I think he will be the fourth person this year. So 10 out of 10 confidence in him taking the next step. Yeah, you're out of 10 too? 10. Yeah, I'm 10.

Yeah, I think 10. Well, even if he doesn't do those things, taking the next step, just being unanimous best player in the world, whatever the next step is. The world is yours with Wemmbi expectations. And you can frame it however you'd like, I think it's still a 10. He's gotten better every single year.

And the narrative lines up perfectly of, like, he was so close to the finals and lost it. And so now he's coming back. And, you know, he's on a different level mentally and all these things. So that's better. The MVP push also was there last year. He wasn't even playing 30 minutes a game. Yeah. You know?

So if he actually has a full year where he's not on a minute's restriction early on in the year, you get the minutes up to a regular place. and you have the two-way impact, he definitely is going to be the favorite to an MVP. If he's the one seed and play 65 games, the media will hand him the MVP by January. Yeah. As long as he stays healthy,

it's owed to him. Yeah. Sees, man. And knowing him and knowing how the spurs operate, like, especially early on in the season, they're going for the cup. Yeah. And especially because they're not going to give Shay three in a row

because they know the fans will be in their comments all day, calling them glazers, calling them foul merchant lovers, you think Ramona Shelburne's going to, see those comments on want to vote she? Fuck no. She's in her right one be down. Yeah. Yeah, I tried to zag.

I mean, it's hard. It's hard to zag on this one. You know, you probably shouldn't. There's no reason to be a oneby zagger, to be honest. Yeah. All right. 10 out of 10 it is. Lamello ball.

Ooh, how much confidence they have on Lamello. So confidence to take the next step means be one of the best second options in the league. Take less shots because you're with aunt. Be a better playmaker. Play more winning basketball. Stay healthy. and be in the proper role for you now. Be Halliburton.

Sure, but like second option, Halliburton, which is like a beautiful scenario to imagine. I'm gonna go eight. On the court, I'm pretty confident. The ankles always scare me. I'm gonna go eight out of ten confidence. Huh, okay. Yeah, I don't see why we should go lower

than like a seven or maybe even eight. Yeah, I think I'm like the floor. This feels like ready made for him to just be regular mellow ball. I'm not even asking him to be necessarily better than what he was in Charlotte. I think he will by the proximity of other people and certain things being better for him. Remember when Aaron Gordon went from having his own team to being a role player? And it's like, wow, he fit into the perfect role for him.

This is Nirvana. To me, this is a star version of that. Going from being the guy that takes all these shots on Charlotte and the team's built around you, now you go and be next to the guy to make the guy who the team is actually built around an amp better. This is his version of that moving into the perfect spot. Yeah, I agree. I think the only thing stopping me from going like nine or 10 for his own specific standards is the health stuff ultimately because that will always, that's been following his career consistently. But in terms of actual basketball play, knowing how good he, I feel like he will be pretty much day one and how he elevates and changes everyone's fucking life.

I think Rudy O'Bare, what did he average last year, like nine or ten points? Did he might average like 14 points a game next year, but I think I'm going to give these guys like a, I'm an eight. This is a third week in a row. He's handing out 14 to 15th. Like it's candy. Any, bro, this year's going to be different, bro. So many teams elevated. So many 14, 50 14.

To the worst players. But watch, I'm going to be right. What's the last time? Has it Gober ever average 14? Yes, he did. Back in his Utah days. Yeah. They were a high octane office back then.

Yeah. So we're getting prime little bear. We're getting it. We're getting Airwiggins and Isaiah Joe average 15. He used to average 15. Yeah. 15. Yeah.

Can we reach the peaks of scoring? I think we can, I don't know if we can actually reach 14 or 15, but he will be as efficient, though. Yeah. For sure. He was at 14. 12.9.

I hate this guy. Honestly, he's DP-O-Y year in 2024. He was at 14. So, like, that's clearly in the cards for him. Yeah. He averaged 10.9 last year.

No, I don't know. Lamello's taking shots. I don't know if he's going to get more points because of Lamello, but he's not going to get more possessions. That's what it is. Like, he's going to have these guys racing up and down the fucking four, bro. Okay.

Gobert going to be tired, man. I honestly, I'm like, I'm so confident in Lamello and aunt is a pairing. I almost wonder if I'm too confident that like there's a downside looming behind me. It's a, uh, he's right behind me, isn't any? About them flopping. I am wondering that too. I feel like I'm not considering it enough. I think that's kind of where I'm at right now.

He feels like he's just like jumping too many conversations. Maybe. But then again, I don't have a reason to think that other than I'm scared I'm too helpful. Like other than scared of being wrong. I mean, I don't have any reason on the court to doubt him. What if he? I'll say like six and a half. That's not a

That's not inspiring at all. I can't do it. Old numbers only. My bad. Then for the sake of my point six will be pessimistic here. I think that for the Mello I think

I'm also there because I think this is, for me this is the hardest question of the offseason is like how much do I believe in this in this duo. I've been going back and forth a lot on them. And I think that there's a real possibility where Lemelo is not a good defender.

What if he shoots not super efficiently in this new role? Obviously, he's going to have the ball a lot because he is going to set up the offense. They're not going to empower it or not empower, but they're not going to ask it to do absolutely everything offensively. But it is like a hard transition. and I do think that for the first time in Lamello's, at least NBA career, maybe even in his basketball career.

This is the most serious team he's ever been on. Yes, you're right. But I think there's two things that you said that still stand out to me, and I don't even think, I think those two things that you said, him not being a defender and not being efficient, will probably always trail for the entirety of his growl. I'll be shocked him he's not even a little bit more efficient because of all the scoring powers that Anthony Edwards provides.

But he don't need to be those two things for real. He can shoot again, like 39% from the field, 35 from 3 or whatever it is. And this team will still be way much, way better, harder to defend. And we'll still look at him not necessarily like overly differently. But we'll recognize his playmaking talent how truly one and one of it is. But is that? He says better not shoot 39% from the field. He might not be.

