The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hoops Tonight - NBA Mailbag: Team USA in trouble? Lakers & Warriors top targets, Nuggets better?

Episode Date: July 27, 2024

Jason Timpf answers listener questions during an NBA Mailbag segment. Are LeBron James and Team USA in trouble at the Paris Olympics after a bumpy set of exhibition games? What are the next steps for LeBron, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers to return to NBA Finals contention after a disappointing end to their 2023 season.  Who can Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors target to bolster their chances of a playoff run? Jason answers all these questions and more! Timeline: 3:00 - Introduction 5:00 - Is Team USA not that good? 12:15 - What's going on with Joel Embiid? 14:15 - Is LeBron James best player on Team USA? 16:00- Why Olympics are great for players 24:30 - Hypothetical Lakers trades 28:45 - Are Lakers good enough for WCF? 34:00 - Have Nuggets improved this offseason? 37:45 - Is Reggie Jackson better than Russell Westbrook? 45:30 - What repeat does for Tatum & Brown's legacy? 47:30 - Will Thunder make a big move this season? 49:30 - Listener Argument: Why 2024 Celtics would beat 2020 Lakers 53:45 - Will D'Angelo Russell's defense improve? 54:30 - Are Pistons poised for a leap? 58:00 - Top 5 hopes for Acolyte Season 2 01:00:00 - Expectations for Grizzlies 01:01:00 - What's next move for Pelicans? (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) #Volume #Herd   Follow Jason Timpf on social: https://twitter.com/_JasonLT https://www.instagram.com/jtimpf15/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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DKNG.c.c.com slash baseball. All right, welcome to Hoops Tonight here at the Volume. Happy Friday, everybody. Hope all of you guys have had a great week. We're doing a mailbag today. We're going to be bouncing all around the world of basketball. We're going to hit some Team USA stuff off the top. We're going to bounce around to about like 10-ish NBA teams around the league in various capacities. Even got a Star Wars question in there. So we're going to be going all over the place.

You guys know the drill before we get started. Subscribe to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channel so you don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at underscore Jason LT so you guys don't miss our announcements. Don't forget about our podcast feed. Wherever you get your podcast under Hoops tonight, don't forget, it's really helpful if you leave a rating and a review on that front. And last but not least, keep dropping mailbag questions in those YouTube comments so we can keep hitting them throughout the rest of the summer.

And then last but not least, before we get started, just a little note on how the schedule is going to look for the next month or so. during the Olympics, we're going to be covering all of those games, certainly all of the USA games, probably a handful of other games involving some of the other major national teams. And then it's going to be kind of mixed in with player rankings. We're starting player rankings next week. And again, I'm still trying to figure out a way to kind of market the two different lists. Because the way I see it, there's kind of two different ways to rank players.

There's ranking them in a vacuum and ranking them based on their accomplishments of the last season, kind of like bragging rights in a vacuum. And I'm trying to just kind of come up with a way to kind of express that, something catchy. So if you guys got any ideas, drop them in the comments underneath these videos. But we're going to be hitting Olympics. We're going to hit in player rankings.

That should pretty much take us through the month of August. And then when we get to September, it's time to get started with season previews. And then we're going to start diving into each individual team, all of their player acquisitions, so on and so forth, diving into some different expectations for them heading into next season.

But on that note, let's hop into this mailbag. We're going all around the league. It's going to be fun. First question. And these questions, some of them came from Twitter, some of them came from YouTube. It's kind of a smorgasbord. We had a ton of questions. Obviously, it couldn't get to all of them, but I do, as always,

appreciate you guys for participating and giving us all those questions. Question number one, it's crazy that USA had to be rescued by grandpa. James yet again. Wasn't this supposed to be the new dream team that would beat the 92 squad? Either way, this team isn't that good or the rest of the world has caught up. Either way, I'd be concerned if I was an American.

So I did not see this team as good as the dream team. I think this is the third best national team that I should actually say the fourth best. It's tough to say that. 2008 and 2012 team, there were some similarities. But I think 92, 2008 and 2012 all of those teams had the undisputed best player in the world at that point in time. Like in 92, obviously with Michael Jordan, you could argue Scotty Pippen was in that conversation as well at that point in time.

I shouldn't say in conversation for number one, but a lot of people viewed Scotty as the second best player in the world during that time. Coming into 2008, I think Kobe was the best player in the world at that time. LeBron was right on his heels. They were both on that team. 2012, LeBron undisputed best player in the world. to rant hot on his heels, those two guys were all on the team. This team doesn't have a single player that's going to be considered in the same conversation as Janice or Luca Donchich or Nicola Yokic. So I don't think they're as top end talented, but I do think that they are a very

well-rounded basketball team. Now, Steve Kerr has done some janky stuff with the lineups that's made it tricky. I want to get more into that in just a second. But I don't think this is like an absolute world-beating type of squad like the 92-2008 and 2008-200. 12 teams in terms of the absolute apex talent. It's more of like a depth of talent kind of thing. They're not going to just absolutely demolish everybody like the 92 dream team did simply because there's more international NBA talent now. I saw an Instagram kind of like graphic the other day that showed that in the 1992 Olympic run, there were fewer than 10 NBA players playing for FBA teams. Now there's more than 60. So that just gives you a basic.

demonstration of how much NBA talent there is playing overseas. And one of the things I talk about a lot, I shouldn't say playing overseas, playing for FBA teams, but I talk a lot about the concept of diminishing returns, right? Like if every player has to fulfill responsibilities on the floor and superstars are famous for being able to take these like big chunks of responsibilities, a lot of times you need guys to fill in small roles. And when you take a star level player and ask him to fill a small role, like there's just not going to be that much of a gap. Like, for instance, Devin Booker, and what he does for Team USA, is not that much better than what other two guards are doing for other Fiba teams. Even though Devin Booker's a way better player, it just has to do with the diminishing returns of Devin Booker being in the type of role that he is with Team USA.

That said, they are underachieving to this point. I do think that they are good enough to go over there and win every game by around 10 to 15 points. That's what I predicted last summer. That's what I think should happen. That's what this team's potential is with the talent they have. They should go over there and they shouldn't blow everybody out, but they should at least win convincingly. They should win comfortably every single one of these games.

