The Deep 3 Podcast - Which NBA Stars Will Be Better THIS Season? | TD3 Clips

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

We argued which NBA stars will be better by the end of the year? #nba Check out the TD3 merch: https://the-deep-3-shop.fourthwall.com/ Listen on Spotify!: https://open.spotify.com/show/3elbbqVumwqz8wlIdknsLW Listen on Apple Podcasts!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deep-3-podcast/id1657940794 Follow us on TikTok!: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedeepthree Follow us on Instagram!: https://www.instagram.com/thedeep3podcast/ Isaac's twitter: https://twitter.com/byisaacg Mo's twitter: https://twitter.com/Mojo99_ Donnavan's twitter: https://twitter.com/Dsmoot3D Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Who will rank higher when we do our rankings in the summer? First off, Victor Wehbenyama or Luca Donchich. This will be a close one if Wembe is who we think he is. Yeah. With how Luca played last year, if he was to maintain that level of play and Wembe took another step up with a, physicality that he has. Hey, man.

Don't talk to me about last year. We've been on Weight Watchers. We're coming different this year. I watched the game where they played the backups on the Phoenix Suns and preseason, and he fried everybody. He fried everybody. From that same game, I saw a clip where they said, three dribble moves and three pump face to get by a rookie.

It's so old. That was the stupidest you've ever seen. He did comment, and they were like, you couldn't blow by him. He mixed him up. What do you mean? They're finding ways to hate. He killed him. No, he was with him.

He was like there in his stands, hands, and he was just big, so they barely moved. He killed him. Yeah, you scored. Dude, two moves, though, it's time. Exactly. That's funny. There's a world world. Be efficient.

Let you see it. It's super possible that we look up this year this summer and we're like, damn, Webby's and best in the world combos. But it's also possible that we're like a year or two away from that. Yes. I don't, I don't think it would, it's not going to happen unless the Spurs get to like the six seed or something like that. But after, after this year, especially since LeBron's out, if you're right, and this weight

was really holding him back we'll also see Luca return to form and you picked him to win MVP so he should I think like after this year Luca probably still it's holding on by threat

yeah I got Luca for now yeah I really don't know I think it'll be debatable I think this would be like player three and player four in the world and it would be a close debate for the next five years

damn yeah it could actually I don't like that that'd be tough there will be plenty of arguments to realistically pick Wemby and it won't be crazy yeah this might be the closest

when we see all day honestly Honestly, I think this might be like the closest possible debate in NBA for the next few years. Cooper Flagg versus Draymond Green. It'll be Cooper Flagg. You're one better than an elite defender still? Yeah, better shooter. Playmaking goes towards Draymond probably better off defensive mind, obviously.

I'm going Cooper Flagg. Like shout out to Draymond. I think a lot of people are going to look at at Cooper Flagg and give him the nod because and the one thing that anybody has always said about Draymond is like, his skill set is so valuable because it's so singular to the words and what they do I think after this year you're going to look at Cooper Flagg and say he can average 18 which Draymond just can't do his defense is good enough his playmaking is good enough I would rather have him over Draymond if these two are to switch teams that Mazz are so much

worse oh you did he's so much worse bad fit but unbelievably worse yeah yeah I think Cooper Flagg Mike that line would be crazy that line would be hilarious dude Draymond Anthony Davis Derek lively Oh, you're shooting yourself in that defense is nasty They're playing volleyball That'd be stupid

Yeah And then Clay Thompson Oh my God Clay would be so upset It'd be pissed With Delo taking 12 threes a game They got They need shooting

God I think Cooper Flagg could be close to all-star level By the end of his rookie year Like we'd be looking at a guy that we say going to year two is clearly about to be an all-star right away

Yeah I can agree to that And listen Dermond's not getting any younger Dylan Harper or Jamal Murray Your one. Do we think Dunn Harper can pass him up? No, I think It's a lot. Yeah, Jamal Murray has one more year ahead of Dylan Harper probably. Just because

I have no idea what this fit is going to be like I have no idea how they're going to deploy Dylan Harper and to ask him to walk into the league and start scoring 18 and have four assists and all that stuff. You keep saying this. It doesn't matter. Whoever is the odd man out is getting

booted to the fucking curve to make wait for Dylan Harper. If you're worried about the fit, worry for Stefan Castle. He's fucked. Dylan Harper is going to be the one. Who's playing defense? I don't care.