Last year was 40 and the year before that was 40. So probably not much better. I thought it was 39. I don't know why. It was 40. You know what it was. I was looking at. sorry side tangent but i was looking at tatum's um 2024 final performance and his ass shot like 39

percent from the field and 28 percent from three it was so bad bro i had to remind myself with those numbers i'm like damn what is this sorry i just got a mix up yo it was so bad bro if i'm brown i'm like yeah man like look at them stats right i'm doing everything this motherfucking do brats that's a thing yeah they were better in 22 they were all bad. I think for Lamello, if he's just, so if Lamello is regular Lamello and we don't see him, at least from a, from a number standpoint, don't see that like take the next step, but the wolves are better than what they are. Is that more of just like, but that's more of just like, hey, the wolves are just broken there, Julius Randall there. Like this just, like, this just fits a little

bit more. But he's the reason it fits. Then like, but. And that's the most thing. I'm saying if he's taking the, for him personally to take the next step, if he's, if he's taking the next step, He doesn't do anything different. Is that still taking the next step if the wolves are better? Yes, because taking the next step is like, he has to do something different. He, like, he has to buy into this role and get the most of him next to another star. Like, if he can do the same impact to the offense he did on a team where he's chucking shit on a team where it's a little more constrained. If he can have that same impact, that is the next step in itself, I think.

Proven that you can translate to this winning environment is the next step. Okay. And you know what, fuck at 10. I'm going all the way. You go, you hate it. I'm a glaze. 10 had a 10 confidence. I don't fucking score.

I'm still more confident than not that it'll happen. You're the anti-the-mellow guy. You don't your fucking grave, buddy. Put me at 10. I'm gonna go 7. I'm gonna be on the office. Put me at 12. Oh, fuck put me at 10 too.

There you go. Yeah, 8.5. That's what I wanted to see. All right. Next. How low? Okay, taking the next step. What the fuck does that mean for Palo Bancaro?

How confident are you that he gets better? I'm better. I'm gonna say five. And I think this is the highest I can go. Where leaning on talent, leaning on the small stretches that we saw last year, where he did change up his play style, leaning on the two clips that I've allowed myself to watch of magic preseason basketball so that I don't get overly bought in.

I'm just going to say, like, at this point, it either happens or it doesn't, but I can't believe in you overly. And I can't, oh, I'm not, I'm not going to be super pessimistic because I do know that he is very talented. Yeah, put me at two. Hmm. Okay. Take the next step.

I think he's palo. And I think we kind of have an understanding of him. I am open to the idea that maybe the right head coach unlocks him. I am, I'm not ignorant to the fact that that could change things entirely. I'm also like, how many times do we do this for like a coach just because he's different? Is automatically going to be better? I hope he's better and I hope he gets more out of him. I don't see it as a sure thing.

I don't see Palo as a guy who before this year was obviously a coach away from being amazing. I think he has his own problems that he needs to figure out on top of the coaching being bad. Two, in terms of taking the next step. I think he's fine. I don't think he's terrible. I don't think he's going to be like got to get rid of him, can't play with him. But in terms of taking the next step is like proving that you should be the best player on a high level playoff team. I'm closer to zero than I am five.

He's done that for a couple of playoff series already. So that's why I am a little bit higher where. When we get into the series for whatever it's worth, he's one of the only ones actually getting buckets. And I think part of that is a Jamal Mosley thing, because I think that Jamal Mosley was a very bad offensive coach, and especially towards the end of that tenure, when the defense starts falling apart,

then the offense looks really, really glaring because you're not even getting good points out of transition off of turnovers and stuff like that. I think Powell will be better. I don't know how. But better at what, though? What is a better problem? I think he will, I think he will be more efficient this year than he was last year.

However, now, I don't know to what extent. And so I think, like, the extent of it matters for the next step. But I think he'll be better. Yeah. I think it's fine. I think I can agree that his numbers go like better, that he can be asked to do less. And it makes him better. That to me, I don't, I don't know if that qualifies as the next step, as much as it is, like,

we're just adjusting to reality of who you are. Yeah. It's in the cards. Yeah, I think that that's what it is for me, so I'm just in this final stage of accepting that this guy who's rolling into, what, year five? So far he's been an all-star, I think one time or something like that. He's just another, like, somewhat disappointing number one overall pick. And I'm just accepting him as who he is. The infrastructure around him can be better.

So by proxy again. No, my bad. Your five, you're right. Yeah. By proxy, he will be better. I think he should be more efficient. But I think when it comes to thinking about what the real next step looks like for Paula, I just don't know if that's in the cards with him because I'm asking him to be a different person.

Yeah. You know? Yeah. Yeah. I just like, got a room for optimism. Yeah. But again, everything can change every year. It's fine.

I can be wrong. You know what I'll even say? There will be a month where magic fans are dunking on us saying you're a fucking idiot for doubting him. Then there will be a month where we're dunking on them saying you're a fucking idiot for believing. We'll get both experiences. We always do with Palo. We know what does riot is like. They'll be ups and downs.

Hopefully it's up at the right time this year. We'll see. Where do you want to go? I'll go like three. Three? Yeah. I'm going to eight. What?

Those pictures move me, man. I ain't going to lie. Those pictures? Yeah. What pictures that we've seen? Of him being big? Yeah. How big he is.

My fuck he's been big, big. Nah, he looked big, big. This is going to be the year. You think he got bigger? Yes. At 24? Yes. He's been big, bro.