But that's not been the case. They've been in a couple of knock-down, drag-out fights, namely with Germany and with South Sudan, right? Now, that is where we have to get to Steve Kerr in the lineup structure. Because the end of this question is, either way I'd be concerned if I was an American. my concern surrounding the team's performance, I'm holding off until we actually see them play in these Olympic games. Because in the showcase, there's more of a lack of urgency when it comes to Steve Kerr and trying to figure out line-up combinations that work.

For instance, doing line shifts. That's not usually how basketball works. Usually, like, you sub two or three guys out, maybe one or two guys out at a time, and you're kind of like guys play. longer shifts and it's more of like a flow from unit to unit. Steve Kerr's been doing line shifts. He's been going five in, five out and just swapping guys out and then maybe mixing up a little bit towards the tail end of these games. And so I really just want to see the types of lineups that Steve Kerr uses in the

real games. If he's still doing line shifts, if he still has Embed with the starters, that's where I think there's some vulnerability here. Because with Embed with the starters and with Anthony Davis and Bamette Abio with that bench group, there's a little bit of like an imbalance. I talked about this a lot in our last show, so I won't go into as much detail, but the short version is the starters really struggle to rebound and really struggle to chase over the top of screens with him beat in his drop coverage. Well, look at the lineup. It's a 36-year-old Steph who's turning 37 next year, 39-year-old

LeBron is turning 40 next year, and Devin Booker, that you're asking to chase over screens with Drew Holiday, or with Drew Holiday being the only guy in that lineup that's a professional screen navigator. and you're asking them to chase over with Joel Embedon drop coverage. That's just a poor use of those players in their skill sets. In addition to that, you're not rebounding well with that group. Well, for all the same reasons, Devin Booker, average athlete at the NBA level. Steph Curry, going to be 37 next year. LeBron going to be 40 next year.

Of course you're not a great rebounding team. So a lot of this is by simply making some basic tweaks to the lineup structure. for instance, like swap Devin Booker out with a guy like Jason Tatum, make yourself a substantially better rebounding team. Jason Tatum can do what Devin Booker does. Move Anthony Davis into the starting lineup. By the way, as far as Tatum with the starters goes, that could also be Kevin Durant. Put Kevin Durant in for Devin Booker, right? Then if I have, let's just say Tatum for the sake of this particular discussion, if I go Steph Drew, Tatum, LeBron, AD, and I'm switching, I'm a substantially better defensive rebounding team and I'm a substantially more

cohesive defensive unit because I'm running a scheme that makes sense with those particular guys. I don't want Steph chasing over screens. I don't want LeBron chasing over screens. I don't want KD or I want those guys switching and those guys all can switch pretty well. Drew can guard up. Steph, he's not the most athletic guy in the world but he's six three and he's pretty big and strong and he's pretty good at forcing guys to take pull-up jump shots over the top. Anthony Davis can defend guards. LeBron James can switch. Those guy, that's a switching unit, in my opinion. Then you put Embed with the bench group where they're struggling to score

in the half court and Embed's another offensive hub, a guy that can really add some offensive firepower to that unit. And so I want to see what they look like in the real games to see if Steve Kerr applies those specific concepts. Because if he does, I do think Team USA is going to win by 10-15 every single game and get out of there relatively comfortably. But I'm really curious to see the strategy that they employ when they get out there. Next question. what political reason would cause M. B. To start, he's not a Nike athlete. He plays for the Sixers and is not even born in America.

Are we sure it's just not Steve Kerr being stupid? I think this has mostly probably has to do some sort of under the table deal to try to get M.B. to not play for France instead, right? Like, that was the whole thing was, is he going to play for France? And I don't know if it had to do with the fact that Team USA needed a big. And, you know, because like even you could argue

if the team USA only had AD and BAM, they might be a little undersized on the front line, right? So, like, Team USA kind of needed a big. France had Wemben, Yama and Gobert. So, like, it's a little bit, that probably had something to do with it, but it's very possible that there was some sort of deal underneath the table where it's like, hey, I will leave the team France and play for Team USA as long as you let me start. That very well might have been worked out. I think that's stupid.

I think promise to play agreements are a loser mentality, and I've seen them all over the place. Obviously, we've heard about it in the NBA in terms of agency politics, but like, I've seen it at the college level. I've seen coaches promise starting spots. I've seen coach, I saw a Juco coach once promise a guard at 20 shot attempts a game. Like, talk about a loser mentality, right? Like, instead of like having a player earn that right or having a player demonstrate. that he's deserving of that type of offensive workload, there are these deals being cut. Basketball games aren't won by deals getting cut. They're won by basketball teams organically taking shape by virtue of what is earned on the floor. And so I'm not a huge fan of that.

I'm not sure if that's what happened, but that would be an example of a political reason that would lead and be to start. Like, hey, we'll start you, but that's your kind of like, you know, the dangling bait to get you to leave team France. Was LeBron really the best player on Team USA or just the most experienced playing with a star-studded team? I do think through these five games to this point that LeBron has demonstrated in a small sample size, he is the best all-around basketball player in that group. With his size, strength, athleticism, playmaking ability, shooting ability, his downhill ability, his ability to play bully ball around the basket, he's demonstrated that to this point.

