1
00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:18,839
Speaker 1: What is up, fellowsikos, I am Dan Favalley coming at

2
00:00:18,839 --> 00:00:21,679
you with Guessed It another twenty twenty four twenty twenty

3
00:00:21,719 --> 00:00:25,280
five NBA season look Ahead. We're onto the Oklahoma City Thunder,

4
00:00:25,399 --> 00:00:28,399
so I got to be joined by the uncontesteds Taylor

5
00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:32,119
Peterson and Jacob Niffen. We talk a lot about the Thunder.

6
00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:34,159
I think this one ran over ninety minutes if I'm

7
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,679
not mistaken. We did, however, record it, which is why

8
00:00:36,719 --> 00:00:41,079
I'm redoing the intro before the Kenrick Williams Wright knee

9
00:00:41,079 --> 00:00:43,039
surgery news. He's now probably not going to be ready

10
00:00:43,079 --> 00:00:44,759
for a training camp, so we got into a little

11
00:00:44,759 --> 00:00:46,960
bit with him. I don't think it changes the overall

12
00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,000
out look. It definitely doesn't change much of what we said.

13
00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:53,000
And also we recorded it before the whole Chet excuse me,

14
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,799
Isaiah Hartenstein's trainer or whatever being in the IG comments

15
00:00:55,799 --> 00:00:59,079
saying the plan is to start him and Chet together

16
00:00:59,159 --> 00:01:01,039
next season. We'll see other chicks out or whether it's

17
00:01:01,079 --> 00:01:03,280
more of a matchup thing. But found that fascinating, so

18
00:01:03,439 --> 00:01:05,599
keep it in mind as you're listening to this. Also,

19
00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,680
if you're new around these parts, remember to subscribe Apple Spotify,

20
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:11,599
those are the best spots as well as YouTube. Those

21
00:01:11,599 --> 00:01:13,280
are all the three platforms where you can do us

22
00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:15,799
the most solid. Ratings and reviews on Apple go a

23
00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,280
long way towards helping us get exposures. So please, if

24
00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,239
you haven't done that, even if you don't use Apple,

25
00:01:20,359 --> 00:01:22,640
just go and do it. Write an awesome five star review.

26
00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,079
I would appreciate it. And on YouTube like flood the comments,

27
00:01:26,079 --> 00:01:27,840
you guys have actually been doing a really good job.

28
00:01:27,879 --> 00:01:30,040
I don't mean to sound surprised with flooding the comments.

29
00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:32,239
I want to continue to see more of it. The

30
00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,760
comments have seemed to help bump up the algorithm, the

31
00:01:34,879 --> 00:01:36,599
likes and the comments to get some of the longer

32
00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,680
form videos some more views. So we really appreciate everyone

33
00:01:39,719 --> 00:01:42,239
who's done that doing that. Do the same thing on

34
00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:45,159
our shorts, which continue they're not bombing, but they've died

35
00:01:45,159 --> 00:01:46,840
down of late. So if you can go to our feed,

36
00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,280
just go comment like wild on all of our shorts.

37
00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,359
We heart you for that. If you are doing all

38
00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,599
those things, or have done all those things, tell people

39
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,200
about us, share the content the whole nine, purchase our

40
00:01:56,239 --> 00:01:58,760
merch you could support the show. It's endorsed by Kaitlin Cooper.

41
00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:00,519
I don't know, like, do you get a better endorsement

42
00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:04,079
than her purchasing a Hardware Knock shirt? Mid podcast that

43
00:02:04,159 --> 00:02:06,799
I don't know if we can, but that's enough out

44
00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,280
of me. Please remember subscribe to the un Contestant and

45
00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,159
follow all those dudes over there. The links to where

46
00:02:12,159 --> 00:02:14,080
you can subscribe to the Young Contestant as well. The

47
00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,800
social media profiles of Taylor and Jacob will be in

48
00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,759
the podcast and YouTube description. That is enough out of me, though.

49
00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,439
Let's talk loads and loads about the forthcoming season for

50
00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,800
the Oklahoma City Thunder. Taylor, Jacob, welcome back. You guys

51
00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,520
are running it back consecutive years for the Oklahoma City

52
00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,199
Founder look ahead. Nick is ducking the Hardware Knocks podcast.

53
00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:36,960
I don't know what that's about, but thank you guys

54
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:38,639
so much for coming back. How oh now I have

55
00:02:38,759 --> 00:02:41,000
to is the first three person look at it? We've done,

56
00:02:41,039 --> 00:02:43,159
so I have to delegate. Let's start, Jacob, how are

57
00:02:43,199 --> 00:02:43,560
you doing?

58
00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,759
Speaker 2: I'm good man. We are in the dog days of

59
00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,879
the NBA summer. I'm glad football is back, but there

60
00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,520
is nothing to talk about the NBA so far. GG

61
00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:59,960
Jackson's foot, maybe Evan Fourmier signing overseas. I need him

62
00:03:00,319 --> 00:03:02,039
content so very glad to be here.

63
00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,280
Speaker 1: Give me Jeddie Osmond's five best destinations in free agency.

64
00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,800
Speaker 2: Still feel, oh my god, we're not doing that, brother Taylor,

65
00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:09,439
how are you?

66
00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,080
Speaker 3: It's already gonna be a two hour podcast, Dan, we

67
00:03:12,439 --> 00:03:15,479
don't need to go through that. Doing really good, super

68
00:03:15,479 --> 00:03:17,280
thankful for you having us back on. We can't wait

69
00:03:17,319 --> 00:03:19,360
to return the favor, hopefully with you and Grant both.

70
00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,800
And like Jacob said, it's exciting. You know, with football season,

71
00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,919
it's always fun to have something to hold us over

72
00:03:27,039 --> 00:03:29,719
until the NBA. But you inviting us on this show

73
00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:31,840
just was a reminder that we're getting closer and closer

74
00:03:31,879 --> 00:03:34,560
your training camps and this season officially starting, so we're

75
00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:35,120
almost there.

76
00:03:35,759 --> 00:03:38,000
Speaker 1: It's funny people keep saying that to me, and it's

77
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,759
actually not true because I'm so far ahead of schedule

78
00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:42,560
with the rate at which I'm recording me is that

79
00:03:42,759 --> 00:03:44,840
you actually have longer to go than you think before

80
00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:46,280
the start of the NBA season. I hate to be

81
00:03:46,319 --> 00:03:48,719
the bear. Maybe by the time this release is it'll

82
00:03:48,719 --> 00:03:52,039
be so close. And that that's so. The Okac Thunder

83
00:03:52,319 --> 00:03:55,199
did some stuff, but to reflect on last season a

84
00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,599
little bit where Sam Presty lied to us, talked about

85
00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:00,280
like maybe they might have already taken some wins from

86
00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,479
the future and they end up being basically the second

87
00:04:02,479 --> 00:04:05,439
best team in the league. When you look at how

88
00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,560
last year unfolded relative to what then happened this offseason,

89
00:04:10,919 --> 00:04:14,080
did that sort of align with your biggest takeaways from

90
00:04:14,159 --> 00:04:18,240
last year or biggest concerns or just goals? Oh god,

91
00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,600
I gotta do this, remember Taylor, let's start with you.

92
00:04:21,639 --> 00:04:24,839
Speaker 3: No, okay, little inside baseball here. Jacob and I are

93
00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:26,759
texting each other like we got to be concised and

94
00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:29,399
we'll delegate if we need to. So Jacob was ready

95
00:04:29,399 --> 00:04:33,040
to go, but no, I think for me and Jacob,

96
00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:34,480
I can't wait to hear your thoughts as well. But

97
00:04:34,519 --> 00:04:38,800
obviously we exceeded expectations, or for us, the Thunder exceeded

98
00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:42,680
our expectations just being one of the youngest teams in

99
00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,600
the league. If you look at the regular rotation players

100
00:04:46,439 --> 00:04:49,800
their average age, they were the youngest amongst all players

101
00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:52,439
all teams who had players playing. I guess this is

102
00:04:52,439 --> 00:04:54,439
the way you would praise that and for them to

103
00:04:54,439 --> 00:04:56,839
be able to come out and perform like they did.

104
00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,519
I see those expectations. Just be the the first seed

105
00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,199
in the Western Conference, which is I mean, this year

106
00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:06,959
is going to be even crazier than it was. We'll

107
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,680
get into that, but in an incredibly competitive Western Conference.

108
00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:12,279
They're the first seed in the West. They're the youngest

109
00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,160
team to ever sweep and therefore also win a playoff series.

110
00:05:16,639 --> 00:05:19,680
Uh and then obviously take the Dallas Mavericks and go

111
00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:21,879
toe to toe with them and Luca who has the experience.

112
00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,480
Like there was a lot of positives take away from

113
00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:26,720
last season, we certainly didn't want to reflect too much

114
00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,240
on the negatives. When we were doing some some postseason takeaways,

115
00:05:32,319 --> 00:05:33,199
Jacob that a lot.

116
00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:37,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're thinking, yeah, so, I mean, Dann when we

117
00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:39,800
got to the end of the season last year, my

118
00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:45,480
thought on the team, I think externally, people who don't

119
00:05:45,759 --> 00:05:48,720
follow the Thunderrest closely would have said at the end

120
00:05:48,759 --> 00:05:50,959
of last season, they need to go gett an Isaiah Hartenstein,

121
00:05:51,079 --> 00:05:53,560
they need to get a big to play next to Chet,

122
00:05:54,079 --> 00:05:56,319
they need to replace Searge. I think those types of

123
00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:01,959
conversations were happening in large NBA circles. For me, I

124
00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:05,680
originally looked at it as the missing piece is a

125
00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:09,600
big wing who can play defense and shoot. There was

126
00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,120
rumors at the beginning of the off season of a

127
00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:16,079
guy like Patrick Williams from the Bulls, and those types

128
00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:20,040
of ideas intrigued me because I believe the future of

129
00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:26,319
this team is Chet Holger at the five. Did they

130
00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:32,000
have rebounding issues, yes, obviously. Did they have some size issues, yes,

131
00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,439
obviously that at the end of the season there ended

132
00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,519
up being a little bit of a Josh Giddy issue,

133
00:06:37,879 --> 00:06:40,240
which I wouldn't say is a Josh Giddy issue as

134
00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:42,519
much as it was a Josh Giddy fit an Oklahoma

135
00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:47,199
City issue for sure. But as the off season has

136
00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:54,199
progressed and they've obviously secured Isaiah Hartenstein on this team,

137
00:06:54,519 --> 00:06:59,920
Alex Caruso on this team, which, hey, representation matters, and

138
00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,319
we now have a bald white guy on the Thunder

139
00:07:02,319 --> 00:07:05,279
and I just I feel seen for one of the

140
00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:10,759
first times in my NBA podcasting career. So uh, but

141
00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,600
you look at kind of how how the team is built. Now.

142
00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,680
Do I still wish they would have got a big wing, Yes,

143
00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:26,040
but I think the avenue to do that, I know, but.

144
00:07:27,959 --> 00:07:29,639
Speaker 3: Dan is another top five pick.

145
00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:35,519
Speaker 2: The Clippers might hand it over there yet. What but

146
00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,360
the the cost at which to get a big wing

147
00:07:39,519 --> 00:07:44,480
in this current CBA, where I think trading large amounts

148
00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:49,079
of future draft capital for a higher salaried player is

149
00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:51,000
actually like a really bad plan for a team like

150
00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,839
Oklahoma City. I kind of love what they did, and

151
00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:58,439
I think they addressed issues in maybe a non conventional way.