He looks big big. You look big. You're a big. I'm a power a guy this year I'm a stamp it You're only moved by sexiness And that's crazy Just give him eight

Ten Nothing about sexiness He's not playing fair this year He's big big All right Yeah Sure All right

Next He's a large guy I can't take that from you Okay Next step Would be Being an even more efficient Playoff score

It's like really The one thing I guess Of like The self-creation Getting a little more efficient When Right now he's an amazing score. He's a good score, but an amazing

playmaker, a credible defender for a league guard that it culminates in an elite top 10 player. But I guess taking the next step would require him to get a little more efficient of a driver one-on-one score. If Kate takes the next step, I mean, he's... First in the NBA, yeah, obviously.

He's top five. I think that next step is so hard. And I just... I'm gonna say, I think Kay's gonna be great, but I'm gonna say five for the next step. I don't, I don't think that that the team is going to put him in a position to where he can elevate. Now, if he does, then he's just awesome.

But they don't have a lot. And I think that their weaknesses from last year and a lot of stuff that cause Cade's problems are still there. And so unless a Sarr develops a jumper, unless Dern becomes some crazy player, unless, John Collins is John Concy. He's going to be good. He's going to be solid. But unless one of these other role players steps up,

I think Cade's going to do what Cade does. And so I think the turnovers will still be there. I think we're still going to get stretches where he's not super efficient as a score. And you're just going to have to hope that the clutch shooting is good. I go so. In order for Cade taking the next step, I think that'll mean for me personally, oh, like you're one of the 10 best players in the league. He is that already, though.

You think he's firmly? It's not firm. I think he's like loosely there like around 11, 12, something like that. I don't think like, are you going to be an anti-Edwards conversation? Because I think there's like a clear for most people. There's like a clear like tier of NBA stardom. And he hasn't earned those stripes just yet necessarily. He's around 10 right now, which if you're around 10, any given year you can be 12.

Any given year you can be 8. You write stamping himself as like Kauai talks, getting to like seven, six conversation. Like that's a less of stamp. And you know what that comes with? time and consistency. Yeah. And multiple playoff runs of showing you can do what you do at the highest level against elite defenses.

And I think last year was the start of that run. Two years in a row of doing the same thing, I think would be progression for it. I think, yeah, if he does it again, it'll be three years in a row because looking at his first playoff run against the Knicks, it was decent. He played well, but he shot 17% from three. And this very last year, he shot 40% from three on even more 10 per game. So it's clear as they took like another lead, not a leap, but another step. as a score.

So I just want to see him like continuously build up. I think I feel good because he's just been getting better and better than infrastructure around him is better too. So I'm going to go like eight. Okay. Yeah, that's cool. I have a lot of faith in him continuing to build on what he did last year. I'm going to go eight as well.

Nice. There you go. All right. Next. Kauai Leonard. How much faith you have. Mr. Breadman.

He looked like he just ran off on somebody too. He's happy. He's having a good time. He keeps talking about how much he loves him back in Toronto. He went back for his legacy. How much faith you have. you having him building that legacy in Toronto? Hmm.

Building it? I mean, 10 out of 10, he can do whatever he wants. And he's going to, like if they make the playoffs this year, it's going to be there. I also think they're with Kauai. I do think,

I'll probably say six for taking the next step and like leading them forward. Yeah. Yeah. I was in O'Wala and he shot it back. Do you know people not suit back down the wall

I was like that or not? You got this big ass holder. What's it there for? You don't hear a word. You just said it? I got ice around on my phone. I know. I didn't hear a word of that.

What the fuck? Rada, Rana. I'm so lost right now. I don't know any word that anybody just said. I was saying that am I not supposed to shoot back my awala? No, it was a straw.

No, but you have two big assholes here. What's the second one for it? You could drink out of it, too. You could, you could. I mean, I don't know. This is my first time using it on a wallace. You are allowed to. That is what it's for.

I don't know what wallet etiquette. That's just, I have a matter of, you know? You just have to have a crazy. Yeah, just out of crazy. Yeah, just threw the ice back. Um, I see now, jump me down to five. Because of the walla? Fuck, I don't even know.

What is the next step for Kauai for real? Like, just staying healthy for a second year in a row? How about win a playoff series? Okay. I think the last two times, like the last two years, we get into the playoffs and it's while Kauai's playing the best basketball of his career and you go out in seven against the Nuggets, a series that you very clearly should have won.

And then last year, you don't get out to play in. And I think that for for where he's at and for the standing that and the place that we think that Kauai is and how good he just keeps evolving. And while Kauai is getting better, I think when you add those two playoff failures and the want to see more and the fact that we don't know if he's going to be healthy, I am not super confident. Yeah, I'm going to give it a five too. I'm confident in them being good and Kauai elevating them. But when it comes to the next step for Kauai Leonard, it just means can you stay healthy? healthy and make the third round of the playoffs for the first time since literally you were a racer.

Yeah. Wait, was that series of versus Denver? Was it the first round series? I remember people were talking crazy. He scored 30, 37. Yeah. It was 38. Yeah, he had that crazy game to rest of the series.

He was just mad regular. Yeah. And there was no more elevating from him. And then in the playing last year, Draymond has one of the best defensive sequences of his career and is stealing the ball from Kauai left or right is stopping him at the end of the game and obviously Jemond is an amazing defensive player and stuff like that happens when you're going up against great players but still we were talking about Kauai like he was elevating like Kauai is you know low-key is he top five player in the NBA again like there

there were conversations that would be and had that Kauai in the playoffs has not lived up to for a long time I agree all right who's next well then Iries Saliburton I feel like all I can do with Tyrese Halliburton in terms of confidence is hope. I have no clue what he'll look like after Achilles. But I guess he does have a play style that's conducive to, I think, still be good, even if that has lettuceism taste a little bit to come around. So, like, I feel like we can be rather confident, even with the Achilles, but I don't really have, I don't even have confidence in my own confidence is what I'm saying.

