The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Nerd Sesh - Top 5 "Too Early" NBA Title Contenders

Episode Date: July 10, 2023

The nerds rank the Top 5 title contenders for the upcoming NBA season, breaking down how high Damian Lillard would take the Miami Heat, how strong Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers’ title chances are and whether Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are the favorites to repeat as champs. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Charles Darwin. The nerds is where it's at. Welcome everybody back to the nerdsesh. As always, I'm Carson Forever, and alongside me is Logan Camden, and we are here again from Blue Wire Studios in Las Vegas at Summer League. Today we are going to be ranking our top five NBA title contenders for next season with the offseason mostly wrapped up. Obviously, there is still the one major question of where Damian Lillard finds himself playing next season. Certainly looks like the Miami Heat.

But Logan, want to hear your list. Let's start with your toughest cut. Who was that? So I had two really tough cuts, Carson, and then I want to get them out of the way first. My first cut, the Phoenix Suns, I have them at number seven. And I'm just concerned if they can pressure the rim enough next. season. This was a team that in the playoffs, they were in the 30th percentiles among playoff teams of at-rim attempts. They were in the 99th percentile of mid-range shots in the playoffs.

53.6 percent of their shots came in the mid-range, and they just added a guy in Bradley Beal who takes 46 percent of his shots from the mid-range. That's also in the 97th percentile. So I worry about their depth and their bench. I worry about this offense being dynamic, and I worry about this defense reaching a high enough ceiling to be competitive. So I just need to see it from Phoenix to believe in it. So they're going to be number seven. My toughest cut was the Golden State Warriors. And I think they can reach a really high defensive peak.

They're bringing back Draymond Green. That was a huge piece. They needed to bring him back. And now Chris Paul is going to take over for those non-steff minutes. I think they're important additions. But I'm just concerned with them having reliable scoring outside of Steph. And when it comes down to crunch time in the playoffs, if they're going to be able to, yeah, create reliable offense consistently enough,

golden state's one of the best perimeter scoring teams in the NBA. I fully expect that. That's one of the best offensive players on planet Earth, but they were outsized by L.A. And they just weren't able to create consistent, reliable offense. And that's my real chief concern with Golden State. I think that they need to do something else before the season starts. I just don't have complete faith in them.

So they're not going to be one of my top five contenders today. So I would flip the order of these two, but I think they probably belong in the six and seven spot. I think the suns have the higher ceiling of these two. I really don't think the Warriors have addressed their fundamental issues. I think size is an absolute killer. And when you're looking at what's going to dictate the Western Conference, the Nuggets and the Lakers are massive.

They are physical. They're going to dominate on the glass. The Lakers particularly have great defensive personnel. And the Warriors just weren't equipped to battle in those arenas last year. The secondary shot creation, I think CP brings a valuable element, particularly for the second unit, obviously can still create good looks for himself and others out of pick and roll.

Not a guy who I want consistently bearing. the load of a second creator, not a guy who is overly complimentary to Steph, just not being a great off ball player, a defensive liability at this stage. So I like what the Warriors did in the draft with some of their moves on the peripheries of the roster like Brandon Podzemsky, I think, is a really good offensive fit. Trace Jackson Davis, I think, can be an immediate rotational big, but I just don't think they really meaningfully addressed the biggest issues that they have. When it comes to the Sons, I mean, the major selling point here is obviously just incredible star shot making and plus playmaking from all of the members of their big three.

They have the best scoring duo in the league. I think one of the best ever and the best offensive number three in basketball. So that's the reason they're in these conversations. The issue is that they are basically below the pack in every other category. And what cost them this year was not their ability to create high level offense. Even though they had some lulls with their inability to pressure the rim, they had the number three offensive rating in this playoff field. It was their issues in terms of size, physicality, defense, the ability to do the little things.

And yeah, their biggest issue was, how do we break these lulls? How do we pressure the rim? They were dead last and restricted area makes last year. Book is around 75th in the league in restricted area field goals made. Katie is 150. Beal is the best of the group, but it's still far from like his primary strength. Then you have the fit between the stars. All of them are good off ball.