152
00:07:59,839 --> 00:08:03,120
Speaker 1: I would say that's fair. I think I would agree

153
00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,000
with everything you said. It just seemed they checked most

154
00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,000
of their biggest concerns without giving up a first round pick.

155
00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,079
Is just like how you would nutshell their offseason, which

156
00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,759
is like, let's just make this clear, that fucking bonkers

157
00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:15,639
that this is the team that has a trillion pick

158
00:08:15,639 --> 00:08:16,920
the didn't have to give up a single one to

159
00:08:16,959 --> 00:08:20,680
get Alex Caruso or Isaiah Hartenstein. I want to ask you,

160
00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:22,920
though I've been told they've been complaints that I dictate

161
00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:24,759
too many of the terms of these podcasts. They've all

162
00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,519
come from Grant, so it really shouldn't matter. But I've

163
00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:30,040
decided so I'm gonna throw this to you, Jacob. What

164
00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:31,600
is that It'll be interesting if you guys have different

165
00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:33,879
answers here, But what is the biggest storyline you are

166
00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:36,240
tracking for this team next season.

167
00:08:36,759 --> 00:08:41,360
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, that's a heavy and loaded question. There's so

168
00:08:41,399 --> 00:08:44,080
many good answers here right, like do they play a

169
00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:48,279
two big lineup? How do guys progress? What does the

170
00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:53,879
closing lineup look like? I'm gonna go with my biggest storyline,

171
00:08:53,919 --> 00:08:57,840
biggest development. I'm thing I'm watching next season is the

172
00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:03,279
year one to year two check holmgun jump, because I

173
00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:08,159
think that jump will be substantial. I wish I had

174
00:09:08,159 --> 00:09:11,799
the article up. I do not, But the day that

175
00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:16,759
they traded Josh Getty for Alex Caruso, Woja's ESPN article

176
00:09:17,159 --> 00:09:21,440
included a line that talked about how opening up more

177
00:09:21,519 --> 00:09:25,879
playmaking and ball handling opportunities on the team by trading

178
00:09:25,919 --> 00:09:29,919
away Josh was something that appealed to the Thunder, especially

179
00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,159
with Chet Holmgren. And I mentioned earlier that I think

180
00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,519
Chet at the five is the future of this team,

181
00:09:37,799 --> 00:09:40,000
and I don't want the listeners to get this twisted.

182
00:09:40,399 --> 00:09:43,000
I am not saying Chet will be this player. I'm

183
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:48,399
not saying Chet will be this good Stylistically. I think

184
00:09:49,039 --> 00:09:52,240
stylistically on offense, I think Chet Holmgren and Kevin Durant

185
00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,559
are going to be very, very similar, and I think

186
00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:57,879
that is the start of the jump. You will see

187
00:09:57,919 --> 00:09:59,919
this year Chet with the ball in his hands, more

188
00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:05,159
check playmaking, handling out on the perimeter and attacking off

189
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,279
the bounce check being the ball handler in a four

190
00:10:08,399 --> 00:10:11,080
or five pick and roll with Isaiah Hartenstein. I see

191
00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:16,919
a lot of Kd's style of game offensively in Chet Holmgren,

192
00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:18,799
and I think you're gonna start to see that leap

193
00:10:18,919 --> 00:10:21,600
in year two. I think the brother just ran out

194
00:10:21,639 --> 00:10:29,440
of gas in year one. Honestly, what's the podcast? Yeah,

195
00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:31,399
he said he was shooting laser beams at the front

196
00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:32,720
of the rim, and if you go back and you

197
00:10:32,759 --> 00:10:35,960
watch any film from the second half of the season,

198
00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:38,559
it definitely looks like that. I think we.

199
00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:40,799
Speaker 1: Don't watch games around here, so that's not gonna.

200
00:10:40,519 --> 00:10:42,440
Speaker 2: Happy narratives only. I'm into it.

201
00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,679
Speaker 3: So you've been told, right, My.

202
00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,279
Speaker 2: My biggest thing I'm watching for next season it is

203
00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:51,120
the year one to year two Chet Holmgren leap. Because

204
00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,279
if you told me two maybe three seasons from now,

205
00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,440
that this team stays intact, but Chet Holmgren is the

206
00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:00,360
best player on the team with shake Gojess Alexander, I

207
00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:01,399
wouldn't be shocked.

208
00:11:01,159 --> 00:11:03,399
Speaker 1: At all, holy all right, Well, let's get into that

209
00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,039
a little bit then, So what you kind of mentioned

210
00:11:06,039 --> 00:11:09,200
what that could look like, but and not to if

211
00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:12,799
you're gonna use Kevin Durant as the analog, if you're

212
00:11:12,799 --> 00:11:14,559
trying to like sort of zero in on the type

213
00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:16,799
of usage that we think will change from Chet Holmgrin,

214
00:11:16,879 --> 00:11:18,960
Like if it's just like a shot typing corporates or

215
00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,440
a play type you mentioned four or five pick and rolls.

216
00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:23,360
I guess actually my first question, but do you actually

217
00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:25,879
think that he has the handle or the ability to

218
00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,360
develop the handle that would empower him to do all

219
00:11:29,399 --> 00:11:30,840
of this stuff where it's like the stuff that Kevin

220
00:11:30,919 --> 00:11:32,279
Durant can do with the ball in his hands. He's

221
00:11:32,279 --> 00:11:34,320
not like, no, he's not Kyrie Irving or Steph Curry

222
00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:36,440
with the ball, but like he can navigate traffic, I

223
00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,080
would say, better than we've seen from Chet. Maybe that's

224
00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:41,320
a matter of opportunity, But do you believe in the

225
00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,000
handle to that degree where it's not just a matter

226
00:11:43,039 --> 00:11:45,159
of creating for himself you're talking about initiating offense or

227
00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:46,919
others at that point?

228
00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:49,240
Speaker 2: Is he there now?

229
00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:49,639
Speaker 3: No?

230
00:11:50,039 --> 00:11:53,879
Speaker 2: Will he be there year two? Probably not? Can he

231
00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:56,320
get there over the course of the next three to

232
00:11:56,360 --> 00:12:00,320
four years, I think so. I think back to the

233
00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:03,679
playoff series where the Thunder played the Los Angeles Clippers,

234
00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,960
and the Clippers game plan was let Chris Paul guard

235
00:12:07,039 --> 00:12:09,799
Kevin Durant. Doesn't matter that there's an eight inch height

236
00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,480
difference there. Chris was able to get under the handle

237
00:12:12,519 --> 00:12:16,480
because Kat's handle was so long from hand to floor

238
00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,799
and a little bit looser, and Katie's really tightened that

239
00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,960
handle up. I think it will be a process for chet.

240
00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:24,879
I think he can get there, and I think that's

241
00:12:24,919 --> 00:12:26,919
the style of play he wants to play and that

242
00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,240
the Thunder want him to do offensively. So I think

243
00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,360
it'll be a work in progress for sure, but I

244
00:12:33,399 --> 00:12:35,919
think it'll get there now. Again, not saying he's going

245
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:37,360
to be Kevin Durant. I want to make.

246
00:12:38,039 --> 00:12:41,759
Speaker 1: Clear aggregators, Jacob Nivian Diggs.

247
00:12:41,519 --> 00:12:44,360
Speaker 3: That Dan's going to clip this and the.

248
00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:47,960
Speaker 1: Actually it is going to be a clip for a

249
00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,720
larger project, but it'll be out there. So is there then?

250
00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:53,919
What is something then specific? Like if you're looking kind

251
00:12:53,919 --> 00:12:55,840
of like if you look at his shot Diyet this

252
00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:57,399
year and then if you had to compare it to

253
00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:59,200
next year, like what's one area that you would like

254
00:12:59,279 --> 00:13:01,919
to see more of them, Jacob? Is it kind of

255
00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:04,000
like you mentioned, you know, the pull ups. Is it

256
00:13:04,039 --> 00:13:05,720
maybe he had like kind of a at points, like

257
00:13:05,759 --> 00:13:07,360
he shot really one floaters last year.

258
00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:07,600
Speaker 3: Is it?

259
00:13:07,879 --> 00:13:09,879
Speaker 1: I'm not a fan of, you know, let's give the

260
00:13:09,919 --> 00:13:11,919
ball to him in the post, but maybe developing a

261
00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:14,320
turnaround or being able to have more face up opportunities

262
00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,240
inside the arc, and not to compare him to Christops,

263
00:13:17,279 --> 00:13:19,639
but like the ability to just like turn catch the ball,

264
00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:21,360
turn around, face up and be like, oh fuck, I'm

265
00:13:21,399 --> 00:13:23,039
taller than everybody. I'm just gonna shoot this.

266
00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:29,519
Speaker 2: Yeah. So the one, the one biggest spot is three

267
00:13:29,519 --> 00:13:30,440
point attempts.

268
00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:31,559
Speaker 3: That's what I Jacob.

269
00:13:32,159 --> 00:13:36,559
Speaker 2: He took four point three last year. I'm gonna be

270
00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:38,720
real honest with you. If he takes like seven this year,

271
00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:39,960
I think that's a really good sign.

272
00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,519
Speaker 1: Well, they could use someone who takes that many for

273
00:13:42,639 --> 00:13:45,360
teams through the floor, so well they don't want didn't

274
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:46,919
you guys were the ones that I know this from.

275
00:13:46,919 --> 00:13:49,480
I'm only one player took five three point attemps per

276
00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:50,320
game last.

277
00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,360
Speaker 2: Year I got and that was louganz.

278
00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,879
Speaker 1: Dort, not Isaiah, Joe noted sniper dot.

279
00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,559
Speaker 2: I think you're gonna see those attempts start to climb

280
00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:01,440
for a handful of those guys, but for Chet specifically,

281
00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:07,039
I think off the dribble threes, trail transition threes, I

282
00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,759
could see them running some like pinned down type of

283
00:14:09,799 --> 00:14:14,519
actions and like coming up from the corner type of actions.

284
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,360
And then he also has you kind of mentioned the

285
00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:19,759
idea of like not posting him up, but when he

286
00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:23,159
catches in that high post area, he actually has a

287
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:27,159
really nice like little turnaround MIDI fade away. He almost

288
00:14:27,159 --> 00:14:30,080
goes to like the dirt like high knee fade away,

289
00:14:30,919 --> 00:14:32,840
and I think you could see that a lot more

290
00:14:32,879 --> 00:14:36,000
as well. He's got really really good touch, and like

291
00:14:36,039 --> 00:14:38,799
I said, I think last year he ran out of gas.

292
00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:41,360
You could just tell the legs were dead. He wasn't

293
00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:44,039
getting any arc in his shot at all. I think

294
00:14:44,039 --> 00:14:46,799
another offseason, having the full season under his belt, really

295
00:14:46,799 --> 00:14:49,360
starts to fix some of that stuff. And hey, maybe

296
00:14:49,399 --> 00:14:52,399
he takes Paul George's advice and shoots with like a

297
00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,240
what Paul say, like a basketball or something like that.

298
00:14:55,399 --> 00:14:57,279
Speaker 3: The way they did basketball. I like it.

299
00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,519
Speaker 1: Paul drege had like a shit tout of show the issues,

300
00:15:00,519 --> 00:15:03,679
So I hope that's kind of where mine mine went.

301
00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:05,720
Speaker 3: And that was Chet's response to him too, which I

302
00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:10,919
found pretty was not specifically, but he alluded to it.