do I want LeBron or Jason Tatum to start training camp tomorrow? I want Jason Tatum. Do I have LeBron or Anthony Davis to start training camp tomorrow? I want Anthony Davis, right? Like at a certain point, LeBron's age becomes a factor in the grand scheme of an NBA campaign. From the tip off of training camp to the Larry O'Brien trophy in mid-June, you're going to want a younger player. And I don't think LeBron belongs in those conversations because I just, all you have to do is

watch the Lakers. He's conserving energy in a lot of areas throughout the 82 just to try to survive, right? But that's not the case for this Team USA example, right? Like, in these games, LeBron is the best player in this small sample size because he is healthy right now. He is in great shape right now. He is, you know, well-rounded and ready to go right now. And so, yeah, is LeBron the best player on Team USA? Yes. Is he the best American basketball player to start a franchise with? Probably not. He's probably considerably further down on that list. Do you think the Olympics

are a precursor of what's to come in the regular season, like LeBron and Kobe's seasons after the O8 Olympics? I'll just put it this simple. There's no version of this where you go and play against the best American basketball players in practice and the best players in the world in games over the summer that doesn't make you

a better basketball player. It's really that simple. Every single player that went to this team USA camp is going to come out a better basketball player, which would inherently lead them into more productive NBA campaigns next year, provided their bodies hold up. But as long as their bodies hold up, like, there's nothing but good that comes from this. Not even to mention just the conditioning element that, you know, by the time this is done, it's going to be what, mid-August or late August? And at that point in time, they're a month and a half from training camp. So like at that point, you maybe take a week or two

off, but then you're gearing up for the season anyway. I bet you there are going to be guys who come out of Team USA and just stay in the gym and make sure they're ready by the time they get there. A couple of Lakers questions next. Do you think Max Christie can be that athletic starting two guard that we need? So you guys know how I feel about young basketball players. The main thing I worry about with Max Christie is his decision making, like when to pass, when to shoot, what to do when he drives past his man in a close-out situation, making reeds in those situations.

those are the areas that I worry about Max Christie. I think he can shoot the ball fine, and I think he can defend. But the question is, can he make those decisions? One of the things that sucks for Max is Darvinham horribly misutilized him last year and played an inferior player in Cam Reddish over him all season long. And so from that standpoint, like Max didn't get the reps that you would have hoped that he would have gotten over the course of last season. But I would imagine that they'll start him at the two to start the season,

maybe not start because of the D-Lo situation, but they'll play him a lot at the two to start the season, and it will be up and down. And they're going to be highs and they're going to be lows where he's a young player making young player mistakes. That said, one of the things I think a lot about with the Lakers, as it pertains to them needing to make a deal. Last year, their biggest weakness, as I've said, on and on,

is having athletes on the perimeter. So if Austin Reeves is a skill guard and LeBron James is a 40-year-old forward, and Anthony Davis is a center, you really need athletes at the two and three. And last year it was DeLo and Tori and Prince, bad athletes. DeLo and Rui, who's big, but not particularly quick on the perimeter. And so this is where it gets interesting because you have three players that are kind of sort of getting added to the roster, even though they were on the roster last year.

Max Chrissy was on the roster last year didn't get used. That's an athletic two guard. Gabe Vincent was hurt all year last year. He is a guy that is a pretty solid point of attack defender. Jared Vanderbilt is one of the best point of attack defenders in the league and is super versatile and can guard many different types of ball handlers. Those guys were all Gabe and Vando were unavailable for injury. Max Christie obviously was in the Darwin Ham doghouse because Darwin Ham just was playing bad basketball players or lesser basketball players for no reason, right? So like those guys getting added to the mix, if they're all healthy and ready to go will help facilitate easier regular season.

in basketball for the Lakers, right? However, can Gabe start? I think he can next to Austin as long as your three is awesome, and right now your three is not awesome. Can Vando start? I think he can as long as your two is awesome, but right now I don't think their two is awesome. And so in the long run, I still think the Lakers need upgrades of those types of roles. However, Max, Gabe, and Vando, just being healthy and ready to go at the start of training camp, will buy the Lakers the time to make that deal at the deadline. Again, if you think of it very simply, the Lakers have two draft picks to use, and you probably have two seasons left of LeBron playing at a pretty high level this year and maybe next year. What that means is, whatever your next trade is, that has to be a hit. You got to get the right

guys with that deal, right? And so being patient, I'm not against it, as long as they actually do something at the deadline this year. What they cannot afford is to make the mistake they did last year, which is like, oh, Delo, he's playing really, really well, we're fine, we don't need to do anything. And then you roll into the Nugget series with the exact same players and lose the exact same way. That can't happen, right? And so I'm okay with taking that group into the season because I do think Gabe Vando and Max can help in the 82 to facilitate some of that perimeter athleticism that they need. But at the deadline, I think you have to do something. And if they don't, I would be, I'd be really disappointed.

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It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

Follow at Clifford and a TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson,

we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the bar. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out.

real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Next question. Lakers trades. Do the following move the needle for you?

Gabe Vincent in two seconds for Dennis Schroeder. Dilo, Jalen Hoechafino, Cam Reddish, and a first round pick swap for Bruce Brown. Christian Wood and a 2029 unprotected pick for Walker Kessler. I think that Bruce Brown could end up costing a legit first round pick. see, and with Danny Aange, I'm always worried about what it's going to cost to get a player from him. Let's take it a little bit. Let's take it one at a time here. Gabe Vincent in two seconds for Dennis Schroeder. So part of me really wants to see Gabe Vincent with this team, like healthy for a long time, because I think there's a lot of upside there with his point

of attack defense's ability to play off the ball. But one of the things that I underrated about Dennis Schroeder, last summer, I said that when they swapped out Dennis for Gabe, I was like, I like this because this is a player that's not quite as good as Dennis, but maybe a better fit with the Lakers because he can play off the ball. That was the main reason why I was kind of pro that direction last summer. Where I became aware that I was wrong about that was the Laker roster had nobody that could beat anybody off the dribble other than LeBron James. And that becomes a problem in the half court when you're trying to get the defense

and rotation and generate quality shots. if DeLo needs a screen and if Austin needs a screen and Anthony Davis needs a post up, then you're in trouble, especially against switching teams because now you're asking 40-year-old LeBron to do everything. And yeah, there were these moments like against the Clippers where they were switching everything and it got kind of bogged down, but then LeBron hit a bunch of threes and it was fine, right? But like, that's a lot to ask. And so I've gained another layer of appreciation for Dennis as just a speed demon that can beat people off the dribble and how that can be a value in the half court to generate quality shots. So if I could turn