You have lots of good off ball movement and cutting and capable. spot up shooting from all these guys, but it's not how you maximize any of their value. And there's just inherent redundancies there with all three of them eating up so many minutes. And although I like how they've improved with very limited resources in terms of depth, the Eric Gordon signing, Kada Bates Diop, I actually really like for the front court. Udwada Nabe is a fine guy who's going to at least bring shooting. UBanks is another capable front court option. Like they've done a good job, but they were coming from a truly abysmal place.

I still don't think they compare to any of the teams we'll talk about in terms of high impact role guys and sheer quality players. Like, they're just not matching up because they have gone so all in in terms of financial investment on their top four guys. I don't think Aidan is a guy who I consistently trust to play at that high two-way level and to compensate for their shortcomings elsewhere in terms of defensive personnel and physicality and all those things. So I think the sons are going to be really good.

but when it comes to things that win you championships, it's not just about how consistently can we have star creation from these guys who we know are capable of getting mid-range buckets relentlessly. A lot of it is about the little things and the two-way ceiling, and I'm not convinced there. So who do you have in the five spot? At number five, I have the team that was just in the Western Conference finals. I have the Los Angeles Lakers.

And I think they had basically a perfect offseason. They retain Austin Reeves on one of the best value deals in all, of basketball. They bring back Hachimura. They add in Gabe Vincent to the fold, Tari and Prince, Jackson Hayes, Cam Reddish. I think this team matches up defensively and size-wise with anybody in the league. The Lakers are going to be a physical team. They're going to be great defensively. They're super long. And that's really their strengths. I have two major questions for L.A. And that's primarily what version of the stars that we get out of them? Like is LeBron going to be the best version of LeBron? Is his jump shot going to be on?

Can he impose his will on the game and control the way LeBron controls basketball games? That's probably my biggest question for L.A. If that box is checked, the only other one is, what version of Anthony Davis do we get? And can he slow down Nicola Yokic? I know he got, he kind of got sunned by Yokch a little bit. Yokic is rocking him. AD was his little baby. But I don't think AD gave his best effort.

I think Anthony Davis is the best defensive player on planet Earth, and I think he can slow down Yokic a little more. I think size-wise, they match up really well with Denver and basically any other team in the league. I just have major questions about the variables that LeBron and ADR. My other thing is perimeter creation throughout this roster. I trust Austin Reeves. I like Gabe Vincent. What deal are we going to get?

But either way, I think L.A. set themselves up for a lot of success. If any of these guys are struggling through the season, these are all really movable contracts where you can go out and get another major asset. Like, these are movable pieces that people will want. Yeah, but the biggest question for me is what we get out of LeBron, what we get out of AD, how healthy they are. But I really do think the Lakers are a legitimate title contender. And I think a lot of people are sleeping on them, man. I'm a little higher on the Lakers than you are, and I have them in my fourth spot. And I've been a real believer in this core after the deadline.

I viewed them as a front runner in the Western Conference. And I think that their Western Conference finals run was very legit. They obviously got swept, but they played Denver more competitively in terms of the consistency game to game. and just the flat out point differential than any other team in the entire playoff field. I think they have an elite defensive ceiling with a top three defensive anchor on the planet. I think they have tremendous physicality and size advantages over basically everybody but Denver. And I think that they do have really good death with a lot of those impact role guys. Reeves is a legit, strong number three in this playoff field.

and Rui is going to bring that defensive versatility, the ability to attack mismatches to be a big time shot maker. Vincent, I think, is a guy who gives their secondary creation core a higher floor because Dilo, there's nights where he's flat out unplayable. Like if he just can't hit a shot, if he's making bad decisions, Gay Vincent is so much steadier. And I think having an option like that really matters and could have, frankly, made them fare much better in that Denver series

because Dilo was an abomination. and they just didn't have other options to turn to. But Tori and Prince is going to bring more shooting on the wings. Vando matchup to match up isn't always playable, but does have pretty exceptional defensive value in certain situations. So I like their secondary creation. I don't think it's like an elite strength because of Delo's inconsistency. But it really does come down to what versions of LeBron and AD you're going to get