Dylan Harper's playing a lot of offense. One beat back there. It don't matter. Dylan Harper is going to be on Star Trek real fast. As a rookie, Jamal Murray is going to be better. But I think by the end of the year, it's probably going to be real close

where we assume year two Harper's going to be better. I don't know. I don't know. I think I'm going to give my knots to Jamal Murray for now. That's what I'm saying. As a rookie, it'll be that way. But listen,

when we get the end of the year, the last, After he hits the rookie wall makes a little leap In the end of the season The March basketball leap End of season next year I can see that Start a season next year

I'm coming for the start talks Let's let out Let's see and play a couple of regular season games No All you need is preseason you get You're just ready Zero I respect it

No but year one is gonna be Jamal Murray Yeah But I'm not worried at all about the whole fit thing I'm worried about the fit thing For Stefan Castle Who is get ready to speak six man of the year Yeah Can you just like commit to playing

Defense and being a glue I ain't nothing wrong with that man I wonder what's gonna happen with Deeran Fox. Trade. If he's a star on that trajectory, do they trade Deer and Fox

next year? No. In the summer? Wait, no, not next year. Can they go two years at least with this? You have to,

you just gave him an extension. You'll give Harper. You can trade him next summer. If Harper's just like that guy. And put your, put your, if Wemby a sense, if Wembe a sense,

I don't think that you would trade Fox and then now put your entire core on year two point guards. Yeah, exactly. I think you trade Fox so you can successfully do the, two timelines thing. I'll let you get honest.

Here's the thing. You're talking about these two timelines. They're not on a championship timeline right now. They could be. You don't know how good one is going to be. Okay. They could be. You never know.

You never know. I doubt it. If that is the case and they are two contended, then you're right. They won't do it. But I don't feel like they're going to be that. So you never know. I'm really saying that in like the pretext of like they trade him for another star

that fits better. No, yeah. I get it. So like then I'm not, I'm not really saying they trade Fox to get worse. I guess. Yeah. Okay.

See you to me. who man can palo breaking the top 10 talks pass up brunz he's like you're two kids what are you gonna do you swaddle both these babies at birth this is tough they both suck for your teeth yeah one of these actually now listen it's gonna be bruntz you nurture these agendas it's gonna be brunth it's gonna be hanging by a thread palo should if palo is who his biggest supporters want him to be he should be what a pass of Jaylon Brunson at some point. If Palo is what we as Palo supporters want him to be, he becomes 6-9 Jalen Brunson. He becomes this guy. If Jaylon Brunson was 6-9, he'd be better.

Oh, he's the best one to lead. Of course. But like, even then, Brunton's still McClitch, he's going to average 27. He's going to be efficient with it. Yeah. I lean Jalen Brunson, because I'm obviously a little bit of a skeptic. But if you tell me it works and you tell me his playmaking comes around, his shooting keeps getting better and better, he gets a better feel for how to be a slasher without relying too much on a mid-range jumper. There's a world where Powell is the eighth best player in the world next year. Eight is. Eight is high.

I know, I agree. I'm not, but he's number one pick. He is like that level of talent and size and like raw. We should view him as that too for sure. Yeah, like that's possible.

I don't see it happening. We should view him like that for sure. You're a number one overall pick. And over the course of this decade at least. No. Eight's a lot. I'm gonna go Brunson, but that is the ceiling.

It should be eight though. Like he should be perfectly. timing for like for experiencing a leap we see it with kade you made all in b a 13 we see it with yeah let's worry about passing kade right now before we talk about brenton fair k didn't pass brenton depending on listen depending on on who you talk to let's worry about passing jada before you before we talk about passing bruntz hey let's fucking talk about it depending on who you ask if you ask me jada's better now but palo probably better by the next year yeah this probably

be the your pallet passes but for sure Okay. Next up, Sangoon versus Chad Holmgren. Sangoon's life gets a little bit easier with Kevin Durant. Chad Hongren's hip is no longer broken. He can develop properly. Well, I mean, I would have taken Chet over Sanguang last year. I was taking Chet when he was broken.