Gabe Vincent into Dennis Schroeder, I would personally. But that's just because I've gained a new appreciation for Dennis. And again, I'll own up to the fact that that's the exact opposite of what I said last summer. But again, every year I've covered the league, I learn more and more about the game. Secondly, the Delo Jalen, Hitchafino, Cam British for Bruce Brown. Bruce Brown for me is the classic example of an upgraded version of the Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, uh, uh, uh, uh, kind of Max Christi trio, the perimeter athletes that play the two or the three, right? To me, Bruce Brown is a guy that can bring a lot of like the Alex Caruso-esque, like big athletic guard, point of attack, defense, rebounding elements, transition elements, while also being

a plus offensive player, which is something that you don't get out of Jared Vanderbilt, which is something that you, that I think could be an issue with Max Christie even in terms of his decision making, right? So like really, really like Bruce Brown. Don't think you could do it for a first round swap, but that to me is really the direction that I would look to go. I would split the first round picks and use them separately and try to get two upgrades. Either a really good backup center in a two or a three or maybe a two and a three, right? Like those are the directions that I would look to go. Christian Wood, 2029, first round unprotected first round pick for Walker Kessler.

I would like Walker Kessler if I could get him for one pick. I just think that's kind of unrealistic. But I really, really like the idea of Anthony Davis playing alongside another rim protector. for the very same reason that you're watching these Team USA second units be so good defensively. If you put Anthony Davis next to another rangy athlete, it allows him to play the low man position and to be underneath the basket helping on pick and roll, closing out to shooters on the weak side, cleaning up the defensive glass. It's the classic look we saw in 2020 and 2021 with Dwight Howard and Javelle McGee and Marcus Saul and Andre Drummond and those guys, right? Like that to me is a look that would benefit the Lakers.

wouldn't give more than one pick for that type of deal. And if I was giving up a pick, I'd want a really good player. Someone that, I think Walker Kessler fits that bill, but there aren't many that fit that bill. I would prioritize using the first round picks to upgrade the perimeter athletes. LeBron and AD have been the two top performers on Team USA. KCP came out and said he felt the Lakers should have beaten them as they were up every game. Is this roster good enough to at least make the Western Conference finals?

and what is one move they can make to improve their fourth quarter execution? So we went over a lot of moves earlier. I thought the KCP quote was interesting because one of the big things that stood out to me about Denver is they just looked really tired throughout that entire playoff run. And I think that that was interesting to see them kind of own up to that. The one other thing I wanted to respond to in this question is the fourth quarter execution piece. The Laker fourth quarter offense is fine. That was like a strength of theirs last year, actually. Well, Braun did a really good job making and taking shots in those situations.

They had good flow. They ran good action. Crunch time offense was not an issue for the Lakers. It's actually been really strange for me to see J.J. Reddick and so many other people talking about the Lakers' fourth quarter offense. The number one issue with the Lakers in the fourth quarter, especially in the Nugget series, was defense. What was that one game?

The Jamal Murray game winner, the first one, I think it was game two. I want to say that they scored on like nine of their last 10. possessions. Like they scored every single time down the floor. The Lakers were scoring too. That wasn't the issue. The Lakers can score. The Lakers were one of the best offenses in the league, the entire second half of the season. That translated into the postseason. Their issue is they don't have perimeter athletes, so they always put an underqualified defender on Jamal Murray or whoever the best perimeter player is on the other team, and they can't get stops. That's why they lose. And so like the focus on the fourth quarter execution piece, like J.J. Reddick will help it. They'll add some more

wrinkles. They may even go up a level from where they were last year, but they're not going to start reaching another level as a fourth quarter execution team until they improved defensively in terms of their personnel. Last Lakers question before we move on, what do you think JJ can bring to the table that Darvinham couldn't? Even with the flawed team they had last year, if you swap JJ and at coach first Denver, could you see a different outcome? I don't know if it would have been enough versus Denver. Again, I still think their defensive personnel was the main issue there. However, I put down three things that I think JJ could help with. One, improved offensive execution.

One of the things that I've really grown to appreciate over the last year is the importance of actually running action versus just freelancing. You like our fans, no Cranjus. He works for Tim Cranches. He does that B-ball index statistical platform. But he did an amazing job last year cataloging the difference between the way the Lake offense function when they ran sets versus when they freelance and it was a big gap and clearly that data ended up making its way to j jridic because he's made specific mention of it i'm not surprised at all cranes just his great work and he probably should be working for a team somewhere right now and hopefully

he does eventually at some point but um i agree with him i think he's hitting the nail on the head i'm glad that j j j jricks knows it the lakers need to stop freelancing so damn much and they need to run more organized offense j j jrottic will help with that secondly listening to data all of that information about playing Rui or Vando at the three instead of Torian Prince was abundantly clear in the data from the early portions of the season. And in spite of repeated data, statistical evidence that showed that, Darwin Ham stuck with Tori and Prince way too long and it cost them dearly as they went three in ten after the in season tournament and ended up in the playing tournament. So like, like, just having a guy who's willing to look at the evidence and make the appropriate adjustments

accordingly is going to be a huge asset. And then lastly, coaching possession by possession. Famously, Lakers fans referred to Darwinham as Hot Pockets because he would just stand on the sideline with his hands in his pockets. You watch all the great coaches. You watch Eric Spolstra. You watch Ty Lou. You watch Mike Malone. You watch Steve Kerr. These guys are up. They're animated. They coach every possession. They demand excellence. Every possession. There is an emphasis on attention to detail. And if JJ Reddick can bring that, I think that would be a substantial improvement

for this team. We have a Warriors question. If the Warriors don't end up getting Lori Markinen, and then in parentheses he puts, I don't think the Warriors will want to give up pods and or comminga plus multiple picks plus multiple swaps. What is another option for them to potentially target this offseason to give Steph a true number two option to contend

for a title? Not a lot of great options right now. I think that you never know what could happen when you get to the deadline, but now you're kind of looking in that after after marking and you're kind of looking in that like brandon ingram Zach Levine area and it's like brandon ingram is a guy that I think would be a terrible fit in their five out offense Brandon ingram is a guy that like when you put the ball in his hands

and you let him run spread pick and roll he's a gifted pull-up shooter he can get to the rim he's one of like brandy he's a sneaky excellent passer but I just don't think he's a good fit in like a ball and player movement motion heavy like like read and react type of offense. And then obviously with Levine, it's about money and health. And there's just a lot of risk there. And so I think if they miss out on marketing, they'll probably end up holding tight and seeing if they can find something that develops closer to the deadline. Are the Nuggets a worse starting five, but an overall better team with the addition of Sarich,