because they potentially have two top 10 players. And I think the Lakers will go as far as, those guys can take them. There's not really glaring weaknesses on this roster to me. Maybe you could look at perimeter shooting. They were mediocre there last year, but I'm not overly concerned about it. I do think it limits their dynamism. And that's one thing about this Lakers offense and it limited them throughout this past season. They ended up being an average playoff offense. Everything is a grind. It is very much about getting into that painted area. Their guards love to operate out of pick and roll and get to the mid range and the

floaters. And so they just don't have the ability to go on these sort of effortless runs that like Denver can with their shooting ceiling or Boston can when they're dialed in and they're getting a high level scoring from their top wings, but also all the catcher shooting is going. So I do think that's something to note. It's just a bit easier for some of these other teams to hum offensively. It's always kind of a grind for the Lakers. But it's going to come down to LeBron and 80's consistency for an entire run because they both had exceptional moments. I thought 80 through the first rounds played maybe the best defensive postseason that I could think of. But then absolutely was totally outclassed in the Yokic matchup. And offensively, I thought, was too inconsistent in terms

of his aggression, relying on his touch shot making that isn't always going to be high level. And he ends up being a 21 point per game guy in this playoff front. That's just not enough. LeBron had spectacular moments where he was dialed in and he was really abusing his physical advantages and maximizing his playmaking impact, attacking out of the post. And where his jump shot was falling. Like game six against the Warriors was great LeBron. Game four against the Nuggets was great LeBron. But bottom line, he was a 24 point per game guy on okay efficiency. Very good. Top 12 player in the league. Not the kind of LeBron James that they need if they want to win a title. And for him being another year older, it's just completely unprecedented territory.

And so I do believe in this Lakers team. I do think they check a whole lot of boxes, this physicality, defensive ceiling, secondary creation, fine shooting at the very least, and big physical guys at the top who can attack the paint. And for that reason, I am high on them. But it's going to come down to can LeBron and AD be better for an entire playoff run? And that's on both of them than they were this year. So I have the Lakers in the four spot. Who do you have in the four spot?

At number four, I have the Milwaukee Bucks. And I think there are some things that you can rely on with Milwaukee. primarily their defense. I don't know if they're going to run as heavy drop. It really worked during the regular season. It's worked for them for a while with Mike Boutenholzer. Now that he's out, I don't know if they're going to run that same stuff, but I still think this is going to be an elite defense. You have one of the best defensive players on planet Earth and Yanosan Tetsacompo. Brooke Lopez was a phenomenal rim protector. Again, even though it's coming out of that drop, you have, in my opinion, probably the best guard defending guard in all of basketball and Drew Holiday, too.

This defense is going to be great. What slowed them down in the playoffs this year was that late game. offense. I mean, they had a clutch offensive rating of below 80. It was a lot of Janus creating from the perimeter. And I just don't think that's the most conducive to great late game offense. You have Chris Middleton, who, while he struggled during the regular season, was great in the playoffs, 24, 6, and 6 really efficiently. You also have Drew Holiday, who, in a pinch, I think is really underrated at going out and getting his own buckets. I trust Drew Holiday to get downhill and go through contact, to get points. So I think they're going to clean that up. My big question marks are if Chris Middleton can stay healthy. Injuries have been a really

big issue with him. And I wonder how this knee surgery affects Janus. Janus underwent a procedure where they're going out in his knee and they're going to clean it out. I just don't know how that's going to affect him if that's a really big deal, but it does raise a flag in my mind of, is Janus going to be fully healthy for this season? Is he going to be okay? Obviously, he missed some time in the playoffs with that injury too. Those are my major concerns and just them aging. This is an old group. But I think they're going to be rock solid defensively. You have a lot of shooting around Janus. Janus is one of the best defensive collapses in all of basketball. He's just plain and simply. He's one of the three best players on planet

Earth. I'm going to bank on that. I'm going to bank on the defense being great. And they are very much in entitled contention. I don't think their depth is as good as it was in recent years. But I still think this is going to be a great team. I just think there's an offensive ceiling if they choose to run through Janus once more. I think they need to lean on Chris Middleton and Drew Holiday a little bit more in those big situations. And yeah, just depend on them a little bit more when Janus is struggling like that. So I have the Bucks at 5, which is a real markdown from how I felt about them for most of this year, because going into the playoffs, they were my title favorite.