I'm at 10 out of 10. All right, fuck it. He's confident. I think Tyrese is going to be just fine. I think that Tyrese is, I think that with his play style and the fact that he is such a good processor of the game, I think that he is going to be able to continue to access to parts of the floor that are fine. And I do think the fact that Zubach is here and not Miles Turner is going to give him something new that as he's going into this like, I guess, next era coming off the Achilles having that type of switchup is going to be helpful for him and for the Pacers. I'm extremely high on Indiana this year. And a lie of that is because I think

that I think that Halliburton is going to be fine. I think his jumper or at least his three-point shot is going to be good. He's still going to be one of the best passers in the league. As a as a pace setter, as a floor general, he's one of the best in the league. I'm 10 out of 10 with Tyrese Halliburton. Yeah. I'll go 8 out of 10 just because Achilles' injuries are crazy. And I don't know exactly what he's going to look like from day one. But I feel more confident than not that he'll continue to improve on what he was doing before he got hurt. Yeah.

I'll go 8 out of 10 because it is a lot of stress that he does end up, that his Achilles would be put on based off the Pacers and his play style. But I feel good about him overall. I feel like he'll have the most regular year ever be an all-star again, probably be all-in-being again as well. and I don't think there's much that will be slowing them. There will be times where like maybe he'll miss a couple of games here and there for load

management potentially just to make sure everything's nice and maintenance is up to par but I feel good. Eight out of time. Yeah, I'm gonna go nine. I'm gonna go nine. All right, next.

Kevin Durant. Who, next step, zero. There's no more next step for Kevin Durant. Well, sure. Then for him, it's a little different being held early. So we've got to do that framework. How much faith do you have in him?

I'll confident are you that at this point of his career he can win a playoff series of the Rockets. I think he's the best player. Yeah. Five. So next step off the way he did last year. I see four. Four?

Four. Are you out on Kevin Durant? Should they trade Kevin Durant tomorrow? I've been saying. Yeah, I'm not fully out, but I mean, kiddy hasn't really shown anybody anything in terms of like playoff scoring in a long time and being able to withstand

not ideal team construction. And so... Mm, they see at the age where he needs a perfect environment to get the most out of him. I think so. I think the last couple times, the last time that we saw KD elevate without perfect team construction

was at this point six years ago. Damn. Yeah, five or six years ago in 21. Damn. We, like, when he was just in a... Obviously, it was bad, but had Bradley Bill, had David Booker, was getting swept. 23 to aunt

played one game last year in the playoffs, still lost that one. Like, it's not, I don't think he's carrying a team to a playoff series win. Yeah, I guess I shouldn't really have

that much faith in KD for KD standards. But like, I don't know, I mean, I think it's fine that he's still the best score. I don't think it's an issue, but yeah, it doesn't inspire confidence for real these days.

Like, the hope is that with the teaming hole again, getting your point guard, getting your rebounding specials back, that it is that perfect environment that you do have enough. cancelor pieces around Kevin Durant to make that run. But that's not really based on Kevin Durant anymore. Yeah.

Like he's kind of insert score at this point. Insert top 15 player in the world score that you need to have that requisite talent level to win big. But he's no longer the guy that I'm like, you got Kevin Durant, anything can happen. You got Kevin Durant. You got the best player in the series any point. Like I haven't said that. And I don't know how long. Like three, four years.

I think every playoff series in the West would probably feature a player better than Kevin Durant. Unless you play like the fucking sons or Blazers. They don't count. They shouldn't even be. in playoffs. Assuming the top eight is like teams that deserve to be there. With like 60 Nuggets, 7 and 8 being, or let's say those are bad teams, but they play the Thunder and get waxed.

So a team they can realistically play in a four or five match. Pretty much every playoffs series you're realistically going to have, you shouldn't expect KD be the best player. They're never going to have the best player on the team. You're right. You got to hope you have the best, second, third, fourth best players, which they're right. So that's a route to winning for sure. But it's not really based on Kevin Durant confidence anymore.

Yeah. I think by simply, friend of me, be. being there and being an able body like point guard who can do the most normal things and reach separate again just continuously like furthering his development. I almost said 10 almost because like what the fuck are we doing asking ourselves what's the next step for katy it's all about what's around him and things are looking up I'll go like eight I think he's going to be like the most normal katy and if everything around him is good then I feel like there should be no reason why this team can't make a run in the playoffs.

I'll go five. I have very middle incompetence in Kevin Durant at this point of his career. Yeah. Okay. Next. Evan Mowbley. There.

Actually, I... The next step for you. Next step? Mobe. One. I think you see that the fact that he said that is why I do have confidence of Mowley. Because I think people treat such a binary thing

that like next step has to be you are a 24 point per game score or you're a flop. I think you can make plenty of small things. Small upgrades contain to be a better player. can continue to be a good off ball score. He continue to put on mass and be a better pick and roll partner playing more center. He can continue to do things that makes Evan Mowgli better without like transforming to a top 10 player. Those days are dead.

But Evan Moby being steps and getting more and more, you know, quality as a playoff player specifically, six. I'm a pretty good about Evan Mowley. 19 and 9 coming forward, man. Okay, there we go. Retire for those 18 to eight conversations. Yeah, I don't care about his box scores like that for me to be confident Evan Mowably taking a step. I'll go six. Okay.

Yeah. I think I'll feel way better about him taking the next step if we were walking into this season with Jared Allen out there Then it's like oh shit Like he has all the opportunity in the world I'll go 10 But things are relatively the same I think I do think he's been better and better

Each and every single year So I'll go like four, five normal player progression I'll go five Five, okay He's just gonna be Evan Mobley at this point Yeah I've given up I'm giving up hope for him to take a next step Which I think for a player who has already shown as much as he has,

I do think that the next step does have to be kind of it does have to be fairly big for him. Yeah, I don't think I don't know though because that's the thing. I think we've given up on him taking like a giant step

and taking like the hardest step because that's what we want him to make. But I still think he can still continue to get better or more impactful without that ever being the case. I think he can get better. I'm just not going to classify it as like a step. I think he gets the point where

he can get good enough and show enough that he can play center and you trade Jared Allen and become, more versatile in that way. That would be a step to me because if he was capable of playing center full time, they would have done it by now. Like they don't feel great about that being a thing that we can feel confident in.