Westbrook, and developing Strother and Peyton Watson compared to last season. Thanks for the great coverage. I hope your summer is going well. Thank you. My summer has been great. I'm just booked another trip to Vegas with my wife to go see a dead in company. We're going to go see him two more times. She's, uh, uh, that's actually for my birthday,

which is going to be a lot of fun. Uh, but my wife and I haven't gone on a vacation alone in a while, which is, which will be fun. And then we're going, we're turning around and leaving like the very next day to go to Seattle. And we got like an Airbnb that overlooks Mount Rainier and we're just going to kind of relax and get out of the heat. It's been hotter in hell here in Tucson every single day.

So I'm looking forward to, uh, uh, some time in the P&W. The Pacific Northwest, the few times that have been there recently, it's just, it's becoming quickly one of my favorite places to visit in the summertime. And so I'm excited to get up there. We're going up there for a week. All right. So the Nuggets. The, here's the thing. I look, everyone's kind of being slotted into different roles, right? So the role that used to be Christian Brown, that's the role that you're looking at for Julian Strother, right? Like first guard off the bench, right? The backup point guard, you're looking at. at Westbrook instead of Reggie Jackson, right? And then at the two guard, you're looking at

Christian Brown instead of Contavius Caldwell Pope. To be clear, I think going from KCP to Christian Brown is a downgrade. I really like Christian Brown. I think he's actually a better defender than KCP, a more versatile defender because he's bigger and stronger. But like offensively, there's a chasm between those two guys, right? So I think that's a downgrade. We're going to talk Reggie Jackson, Russell Westbrook here in a minute. But I think that's a downgrade. But there's another question there that we'll get to. And then Julian Strother's a very interesting player. It's got good size, really silky, smooth touch, a lot of like interesting stuff in terms of his skill development. I just don't think Julian Strother's ready to be like a huge rotation piece

next season. So I'm a little concerned about that. I do think Peyton Watson will be better. That'll be good for him. I think that's a, Peyton Watson just getting better year over year is an improvement. But I do think as we zoom out from that, I think we have to admit that the nuggets are a little worse this year than they were last year. That said, I thought last year they lost a little bit of their competitive fire. Mike Malone said before last season that winning takes talent, repeating takes character. And I don't want to say they failed that test because I mean they were still up in game seven in the second round, but like, I think we can all agree that they just didn't quite have the juice last year. Didn't quite have that extra bit of

like, umph to them, you know what I mean? And I think they'll have that this year. I think that Jamal Murray's pissed off. I think that Nicole Yokic is pissed off. I think the nuggets are going to be really, really good again next season. And so even with those downgrades, and again, I think we have to acknowledge that. KCP's not as good as Christian Brown. I personally don't think Russell Westbrook is as good as Reggie Jackson, which we'll get into in a minute. And I don't think Julian Strother can do what Christian Brown could do as a bench guard, obviously, right? different types of players, but still, in terms of overall impact, I think Christian Brown was better as a bench player than Peyton Watson.

With that being the case, or not Peyton Watson, excuse me, Julian Strother, I'm confusing them. I don't think Julian Strother is capable of impacting winning off the bench as well as Christian Brown did last year. Payton Watson is a little bit better. But I think if we zoom out, I think we have to acknowledge that they got a little bit worse with personnel. However, back with the chip on their shoulder, a little bit of a revenge campaign, I actually think the Nuggets are my pick to win the West next season. We'll see as we get into training camp if I end up changing my mind. But as it stands right now, I still think the Nuggets are the best team in the Western Conference. Next question.

Do you really think Reggie Jackson is better than Russell Westbrook? I do, and here's why. I covered Russell Westbrook very closely, and I watched a lot of him with the Clippers last year. and I have a feeling Nuggets fans will kind of come around to my perspective on this. With Russell Westbrook, it's not about what he can do well, and he does a lot of things well. He's not a good regular season defensive player, but he's a very, like he kind of becomes a freaky disruptive defensive player in the postseason on the ball. And then he'll make plays defensively off the ball. But most of it with Russell Westbrook comes down to mistakes.

and I want to get to one more positive before we get there, before we go to the negatives. On offense, in the regular season, he's going to provide real rim pressure, real transition pace, real playmaking. And he brought all of those things with the Lakers, except for the high-level defense, but the Lakers didn't make the playoffs with Russ. And I believe he would have done that with the Lakers as well. Here's the thing. With Russell Westbrook, it's never been about the good. It's been about the bad. I have never seen a player make as many mistakes in basketball games as Russell Westbrook does. And you Nuggets fans will find this out pretty quickly.

It's the kind of leaking in to try to get a defensive rebound and leaving a shooter open. It's the standing straight-legged, not paying attention as someone just cuts right behind him for an easy layup on the baseline. It's the missed boxouts. It's the poor decisions where like he'll randomly just in transition see a, three on three and 2016 Russ would dunk it, but 2020, Russ doesn't have that juice, but tries it anyway and ends up missing a layup and it leads to a transition opportunity the other way. It's the settling for bad jump shots.

It's the teams completely ignoring him and him not weaponizing that. Like a lot of players get ignored. You know what they do? They constantly screen. They constantly cut. They constantly crash. Russ doesn't do those things. And so it's not about the upside.