Yeah, what he's healthy? Going into last year, I'll take Chet again. I know Sangoon fans think that they won this agenda war. You didn't. Yeah. I'm not dropping down at all. I'm staying 10 toes. Chet's better.

I think because OKC's going to be stupid in the regular season, they're both going to be All-Stars. So that's like already negated. Now, who's going to be all NBA? Probably the D.P.O.I candidate. Ah, yeah, that's tough. If Sengu's going to be better, he needs to take a massive efficiency leap. Like, I need to see him, one, the jump shot come around a little bit better.

And two, he gets better finishing on the rim consistently. Yeah. Which he can. I'm not going to stay too hard-headed. If he does do that and he does have an efficient scoring season, we can put him above Chet. But I got to see you first. This is hard. This is hard for me.

I think it's way more likely Chet comes off that injury and his offensive develops and the three-point shot is consistent. And he's better at the rim and stays D.P.O.Y. level, that's more likely to me than Sengoon making a big efficiency leap. I don't know. What if, like, that just never happens with Chet? There's no reason to lead up, though. We've seen it before. We've seen him be on a better trajectory, and then the injury is like a tangible thing.

He broke his hip. He was hooping. Yeah, like, those five games are so important. The year before that, he was moving so much better if you watch side by side. And again, it's not like it's just like a, it wasn't just a slump. What if he just doesn't move like that no more because, like, this history changes the whole trajectory of his career? He's not a torn Achilles.

It's not something that's like degenerative. It's a broken muscle. Muscles heel. He's 22. Yeah, he's 22, but there's like, no, it is. It is big. But it was a fracture of the bone.

It wasn't like, like, for someone that big, that's monumental, genuinely. It's not much. I mean, we saw him come back and play in the championship. Monumental, that makes it sound like it's already

he's cooked. But I'm not saying. It could be serious. I don't you're saying. It could be serious. I don't think we've seen or heard anything to suggest that that's going to be the case.

So I'm not really like worried about it. But that is a possibility It's up for debate I generally don't know where to go With this one though Now if I'm already out match anyways If Chit Cheh comes out first two games

30 points each You change well that'd be ridiculous I'm not even thinking twice What are we talking about If Chad I was just 30 For a week A single week in his career I'll be all over the moon

I'm leaning towards set though For sure Now I'm just gonna I'm always I'm always gonna pick the elite defender He's gonna walk in Denver And I'll play Yokich Now what? Okay, let's try.

So he did that like early in the year. That's what I'm saying. That first game, he was... Who cares? Yeah, I think he did that. If he never moves the same, that would be depressing. Because, like, it's so clear how hampered he was last year. Yeah.

But I think it was mostly time off. Like, he'd look like he was just weak. I mean, and he would have that with what he was faced with. You can't lift weights when your bones broken. And he was already like dumb light, too. So it's like, damn. He did not have much to give away. You know, it was very much, very much, like when Darry's Garland lost that weight.

was moving weak as fuck he's already a little guy that's kind of how it felt watching shut home green last year yeah and he still won a championship he's so good and he's still kind of tough at his least tough oh my gosh Jalen Green versus Jordan Poole

easily easily go to pool I don't think Jalen Green has ever been as good as Jordan Poole ever are you entertaining anything that maybe in this new scenario that he'll fit with Devin Booker and they can figure some stuff out

where he can be valuable Hell no. Exactly. All right. Never mind. Next one. Yeah. It's awful.

Evan Moby or Donovan Mitchell. Who's the leader of this team? Come playoff time. Who's the best player? Vocal leader. Donovan Mitchell. Actual best player on this team. If they want to genuinely go far,

it might have to go through Mowgli. Whether it's true or not, they should operate. Like Moby's the best player. They need, Donald Mitchell's going to get his game off regardless. One thing about him, he's going to shoot the motherfucking ball.