I am definitely concerned about the half-court offense. And similarly to the Lakers, it's like a real grind for the bucks in a way that it isn't for the top three teams. The problem is I don't think that they have two creators at the top of the caliber of LeBron and AD. I don't like their secondary creation as much. I have real concerns about playoff drew, dude. I think we have seen now for three straight postseason. He struggles to score with any sort of efficiency. He's under 48% true shooting.

And I think there's some very clear reasons for that. He's not a good pull-up jump shooter. He's not a high-end athlete. He doesn't pressure the rim consistently. So you end up with the sort of and looks from him, often from the perimeter repeatedly. I don't really like Drew in a high-volume role. And I think Janus, I don't want to overreact to just three games of him in that context.

But it's like every limitation of his was exposed in the most embarrassing way possible in terms of his limitations as a half-court creator. The free-throw shooting is one thing. His playmaking wasn't good enough, almost as many turnovers as assists in that series. But really, against a great one-on-one defender like BAM, where he was not able to simply overpower him physically in that half-court context, his game kind of crumbled.

And when he doesn't have that, like, consistently elite option to turn to, especially given Middleton's availability concerns, which you touched on, He's played in 40 of 99 games since the start of the 2022 playoffs when he missed the majority of that run. And consistently this year, it was like he was back into the lineup on a minute's restriction, but he couldn't ever get fully healthy. Playoffs was the best that he looked. Now, he had another surgery after the playoff run.

As an aging guy in his 30s, I think that's a legitimate concern. So I just don't really like the half court offense from them as much as my top three teams. That being said, I think they have a very high defensive ceiling. I think that they have great size as well. I think the overall talent level of their top seven is super impressive. The big three of Holliday, Middleton, and Yannis, of course, Brooke Lopez is one of the best fourth options in the league. And then you have the shooting from Grayson Allen and Pat Connton.

Bobby Portis is one of the better do-it-all sixth men in basketball. And Yonis ultimately has led to great regular season teams every year of his career because he is the most unstoppable physical force with above average shooting alongside him. No, Javon Carter coming back, no Joe Engels coming back. I still think this is a good shooting core, not a great one. But I am concerned about that half-court offensive creation. And I'm concerned about the aging too. I want to see some more malleability with them.

Schematically, I think it'll be interesting to see how Adrian Griffin compares to Mike Boodenholzer, but also defensively, are there combinations where they can go out there and excel without Brooke Lopez? Because we've seen Janus at the five lineups in the past do well there. I think Andre Jackson, who they picked up in the draft this year, is going to be potentially an important weapon there. Great versatile defensive piece. Really good athlete. Very good playmaker offensively.

I do worry about his spot-up shooting limitations. But is there a way that you can play in a series against a Miami where they were so reliant on their pull-up shooting, not like a great rim pressuring team? And you can take Brooke at Lopez off the floor in those stretches and still put together a really strong defensive unit. I ultimately left this playoff run from Milwaukee with more questions than I did resounding positive answers. And I think they're all legitimate concerns. So I am definitely lower on them right now than I was throughout last regular season. 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 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, Cliver 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 at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to? do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here,

unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah, yeah. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS. on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years

for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Who do you have in your three spot? At number three, I have the Boston Celtics, and I'll tell you right now, Carson, I think the Boston Celtics are going to disappoint me more than any other team in basketball again.

They're just super inconsistent. On paper, you're in your out. This is one of the most talented teams in the league. And it's frustrating because one night, like you said, dude, they can go on barrages on these insane runs that they're hitting every three. They're playing great defense. They're getting out in transition.

And it is easy. They will blow a team out. You're sitting there going, this is the best team in the league. By far, they're going to run away to the championship. They added Christopps Porzingis in the offseason. I think they got a lot better with that move. I think you've got a lot of guards on this roster with Malcolm Brogden, Derek White.

Marcus Smart is not as important to this core. I think you needed to add a little more offensive versatility. Porzingis, for one, is going to be a much better catching shooter than Al Horford. Horford was below 30% in these playoffs. That's not going to happen to Christops. He's a great shooter. He also is going to bring some versatility in terms of post touches. Like, he's a good post-up.