Russell Westbrook's upside is substantially higher. Then Reggie Jackson. Reggie Jackson also makes some mistakes. Reggie Jackson doesn't make nearly as many mistakes as Russell Westbrook does in basketball games. Russell Westbrook, think of it like this. Reggie Jackson is the guy that in a game is going to do six or seven good things and two or three bad things, right? Russell Westbrook is going to do 20, 25,000 good things and like 25, 30 bad things. It is this like crazy oscillating back and forth like, oh my God, that was incredible to what the hell are you doing to oh my god that was incredible to what the hell are you doing and sometimes it'll

stack up like mark my words nuggets fans there will be a game in november where it's the end of the third quarter and you're on the road in a big uh it like you're on the road in Oklahoma city and yokech checks out with five minutes left and uh or maybe it's the start of the fourth quarter that yokech checks out or whatever it might be when you're gonna you're gonna have rosa westper come in there will be a sequence where like in a 90 second span he does like five stupid things and next thing you know you look at the scoreboard and instead of being down four you're down 14 like that's that's the russell westbrook experience it's these sometimes the mistakes come in waves too and like i'm i'm not i'm not trying to hate on the guy like this was literally what it was like when i was

rooting for him two years ago when he was a better athlete and he's going to be an even lesser athlete at this point in his career. So like, I will say this. And Zach Lowe from ESPN did a really nice shot breaking this down. It's a low risk proposition for Denver because if the fit doesn't work, you just bench him or you cut it. Right? Like Denver doesn't need Russell Westbrook.

So it's worth a shot, but do I think that Russell Westbrook is going to solve the problems for Denver? I don't. And maybe we'll see, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Yokic and Mike Malone are the first two basketball lines that can focus Russell Westbrook in a way that works and makes sense. But I'm skeptical. The NFL seasons right around the corner.

We'll be breaking down all the off-season storylines on the Colin Cowherd podcast. My best takes, guests like my buddy Nick Wright, check out the Colin Coward podcast, part of the Volume Network, available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on the only store at the chip. I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Bo. On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back.

The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here.

Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Where does Jalen Brown rank in the top 15? NBA players. We're about to do our player rankings starting next week, so I will let you guys know.

What does a repeat do for Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown's legacy individually and as a duo? It depends on who they beat. Like if they, let's say like, for instance, like they had a relatively easy pathway through the playoffs this year. Let's say next year it's like they beat that like the Orlando Magic in the second round and then they beat like the, what either the Philly team that has Paul George and Joel Embed and Tyrese Maxi or maybe that Nick's team that added McHale Bridges and then they go to the finals and they beat like the Denver

or the Oklahoma City Thunder or someone like that. If they do that, I think that this Celtics team all of a sudden enters into a totally different conversation because they're the first team to repeat since the KD Steph Warriors. You're following up a dominant season with a more impressive platform. There's all sorts of things there. Referencing Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum as a duo is where it gets a little weird for me because there's $530 million players. And I felt the same way about the Warriors. Everyone would be like, oh, it's Stefan KD, Stefan KD, and it's like, no, it's not. It's Stefan KD and Clay Thompson and Draymond Green and Andre Aguadala.

Like these are historically talented teams we're talking about here. They don't line up with like Kyrie and Luca. That's a duo. That's a duo, right? Like LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers, that's a duo. what we're talking about with this Celtics team, they have five players that in the open market would command $30 million a year.

That's totally different than a traditional duo. That said, if Boston repeats next year, I think it works wonders for both their legacies, I think it adds a whole other layer of legitimacy on last year's team. I think a repeat would work wonders for the C's. Hey, Jason, I appreciate the hard work you put into the videos. Do you feel like Oklahoma City

are going to make big move this season? or are we still another year away? With the team competing at this level in depth, it seems redundant to let their picks resolve into even younger pieces. I agree, and I do think that the Thunder will eventually make more of an aggressive, all-in type of deal where they use a lot of draft compensation. My guess is it'll be on a forward. We talked over going into the summer that there was two directions they could go.

They could either put Chet at the four next to a center, which is what they're going to try with Isaiah Hartnstein this year, or they could put a big forward next to Chet, keep him at center, right? And just kind of bolster the strength and physicality, the front line at that forward position. Going after Hartstein was a really smart move. I really like it as a counter to what Denver brings to the table too, because now you can run a too big look.

Really like it. But I agree that I think they'll be on the lookout. The thing is they don't have to rush. They're going to be a dominant regular season team no matter what, so they can wait for a really good deal around the deadline. There's not even a rush in terms of this particular season in the sense that if they don't find what they want at the deadline, they can wait till next summer if they want to.

I think this team is really good and is a bona fide top-tier championship contender. just go down the list. How is their offensive shot creation? Well, can't do much better than Shaggilders Alexander, one of the best offensive engines in the league. Jalen Williams is one of my favorite young players in the league. And awesome number two, Chet Holmgren brings a whole bunch of offensive firepower to this situation. Isaiah Hardinstein is like a prototypical five-out dribble handoff big. I think he's an excellent fit there. Okay, what do they look like in terms of their physicality on the front line? Well, last year they sucked. Isaiah Hardinstein is a monster on the glass and a guy that completely raises the physical profile of the team. What do they like defensively?

Well, they got real rim protection and Chet Holmgren. What do they like at the point of attack? Lou Doord is one of the best options in the league at the point of attack. He's like the only guy I've ever seen really truly frustrate Luca Donchich in a playoff series. Like they've got it all. And the one thing they don't have is a bigger Chet at the five look. And the only way they're going to get that is by trading for a forward. And my guess is that is going to be what they keep their eye on throughout the rest of this season heading into the trade deadline. Here we go. This was a, I asked after I gave my Lakers Celtics take the other day for people to provide

basketball reasons why they disagree. And there was a bunch of you guys who gave reasons, but I wanted to shout out one of you guys. This is from Steven Smith. Hey, Jason, love the show. Admittedly by a Celtics fan here, but I can give you a few basketball reasons why I think the 2024 Celtics could beat the 2020 Lakers. I know Anthony Davis was probably the best defensive player in the league at the time,

but the way Boston spreads teams out with Porzingis would be hard for the Lakers to guard. Jason or Jalen could run two-man game with KP at the top of the key and have KP pop, forcing AD out of the paint and giving Jason or Jalen driving lanes to score or kick it to Drew or D. White. At that point, it becomes somewhat of a shooting contest.