They have to force feed Mowbly and play through him and allow him to eat. Because last year in the playoffs, when people got hurt, I'm not calling him a ball hog. I'm not calling him a black hole. Yes, you are. I'm not calling him a non-passer. I'm not calling him a negative playmaker.

All right, brother. But when everybody got hurt, he was shooting a lot of shots. He operated like he had two right-hand. Moly didn't get the ball very often. I would like to see that change. I'm going to D. Mitch. One last year. One last ride.

I think that's right. I think it sales. One more job. Can you give me one more day? Steph Curry versus Ked Cunningham It's still stuff Yeah I think step

Again Come playoff time Yeah Yeah Regular season playoff time Is there ever gonna be a point Where Steph drops below Top 10 levels

Where he gets passed by guys Like that kid Because Kade's well Like the 15th See and that's a great question Because the answer to that is no What? He's be 42 running around

The same player Yeah Like there's That's not real When I tell you about gravity Then you'll understand it right when you look at at basketball in such a different way that you start to understand what he does when you are enlightened then we can talk you say when you join the cult

exactly sign your laugh away i'll show you up no no uh he already lost a step step step he's already pretty slow now i feel like he's gonna be at this level of speed for like at least another two years maybe he'll lose another step when he's like ancient we're still playing but yeah i think he'll be better than kate for at least if you want kate to be better then you're expecting him to literally be like a top nine, eight player in the NBA. And as that point, you're asking him to become one of the best scores in the league. And I don't know if he's ever going to have like the burst to be a consistent like rim finisher to be an elite score.

And now I think about it, you're asking to also be like the second best player in the Eastern Conference. Not necessarily. Well, that's kind of easy to get to. It's just him for Jalen Brunson. So like that's not unattainable. That's easy. I'm not to say. Calm down.

Oh, it's kids up. Ask me who I'm taking today. Ask me who's better right now. I can't hear you. I can hear you. It's not the little one. I'll tell you that. Lamello Ball versus Amen Thompson.

A men Thompson. I don't want to entertain him. Lamella Ball, not only, he has to prove again that he can be a serious NBA player and not a cartoon caricature of one. Amman Thompson right now actually impacts winning basketball games. You say he's Wilk from Fossosome for Imaginary Friends? A hundred percent. Whatever they're, whatever they're doing in Charlotte, up until this point, it's been

fake he's a regular show hooper spinning the ball on his finger I'm going with the men Thompson rolling a ball on his shoulders like this oh man it is a man how the man how he's falling is so dang I can see lamell up being better this isn't a crazy

conversation you could but the discourse is Roll the ball out one-on-one a man's locking him up well one on a one I don't know how he's scoring either one-on-one it's not exactly his forte he just probably ran through Lamello's chest Yeah, he's gonna fucking put him He'd fry him in one-on-one, honestly

But it may be good at one-on-one He's very fast, very strong Yeah, he would be... He's a good athlete And he can lock up his opponent He'd fry him But you gotta give a shoot a little bit The mellow's not small

Why? Because he's not fucking yonness He's not gonna run through Lemello ball every time Lemello birchance ball I'm not... No, like a man is killing him Okay, it's one-on-one

They're standing there from a start It's not a full head of steam Like it's a one-on-one game Be realistic He is brutal He is a men's first step Would get him No he would.

saying can score but like we're making as I don't think for the game of one-on-one in the nature of like just physicality quickness and athleticism your ability to shoot doesn't matter you're talking about Lamella like you're Trey Young's what I'm saying and Lamello's tall he doesn't do shit defensively at all you're right

in a fucking five-on-five game and one-on-one we're just look at this guy I don't think he's going to get bliss every time if it's three dribbles if it's three dribbles if it's three dribbles Lamello has no chance if it's two maybe maybe he has a chance but three dribbles one-on-one a man is beating him 11 to 2.

Damn. Yeah, I don't know. I'm not saying he'd win, but like, I'm not buying he'd win if he can't hit a mid-range shot. I don't think he'd run through him every single time. I'd get to the ring.