I don't think a lot of people watched Washington Wizards basketball last year. He was 89th percentile as a post score. Minimum of three possessions a game was the second most of the first of the second most efficient post-upscoring basketball behind Nicola Yokic. So I think he brings a little more versatility there. I think he brings some nice size, some defensive length too. Where with Rob Williams, you've got a lot of rim protection there. I do think the Celtics got better.

But I wonder about the Tatum and Brown fit. And again, I just worry about them in terms of consistency in late game situations. The Boston Celtics have repeatedly showed us that they're not reliable in these late game situations. If it's Jason Tatum crumbling, if it's Jalen Brown crumbling with these bad turnovers. I don't know the solution there. And like a lot of people have noted, I don't know if either of these guys are number ones. In those late game situations, it's time to take over, put games away, put the other team to bed, and take them down. I think they've got solid depth here. I think they

are one of the most talented teams on paper in basketball. I think it'll be great in the regular season again. I just don't want to buy in and get fooled again. The Boston Celtics have fooled me both of these past two years. They're teetering on that sixer scale for me, Carson, where I don't want to buy in again. I like the move for Porzingis. I want to see how that affects this team, but I still wonder about the Tatum and Brown fit. I worry about them in late game situations. I worry about them being consistently locked in night to night and digging themselves holes that they can't get out of. They almost dug their own grave against Philly. They definitely did it against Miami by going down 03. So a lot of those same concerns are still there for me with Boston.

Here's the thing that's so tricky with Boston, who I also have in my number three spot. We talk about them underachieving and disappointing. and they were in the finals two years ago and they were in Game 70s for conference finals this year because their talent level is arguably the best in the league and their best punch is arguably the best in the league. Like just the top six of Tatum Brown, Porzingis, White, Rob Williams and Malcolm Brogton is obscene.

Like they are in so many ways close to the prototypical modern basketball team with the two elite scoring wings with very good catch and shooters and very good secondary ball handlers around them. But their fundamental issues do remain unaddressed. I think KP is going to add important scoring versatility

because I don't know that their issues this year were primarily about the offensive. And I think it was really about their defensive consistency. But they're shooting lulls and their inability to work their way out of that. Like if it was just relying too heavily on the pull-up shooting or even when they were generating some solid driving kick looks, but they weren't falling. or if they were settling for too many of those one pass catch and shoots against the Miami zone,

they just didn't have the other thing to turn to. And so they just kind of went down with the ship in terms of relying heavily on that perimeter shooting. And I think KP is a guy who you can utilize in a bunch of ways. Very good screener and, well, not necessarily the active screening itself, but score out of screening actions if it's as a roller or even more deadly as a popper. Very good post-up score, very good spot-up shooter. I don't want to just pretend that Al Horford wasn't great there for the regular season. He was, I think he was 44% from deep.

But yeah, he was really brutal in the postseason. KP is a great shooter of the basketball. And he's going to add length and athleticism defensively. So you are still able to get those two big looks that Horford and Rob Williams bring you in certain matchups could be very important against like a Yonis and maybe Denver size if they were to the finals and you have way more offensive pop. And this team just has a tremendously high defensive ceiling. Like if they're all engaged,

you have an elite defensive guard in Derek White. You have an elite defensive wing in Jason Tatum. You have a pretty elite defensive big in Rob Williams with like overall pluses from Jalen Brown and Christopps Porzingis, I would say. But the fundamental concerns, the consistency of their defensive effort. I don't really have reason to buy into that anymore than I did this past year. and that was what killed them, I think, in some of those early games against Miami.

Their ability to avoid those offensive slumps and the fact that they don't have that consistently great half-court offensive engine. Jason Tatum, I just don't think is quite there with his inconsistency as a pull-up jump shooter, with his inconsistency as a playmaker. And I do think that's part of the reason that the team as a whole can fall into these slumps. And can Jaylon Brown consistently reach his ceiling, obviously? Significant struggles as a ball handler. as a playmaker in this run. I also think there's a bit of regression

in terms of depth here that losing Marcus Smart, losing Grant Williams, who at the very least was a playable wing. I know that you don't like Grant Williams, but I mean, is Sam Houser better, Logan? Sam Houser can shoot. Sam Houser's a UVA alum. He's got that. Grant Williams can shoot too.