303
00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:12,879
He was like, dude, like, what does that do to

304
00:15:12,919 --> 00:15:17,600
your shoulders? And I was like, that was pretty good. Yeah,

305
00:15:17,679 --> 00:15:20,759
that's right. I don't find out real quick, Jacob, your

306
00:15:20,799 --> 00:15:23,279
your first two questions or your first two answers to

307
00:15:23,279 --> 00:15:25,159
to Dan's questions. I think we're pretty spot on. He

308
00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,799
touched on a lot that I have like more specifics on.

309
00:15:27,799 --> 00:15:30,480
I think it would go later on through the outline

310
00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:32,159
that Dan gave us and some really fun things to

311
00:15:32,159 --> 00:15:32,559
talk on.

312
00:15:33,039 --> 00:15:33,200
Speaker 2: Uh.

313
00:15:33,279 --> 00:15:36,080
Speaker 3: Dan, I apologize, I'm like kind of taking over hosts here,

314
00:15:36,159 --> 00:15:38,759
and as Jacob knows from our podcast, I do that

315
00:15:38,799 --> 00:15:43,480
way too often. But I will just say, yeah, just

316
00:15:43,519 --> 00:15:46,639
back to like the big takeaway you had, Jacob. I

317
00:15:46,679 --> 00:15:48,360
love that you mentioned that because I kind of want

318
00:15:48,399 --> 00:15:50,279
to take it a step further. And I had two

319
00:15:50,399 --> 00:15:53,279
two quick ones, but my main one, and I kind

320
00:15:53,279 --> 00:15:54,720
of call it the little hanging fruit, but it's not

321
00:15:54,759 --> 00:15:56,639
just check for me and his improvement. It's the big

322
00:15:56,639 --> 00:16:00,879
three and Okay, see in general, Dan Shay Dubb. I know, Shay,

323
00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:03,639
you know with second MVP voting, seems like he's a

324
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,080
top five player in the league consensus if you ask around,

325
00:16:07,279 --> 00:16:11,519
look to all these national national media podcasts and articles

326
00:16:11,519 --> 00:16:13,240
that they have out there. But he has a lot

327
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:15,120
of growth as well as a player. And so how

328
00:16:15,159 --> 00:16:17,639
did these players continue to work on their own games

329
00:16:17,639 --> 00:16:19,799
and improve, Like, obviously we want to see Jeb take

330
00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:23,519
a big leap, Jacob just crushed talking about chet and

331
00:16:23,559 --> 00:16:25,679
the leak we want to see from him. How do

332
00:16:25,759 --> 00:16:29,240
they do that but still play alongside one another and

333
00:16:29,279 --> 00:16:32,039
also within the construct of the team. Let's make it

334
00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,960
very clear none of us here in OKAC are worried

335
00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,279
about personalities or then these players not wanting to do so,

336
00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:40,039
that's not them at all. They want to play within

337
00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,799
the construct of what Mark Degnall and Saint Press they

338
00:16:42,799 --> 00:16:45,279
have a visioned for this team more so just them

339
00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:47,559
being also incredibly talented and still have so much room

340
00:16:47,559 --> 00:16:50,519
for growth. How are they all able to do that together?

341
00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:52,600
And that just kind of leads like to my I

342
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,559
think my final big big takeaway for the season is

343
00:16:55,559 --> 00:16:58,039
like you have these new big additions, like we're about

344
00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:00,720
to get into without Scruso as a heart and plus

345
00:17:00,799 --> 00:17:03,759
playoff experience now under the same team's belt, plus the

346
00:17:03,799 --> 00:17:07,160
superstar and Shay and the rising stars that we just mentioned,

347
00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,920
that equals new expectations. And look, let's be very clear.

348
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,000
The Thunder preach about not listening to the outside noise,

349
00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:17,000
but just know that it's impossible not to hear those things.

350
00:17:17,039 --> 00:17:20,400
And so how does this Thunder team, this young Thunder team,

351
00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,480
you know, how do they perform in comparison to those

352
00:17:24,559 --> 00:17:25,880
those external expectations.

353
00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,039
Speaker 1: It does seem though that because one of my questions

354
00:17:29,039 --> 00:17:30,640
that doesn't need to be a question anymore based on

355
00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:32,240
how you guys think that they're going to use Chet,

356
00:17:32,279 --> 00:17:34,480
is do they miss the Josh Getty check connection all

357
00:17:34,519 --> 00:17:36,319
just because Giddy did a good job of actively looking

358
00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:37,799
for him, especially when you look at the share of

359
00:17:37,799 --> 00:17:39,799
the passes he threw. Now you take Giddy out of

360
00:17:39,799 --> 00:17:41,640
the equation, that's one less person who needs the ball

361
00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:43,599
in their hands. Doesn't it kind of just make it?

362
00:17:44,519 --> 00:17:47,440
I would say a non concern about j Dubb and

363
00:17:47,559 --> 00:17:49,680
Chet and Shake gildzug Zad are all being able to

364
00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,319
play like kind of a starring like teams just have

365
00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:55,759
three guys normally that can or I'm sorry. Super teams

366
00:17:55,799 --> 00:17:58,200
have three guys that can normally operate on ball and

367
00:17:58,279 --> 00:18:01,079
a lot of the times things tend to work themselves out.

368
00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:04,079
And so is that like even an at like if

369
00:18:04,079 --> 00:18:06,119
they're I guess if there's a player of the three

370
00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:07,680
that you would be concerned about like sort of I

371
00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:09,359
don't want to say lost in the shuffle, but seeing

372
00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:12,559
their skills being tamped down, is it naturally just Chet

373
00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,039
because of the like the position that he technically plays,

374
00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,000
or maybe even just the defensive workload that he's shouldering,

375
00:18:18,039 --> 00:18:20,240
so you don't want to overtax him too much on offense.

376
00:18:20,319 --> 00:18:22,079
We like Jacob is there, Like it seems to me

377
00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:24,400
from that perspective, like getting rid of Josh Gatty just

378
00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,319
takes care a lot of any of the concern when

379
00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,559
it comes to the collective development of those three.

380
00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:32,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you're totally right. And you mentioned like

381
00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:34,920
the number of passes Josh Getty made and how many

382
00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:37,960
of those are going to Chet, And Josh was great

383
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:42,920
at getting guys to their spots. I think a lot

384
00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:46,920
of folks have this idea that, like Josh Getty is

385
00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,319
a really bad player, and I just think with the

386
00:18:49,839 --> 00:18:53,920
rapid development of the Thunder, the fit just wasn't clean

387
00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,200
at all. I don't have the stats to back this up, Dan,

388
00:18:57,279 --> 00:19:02,240
this is just a he no ball quote. But I

389
00:19:02,279 --> 00:19:05,960
think the better connection on the team is Dub and Chet.

390
00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:08,640
They developed like double is the only guy who could

391
00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,319
complete a law of the chet holmgrin. But they developed

392
00:19:11,319 --> 00:19:15,000
a really really nice two man game, especially with one

393
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,119
of them attacking and the other one cutting and being

394
00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:20,480
able to find each other. And I think the absence

395
00:19:20,519 --> 00:19:27,119
of Josh Getty opens up shots, touches, passes opportunities specifically

396
00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,279
for those three, and I would say even more specifically

397
00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:34,039
for Dub and Chet, Shay's usage I imagine would stay

398
00:19:34,079 --> 00:19:35,799
the same. I don't think it's going up because of

399
00:19:35,839 --> 00:19:38,440
the absence of Josh, so I think those other two

400
00:19:38,519 --> 00:19:43,039
get even more of an opportunity. And I think putting

401
00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:47,200
the ball in Jalen Williams's hand with Josh Gunn, I

402
00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:49,319
think Jadab might be the best passer on the team,

403
00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,160
and I think you'll see a lot more offensive initiation

404
00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,400
with him as well. So I think the absence of

405
00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:01,079
Josh just opens up opportunities for those other two to

406
00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:05,720
really grow more naturally into what they want to do,

407
00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:09,640
where again, I don't think Josh is a bad player,

408
00:20:10,319 --> 00:20:13,720
but Josh absolutely needed the ball in his hand to

409
00:20:13,839 --> 00:20:16,720
succeed on this team, I think, just to succeed in

410
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:21,079
the NBA, and those opportunities were rapidly dwindling in Okasee.

411
00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,079
But you also still wanted to play him. But if

412
00:20:24,079 --> 00:20:26,160
you play him playing him off ball, we saw how

413
00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:30,400
that went right and it wasn't good, So I think

414
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,359
it was just a very natural transition. I actually mentioned

415
00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:37,119
this on our show the other day. The trading of

416
00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:41,759
Josh Giddy and that opening up more opportunities for Chet

417
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:47,200
and for Jada is very similar to me ten plus

418
00:20:47,279 --> 00:20:50,839
years ago when they traded Jeff Green to open up

419
00:20:50,839 --> 00:20:55,079
the opportunities for Serge Ibaka Okay Surge was a little

420
00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:57,440
more unknown at the time than these two obviously are,

421
00:20:58,759 --> 00:21:00,559
but they got rid of one guy to open up

422
00:21:00,559 --> 00:21:04,799
opportunities for another, and I see something very similar happening

423
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:07,319
here with the absence of Josh Taylor.

424
00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:10,119
Speaker 1: So kind of sticking with the Big three. Jaydub was

425
00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:13,160
working off a high baseline from his rookie season and

426
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,559
somehow managed to improve in just so many different areas,

427
00:21:15,559 --> 00:21:18,720
But what about his improvement stood out the most? Like

428
00:21:18,759 --> 00:21:20,640
what was the area that you look at? I was like, okay, wow,

429
00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:22,160
like this happened. This is a big deal.

430
00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:24,880
Speaker 3: So not to sound like a broken record, but let's

431
00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:26,720
start with the low hanging fruit again, because I think

432
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,079
when you look at Jadab's improvement and his season that

433
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:31,200
he had his sophomore season compared to his rookie year,

434
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,599
the dude shot forty two point seven percent from three

435
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:38,000
last season on three point four attempts per game. That's

436
00:21:38,079 --> 00:21:40,319
up from thirty five percent on only two point seven

437
00:21:40,319 --> 00:21:44,240
attenpts from his rookie season. He was incredibly efficient and

438
00:21:44,319 --> 00:21:46,200
he was getting his shots up, And like we already

439
00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:48,240
have alluded to Jacob and I, we want to see

440
00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,920
more and more of that, just in terms from the

441
00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:53,160
team as a whole game. The three point attempts up.

442
00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:54,599
I think that's going to be very big for the

443
00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:56,799
moving forward, and for jadeb to kind of take on

444
00:21:56,839 --> 00:21:58,799
that role, that was huge, especially for him to be

445
00:21:58,799 --> 00:22:01,960
so efficient and something else that I just saw. I'm

446
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,559
sure you and some of the listeners saw this as well. Dan,

447
00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,000
but NBA University in great Twitter account, they tweeted out

448
00:22:08,079 --> 00:22:11,920
something today about Jdubb and his efficiency, especially on his

449
00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,640
pull ups and his shooting in general. He had three

450
00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,920
hundred and sixty seven pull up attempts last season, shot

451
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,200
fifty six percent from the four of those. I guess

452
00:22:21,279 --> 00:22:24,200
technically that's a filluel efficiency, but that's an absurd number,

453
00:22:24,599 --> 00:22:26,880
not to mention forty four percent from step back threes.

454
00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:30,359
Speaker 1: The step back three volume he like tripled or whatever

455
00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,880
it was from his rookie season. It was ridiculous.