Lamello's not a child. Like, Le Mello's kind of big. He's not, like, skinny like that. Yeah, he's, he has frame, but not framed that leads to positive production in a one-on-one setting. I know what you're saying. And it's based on his 5-0-5 game,

but I just wonder if it would be different if he was defending one guy in front of him in that scenario. Like, I feel like bad reputational NBA defenders can probably do a little better. Defense might be worse, man. I'm sorry. It might be worse for one on one, man.

He might not play defense until he gets the ball back. That would be the best argument is he wouldn't try. He's just like, let him run by, taking no miss. Yeah. Just fake attempts, bro. I just think Lamella's kind of huge. I feel like people forget how big he is. Yeah.

Just like the way he plays and nobody watches the conversation about his defense. He's a big motherfucker. We had dudes last year saying, is men Thompson the greatest athlete we've ever seen in the A's lights? L'amol's big, but he don't feel big considering how he does not finish at the rim at all. Amen Thompson. Yeah, Man Thompson, you're better than La Melle the ball.

LeBron versus Zion. This is very good. This is very good. What do you think Zion is going to be in the year? Do you think Zion will be back to being a top 15 player if he's healthy? If he's top 15, then that this is very real. It's very real. LeBron's getting older.

LeBron can retire at the end of this year. And he'd still be better than Zile You gotta get the hate out of your heart No, he would just be better Like I think he might He might be very much might be he's better now That's what I'm saying This really isn't hate

I just think that like LeBron Until the day he he retires That I disagree with Is gonna be like top 20 I mean he's old as hell He's getting older every year Like it's not like he's never lost a step I also say until the day he retires

That's at the end of this year So for one year He can still be a top 20 player Let's say Zion plays 65 games And the health isn't a factor You're viewing him for what he is on the court I'm probably still taking LeBron Because he's a better shooter

He's a better passer Better playmaker Defender Better defender But what Zion does He's probably the best in the world Historically yeah exactly And also like

I'm expecting a massive playmaking leap too I might edge towards Lebron still Considering the defense He doesn't want to add as LeBron He wants to finish I think Do you think this is kidding this can make Zon a better defender Do I think what?

Can the skinniness? I think it's going to be too overtaxed. Can the weight loss makes on a better defender? I feel like his issue is always off ball defense. Well, it depends. And the shake thing could help. That's what I'm saying. Because you can lose weight, but like how many hills were you running in the offseason, right?

What is your cardiovascular system like? Yeah. And so I have no idea what that's like. Nah. So I don't, I don't, I don't know. We will get a good sense of that in the first 10 games of his engagement level, of his activism, how tired he just looks, you know, whenever he goes to the bench. But for right now, I will still say LeBron.

Okay, that's fair. I can see it being close. But yeah, I can also very much still see LeBron being the 13th best player in the world and Zions, like, touching top 20 maybe. He's like 17. Yeah, yeah, just because even if he is healthy and skinny, he's still going to miss games. He's still going to have that hanging over his head. Even if he plays 70, you're still going to remember all these other years.

So you're never going to like fully divorce it from you. He has to go back to back years. Yeah, he's got to be an Ironman for a long time. Damn. Jalen Brown versus Franz Wagner. Ooh, this could be a debate. franz was better last year could be a real debate some might say franz is better now he could have been better since last year yeah they might be glazing but some people

would say it i'm sorry if you should well i don't know because jalen had a bad year too he didn't shoot as bad it really comes down to if franz shoots well from three he's better he's a better playmaker he's a low-key a better defender england brown is good there he can create more at the rim if he can shoot threes competently he'll be better but i don't know if that's going to happen or not i think i'm a cashing on franz over the finals MVP Yes. One of the worst finals in VP. What's the bar?

35. You see 32? I'll take 34. I'll take 34. 32 is too low. 32 is still a non-shooter. That's still terrible. 34.

34. That has to be the floor. And also like the volume. He has to like be taking them with a quick trigger. If he takes. He'll take them. Like that's the thing. Like he's not going to dial the three point volume back.

And so I do I do like that from him. But he does have to get to 34 and 35 for it to be, you know. minimum You can build her on that Yeah Okay And manageable Sounds like we're going

Franz Wagner