Given this Celtics team is the most prolific three-point shooting team in NBA history, I believe we'd win that battle. Two, speaking of Drew and Derek White, I think you're discounting just how good of a backcourt they are. Offensively, Drew can easily out muscle Crusoe or KCP to get to his spots. Derek can hit a catch and shoot three from anywhere on the court. Defensively, they can limit the Lakers other three starters, not LeBron and AD, similar to how they limited the Mavs or their players in the finals this year.

With the 2020 Lakers, while the 2020 Lakers have a front court advantage, we have a back court advantage. Three, yes, LeBron and AD are a much better duo than Jason and Jalen are, but many believed Luca and Kiree were a better duo given they two rolled over a much tougher Western Conference, and we kicked their ass. I think we showed this year that if you have a great duo and give them the best supporting cast, you can overcome a better player. a better duo in a seven-game series. It would be very close, but in a hypothetical matchup, I would go with the Celtics in seven, although I wouldn't be surprised if the Lakers ended up winning.

Appreciate the great content, and I hope this message finds you well. First of all, thank you for taking the time to spell out your basketball thoughts. One of the things that I talk about all the time is, that bothers me. It's like a pet peeve, is like, I offer a basketball opinion and the people that are just like, that are just like, fuck you, you're stupid, you're wrong, you know, and it's just like, and it just turns into like a shit-talking hunt. test. And that's just not productive and doesn't solve anything. I got into doing this for a living because I love talking basketball. Like I used to literally like talk through basketball and have

these debates with my college teammates when we were growing up, either on buses or in hotels or after practice when we're untying our shoes and stuff. Like I love talking basketball. What that means is I want to hear what you guys think. And taking the time to actually write out why you think I'm wrong is something that is way more productive and something I'm willing to engage with. And so I appreciate you taking the time, Stephen. The only points that I'd push back on, and you make a lot of good points, that group that AD LeBron, Caruso, KCP, Danny Green unit, probably more of a switching unit against Boston.

So that would be how they'd mitigate pick and pop. And specifically what made that Laker team good was their smaller players were really hard to post up. KCP, you guys watched KCP defending Carl Anthony Towns in the post and just stripping him clean because he's so good at waiting for you to expose the basketball. Alex Crusoe is like something crazy, like 225 pounds of solid muscle at 6-6. Like he's a really difficult guy to bully, and Danny Green's even bigger than him. So like they are big on the perimeter, that 2020 Lakers team. And so it's more of a switching look.

And the idea there is you switch and you contain the basketball. And again, I'm not saying you won't ever get dribble penetration, but it's about flattening dribble penetration. A straight line drive past Luca Donchich forces hard help, which leads to wide open closeout opportunities. A good perimeter defender is going to make those drives more of like a banana route, like a flattened out drive, which makes it so the guys can dig down instead of hard helping, which makes for easier closeouts, it just allows you to kind of avoid that drive-and-kick chain. So specifically, I think the Laker defense was really well built for that Boston driving kick. I do agree with you, though, that the Boston back court was better.

One of the note on the duo thing, like, Luca is probably the second best player in the world behind Yokic, and Kyrie's somewhere around the 20 to 25th best player in the world. LeBron was the best player in the world in 2020, and I had Anthony Davis at number four that year. So, like, it's not just that they're a better duo than Tatum and Brown. They're a way better duo even than Luca and Kyrie were. And that's a big part. Like, those two were just an absolute wrecking ball that entire season.

But I appreciate the comment. You did a really good job breaking it down. I think your take was super reasonable. Hey, Jason, love the show. I'm a fan from Trinidad in the Caribbean. you have a following here. I know you have said that usually a basketball player is who they are around the age of 26, 27, but isn't it possible for DeLo to improve his defensive skills and athleticism during the offseason?

I think he's a high-level offensive talent, aside from when he gets in his own head, but I just don't buy him saying, I'm just not athletic. At this phase in his career, he's been trying. Trust me. There is like a range of potential athletic outcomes for every player. And like DeLo has range, Dilo has a range, meaning he can get better, but there's a ceiling there and his ceiling is still too low

to impact the game as a role player the way guys like Derek White do, for instance. All right, let's see. Pistons question. Hi, Jason, thanks as always for your content. As a depressed Pistons fan, last season was an absolute shit show. Really tested my love of the game. However, I think this off-season

was quietly one of the best, considering the overhaul of the front office and getting Fred Vinson to help Ivy, Assar, Holland, improve their jump shot. People clown the Tobias contract in the Tim Hardaway Jr. trade. I understand when you, in 14 games, we don't deserve the benefit of the doubt.

But you've always mentioned the importance of solid vets that can still play to high level to help a young core develop good habits. When you're assessing rebuilding teams, what signs apart from the win-loss column are you looking at to see if a group is on the right path to take the next step? And do you think this Pistons group can take a Houston-esque leap towards respectability, for example, 30-odd wins? I do think that the Pistons are poised for that type of leap. I'm that much of a believer in Cade Cunningham.

And quite frankly, last year was... Monty Williams was not playing their best basketball players, and that kind of like set them up for failure in a lot of ways. I like the additions because they all make sense. Tobias Harris is a guy that can play the four or the three. I think he's going to play a lot of four for this group, but he's a glue guy at this phase in his career. He's a dude that just like that just kind of like fits in with other basketball players.

He can attack mismatches in the post. He can go to work off the bounce, but he's a guy who can also just kind of play a smaller role. And then shooting to create spacing, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. will help in that area. I think the most, as far as like the adding vets piece, like I'm a big believer that if you put a bunch of young basketball players that don't know how to play together,

especially under like a less than fantastic coaching staff, there's not a whole lot for them to improve on because they're not learning from any sort of experience, right? And so, as long as those veterans don't take, away from their opportunities to learn. So for instance, like John Wall with Jalen Green doesn't make any sense because John Wall is going to directly infringe on Jalen Green's ability to kind of like have those opportunities to go to work, right?