456
00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:34,839
Speaker 3: The shot creation there, just being able to get to

457
00:22:34,839 --> 00:22:36,839
his spots, that's huge, But I think you also have

458
00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:40,559
to confine that and this is not so statistical like

459
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,680
I just mentioned, but you look at like how he

460
00:22:43,839 --> 00:22:46,279
was at Santa Clara and how he was developing as

461
00:22:46,319 --> 00:22:49,440
a player, compared that to this past season of JDub.

462
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,839
The size that he's put on in the athleticism like

463
00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,279
that first step and his improved size and strength are

464
00:22:55,319 --> 00:22:58,519
just absolutely lethal. And so I mean, kind of like

465
00:22:58,559 --> 00:23:01,519
Jacob mentioned, it's like a true NBA star archetype, and

466
00:23:01,559 --> 00:23:04,440
that's not something I think if you were like a

467
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:08,599
hardcore draft analyst viewing his tape back during his years,

468
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:10,359
it seems clear that you would have thought you would

469
00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:12,960
develop into. So for him to take that lead physically

470
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,720
and athletically, that's super promising as well.

471
00:23:17,519 --> 00:23:19,839
Speaker 1: Is there anything whether it's what you learned about him

472
00:23:19,839 --> 00:23:23,519
from the struggles he had offensively in that Dallas series

473
00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:26,519
or just in general that you're gonna be focusing on. Okay,

474
00:23:26,559 --> 00:23:28,480
can he develop? You already mentioned the three point volume?

475
00:23:28,559 --> 00:23:30,440
Is there anything outside of that? I will say the

476
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:31,960
one thing because I need to be a better job

477
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:33,880
of hosting and not really give my opinion, but the

478
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:37,079
different the variance and cadence to his game I feel

479
00:23:37,079 --> 00:23:38,839
like got so much better from year one to year two.

480
00:23:38,839 --> 00:23:41,000
Where's I didn't trust him is not trust him, but

481
00:23:41,039 --> 00:23:43,160
didn't viewm is like this methodical guy that could break

482
00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:47,400
down defenses from all this like different situations, and I think,

483
00:23:47,519 --> 00:23:49,319
especially moving forward, this is someone that I think you

484
00:23:49,319 --> 00:23:51,599
can trust to just run your entire offense in all

485
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:53,920
these different settings where it's he's not as dependent on

486
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,279
straight lines or having to do these sudden stops, like

487
00:23:56,279 --> 00:23:58,720
there's just so many different counters and I guess directions

488
00:23:58,759 --> 00:24:00,960
would be the word to his game. And to see

489
00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,799
that improvement in one year. I know rookies are supposed

490
00:24:03,799 --> 00:24:05,799
to improve, but he was just working off such a

491
00:24:05,839 --> 00:24:08,200
high baseline. So that turned my head and it made

492
00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:10,079
me think the way I framed it on this podcast,

493
00:24:10,279 --> 00:24:12,799
like already when we were doing I don't remember what

494
00:24:12,839 --> 00:24:14,839
it was but a few podcasts ago, which is like

495
00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:16,880
the fact that he experienced what he did, like the

496
00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,640
offensive struggles at points in the postseason. Now I would

497
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:23,240
almost terrify me as opposing teams to see what he

498
00:24:23,279 --> 00:24:24,960
comes back as in year three.

499
00:24:25,559 --> 00:24:28,680
Speaker 3: So first of all, we want your opinion, Dan's while

500
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:30,960
we have you on the Uncontested podcast in return over

501
00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:32,519
the past couple of seasons, and I think that makes

502
00:24:32,519 --> 00:24:34,400
it really fun. So I love hearing your insight into

503
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:36,160
this team as well. But for me, the two things

504
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:37,839
that stood out during that Maverick scame the answer your

505
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,599
question was the playmaking and the assertiveness because it was

506
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:42,920
his first time there, like you said last year and

507
00:24:43,039 --> 00:24:44,799
we were talking about Josh Gitty. This kind of ties

508
00:24:44,839 --> 00:24:47,480
him to that as well. But you know, obviously Doub

509
00:24:47,599 --> 00:24:50,240
was a starter, but they would stagger Dub and Shae

510
00:24:50,799 --> 00:24:52,799
about midway through through the first quarter, and that was

511
00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:56,160
kind of that league playmaker with the second unit. It

512
00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,279
wasn't Josh gitty and that was the first like big, big,

513
00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,160
maybe alarm signal that like, Okay, the thunder is starting

514
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:04,920
to pick up on things with Josh Getty spit, it's

515
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:06,759
Dub leaning the second uit. They want the ball on

516
00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:10,279
his hands. So the playmaking for others he's going to

517
00:25:10,319 --> 00:25:12,400
need to continue to improve. But also the assertedness in

518
00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:13,960
the playoffs, I think that was just you know, this

519
00:25:14,039 --> 00:25:15,759
is his first time there. He's getting his feet wet,

520
00:25:16,079 --> 00:25:17,920
but we know he's capable of so much warning to

521
00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,000
those spots. So, Jacob, those were kind of my big

522
00:25:20,039 --> 00:25:22,599
two takeaways from the Dallas series. But I'm curious if

523
00:25:22,599 --> 00:25:25,039
you have different answers or if you agree or disagree.

524
00:25:25,599 --> 00:25:28,759
Speaker 2: Yeah, I assertiveness was one of the big ones for me.

525
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,680
And efficiency. I think just when the level of physicality

526
00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,799
really ramped up and teams really sat down and focused

527
00:25:36,799 --> 00:25:40,279
in on him. It's kind of what you expect from

528
00:25:40,279 --> 00:25:42,319
a second year guy in the second round of the

529
00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:47,960
playoffs as the number two usage player on the team, right, Dan,

530
00:25:48,039 --> 00:25:51,680
you mentioned it, like, yeah, if I'm another team and

531
00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:54,240
I see, hey, this kid's in year two and he's

532
00:25:54,279 --> 00:25:57,920
already gone through the trials and tribulations and now it's

533
00:25:57,920 --> 00:25:59,240
time to come out on the other side. Yeah, it's

534
00:25:59,319 --> 00:26:03,559
kind of scary. It reminds me of the first and

535
00:26:03,599 --> 00:26:06,240
second year run of James Harden in the playoffs and

536
00:26:06,279 --> 00:26:09,599
then he came out in that finals playoff run where

537
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:14,119
he just absolutely cooked the Dallas Mavericks and then he

538
00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,960
went in and won them the series against the Spurs.

539
00:26:17,039 --> 00:26:20,559
And it kind of gives me that type of vibes.

540
00:26:22,519 --> 00:26:25,440
Speaker 3: And he is the next Harden and is the next KD.

541
00:26:25,799 --> 00:26:28,319
Shay's the next Russ. You heard here here first.

542
00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:29,400
Speaker 1: She's the next Russ.

543
00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:30,279
Speaker 2: That is so mean?

544
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:34,160
Speaker 3: Oh man, how to give Jacob a hard time?

545
00:26:34,319 --> 00:26:34,880
Speaker 1: I agree with that.

546
00:26:35,039 --> 00:26:38,359
Speaker 2: It's a good comp I think one thing we forget

547
00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,440
is like Jadob's like six ' four like.

548
00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:44,440
Speaker 1: I thought he was six six.

549
00:26:44,599 --> 00:26:45,119
Speaker 3: Is he really?

550
00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,039
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's he's shorter than Shay and Shay's listed at

551
00:26:48,079 --> 00:26:51,839
like a generous sixty six. The thing is Jdb's arms

552
00:26:51,839 --> 00:26:54,960
are like he's got like a seven three wingspan. He's

553
00:26:55,039 --> 00:26:58,039
listed at six five. All right, I think it's I

554
00:26:58,079 --> 00:26:59,519
think it's a little closer to six four.

555
00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:03,279
Speaker 1: But being strong make you look taller? Is that?

556
00:27:03,319 --> 00:27:03,440
Speaker 2: Like?

557
00:27:03,559 --> 00:27:05,200
Speaker 1: Is that a thing that must be well.

558
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:10,079
Speaker 2: Here's the thing, is this Thunder team Jacob's thick dort

559
00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:14,119
is thick. They just added Alex Caruso. They just want

560
00:27:14,279 --> 00:27:18,039
every single six or four dude who will absolutely beat

561
00:27:18,079 --> 00:27:20,400
the ship out of you. And they're kind of building

562
00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:23,400
that team. Not to get steered too far off track here,

563
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,519
but for his Instagram Scory Cason Wallace is now up

564
00:27:26,599 --> 00:27:29,759
to like two hundred and six pounds, up thirteen pounds

565
00:27:29,799 --> 00:27:33,519
from last year. So they just want the.

566
00:27:33,519 --> 00:27:37,200
Speaker 1: Kyle Lowry like. Body's going on?

567
00:27:37,759 --> 00:27:41,759
Speaker 2: Is it all glutes? Just the the and the most

568
00:27:41,799 --> 00:27:45,160
generous term possible to just the fattest asses in the NBA.

569
00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:46,640
I'm I'm here for it. No.

570
00:27:46,799 --> 00:27:49,279
Speaker 1: Sorry, the Sixers have they've monopolized that with.

571
00:27:49,319 --> 00:27:52,759
Speaker 2: That is very very true. That is very true.

572
00:27:54,079 --> 00:27:57,240
Speaker 1: Uh, let's get to the new new editions. I'll start

573
00:27:57,279 --> 00:27:59,920
with I say, a Hartenstein, we know all this stuff

574
00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:03,440
that he does, Well, what is the Jacob? What's this

575
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:05,839
like single thing that you think he's going to impact

576
00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:08,200
the most for this Thunder team When you look at.

577
00:28:08,079 --> 00:28:12,920
Speaker 2: His game, I think I don't want this to stud disparaging.

578
00:28:13,079 --> 00:28:14,720
I think if you ask the average NBA fan, they

579
00:28:14,759 --> 00:28:17,680
would say rebounding. They need a rebounder. They got a

580
00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:22,039
big guy who can rebound. I think even more than that,

581
00:28:23,039 --> 00:28:28,160
it is going to be on offense, the screen setting

582
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:35,240
and the moving without the basketball. This team, they're really

583
00:28:35,279 --> 00:28:37,640
really good. They dan you know this. They run I

584
00:28:37,799 --> 00:28:41,519
probably more guard to guard screens than any team in

585
00:28:41,519 --> 00:28:44,480
the NBA, maybe any team in NBA history. They love

586
00:28:44,559 --> 00:28:49,319
the guard to guard screen. They don't screen well though.

587
00:28:49,319 --> 00:28:52,240
They're just so fast and so smart, and their their

588
00:28:52,279 --> 00:28:55,839
movements are so precise that even if a defender isn't

589
00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:58,720
fully screened or you don't get the full contact on

590
00:28:58,759 --> 00:29:01,119
the screen, they're still gonna get by you. And then

591
00:29:01,119 --> 00:29:03,400
the back cut comes and then the swing pass and

592
00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,400
they'll just beat you with the ball. But having a

593
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:11,240
guy who can just annihilate somebody on a screen and

594
00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,799
spring Shay Giljess Alexander to come off that screen, take

595
00:29:14,839 --> 00:29:17,240
one dribble inside the paint or inside the three point

596
00:29:17,279 --> 00:29:20,599
line and get to that midi and everybody knows that

597
00:29:20,599 --> 00:29:23,400
that thing is one of the most dangerous shots in

598
00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,200
the NBA. Shay is a killer in the mid range,

599
00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:30,319
Like he's gonna get so many more open ones because

600
00:29:30,319 --> 00:29:32,960
of the screen setting that Hertenstein is gonna be able

601
00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:35,480
to provide. And then whenever teams adjust to that and

602
00:29:35,519 --> 00:29:38,000
they blitz him off the screen, will you have one

603
00:29:38,039 --> 00:29:41,559
of the best short roll passers in the league in

604
00:29:41,599 --> 00:29:44,920
Isaiah Hartenstein? And then whenever they adjust to that, he

605
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,680
moves so well without the ball. Whenever I watch Isaiah

606
00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,000
Hartenstein film from New York this past year, one of

607
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:52,920
the things that jumps off the page to me is

608
00:29:53,359 --> 00:29:57,400
he never stands still. He is always in motion. Now,

609
00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:00,240
is it baseline to baseline, spacing out to three, No,

610
00:30:01,119 --> 00:30:05,440
but moving around the paint and just constantly readjusting where

611
00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:08,480
he is and being available for easy dump off passes.