We feel better about our defense being solidified with both them there. If he shows that he can do that, like if Jared Al misses two weeks and he's a dominant center, that would be a step to me. Even if he stays like relatively the same, doesn't become like a high octane score, but shows that we do have faith in him to being a center long term. If we even want that,

maybe they don't. To me, he can make small steps that matter. Yeah, I agree. I think the conversation with them is, very similar to the Czech conversation of like he should be a five. Just given the opportunity by understand why he's not getting it.

Yeah. All right. Next. Donovan Mitchell. That's a guy. I don't know how much faith than me getting better. The next step as if he's like primed to take this MVP type leap or something. I think we're getting to, I think, a linear and what the next step thing means to.

It could just be from a team perspective too, I think for you guys like this that, you know they're deep in the problem. I know what they are. Can he take the, can he do the caps of the finals? No. So there you go. I still think it's no, but we don't got to be like MVP leap. Like it doesn't got to be a ranking in the league type thing. Yeah, no.

Can he take this team to the finals and be a better playoff score and playmaker? No. No, man. I just, like you are who you are at this point, as long as you stay healthy, you know, shoot 40% from three or whatever. It's cool with me, man. I'm going to say two. You know how much pressure that is and how much weight he has to carry to try and try and get like 37 year old James Hardin to the finals this not happening yeah it has nothing to do

with with D Mitch it's just the situation around him you got to every mobile he's not not taking to leave Jared Allen it is who he is James Hardin is who he is everything's on Dmitz like he has to go out of average 36 like he's just not going to happen that's the thing though he doesn't and he feels like he does and that's why I don't have any faith well he does because James Hardin is going to give you two and so and so he plays worse when he feels need to play hero ball and I hate it. The other guys are not going to do anything. Yeah, passing the ball. Set them up. Donovan Mitchell thrown into your pass challenge. They're not doing anything. Difficulty level impossible. Is James Harding going to do anything? That is such a, I don't even, what the

fuck is that question? You, I'm saying, the other, the other players on this team who are making $35, $40 million a year, when it, when it comes, when it comes to like performing, nobody else is going to do that. So like, they do foster an environment where De Mitch feels like, he He has to go out and score 36. And I get it. And I think it's your role as the best player on the team and guys who are organized in the offense in the half of court to not fall into bad habits and do what the defense is goading you into doing.

You have to try to be a good playmaker still. That's what we defer. I don't think the defense is doing it. I think his own team is doing it to him. Well, it's obviously mixed a ball. It's basketball. It's a mix of both. They're not, like, they're not idiots.

They're trying. You know? And I think teams do a really good job of making demits into an ISO score. And he has to do a better job of balancing that and setting people up for others. He ices mobile out of the game sometimes by going into hero mode. and missing a lot of shots. And even if he makes a lot of shots, the offense boggs down in the playoffs a lot

because of his lack of passing reads. And again, there's obviously, you're right, we've talked about this. You are right on, like, it's not all his fault. But I think we're talking about taking the next step and being a guy who has more and more playoff reps. I think the onus on you to figure that out to some degree. You're the guy making $100,000 million,

a billion a billion dollars a year. Like, you're the one getting all the money in the world at age 39. Apparently, they're going to keep paying you forever. Like, I think at some point, I would like you. to throw a bit dump off past Evan Moby once in a while when he's in the dunker spot. You know what?

Evan Moby's also making a million billion, you know. And we didn't give him ten. I don't know. We didn't give him ten. I think both could be our fault. Yeah. I just think like, I think for what, for what we're saying and for the money that that people are making, there is a certain level of responsibility.

Yeah. That they just don't live up to. And so D. Dimit is like, damn, this is kind of the only thing that I can do. So he responds by saying, I also want to live up to it. And then we join the club of also playing sub-par because they're pissing me off. Yeah, everybody's off all here. James Hart is on this list because we'd have fucking zero.

And Moving that a 9-5, so I'm not here defending everybody else. I'm just saying that DeMitch also would have something to show me. So all this is me netting out to agreeing with Moe that I'm putting like a three. Yeah. He is who he is, man. Don't be just confused with James Hardin defense. It's not. We'll do one.

One and a half. All right. Next. John Morant. Zero. Damn. No. I'm not saying zero. I've no.

He has not given us any reason to believe in him. Listen, man. He's not inspired. He has not inspired any confidence. That's the worst. I seem to smile and make a couple of training camp clips, you know. I don't doubt his ability to be happy. I did.

Sometimes I do. I seriously did. I mean, sure. I don't think he was happy. But like, if you tell me he gets happy, cool. Good for him. And you get efficient as a score again? I saw a 360 layup.

No. He made it? Yeah. Sick. I won't do that consistently. It was dope. Yeah. Pretty dope.

Pretty dope. It's pretty dope. I'm rooting for John, man. But damn, it's going to be a tough friend. Yeah, confident. Stick the next step. Like, how could I feel confident? I feel hopeful.

Confident in like, I think the next step for him is trying to reestablish himself, not necessarily to like the highest peaks. Because that shit is long gone. But as like a good starting point guard, that a lot of teams should want to trade for. I think that's the next step. I think that's gone. Good starting point guard is in the high bar.

I think that's not. I can't say that's gone. Yeah. Like just good starter? That doesn't got me start. Good starter? I think that's gone. You think he's come off the bench forever?

I think so. Damn. I think so. I think for a dealo was starting for a while. He can start. That's also not a good starter. Okay. Good point.