Grant Williams is like a bowling ball. Grant Williams is 40% from deep, buddy, and he's certainly a better defender than Sam Houser. He's Batman. He's Batman. So you better respect him. I think the talent, the ceiling here is undeniable.

And that's why it's scary to have them down at three instead of higher, especially because this run was so weird. Like the heat were plus 13% from deep against them in those conference finals. Now I think the heat are going to have a lot more talent this year because of something that is impending. But still, if Boston can find their defensive ceiling from the 2022 season, if their stars consistently play up to their billing, and if they have like an average shooting run by their standards as a good shooting team,

They probably should be the favorites. But it is like you said, they're not on Philly's level. They have had so much more playoff success. They're just a better team. But it is hard to bet on things that consistently have not happened and have consistently brought them down just flipping. And like, I was super confident that they were going to beat Miami this year. And it came down to their fatal flaws in Miami totally out executing them in a lot of those key areas.

So I am also going to keep Boston down at three. Who do you have in your two spot? I don't want to be boring. At number two, I have the Miami Heat, the runners up from this year. And I just think, again, Carson and I are acting under the context as if Damian Lillard is a member of the Miami Heat. But with Dame, I mean, he just takes them up such another level. These numbers are insane to me. Damian Lillard, one of seven players averaged 32 and 7 in a single season.

It was the most efficient 32 and 7 season of all time, 64.5 true shooting percentage. Blazers had an offensive rating of 120.3 with Lillard on the floor. He was the third most efficient isolation score, minimum four possessions a game in basketball last year. He was the most efficient pick and roll score. They didn't have that. I love Jimmy Butler. I am as big of a Jimmy guy as anybody else on the planet. Give me Jimmy.

If it's a one game set and you give me Jimmy. He's not a great half-court creator, you know, the likes of the Steph Currys of the world, the SGA's, the Lillard. To me, is a top 10 to top five guy in that regard. and he just takes their offensive game up such another level. You're not going to have these big lulls. You're not going to have to rely on Gabe Vincent, on Duncan Robinson, on Max Shrews making three pull-up threes a game. Again, I want to emphasize.

Losing Shrews and Vincent aren't just regular losses. Those are really good role players. But with Damian Lillard, you're not going to have to rely on them night to night. Dame is your dog. Dame is the guy that you bet on night tonight on the offensive end. Jimmy and him, I think, are going to be able to work really well together. So I like this bench, too. dude. Again, you're losing elite shooters, but I think you've got more athleticism now on this

bench. I think you've got guys who can do a little bit of everything. Caleb Martin is back. Josh Richardson is one of the best role-playing wings on the market that they could have brought back in. They get him. I may Hawkes is in here. Nicole Yovitch is going to be on this roster. Well, those guys are both getting traded. I was going to say, if they have day. They're probably going to, some of these guys are probably going to get moved. Regardless, I still like their depth to an extent. And I trust. I trust. I trust. trust the heat culture to get these guys to play winning basketball alongside these guys. They're going to hustle. They're going to play great defense. They're going to do what Spoh

tells them, and they're going to be able to shoot at a high enough level to where you're not suffering without Struz, without Vincent. The Dame acquisition is massive. And I think with how consistently great Miami has been defensively, Dame clears the only question mark that you have about Miami moving forward. And that's reliable half-court offense. I love Miami next season if they can get Dame. have them at number two as well, but to be clear, that is very much dependent on them getting Dame. If they don't, I wouldn't have them in my top five. Sorry guys. I understand that they just made the finals. I just think so many elements came together that are not sustainable, right? Shooting 45%

from deep in their wins over Boston, 48% in their wins over Milwaukee, the utter collapses that we saw from those two teams who will come back better prepared for those situations, even if they remain flaws in terms of their construction as well. But with Dame, I agree. I think that it addresses their biggest most glaring issue. That offense started to crumble in the home stretches of the playoffs. Like after they went up 3-0 on Boston, their offensive rating would have been equivalent to 13th of 16 teams in the playoff field.