612
00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:11,119
He's going to feast on that in Oklahoma City. So

613
00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,319
I think the screening is going to open up so

614
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,599
many things for this team, including the other things that

615
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:20,079
Hertenstein does well. That that is the biggest thing that

616
00:30:20,119 --> 00:30:24,920
I think he's going to contribute, even over the obvious

617
00:30:25,279 --> 00:30:27,319
rebounding that he will be able to provide.

618
00:30:27,519 --> 00:30:28,960
Speaker 3: So I'm kind of chuckling here and I want to

619
00:30:29,039 --> 00:30:31,119
humor both of you as well as the listeners. I'm

620
00:30:31,119 --> 00:30:33,480
glad Jacob went first because my bullet point here was

621
00:30:33,839 --> 00:30:36,039
Jacob can take this one away because he's been spot

622
00:30:36,079 --> 00:30:38,920
on all offseason since the signing. The room protecting and

623
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:40,960
rebounding is huge. But he's a great playmaker from the

624
00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:43,160
high post, which fits Okasey to a t, and an

625
00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,599
incredible screener, really a great off ball player in general.

626
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:50,680
Speaker 1: Well done, Jacob, Yeah, I mean I would agree with

627
00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:52,440
what he says. I think is off even if you

628
00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:54,640
don't think that's going to be his biggest area of impact.

629
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:56,559
I do think that the stuff he does on offense

630
00:30:56,599 --> 00:30:58,680
has been I think you'd argue one it might have

631
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,079
been underutilized the point it's in New York, but too,

632
00:31:01,119 --> 00:31:04,079
I think it's just underestimated by the masses at large.

633
00:31:04,079 --> 00:31:06,440
And you look the short roll stuff you mentioned, Okay, see,

634
00:31:06,519 --> 00:31:08,359
wasn't a team like relative of the league average that took

635
00:31:08,359 --> 00:31:11,400
a lot of corner threes? That number should go up.

636
00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:12,680
And I'm assuming, like if you look at the on

637
00:31:12,799 --> 00:31:14,319
au split from when he's on the court with the

638
00:31:14,319 --> 00:31:16,920
corner with like three like three point share, I'm assuming

639
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:18,640
there's gonna be a massive difference there just because of

640
00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:22,799
what he's able to do in that department. So tailor

641
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,200
speak something else in there, real quick, No moving on, Yeah,

642
00:31:26,319 --> 00:31:27,039
of course.

643
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:29,839
Speaker 2: You mentioned the corner threes when he's on the court.

644
00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:34,680
I'm just gonna say it. I think he's gonna take

645
00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,680
some of those corner threes. And Okay, see if.

646
00:31:36,599 --> 00:31:39,079
Speaker 1: I were told are they gonna let him shoot threes?

647
00:31:39,119 --> 00:31:40,359
Because Tom Thibodeau would not.

648
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,960
Speaker 2: If he averages two to three point attempts a game

649
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,200
this season, I would not be shocked. Damn.

650
00:31:47,359 --> 00:31:48,720
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm here for it. You guys know how

651
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:50,480
I feel about big shooting threes. So and he look,

652
00:31:50,559 --> 00:31:53,079
he dabbled in it at some of his past stops.

653
00:31:53,079 --> 00:31:56,079
It's just Tom Diddo doesn't like his centers to space

654
00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:58,839
the floor for the most part. So uh uh. But

655
00:31:59,519 --> 00:32:03,680
so the whole Isaiah hart Stegn, chet holgerun dynamic. I agree.

656
00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:05,759
I think it was Jacob said it before. This team

657
00:32:05,799 --> 00:32:08,640
does clearly view chet Holmgren as a five. They did

658
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:11,119
give Isaiah Hartenstein, even though it's only two guaranteed years,

659
00:32:11,119 --> 00:32:14,079
a shitload of money. I viewed it as almost like

660
00:32:14,279 --> 00:32:17,480
a tax on. Hey, you're not gonna be playing a

661
00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:19,519
ton of minutes. You're probably not gonna be like closing

662
00:32:19,519 --> 00:32:21,599
a bunch of games. But what is your read or

663
00:32:21,799 --> 00:32:26,000
opinion on how they're going to use these two together,

664
00:32:26,119 --> 00:32:27,599
maybe in terms of what they're doing on the court,

665
00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:29,759
or even just how often are we going to see

666
00:32:29,799 --> 00:32:31,319
them go to the dual, big setup.

667
00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:37,000
Speaker 3: So I mean again, and this is the ultimate cop out,

668
00:32:37,079 --> 00:32:39,039
but I think it is matchup dependent. I like your

669
00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:41,400
point there about it kind of being a tax. I

670
00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:43,200
think it's more so like a tax of Thunder had

671
00:32:43,799 --> 00:32:46,200
had to pay because they're a small market team and

672
00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:49,319
you're not likely to attract free agency here unless you're

673
00:32:49,319 --> 00:32:51,079
able to pay that kind of money. I think that's

674
00:32:51,079 --> 00:32:53,359
what it more so was, rather than just the role,

675
00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,799
but just a quick aside like when it comes to

676
00:32:56,839 --> 00:32:59,440
the starting lineup or even the closing lineup. I think

677
00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:01,240
it's going to down I've been saying this ever since

678
00:33:01,279 --> 00:33:04,079
the Hartenstein and Carusoe signings. It's going to come down

679
00:33:04,079 --> 00:33:06,160
to it's going to be a matchup dependent And so

680
00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:07,960
that kind of leads me into some of the big

681
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,319
thoughts about him and chet playing together. Like you said,

682
00:33:10,359 --> 00:33:12,000
we know, and that's the reason it was kind of

683
00:33:12,039 --> 00:33:14,799
a bit of a surprise for us because this Thunder team,

684
00:33:14,839 --> 00:33:17,599
Sam pressI have talked so much about chet Holmgun being

685
00:33:17,599 --> 00:33:19,759
a five. They view him as a five long term,

686
00:33:19,839 --> 00:33:22,440
and he's still going to be even with the Hartenstein signing.

687
00:33:23,079 --> 00:33:25,559
That being said, the option to go double big is fascinating,

688
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:27,839
especially when you think about teams like in the West,

689
00:33:27,839 --> 00:33:31,559
like the Wolves, even Denver, especially the Lakers, teams like

690
00:33:31,599 --> 00:33:33,480
that that kind of gave the Thunder trouble last season.

691
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:36,519
But I'm also really curious if it frees up Chetta

692
00:33:36,519 --> 00:33:39,480
be playing at the four, and again, it's football season,

693
00:33:39,559 --> 00:33:41,640
so I have football analogies on mine, but kind of

694
00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:43,160
playing like more of like a free safety role on

695
00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:45,319
defense where he's not having to be the defensive anchor

696
00:33:45,359 --> 00:33:47,000
down low, but can kind of roam and get more

697
00:33:47,039 --> 00:33:49,119
of those blocks. We see those block tempts go up

698
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:52,079
with Hartenstein around the room. That's fascinating to think about.

699
00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:54,920
And then, like Jacob talked and cover so well, I

700
00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:57,960
think earlier, what does that look like with chet in

701
00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,440
a forward position on offense, being mismatch against some smaller

702
00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:03,920
players and getting more three point attempt I think that's

703
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:06,559
really exciting. So that being said, I think you lose

704
00:34:06,559 --> 00:34:09,159
some perimeter defense and four spacing with those two together

705
00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:11,360
on the floor, and you're also taking I mean, let's

706
00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:13,159
call it what how it is like this Thunder team

707
00:34:13,199 --> 00:34:15,960
is very deep and talented. You're taking some additional talent

708
00:34:16,119 --> 00:34:20,079
off the court. But that's that's the last one I had, Jacob.

709
00:34:20,119 --> 00:34:22,280
I think you're spot on. Don't sleep on Iheart's ability

710
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:23,880
to shoot three in space to four a little bit

711
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:24,360
this season.

712
00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,000
Speaker 1: Who's I guess, because hert and son is here now,

713
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,079
whose role is going to be impacted more of Kenrich

714
00:34:31,119 --> 00:34:35,679
Williams are big Jaellen Williams j Will for sure.

715
00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:41,000
Speaker 2: I Kenrich kind of got cut from the rotation in

716
00:34:41,039 --> 00:34:43,320
the playoffs, which was surprising to a lot of us.

717
00:34:44,159 --> 00:34:47,960
Just didn't have a great season last year. I think

718
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,239
he'll be fine. I think he will still get time.

719
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,920
Especially at his size. Kendrich is like closer to six seven,

720
00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:58,400
really one of the only like quote unquote bigger wings

721
00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:01,559
on the team, even though he he I mean shit,

722
00:35:01,599 --> 00:35:05,880
two years ago he played primarily at the five off

723
00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:09,239
the bench. But it would definitely be Jay Will. I

724
00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:11,960
think Jay Will was already starting to get squeezed out

725
00:35:12,119 --> 00:35:15,760
last season. I think you'll see that even more. And

726
00:35:17,119 --> 00:35:20,639
kind of wrap up this conversation of centers. The Thunder

727
00:35:20,639 --> 00:35:23,639
played five percent of all of their available minutes last year,

728
00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,880
with two bigs on the court, I expect to see

729
00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,639
that number go up. I also think it's fascinating when

730
00:35:30,639 --> 00:35:34,199
the season was absolutely on the line last three minutes

731
00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:36,960
of Game six in Dallas, they went to a two

732
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:42,079
big len him and so I think that probably tells

733
00:35:42,119 --> 00:35:44,199
you a little bit about what you can expect to

734
00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:46,719
see with Chet and iHeart, which is I think they'll

735
00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:49,079
show the court a decent amount of time together.

736
00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:51,000
Speaker 1: We kind of already touched upon, like how big of

737
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:53,840
a difference it is going from I don't want to

738
00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:55,440
call him he's not a non shooter, but he's a

739
00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:57,760
non floor spaser and Josh Giddy to Alice Caruso, who

740
00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:00,840
was someone defense's respect. But Taylor, I think from watching

741
00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:03,199
Alex Caruser over the years is even at his most aggressive,

742
00:36:03,679 --> 00:36:05,800
he's just overly deferential. Like when it comes to on

743
00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:08,480
his drives, he's probably pat like overly looking to pass

744
00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:10,960
too much. His three point volume was at a career high

745
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,239
per thirty six last year, which was still just not

746
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:14,960
all that high. It was still under six attempts per

747
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:19,079
thirty six minutes. Is there any concern there about that

748
00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:21,599
becoming an issue or is it just you look at

749
00:36:21,599 --> 00:36:23,320
the surrounding weapons, You look at the way that Thunder

750
00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:25,159
space the floor, which is you know, based off his

751
00:36:25,159 --> 00:36:27,480
time in LA and in Chicago, those teams were not

752
00:36:27,559 --> 00:36:30,079
spacing the floor like this team does. And so do

753
00:36:30,119 --> 00:36:32,159
you expect that to not really be an issue?