Fair enough. But you don't think you'd be better than Delos I'm saying. Because Dilo at times was like a regular starter. No, no, because I think, I think even with all of Dilo's fault. he could, at least in theory, shoot. Okay. That's not there with Jai.

I think Jaya's skill set either leads him to be one of the best players on your team or a bench guy. I don't think that he can be this, this like additive third, fourth, you know, starter in your, in your rotation because he can't shoot. And he's not a good defender. And so being one of the other guys, you don't do any of the other things well. And so that's why I think it is all or nothing for him. And we haven't gotten an all or nothing season from him in four years. He's honestly the main person where like every year whenever we go through and like you look at people's basketball reference pages and they show you what year we're going

into. He always shocks me. And like we're going into year eight of John and it's crazy. And he hasn't played 60 games in four years. He consistently gets hurt. Again, he's not a good shoot. He has this weird fit in in Portland. There's other guys that are on this team in terms of Dame and Denny that are, you know,

I guess above him in the hierarchy. I don't have a lot of confidence in Jai. You know, that's very fair and I can't fault you for that at all. But as someone who wants to have a little bit of confidence in Jha and want him to like achieve. I mean, it's not blind because I can look at think, I could look at him as a basketball player and identify certain skills like, okay, your playmaking is what sets you apart for? from everyone. Yeah, of course, the defensive defense, but you're your playmaking and an ability to still get to the rim. I'm not asking you to finish. I'm not asking you to go ahead and do no

crazy shit. But just to make yourself be present and known there, that means some to make shots easier for somebody like Damien and Denny. That can mean some to have easy dump boss for clinging. That could mean some. And I think if he does that on a consistent basis, that brings you back to okay like you're you're relevant again in the NBA I think more so more so than being a bad shooter somebody who is known for not finishing layups is probably the most frustrating thing in the league somebody somebody who gets to the rim at ease and can't finish there that's probably the the number one like biggest pet pee yeah I understand it maybe he doesn't you can't shoot a normal finish smoking them

I'm going to be crazy Yeah I gotta go zero What? Oh wow fuck I'm alone I'm going seven because I have to Yeah you said zero You said one I have to go seven yeah I mean again I hope you're right

I'm very much really for them But in terms of confidence If this was like I'm stamping it And like this Like it just matters to me And I really need to make sure I'm right I could not put any points down on Look at all this blue

confidence there's no part of me there's confidence I'm hopeful that's so funny okay next honest confidence and honest that means

obviously saying healthy for the first part like it's just are you is your body going to hold up for a playoff run and can you once again be a guy that's good enough to get your team to the finals despite circumstances not being like amazing around you offensively Are you the caliber of all-time great that can drag a team to the finals despite their faults?

I think he is the caliber, but to, again, it's just been creeping up on me, bro, like, just knowing that damn, you really don't have no one who can give you consistent hezied tweens and pump face or nothing like that at all. No real closer. I've always said hezy tweens win championships. Exactly, bro. That's all that literally matters. And to not have a single body in the starting lineup who can do that and like a real. threatening level, like you're one of the best players in the league to do that. His infrastructure might stop him when it comes to that.

That might stop him. Yeah, I don't think. I have confidence in him as a player in, like, taking his team as far as possible. But that far as possible might end up just being like a disappointing seven-game, second-round exit. I think for me, reestablishing your place in the hierarchy. That's more important to me. Yeah.

And I think that he has a very good. opportunity to do that here. And I'm buying into a lot of the heat culture into the narrative, even though that I deemed it dead after Band 83. But clearly they try and keep it alive. I think that Yannis is doing a part in reviving it just because of how he, how he operates. Yes, he doesn't have the Hesie Tween. Yes, he is running dunk man.

He is also one of the greatest running dunk vans of all time. And his place I was so single. He's the greatest. Yeah. And so it leads to very good offense. I'm pretty confident. I would say like an 8. Fuck it, I'll say 10.

I think he's going to be back in MVP convos. I was able to say that. I think he's a good stealth MVP pick. I think the narrative right now is his team has no chance because there's no shooting. There's no ball handling. They're so broken that if he comes out and averages 32 again and gets him to the, they can be the one seed off a defense and Yon is speaking an MVP again. Like I'm not going to predict that personally.

It's in the cards. If they're the one seed and he averages over 30, again. Like that he could be back to MVP level. If the pigeons were the one seed off of just playing hella defense, no jump shooting, Cade fighting for his life every year, the fucking he can do this year. I agree. Yeah. Yeah. Like Jason Taylor's coming off in Killies. He can miss some time. The stuff can be really good, but he misses games. The Knicks, obviously, I have had times a regular season there not the level they were in the playoffs. Like the one seat could be wide open and they could take it. I'll go as far as say if they're the one seed by by four games,

he's the MVP. He's the four games. No, no, no, no. But I'll go. four games over the two seed. If it's a comfortable one seed. If they just start four, no. If they're a comfortable one seed by the end of the year, like they're not like it's a half a game thing and they have to be one. If they're a comfortable one seed,

I think he might win MVP. Okay. Unless 1B does the same thing in the West and he's 1B. Okay. I'm probably putting out of 10. There you go. There you go. All right.

Next. Anthony Demadone Davis. Demodon. Anthony Davis. Man. So take you next to, that is obviously once again staying healthy. Reestablishing yourself

in the league as a top 10 player I think or top 15 player top 10 maybe too steep. 10 times. Yeah, those days are done. Top 15. Yeah. Getting the Wizards to the playoffs hopefully. Yeah. Wizards are good man. If he wants that he wants that max contract and in order to like be max contract worthy

you have to build your team to the playoffs, a bare minimum. Yep. You have to again be top 15, 17 player or whatever it is. And I think for him Yo, like, show us that jump shot is working. We heard all this hullabaloo, but oh, Republican didn't want to give me a center. No, no, no, no.