They couldn't pressure the rim. They didn't have that consistently great over-the-top pull-up jump shooter. And Dane would immediately become the best half-court offensive engine in the east. Like I think Janus is more limited there. And beat in a playoff context is clearly more limited there. Frankly, I'm not sure anybody is really pushing him. for that title. So that changes the dynamic of everything completely. Then you consider that they have one of the three best number twos in the league in Jimmy Butler. Some people might argue the best. I mean,

his last two playoff runs, he's been the guy on teams that almost went to the finals and went to the finals. He's given you 27, 7 and 5 on 58% true shooting with elite wing defense. So if you want to take him as your guy, I can't really hold that against you. And then you have a top three defender in the league, maybe the best, with perimeter hounds alongside him and a brilliant. scheme. And you have the best coach in the NBA, which was a pivotal advantage to them throughout this entire run and legitimately won them games and series. And overall, you have the talent level now to where you don't have to be punching above your weight and totally relying on coaching brilliance and unsustainable shooting throughout an entire run.

They're going to have three top 25 players with very complimentary skill sets. The phenomenal half court scoring and playmaking engine with the big time perimeter shot making who will bring some more of that rim pressuring and dame, the mismatch attack. versatile scoring wing and Jimmy Butler, and then the all-around defensive weapon, and Bam needs to be more consistent as a high-end score, but there will be less of a burden on him and still has versatility there,

and obviously playmaking value, running handoffs, and a very good screener in all these different things. And then I just think the, like, dog and execution advantages they have are proven, and I will not discount them, especially when they have the talent level that would put them in these conversations with these other teams. Anyways. I do have some questions about them.

number one being the wing core, right? As you mentioned, no more Struce. You're probably giving up Hockes and Yovic and maybe Duncan Robinson in a trade. And so you're looking at Caleb Martin and Joss Richardson and Haywood Highsmith. I think that can work. I think those are all guys who can play both ends of the floor

and who can shoot, which is like the most important thing. But you're not getting a consistent high impact plus guy there. I know Caleb Martin had great moments in this run. I don't know that we can expect that level going forward. So it's not a show. strength. I think it's workable, but it's not a strength. Question number two is going to be their shooting ceiling. They were the best three-point shooting team in this run, and that really is what empowered them to get to the finals. I don't know if we can quite expect that ceiling, but I do think

there'll be a good shooting team again. And then question number three is size. And I think that that's what just made them completely outmatched against Denver. And that's the thing that they really have not addressed. They bring in Thomas Bryant, who's another playable big. I don't know that he really matters in a playoff series. They bring back Kevin Love, but again, he's just six, eight. Like, they are small. They are limited athletically. They're able to compensate for that on the defensive end of the floor. But I think like Gabe Vincent is a markedly better defender than Damien Lillard. We'll see what Dame looks like in a culture that really incentivizes and has these great defensive practices. So they might regress a bit on that end of the floor. But I just think with

their playoff track record and the areas that we know they excel year in year out, adding an offensive creator of this caliber who will be the best in the conference to me in that role with two other top 25 players, I just think that's tough to deny. So I think the heat would be my favorite out east too, not to have the top seat in the regular season, but to get through the grind of a playoff run. But number one, Logan, we're going to agree. Who do you have? I have the Denver Nuggets. You know, they're just going to be great again next year. I don't know what to tell you. It's kind of the boring answer. I wish I had somebody spicy. All the Lakers

are going to be the number one team in the league next year. I don't believe that. I think the nuggets are going to be really hard to stop. Yokic will still be the best, most unstoppable player in the world, something that Jason Tim, host of Hoops Tonight, friend of the show, co-worker at the volume, always emphasizes, too, one of the most

important things. Yokic can stay healthy. He's a tank. He's always on the court, too. And great basketball just works around him. You think about the runs with rivers, with Morris, with Will Barton, initiators on the perimeter, right? You can just kind of throw in whoever you want, and it works. But, no, you've got a great core around him. Jamal Murray, arguably the best co-star in the league. They just complement each other so well, the pull-up shooting, the catch and shooting, the ball handling.