754
00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:36,559
Speaker 3: I mean, obviously it's a concern. I think the reason

755
00:36:36,679 --> 00:36:39,000
for that, it's not just Crusoe as a player, but

756
00:36:39,039 --> 00:36:41,559
this team as a whole has something Jacob touched on earlier,

757
00:36:41,559 --> 00:36:43,199
and I was glad he did because this was the

758
00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:46,440
specific I wanted to kind of dive into. Like, obviously,

759
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,360
like all changes, there will be an adjustment growth period

760
00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,760
when you're adding guys like Hartenstein and Caruso, higher usage

761
00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:54,840
players than with some of these players currently on the

762
00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:57,039
Thunder use playing with like, there's going to be some

763
00:36:57,159 --> 00:37:00,159
growing pains even if they're short even for work up

764
00:37:00,199 --> 00:37:02,559
best long term. But the Thunder as a team, we're

765
00:37:02,679 --> 00:37:06,679
sixteenth and three point attempts per game last season. US

766
00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:08,920
fans went to see that go up significantly, not just

767
00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:11,280
out Scruso, but all these guys we talked about Jadub

768
00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:13,719
talk about that being improvement for CHET. So I don't

769
00:37:13,719 --> 00:37:16,280
think it's so much a focus for Caruso specifically for

770
00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:18,320
this coaching staff and the organization, it's going to be

771
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:20,679
for the team as a whole. So hopefully, you know,

772
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:22,760
I think that's just going to be a focus heading

773
00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:25,079
into training camp. And so it's not just Caruso so

774
00:37:25,159 --> 00:37:28,960
much as the team entirely in and in its entirety.

775
00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:32,599
Speaker 1: Jacob who is because people like ranking things and making

776
00:37:32,599 --> 00:37:34,920
everything binary. Who is who ends up being the more

777
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:38,320
impactful addition for this team? Looking at next season specifically,

778
00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:40,840
because you could cop out and say Isaia Hartnstein's under

779
00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:42,599
a contract for at least one more year than Alex

780
00:37:42,639 --> 00:37:44,960
Caruso is at this point, but next season, who do

781
00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:46,719
you view is more important to this team's makeup?

782
00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:48,559
Speaker 3: Quick as side, that'll change.

783
00:37:49,039 --> 00:37:51,320
Speaker 1: But he's gonna sign extensions my guest, if you trade

784
00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:54,440
it for him and like 'or and also everyone's extension

785
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:56,960
happy now because the players are cool, like the Jared

786
00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:59,519
Allen extension after the Cavs threw him under the bus.

787
00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:02,519
But he probably was looking at free agency like, oh man,

788
00:38:02,639 --> 00:38:04,360
like the open market is just are these teams still

789
00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:06,679
gonna be running scared? So yeah, he will sign extension,

790
00:38:06,679 --> 00:38:10,000
but looking at next season. Who do you anticipate Jacob

791
00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:12,280
having more value or having more of an impact for

792
00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:12,679
this team.

793
00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:18,239
Speaker 2: Oh that's a great question. I would probably go Hartenstein.

794
00:38:18,679 --> 00:38:19,239
God damn.

795
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:22,559
Speaker 1: Me and Grant had this debate on a podcast we

796
00:38:22,559 --> 00:38:24,920
recorded earlier today, and he packed hart and Stein and

797
00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:27,119
I went into in detail as to how he was wrong.

798
00:38:27,199 --> 00:38:31,199
Speaker 3: But now I'm gonna I'm with Dan, So you go first, Jacob.

799
00:38:31,559 --> 00:38:34,440
Speaker 2: I maybe we have the same argument. I don't know,

800
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:39,719
but I think Hartenstein because Hartenstein is a one of

801
00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:45,039
one on this team. He is the only stereotypical traditional

802
00:38:45,039 --> 00:38:50,880
big you know, Chet is very like non traditional that

803
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:55,920
this team has, even Jalen Williams. J will is undersized

804
00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:59,599
at like six ' nine, thicker body but but a

805
00:38:59,599 --> 00:39:05,039
little undersized, where Caruso is incredible. But this team also

806
00:39:05,079 --> 00:39:07,960
has lou Dorton, Case and Wallace who are a similar

807
00:39:08,039 --> 00:39:10,159
archetype player. And then you go further down the list

808
00:39:10,159 --> 00:39:12,840
and you got an Aaron Wiggins, which I know we'll

809
00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:14,559
touch on in a bit. I know you have a

810
00:39:14,559 --> 00:39:16,039
bone to pick with me, Dan, and that's.

811
00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:18,199
Speaker 1: Okay, not an actual bone, but yeah, I'm going to

812
00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:19,599
pretend to be infuriated.

813
00:39:21,519 --> 00:39:23,840
Speaker 2: Aaron Wiggins the man who saved basketball. They have a

814
00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:28,199
lot of that archetype, right the six three six four

815
00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:32,440
sixty five wing slash guard who's just a bulldog defensively

816
00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:37,719
and can space out and shoot threes. Because that position

817
00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:40,440
is a little redundant, which I think redundancy of that

818
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:42,960
position is a great thing to have in the modern NBA.

819
00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:47,559
I think that the bigger impact becomes, iHeart because of

820
00:39:47,599 --> 00:39:51,960
the scarcity of that prototype on the team.

821
00:39:52,119 --> 00:39:56,800
Speaker 3: Okay, so that's very good points now icessarily disagree with him,

822
00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:58,400
But here's the right answer. And Dan, I do want

823
00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:01,440
to hear your thoughts on this as well. But the

824
00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:03,440
main thing that stands out to me, there's a couple

825
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:06,079
of things why I think the Caruso signing will have

826
00:40:06,119 --> 00:40:10,719
the bigger impact. But the biggest thing for those listeners

827
00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:13,000
listening right now that didn't watch the Thunder religiously or

828
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,280
do not tune into the Uncontested podcast after every post

829
00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:18,239
game like some Thunder fans do, they're going to say

830
00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:21,800
the biggest hole, you know, obviously was Josh Getty, his

831
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,960
fit with that starting lineup, him not being guarded from

832
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:28,079
three and just being left open. But the thing is

833
00:40:28,119 --> 00:40:31,000
it wasn't so much Josh Getty being left open. It

834
00:40:31,039 --> 00:40:33,000
was the fact that opposing teams or putting their center

835
00:40:33,039 --> 00:40:37,679
on Josh Gutty that led to some smaller but big

836
00:40:38,079 --> 00:40:42,239
versatile defenders forwards guarding chet Holmgren, which he really struggled

837
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:43,639
with and kind of led to that. I don't want

838
00:40:43,639 --> 00:40:46,000
to call it a decline, but obviously a big learning

839
00:40:46,039 --> 00:40:48,119
curve there in the second half of the season. And

840
00:40:48,159 --> 00:40:49,800
so when you have Caruso out there on the floor

841
00:40:49,840 --> 00:40:52,800
that has to be respected from three, you also obviously

842
00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:55,599
can't put your censer on him. That allows chat Homegroun

843
00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:57,360
just be able to cook, especially if he's getting the

844
00:40:57,360 --> 00:40:59,519
ball out on the perimeter and can just take take

845
00:40:59,559 --> 00:41:03,280
a to the rack and get to the rim. The

846
00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:07,880
other thing there as well is I just think, like

847
00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:10,039
when when Shae would sit, one thing at the Thunder

848
00:41:10,039 --> 00:41:12,639
really needed was another ball handler and the Josh Giddy

849
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:15,679
Dub even that second unit, they weren't like Caruso's another

850
00:41:15,719 --> 00:41:17,639
player I think who can come in and take some

851
00:41:17,679 --> 00:41:20,000
of those ball handling, play making duties. I think that's

852
00:41:20,039 --> 00:41:23,400
going to be huge, And again, like I think very

853
00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:26,280
highly Giddy as a player. But the thunder. Getting giddy

854
00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,519
for Caruso straight up without having to give up a

855
00:41:28,519 --> 00:41:31,599
picks just absolutely absurd in the great greater scheme of

856
00:41:31,679 --> 00:41:33,719
things like, I just think Caruso will have a bigger

857
00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:35,840
impact over on this team. He's already familiar with the

858
00:41:35,920 --> 00:41:36,679
organization too.

859
00:41:38,639 --> 00:41:41,360
Speaker 1: So my argument in a Nutchell Well, Jacob made part

860
00:41:41,400 --> 00:41:43,400
of it for me before he made mine better by

861
00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:45,480
saying that he could see cut home Grid being the

862
00:41:45,519 --> 00:41:47,320
best player on this team with Shane in a couple

863
00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:49,559
of years. You could, I think you could honestly just

864
00:41:49,559 --> 00:41:53,679
boil it down to Isaiah Hartnstein plays your second or

865
00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:56,480
third most important player's best position, and so I think

866
00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:58,599
that's just going to inherently limit the amount of time

867
00:41:58,639 --> 00:42:00,559
he's on the court, and that hit his impact is

868
00:42:00,559 --> 00:42:03,280
going to be more matchup dependent than Crusoe's. The other

869
00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:06,000
point of my argument, though, was that lou Dort has

870
00:42:06,039 --> 00:42:08,719
turned into I don't mean to make this comp specifically,

871
00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:11,639
but defenses will now at least sometimes guard or react

872
00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:14,880
to what Marcus Smart is doing well pre Memphis Beyond

873
00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,199
the Arc, lou Dort has entered that realm, and he

874
00:42:17,199 --> 00:42:19,039
shot the hell out of the three ball. But like

875
00:42:19,079 --> 00:42:21,199
when you're looking at Caseon Wallace, who as of now

876
00:42:21,199 --> 00:42:24,400
maybe that changes, he still feels like too passive to

877
00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:27,000
me offensively when looking for his own offense. So when

878
00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:29,719
you have that plus lou Dort, who if his shot

879
00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:32,079
is offers, team's just a slide like, yeah, we're okay

880
00:42:32,079 --> 00:42:33,559
with him making a couple of threes, and so we're

881
00:42:33,559 --> 00:42:37,239
still going to leave that space. Caruso blends or takes

882
00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:39,440
up some of both of those weaknesses to where you

883
00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:41,760
don't lose anything defensively going from Dort to Caruso. If

884
00:42:41,760 --> 00:42:43,920
that's a decision you have to make, and you definitely

885
00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:47,320
don't lose anything offensively right now going from Caseon Wallace

886
00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:50,280
to Cruso. And so I probably didn't give enough consideration

887
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:53,559
to what Jacob said, which is just the positional logjam there.

888
00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,360
But then I also looked at it from the perspective

889
00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:59,079
too of like you have real equity committed to Caruso,

890
00:42:59,079 --> 00:43:01,239
where it's like, okay, I say, Aahstein was just cap space.

891
00:43:01,559 --> 00:43:03,719
You gave up Josh Giddy, who was a very high

892
00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:05,280
draft pick, and I know it was the final year

893
00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:07,119
of his contract. He wasn't the right fit, but there

894
00:43:07,159 --> 00:43:10,480
is still sort of that equity perspective there, So and

895
00:43:10,559 --> 00:43:13,400
that was the move like that you made you clearly

896
00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:15,880
without maybe you could have you tampered maybe, but we

897
00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:18,840
didn't know Isaiah Hartenstein was coming at that point. So

898
00:43:19,400 --> 00:43:21,519
I look at that and that was where I was

899
00:43:21,559 --> 00:43:24,159
coming at it from. And I closed by saying, I

900
00:43:24,159 --> 00:43:26,119
think at the end of the day, when we look

901
00:43:26,159 --> 00:43:28,480
at the crunch time that the Thunder play next season,

902
00:43:28,519 --> 00:43:31,559
I think Alex Caruso will have made played more total

903
00:43:31,599 --> 00:43:36,119
minix excuse me, by a fairly well sized margin compared

904
00:43:36,159 --> 00:43:38,639
to Isaiah Hartenstein. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think we

905
00:43:38,679 --> 00:43:42,119
both we all know I'm one hundred percent right. So

906
00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:43,719
I mean, I think you're on.