Okay, well, you're here now. You know, Alex Ars there. That's what we heard. Yes, bro, that's what I've been hearing over the last few years. Now he lost hello weight. You know, he's leaned out a little bit. I think you can get a jump shot back. I want to see you, like, lead this team to shock people and earn your money back.

Do you think they're going to tell him he's a four, but actually played him as a five? You know what's funny? Alex Sar is the five He's gonna be defending the center buddy Yeah Alex Sar don't want to be a He don't want to be a fucking five either Which is so fucking funny

You're both five Or you're huge Like you're the five Whatever You're whatever It doesn't matter They can appease him He's gonna play both honestly

Yeah You're right When DeAndreighton rolls out there I guess you're the five When he sits down I mean you're the four When he says down You're gonna be the five dude

Yeah Yeah But I think he really just needs To stay healthy And reestabms and stuff And I think I have Pretty good confidence In him to do that

Or to help elevate The Laker Or the Wizards? You have four? Yeah. I mean, how could I be that confident Handy Davis staying healthy at this point? He was traded for fucking nothing, bro.

The back of Skittles. Like, no one, the league doesn't think of him as much anymore. I think he's really good still. I'm not out on him, but like, how the fuck could you be confident him staying healthy? One. I like him a lot more, obviously. So I'm like, if he is healthy,

I think you can take the Wizards to playoffs. But like, what does that mean? If he's healthy, I guess. Flip a coin. See if it lands on heads. It's true. I'm gonna go five But it's like a three-sided coin

And two of them are tails You're really It's really not 50-50 either I don't know I feel like the Kauai season Gave me some hope That these like injury prone dudes They got one year

He already had his Two years Two years ago He played 70 games Oh shit never mind And also like he's just not Kauai There's different guys Like I don't even

How old is Anthony Davis He's 33 Fuck By the time the playoffs Roll around He'll be 34 Damn I think

he has a couple of good seasons in him left. Why? I think he's good seasons in him too, but like those will be good seasons and where he plays 48 games. Yeah. Okay. Next. Jamal Murray. I guess next step would be good in the playoffs.

Which is a crazy next step for playoff bubble Murray. Yeah, get back to that. And like, where the fuck has that been when Jamie Daniels shows up? Are we have we officially like taking away that moniker from him? What? Yes. The playoff?

Oh, for sure. Yes, it's gone. And my faith in him getting better, too. He's going to be 30 when the playoffs run around. Damn, we're getting old. Wow. Wow. Yeah, too.

I'm kind of over it. Yeah, I'm giving him like a three or four. Give me three. I would like for the Nuggets to completely change our team around Yokish for this next era. I think once they give him his five-year max contract, they will. Yeah, I give him three. Yeah, I think last year, I think for his career, he shoots like 38% from three.

Last year he was shooting like 44%. It's kind of crazy. I think last year is going to be probably the outlier scoring year of his career as opposed to what he's done for the rest of his career. So he'll probably average like 23 and they'll get first-rounded maybe.

Yeah. Yeah, I'll say two. Okay. I'm going to go two as well. All right. Next. Austin Reeves So I think the next step will be proven to people

That one, you're a regular season all-star And two, you are a high-level Playoff performer And that's the idea of you falling apart With physical defenses Is small sample size fiction And you are an elite score Uh, eight?

I'm pretty confident in that I can't go 10 Like that'd be glazed Like seven or eight I'm gonna go seven here Yeah, I really don't I don't have any reason personally to be

like cautious in my optimism I don't think I think he should that but he also isn't the most physical guy so like Jay McDaniels did lock him up and I think that was just Jay McDaniels is a fantastic defender we just talked about how he locked up Jamal Murray too I think he just got beat

and I think sometimes guys can just get fucking beat in the playoffs and it doesn't got to beat this grand takeaway in every sport I think sometimes you just get defeated in that week and that's what happened that I don't think he's incapable of playing against good defenses I think he just lost and that's fine I think you come up and you play another team you might not lose that time but I also don't

think he's like gonna be like no matter what dominant second option. But the eight's a healthy amount of optimism. I'll say, yeah, I'll say seven. He does play a very physical style of basketball.

And I'm curious to see if he can do that for 82 games and then going into the playoffs. That's a fair concern. And, and especially when you are going up against the better defenses in the league who are, who are matching you with that level of aggression. Like, I think that in a two months span, also Reeves can average 30 for two months

and it'll be fine like he's he's very very talented and a very good score to do that over and over and over again I'm not sure and so that gives me a little concern so I'll say seven I'm gonna go 10 personally wow because guys like this like wow stars of this caliber their reputation are just kind of oftentimes defined by matchups

like if they had faced the nuggets in that series and he had cooked because he had KCP guarding him or not in KCP Christian Brown it's just Jada McDaniels that's locking up the guards. He's rooting reputation. Like, he's killing everybody.

Mid to your stars like this that aren't the best players in the league are really dependent on who's in front of them and the coaches in front of them and how they decide to guard. If he just baked Christian Brown for six games and then the Lakers lost

but he averaged 26 if it's playoff killer Austin Reeves give him more of a role. If Jay McDaniels locks his shit, he's a fraud who can never do well. I think that the answer is somewhere between. He does struggle with length

because Jamie McDaniel is extremely fucking long and most people struggle against that length. But that's a real concern for him. He's not the longest guy, but also he faced a thunder last year. And after that first game, and when she was coming back for the injury, last three games, he cooked against

high-level defenders because those weren't long defenders. So I think the answer here isn't he's a bad playoff defender, a bad playoff score. It's really long elite defenders can make him struggle like they can for a lot of guys. But also strong defenders, like Casey Wallace, who aren't lengthy, Reeves can get something off. There's just like an in-between mix there that

isn't often specified when you say he's a playoff dropper. Yeah, I agree. I agree. next step is just be an all-star and I think you can't do that and he's even if he isn't like a technical literal all-star label I already know he's all of that caliber and he just further approving that I hope you guessed it though because that means a lot for people and how you're talked about like for sure actually just getting the stamp of all-star just so much of people when they think about you yeah also you keep saying that he could he cooked two out of the three games yeah the last two right or was it the second third yeah it was game game two and game four game three it's seven