He's insane in this playoff run. MPJ, I know he struggled in the finals. It's going to be one of the best players off of the catch. He's going to be a great rebounder. I was super impressed with how MPJ played team basketball, how he defended, how he rebounded, just his effort. I was concerned about that. MPJ showed that during the run. Aaron Gordon, again, a piece that just fits perfectly. I just don't have as many questions or variables about the nuggets. My question for other teams is who can guard Nicola Yokic? Who can stop Nicola Yolkich? That's the big question. That's the big puzzle that needs to be solved. I think Anthony Davis probably has the best shot out west. Out east, I think the Celtics size-wise and athletically maybe have some answers. But that's the biggest

question needs to be answered. And I know that they lost a very important rotational piece in Bruce Brown. Something they really haven't addressed in the offseason. I certainly don't want Reggie Jackson getting a ton of minutes off the bench. Reggie Jackson is not the answer. I do think they need to find another reliable ball handler because Bruce Brown filled that role and more to perfection. I think you have good wings here. Christian Brown, Peyton Watson, Justin Holliday, they're playable. They're good. Christian Brown was great during the run. I still think they maybe need to find another bench ball handler. But that's not a deal breaker for me. not something that's going to make me say that Denver is not my favorite. They've got the best

player on planet Earth. They have great continuity. They have a great core. And they reached a really high defensive ceiling, something that I didn't know if they'd be able to reach with Yokic at the five spot. They were the fourth best defense in all the playoffs last season. I think they can do that with effort, with energy, and with their size and physical advantages. So I just don't have that many questions about the Nuggets. I want to see how they go out and replace Bruce Brown, but that's kind of the only variable they need to address. Yeah, they definitely stand above the rest of the league right now and there's a ton of clear areas where they excel. They have the best synergy and continuity of any team in the league, which I think was why they

had such a seamless and convincing run throughout the playoffs. Now, the other thing is that they do have by far the best offensive player. I shouldn't say by far, I think that Steph is still within striking distance, but Yokic to me because of his physical imposition, his ability to create those high quality shots in the paint. And his playmaking advantage over Steph does have that number one title and the best team offense with the surrounding weapons. I think that they have excellent shot making. They have elite size and rebounding. And they're capable of the high defensive ceiling.

Now, I do think if we're going to look at any questions, it is what you laid out. Without Bruce Brown, can they quite reach the same level that they did in this playoff on the defensive end of the floor? I still think as a collective unit, they have very good hands. They're a very high IQ unit when they're dialed in. And rebounding is definitely a strength of theirs. But Bruce was one of the best guys in that unit. He was a plus athlete.

He was another guy with great hands. So they have to supplement that. I do think that Julian Strother coming in is like an immediate three-indy guy who can play. Very pro-ready. Peyton Watson, I do think has game. He's athletic. I think he's a guy who can probably defend this season at a high level. And also 43% from deep last year has some creation off the dribble as well.

I think they will supplement the things that Bruce provided. I also think Jalen Pickett, they got in the draft. Very pro-ready guy. High-level pick and roll ball handler who was able to really dictate the pace for a second unit and get himself shots in the lane and facilitate at a high level. So yes, the Bruce loss hurts. They are not going to find anybody who brings all the things that he did in one neat package like that. But I think they've done a nice job of getting supplementary pieces so that they're not just going to be totally missing the value that he brought. I think all and all, they're in very good position to run it back, added more shooting in the draft with

Hunter Tyson as well. I think they've done a good job of addressing their needs and nobody has an answer for Nico Yokic in this offense. Like, I just fundamentally do not believe it. It was one of the greatest offensive runs that we've ever seen. The dude is exceptional out of every action and there's just no answer. So I think the nuggets have to be the favorite to run it back. So that's going to do it for us here today, guys. This was an absolute pleasure again. Thank you so much to Blue Wire for having us here in the studio. Summer League has been great and we're super grateful to have had this opportunity. So, as always, if you enjoyed the show, you can find us on social media, Twitter at Nerd underscore Sesh, Instagram, and TikTok at NerdSest. You can listen to the show

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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 Clifers Show.

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