907
00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:49,639
Speaker 2: It's a lot easier to play Caruso in any situation

908
00:43:49,719 --> 00:43:52,119
than it is Hartenstein in any situation, especially when you

909
00:43:52,119 --> 00:43:52,679
have Chet.

910
00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:52,880
Speaker 3: On the team.

911
00:43:53,119 --> 00:43:55,559
Speaker 1: Can we appreciate how how do you stop cursing on this?

912
00:43:55,719 --> 00:43:58,440
Because how ridiculous this conversation is. Right now you talk

913
00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:00,639
about embarrassed with like this is gold shoe are too

914
00:44:00,639 --> 00:44:04,079
tight territory? But I mean, which of these fantastic fits

915
00:44:04,159 --> 00:44:05,360
is gonna be the better fit?

916
00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:10,840
Speaker 2: They were fourth in defense last season, Uh, I think

917
00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:13,039
that number is going up. I mean they just there.

918
00:44:14,079 --> 00:44:17,239
Imagine being an opposing ball handler coming into Oklahoma City

919
00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:18,960
to play on a second nd of a back to back.

920
00:44:19,719 --> 00:44:20,480
Speaker 1: No, you sit out?

921
00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:23,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, an injury like it's.

922
00:44:24,679 --> 00:44:27,360
Speaker 3: We're gonna We're going to start ludort on you. If

923
00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:30,840
there's a switch JDub or Share coming at you. Oh

924
00:44:30,880 --> 00:44:33,559
thank goodness, one of those players are sitting here, comes

925
00:44:33,599 --> 00:44:37,440
out Scruso in case of the Wallace like just hillacious.

926
00:44:38,039 --> 00:44:40,320
Speaker 1: We've kind of already touched on this, but I want

927
00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:42,000
to know if you still consider it with given how

928
00:44:42,079 --> 00:44:44,079
what my actual biggest need for the thunder is something

929
00:44:44,079 --> 00:44:47,400
they didn't address, which was that other It could have

930
00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:49,320
been a wing with someone with size who could create

931
00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:51,880
their own shot table set for others, had like jiggle

932
00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:53,480
and joggles, the way he was with the ball where

933
00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:56,239
it wasn't just straight line stuff. They didn't get that guy.

934
00:44:56,519 --> 00:44:58,320
But then you talk about the development of Chet Holmgren,

935
00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:00,440
you talk about the stride Jeale Williams is already made

936
00:45:00,519 --> 00:45:02,159
you probably the case like they have two of those

937
00:45:02,159 --> 00:45:04,760
guys already on the roster. I just already considered J

938
00:45:04,920 --> 00:45:08,119
dub one, Jacob, do you still view that as through

939
00:45:08,159 --> 00:45:11,239
the lens of a longer term need that you're going

940
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:14,079
to want this team to try and fill at some point,

941
00:45:14,199 --> 00:45:16,199
and if it's you know, we haven't gotten to the

942
00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:19,639
Nicolo topic of it all just yet, but like just

943
00:45:19,679 --> 00:45:22,000
in a nutshell or vacuum, rather like, do you still

944
00:45:22,079 --> 00:45:24,679
view that as something you want them to address some

945
00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:26,840
powers it like? No, like the answers are just on

946
00:45:26,840 --> 00:45:27,559
the team already.

947
00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,000
Speaker 2: Just to make sure I'm understanding correctly, you're saying a

948
00:45:31,039 --> 00:45:33,039
big wing who can do that, or a big wing

949
00:45:33,159 --> 00:45:34,400
for somebody who can do that.

950
00:45:34,559 --> 00:45:36,639
Speaker 1: I think it's it when you just look at the

951
00:45:36,679 --> 00:45:38,480
guard glut they have right now. I think it's a

952
00:45:38,519 --> 00:45:40,880
wing size, like a properly wing sized player, like not

953
00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:42,280
six or five or under type.

954
00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:47,559
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's fair. I think two years ago,

955
00:45:48,239 --> 00:45:50,400
and I know we'll get to this one too. I

956
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:52,760
think two years ago they would have said we've got

957
00:45:52,800 --> 00:45:56,400
that guy on the roster in the incubator in Nusman, Jane.

958
00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:02,000
That is no longer the case, and my humble opinion

959
00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:05,480
that is no longer the case. But I think you

960
00:46:05,559 --> 00:46:07,559
kind of took the answer from me when you mentioned

961
00:46:07,599 --> 00:46:14,000
Nicole Topitch. I think advancements from Cason Wallace, you kind

962
00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:17,960
of have those guys already insulated on the roster, and

963
00:46:18,159 --> 00:46:22,119
like I led the show off with, even if that

964
00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:25,360
is like the quote unquote need, it's hard to say

965
00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:27,360
this team has a lot of needs right now. But

966
00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:31,280
if that's the last piece, I don't see like a

967
00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:36,519
massive consolidation trade to go get that guy who's already

968
00:46:36,519 --> 00:46:38,639
on a big contract filling that need. Just because of

969
00:46:38,679 --> 00:46:41,440
the current way the CBA is set up. The Thunder

970
00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:44,000
are two years away from the second apron, and when

971
00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,920
you're in the second apron, you are in trouble, and

972
00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:49,519
really the only thing you can do is develop and draft.

973
00:46:50,199 --> 00:46:52,079
Thunder a pretty damn good at both of those things.

974
00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:54,800
And they own everybody's first round pick for the next

975
00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:58,280
half decade, so.

976
00:46:57,280 --> 00:47:01,079
Speaker 1: I mean, having Utah rotating on for the next few years.

977
00:47:01,039 --> 00:47:05,320
Speaker 2: I don't see them consolidating those picks to go get

978
00:47:05,360 --> 00:47:10,800
that guy now. I think if that is the need

979
00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:13,920
that the team decides they need to fill, I think

980
00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:18,559
that comes via the draft, which, like we mentioned, they

981
00:47:18,639 --> 00:47:22,480
get the best of their own Houston or Clippers pick

982
00:47:22,719 --> 00:47:26,519
this season, plus they have the top ten protected Utah pick,

983
00:47:27,159 --> 00:47:30,920
Plus they have the lottery protected Miami pick this year,

984
00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:34,199
and I think this is the year that they have

985
00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:39,199
the top four protected Philly pick from the Al Horford trade.

986
00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:41,039
Speaker 1: Twenty twenty five, right, yeah, twenty.

987
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:45,679
Speaker 2: Five, so or first round picks on the table, including

988
00:47:45,719 --> 00:47:48,960
a triple swap. So if that's the need they need

989
00:47:49,039 --> 00:47:52,360
to fill, they're gonna have opportunities to do in the draft.

990
00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:54,400
Speaker 1: The other thing that stood out to me about this

991
00:47:54,440 --> 00:47:57,119
team offensively, and I don't know that it was fully appreciated.

992
00:47:57,360 --> 00:48:00,320
They're half court efficiency improved by almost seven points per

993
00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:03,400
one hundred possessions. That is wild because when you look

994
00:48:03,440 --> 00:48:06,199
at the margins, like to use the calves as an example,

995
00:48:06,519 --> 00:48:09,079
they dropped from seventh and half court efficiency to eighteen

996
00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:11,400
and the difference was like, oh, their half court efficiency

997
00:48:11,440 --> 00:48:14,199
declined by about one point three points per one hundred

998
00:48:14,199 --> 00:48:17,440
posessions in the half court. What did anything go into

999
00:48:17,480 --> 00:48:20,360
that other than just like, Okay, Jay Dubb makes his

1000
00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:22,840
leap and Chet's there to open up the floor, and

1001
00:48:22,840 --> 00:48:25,280
that's just it created all these other opportunities for anyone else.

1002
00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:27,719
Was there anything Taylor that I'm just sort of missing here?

1003
00:48:27,719 --> 00:48:30,039
It's like, how do you make that when you're already

1004
00:48:30,079 --> 00:48:33,000
like they weren't like caps Lock that good, but like

1005
00:48:33,280 --> 00:48:35,519
we knew the bones of what they could be. How

1006
00:48:35,519 --> 00:48:37,039
do you make that big of a leap when you're

1007
00:48:37,039 --> 00:48:40,199
not working from such an incredibly low baseline to begin with.

1008
00:48:40,639 --> 00:48:43,880
Speaker 3: Well, I think that the Chet point cannot be overstated.

1009
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:45,559
I know a lot of people are probably like you

1010
00:48:45,599 --> 00:48:47,440
know that they hear that all the time, But it's

1011
00:48:47,559 --> 00:48:50,920
true having a versatile big like Chet coming in this

1012
00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:54,840
past year, especially with a year of just observing under

1013
00:48:54,880 --> 00:48:56,960
his belt. He talked a lot about that this offseason.

1014
00:48:57,039 --> 00:48:59,920
Last last during the regular season, he was interviewed about it.

1015
00:49:00,199 --> 00:49:02,519
I mean that's opened the flour so much more for

1016
00:49:02,519 --> 00:49:07,880
players like Jada and Shay specifically. That being said, there's

1017
00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:10,480
a couple other things too, like the versatility of this team,

1018
00:49:10,760 --> 00:49:14,079
the Thunder's versatility and ability to just regardless of who

1019
00:49:14,159 --> 00:49:16,639
is on the floor playing one through five, being able

1020
00:49:16,639 --> 00:49:19,440
to rip the ball off off the rim and defense

1021
00:49:19,559 --> 00:49:22,679
and push the ball in transition. They're an incredibly great

1022
00:49:23,639 --> 00:49:25,679
in my opinion, I said this line on our podcast

1023
00:49:25,760 --> 00:49:27,559
last year. I think they're at their best when they're

1024
00:49:27,599 --> 00:49:30,400
playing in transition rather than in the half court offense.

1025
00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:35,320
But when they are slowed down and off in half

1026
00:49:35,320 --> 00:49:38,800
court sets, you have players like Shay and Dub who

1027
00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:41,519
are so incredibly efficient able to get to their spots,

1028
00:49:41,519 --> 00:49:43,280
and I mean, that's just a cheat code. That's why

1029
00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:45,000
you're going to see those numbers go up, especially when

1030
00:49:45,039 --> 00:49:47,760
Dubb's taking that leap. When you have Shay and Dub

1031
00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:51,400
who are so efficient and scoring, especially when they're able

1032
00:49:51,440 --> 00:49:55,280
to get to their spots, that's huge. But I think

1033
00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:57,239
the last thing here is just the style of offense

1034
00:49:57,280 --> 00:49:59,800
that Mark Davenall's implemented. These are guys who are always

1035
00:49:59,800 --> 00:50:01,840
going to make the extra pass and the right read.

1036
00:50:02,119 --> 00:50:04,119
They're going to make that extra pass to get the

1037
00:50:04,119 --> 00:50:05,960
open shot or a better shot than the one they

1038
00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:08,880
already had. And also the off ball movement you talked about,

1039
00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:12,719
guys like Aaron Wiggenstan Kenrich Williams. Doesn't matter who you're

1040
00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:15,159
putting out there, these guys are great off ball. They're cutting,

1041
00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:18,039
and you're going to have point guards and lead playmakers

1042
00:50:18,079 --> 00:50:20,519
like Dub and Shae who are able to find those guys.