15, 5 for 13, 1 for 5 from 3. Yeah, he didn't shoot well from 3. But he scored well from 2. But yeah, 3 isn't fault of that game. But I think overall, when you look at those 3 averages of those games, it's pretty good overall. Yeah, the 3-point shot, that's also been a problem for him. The 3-point shot sometimes, when you mentioned getting through

physicality of 82 games in a playoff series, his legs come out from under him a lot on the threes where he has very, very tired legs. Yeah. But as a 2-point score, he did very well in that series. Yeah. Which matters. He has to shoot 3 well. I can't just say that's nothing.

The Minnesota series, the last one. 32% from three. Yep. It's dropping. Yeah. I do think it's a physical conditioning over the long season thing. Like it's just flat-ass jumpers

because his legs are tired by the end of the year. Real. Did that be me? Okay. Next. Steph Curry. I think at this point, I don't even know what to say.

What's the next step, how many restaurants can you open? Yeah. You've been in the bay for a long time. Can you open up a lot? school. You could. Can you put yourself on bronze status and open up a school?

Where do you think he's going to put it? No. Not too. I'm going to go zero. No faith in Steph in any of those regards. Actually, it might be in Oakland. Far away. Cross the bridge.

Right on the board. What does it mean to have faith in Steph Curry in 2026? Have confidence? I don't know. I still think he's going to be the normal Steph Curry going to average like 27 or whatever But the next step for him isn't necessarily anything that's like overly meaningful

You know Like you stay healthy That's literally all I have to say for someone like him Let me ask by the end of the year Do y'all think Steph Curry will still be in those Jalen Brunson talks For Best Point Guard Yeah

I think he'll be in the conversation for Best Point Guard Who he's not now He hasn't been for several years When you say John Brunton talks, you're talking about like the third best point guard talks? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, Cade and them. He's there right now. Yeah, he's been in those conversations for the longest.

So you're saying he's asking, is he still going to be there? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he's going to fall off. Yeah. Yeah, I think he'll still be there. I don't think he'll fall off yet. Yeah, I think there's another year left of being somewhere between third and fifth best point guard. Yeah. Okay.

It depends. Yeah, it'll be right now, him and Maxie are going back and forth for position. Really? I don't think it's a conversation between. I think I think the three now the one that might elevate above I think it's like him, Maxie and just because of the injury Halliburton Oh, Halliburton, yeah. Those are kind of the ones.

I don't see Maxie entering Steph talks. Yeah, no. Let me rephrase that. I don't see Steph entering Maxi talks as a regression. Yeah. Just because I think everything that makes Maxi so special, being able to play next to stars and do all the off ball stuff. It's like, come on, put Steph in those shoes, Jesus Christ.

Yeah. But again, he's all. as fuck, he can just fall off. And he just falls off. All these guys are better than him. For what is worth. And it's small percentages, but the three point shot has been going down, less and less. Because he doesn't get open. It's easy. Every single year.

When you can't, you don't have to handle quite the same. It's hardy going. You see him taking tougher shots. My team is worse and worse, which we expect me to do with Guy Santos, bro. Hey, he said it was good. He said it was nice. He's good, but you just have a bunch of nice players around me. Yeah. You Santo and pods is my core. Nice.

We can name the shitty players. What you can do? Who's the shitty players? Actually, you forget. They actually don't have a lot of bad players. DeNthy Melton has, wasn't he hurt you towards like ACL, GP2,

you know? Jackson's gonna be good. It's so weird. I like like all their players, but it doesn't matter. Al Ford 43 years old, nice. They're big.

Good Lord. I don't even know. None. Like, what is the restaurant? Not applicable. I don't know how to gauge, Gates,

just put 10. Yeah. Fuck it. Prett 10. All right. We'll go to the next one. Zion Williamson. It's the last one.

Do what? On the Pelicans, zero. I want to be traded, yeah. Yeah, the Pelicans have no interest in playing through him. And he just, his role just makes no fucking sense. Like, it's kind of baffling to me that they've elected to make him a priority still and have, like, signified to the media that they have no plans of trading him, that he's part of their foundation.

But then they use him in this way. It truly doesn't make sense to me anyway in a way that even for the Pelican standards boggles my mind. But if you were to get traded at five, I think there's a role for him out there. It's very productive. Yo, if he's getting traded, I'm going to say 10. Yeah, just because, like, I'm overly ecstatic. But that's not, as far as we know right now, it's not happening.

But he's not traded, so three. Okay. And the three is purely for the world of which he gets traded. If he's on the Pelicans is zero. Yeah, Jamal Mozy's there now. I don't necessarily think of him as, like, a brilliant offensive mind. He's not for the unlocks aisle? He might make him, like, grab eight rebounds a game.

You might block him. I put a chesty belt on him. that you don't you want to see you down I mean he's a grind type coach you know make you really try it so it might be you know now

yeah you got you gotta lock up you gotta be focused yeah like three and honestly we could just put one like it really yeah a three is being like gracious

to the fact that he might get traded and assuming a team wants him and uses him well that's that big assumption I'm picturing Jamal's to come in I talk about some of semen retention I'll be like listen you got to lock it in bad

I can get you to 30 at night but you got to trust me it's going to avail the locker this is all we do you got to want it bad enough well asking Zion to do semen retention is hilarious the most suit up size of bullshit ever.

I'm going zero. Is this going to be shaking? No. And would that be said in this episode? If we're still here, comment what you think you should comment? And we'll see y'all on Thursday.