Like what makes sense is you want a of these veteran players like Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, Tim Ardo, Tim Ardoin Jr. They're going to play smaller roles and primarily just serve as mentors for players and Cade's still going to play it the same way. Jayneye's still going to play the same way. Jail and Derry is still going to play the same way. And you just have the ability to just kind of elevate the overall basketball IQ of those lineups. There are a lot of possessions where, Kay Cunningham gets the defense in rotation,

and then the play just dies from there because there are guys that don't know how to properly attack closeouts or to make the right reads in those situations. These guys will help in those ways. As far as next year in taking that leap, it's really just about can Kay Cunningham continue to be the shot creator that he is? can you get obviously a little bit more competent coaching, and then can you be adequate defensively in that front court, right? With Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris, I think you're a little undersized.

I do think we'll see some Isaiah Stewart still alongside him, although I think Isaiah Stewart has kind of become an interesting trade target out there for teams that need the center position is just such a high value position, especially with all the up-and-coming centers guys like Embed and Anthony Davis and Nicole Yokic, right? And with that being the case, especially with Isaiah Stewart being kind of a little bit of a shooter, I wonder if he's a guy that they can look to trade at some point. But in the short term, I think just adding some vets and just another year of improvement from your young players and an improvement of a head coach could go a long way to putting that team into that 25, 30 win range.

One of the top five things you hope to see when slash if Acolyte is renewed for season two. I actually just broke this down in a lot more detail with my buddy Luke on Two Sons podcast. We actually just released that episode yesterday, so you can find that, again, wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube under Two Sons podcast. But the gist of it is, like, I think that we saw Darth Plaguez in the season finale, right? He's a super interesting character because he's the guy who basically set up the entire plan that Palpatine executed in the Phantom Menace to get to the chancellorship and then obviously to start the Clone Wars. and so I think it would be really cool to dive into that. You've showed Plagueis. I think it'd be really cool to go season two centered around Chimir,

go way back to his Jedi fallout with Vernestra, whatever happened there, and dive into how he met Plagis and him becoming a Sith. And then the tail end of season two, I would have the showdown between Chimir and Plagas as they determine who's going to become the Dark Lord of the Sith, and whatever they decide to do with Chimier at that point, they can figure out.

Season three, I would like to see them dive into Plagueis and Palpatine. I'd cast a young Palpatine and I'd just do a whole, I'd do like two seasons of prequel content. Like a little bit of young Palpatine, a little bit of older Palpatine with Plagas and just really dive into the backstory of how those two kind of executed their plan that started in the Phantom Menace. That's what I would do if I was running the Achaquite. But again, check out our pot. It's a totally different format. I'm with my best friend. It's much more casual.

but we've done I think 126 episodes now. So we've actually been around pretty long. But we just did an Acolyte episode today or yesterday. And then we also do House of the Dragon. Expectations for John Morant and the Grizzlies. They have a solid core that's still pretty young. I think they're going to dominate the regular season next year. I don't know what they're going to look like as a playoff team.

I need to actually see them play, especially with all these new pieces. I want to see where Gigi Jackson fits in all of this. I want to see if John Morant can continue to play the way he did when he showed up the middle of the regular season last year. Can Marcus Smart stay healthy? There's a lot of question marks there, but I do think they're going to dominate the regular season. I expect them to be a top four seed.

Or the Orlando Magic on the same tier as Philadelphia and New York, or is it too soon? I still think they're behind that tier. I'd put them behind the bucks too. I just think they still need to, until Franz Wagner and Palo Boncaro will become better jump shooters, I don't think they can enter that tier. But I do think that they'll be a very good regular season team.

Wouldn't be surprised if they pass one of those teams in the regular season. That said, I still view them as firmly in that fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. Let's do one more. This is a Pelicans question. Without a center, and with Dejante Murray and C.J. McCollum on the roster, where do the Pelicans go from here? Who should they trade?

I would trade Brandon Ingram. And really, my reasoning is this simple. Brandon Ingram has not played 65 games in a season since he was a rookie. He's consistently hurt and consistently playing below his peak. I'm a huge Brandon Ingram fan. when he's healthy. I think he's one of the best passing forwards in the league. Really, really nice primary shot creator when you could put the ball in his hands and have him run spread, pick, and roll. When he's in shape and in rhythm, he's such a good

score. You can score at all three levels. Big fan of BI, but he's constantly hurt, and he's kind of a funky fit alongside the drive-and-kick kind of profile that I see from a Dejante Murray-Zion Williamson type of core. Also, C.J. McCollum is a much better spot. up player than Brandon Ingram. Brandon Ingram was an average spot-up player. I want to say he was at like 1.07 points per spot-up possession. C.J. McCollum was one of the best spot-up players in the league last year. He was up over 1.3 points per possession.

So good at shooting and driving closeouts. So like B.I. is not only worth more in terms of getting return, but C.J. is a better fit alongside DeJante and Zion. And so that's the direction that I'd look to go. From there, try to flip him for a center. There's a bunch of different directions they can go. You could look at like athletic rim running centers, guys like Nick Claxton or Klankepella. There are guys who could shoot it a little bit.

I talked about Isaiah Stewart with the pistons earlier. He's a guy that you could try to pry away from Detroit. Wendell Carter Jr. from Orlando. You could even look at, I'm worried about this from a defensive perspective, but what if Minnesota decides to move on from Carl Anthony Towns or if Chicago decides to move on from Nikola Vucevich? Those are a couple other guys that you could look at in terms of shooting next design. Williamson, but I view them as a drive-and-kick team in the future. I really like the idea of Zion and DeJonti Murray beating people off the dribble, guys like Trey Murphy and C.J. McCollum

benefiting from that in close-out situations because of their ability to shoot and make moves in the mid-range. All right, guys, that is all I have for today. As always, I sincerely appreciate you for supporting the show. We're going to take the rest of the weekend off. We'll be back on Monday to break down the Olympic opener between USA and Serbia, as well as we're going to, I'm going to to start prepping the player rankings at that point. We'll probably end up airing that on Tuesday. But we will be back on Monday. I will see you guys then.

The volume. What's up, guys? As always, I appreciate you for listening to and supporting hoops tonight. It would actually be really helpful for us if you guys would take a second and leave a rating and a review. As always, I appreciate you guys supporting us. But if you could take a minute to do that, I'd really appreciate it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel.

and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep. That's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.