1043
00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:23,719
That's what leads to that jump in the half court efficiency.

1044
00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:26,280
Speaker 1: In my opinion, I don't have any good questions about

1045
00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:29,320
Shay Gilderslexander specifically, anymore like he's already If you want

1046
00:50:29,320 --> 00:50:30,480
to make the case, there were people that are making

1047
00:50:30,519 --> 00:50:32,199
a case he deserved all defense this year. So if

1048
00:50:32,199 --> 00:50:33,880
that's something you want to focus on, go ahead. I

1049
00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:36,599
decided instead to go full. I don't watch the thunder.

1050
00:50:36,719 --> 00:50:39,519
Let's just ask this question. If I set the over

1051
00:50:39,599 --> 00:50:41,800
under at four point two to three point attempts per game,

1052
00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:44,719
we'll start with Jacob for Shay next season, are you

1053
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:46,000
taking the over the under on that.

1054
00:50:46,519 --> 00:50:50,000
Speaker 2: Four point two? Last year he took three point six. Shay.

1055
00:50:50,480 --> 00:50:52,440
Every time he's had a break from basketball since his

1056
00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:55,400
senior year of high school, he comes back with something new,

1057
00:50:55,840 --> 00:50:59,400
something better. This time around, maybe it's the three point shot,

1058
00:50:59,440 --> 00:51:01,239
So give me the old. I think they want this

1059
00:51:01,280 --> 00:51:04,159
team taking a lot more threes. I think you're gonna

1060
00:51:04,159 --> 00:51:07,000
see more from Shay, Chet and Dubs.

1061
00:51:06,679 --> 00:51:11,119
Speaker 3: Specifically, I agree completely, like Jacob said, three point six

1062
00:51:12,280 --> 00:51:14,880
this past season, and we know he's capable of taking more.

1063
00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:17,119
On top of that, you're gonna have better floor spacing

1064
00:51:17,159 --> 00:51:19,760
this year. And you look at his his averages twenty

1065
00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:22,960
twenty one twenty twenty two season, he averaged five point

1066
00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:26,239
three three point tens per game and twenty twenty twenty

1067
00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:28,559
twenty one, the COVID year with Chris Paul he's still

1068
00:51:28,559 --> 00:51:30,519
a young up and coming player in the league. He

1069
00:51:30,599 --> 00:51:32,639
had four point nine three point tens per game. I

1070
00:51:32,679 --> 00:51:34,760
think we're we're gonna going to see closer to that

1071
00:51:34,800 --> 00:51:36,039
four point nine number this season.

1072
00:51:37,039 --> 00:51:38,840
Speaker 1: I think what's gonna be important to him hitting it?

1073
00:51:38,880 --> 00:51:40,639
And it sounds like I would agree with the over

1074
00:51:40,719 --> 00:51:42,920
base off the stuff you've said about you guys have

1075
00:51:42,960 --> 00:51:45,199
both said about the other players on this team. Is

1076
00:51:45,559 --> 00:51:48,360
the quickest way to get him more of those three

1077
00:51:48,360 --> 00:51:51,000
point looks is like they need to come off the

1078
00:51:51,039 --> 00:51:53,480
catch probably and so like, if that can become a

1079
00:51:53,559 --> 00:51:55,639
higher share where he's not doesn't need to dominate the

1080
00:51:55,639 --> 00:51:57,880
ball as much because chet is doing this as a

1081
00:51:58,000 --> 00:51:59,400
you know, not just as like someone with the ball,

1082
00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:01,159
but as a play that Jay Dove's doing this as

1083
00:52:01,159 --> 00:52:04,039
a playmaker. If you trust defenses to overreact to Alex

1084
00:52:04,079 --> 00:52:07,559
Caruso and the lane, more case, wall Wallace gets ten

1085
00:52:07,599 --> 00:52:10,519
percent better, Aaron Wiggins gets like fifteen percent better. I

1086
00:52:10,519 --> 00:52:12,039
think that opens up an opportunity for him to be

1087
00:52:12,079 --> 00:52:13,760
off the ball a little bit more. And I think

1088
00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:16,400
that's probably and even with Isaiah Hartenstein there, if he's

1089
00:52:16,400 --> 00:52:18,280
not involved in that primary action for some reason, that

1090
00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:21,679
might be the most efficient path towards him hitting the over.

1091
00:52:21,760 --> 00:52:23,400
And it's like we've seen the volume before, but it

1092
00:52:23,440 --> 00:52:25,679
was in a role basically like those first two years

1093
00:52:25,679 --> 00:52:27,639
in Oklahoma City, maybe the second one, but like the

1094
00:52:27,679 --> 00:52:30,000
first year. For sure, this was not anything like we've

1095
00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:33,079
seen Jay gilg just out SGA play the past couple

1096
00:52:33,119 --> 00:52:34,880
of years in Okay See.

1097
00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:38,360
Speaker 2: For sure, Yeah, I could definitely see the over. He

1098
00:52:38,440 --> 00:52:42,280
also in the playoffs got a lot more going to

1099
00:52:42,360 --> 00:52:44,239
that step back, and I wouldn't be surprised to see

1100
00:52:44,239 --> 00:52:45,800
that more frequently this season as well.

1101
00:52:45,840 --> 00:52:49,239
Speaker 1: What are we looking for Taylor from Cason Wallace in

1102
00:52:49,320 --> 00:52:52,800
year two, who this podcast put on their first team

1103
00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:56,840
All rookie because that dude just defense basically everybody and

1104
00:52:57,039 --> 00:53:00,599
as just yeah, I'm not sure that we appreciate not

1105
00:53:00,679 --> 00:53:03,960
you guys, but collectively just he's a rookie. The Thunder

1106
00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:06,360
were one of the two best teams they made in

1107
00:53:06,360 --> 00:53:08,320
the ring. He's just a regular part of the rotation

1108
00:53:08,880 --> 00:53:11,119
like for all these The thing that I preached to

1109
00:53:11,199 --> 00:53:13,480
fans when they get mad that like well, why would

1110
00:53:13,480 --> 00:53:15,639
you grade the Lakers offseason so poorly? They got Dalton

1111
00:53:15,679 --> 00:53:18,639
connect like that's they upgraded the Torian Prince minutes. You

1112
00:53:18,679 --> 00:53:20,360
don't get to say that if you're trying to be

1113
00:53:20,400 --> 00:53:22,639
a good team, like you don't just get to assume

1114
00:53:22,639 --> 00:53:25,199
that from a rookie. Yet the Thunder fucking got it

1115
00:53:25,239 --> 00:53:25,800
from a rookie.

1116
00:53:25,800 --> 00:53:29,519
Speaker 3: Exactly, Sam Presty strikes again, just like you said, kind.

1117
00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:32,599
Speaker 1: Of for me on that trade, by the way, I

1118
00:53:32,760 --> 00:53:36,000
destroyed their cap management and like the that thing think

1119
00:53:36,039 --> 00:53:37,880
case of Washer's like, all right, doesn't matter. It's the

1120
00:53:37,880 --> 00:53:39,079
Thunder probably know what they're doing.

1121
00:53:39,360 --> 00:53:41,639
Speaker 3: And honestly, like even if they would have stayed put

1122
00:53:41,639 --> 00:53:43,800
and taken Derek Clevely like a lot of people wanted to,

1123
00:53:43,880 --> 00:53:45,920
they're probably in a great spot also, And we're we

1124
00:53:45,920 --> 00:53:48,440
weren't talking about Hartenstein. We're talking about you know, how

1125
00:53:48,480 --> 00:53:51,599
great the Crusoe fit is. That's exact perfect missing, you know,

1126
00:53:51,679 --> 00:53:53,760
Like I think either way would have played out for them.

1127
00:53:53,800 --> 00:53:56,079
But like you said, Sam obviously knew what he was doing.

1128
00:53:56,079 --> 00:53:59,719
I think this past year for something uncontested and for

1129
00:53:59,800 --> 00:54:02,360
me specifically, the things that stood out to me the

1130
00:54:02,400 --> 00:54:06,199
most in order from Cason's rookie season was his confidence

1131
00:54:07,320 --> 00:54:09,239
as a rookie, just like you mentioned, being able to

1132
00:54:09,280 --> 00:54:12,159
get in big time, big game situations and not look

1133
00:54:12,280 --> 00:54:14,239
like a rookie looking like a season vet in a

1134
00:54:14,239 --> 00:54:17,280
lot of instances. Obviously his defense and then the three

1135
00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:20,920
point efficiency in that order. But we've been talking a

1136
00:54:20,920 --> 00:54:23,159
lot about this this soft season, and then contested there's

1137
00:54:23,199 --> 00:54:25,760
a lot more to Cason Wallace's game. Can he unlock

1138
00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:28,800
that with the logjam of like the depth of talent

1139
00:54:28,880 --> 00:54:31,360
on this team, we'll see. That's something that you mentioned

1140
00:54:31,719 --> 00:54:35,280
a lot so far throughout this podcast, Dan, But I

1141
00:54:35,320 --> 00:54:36,880
want to see Kason Wallace with the ball in his

1142
00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:38,840
hands a little more, and I honestly think we will.

1143
00:54:38,960 --> 00:54:40,880
I think the thunder went too as well. You look

1144
00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:44,719
back during his time with Kentucky his freshman year and

1145
00:54:45,079 --> 00:54:47,320
I just completely went blank on who the starting point

1146
00:54:47,360 --> 00:54:49,920
guard for them was. But that point guard got hurt

1147
00:54:50,159 --> 00:54:52,480
Cason took on those ball handling duties. So I think

1148
00:54:52,519 --> 00:54:55,320
the playmaking and the self creation with the ball in

1149
00:54:55,360 --> 00:54:57,920
his hands, that's the next evolution to Cason Wallace's game,

1150
00:54:58,239 --> 00:54:59,719
And to answer your question, I think that's what will

1151
00:54:59,719 --> 00:55:02,400
probably see a little more of we'll see how much,

1152
00:55:02,679 --> 00:55:05,199
but a little more of this upcoming season, what.

1153
00:55:05,199 --> 00:55:07,920
Speaker 1: Do we kind of make though of the I don't

1154
00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:09,360
want to just call it a guard glut, but it

1155
00:55:09,400 --> 00:55:11,480
is a guard glut where it's okay, you have Aaron Wiggins,

1156
00:55:11,519 --> 00:55:13,400
you have Isaiah Joe and both of them are on

1157
00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:16,159
new contracts. You have Cason Wallace, you have Alex Cruzo.

1158
00:55:16,199 --> 00:55:18,559
You're thinking about or we're assuming they're going to keep.

1159
00:55:18,719 --> 00:55:21,079
There's lou Dort, there's Shay and it helps that some

1160
00:55:21,119 --> 00:55:22,800
of these guys can just slide up to the wings.

1161
00:55:22,840 --> 00:55:25,639
But and we should be living in the moment with them.

1162
00:55:25,679 --> 00:55:28,679
But this is also just like what is the endgame here, Jacob, Like,

1163
00:55:28,719 --> 00:55:31,400
there's no way they're keeping especially with all these draft

1164
00:55:31,400 --> 00:55:33,400
picks coming in. So they getting rid of the draft

1165
00:55:33,400 --> 00:55:35,880
picks or we're just gonna see some not a mega consoli.

1166
00:55:35,880 --> 00:55:38,679
Everyone wants the Thunder still to make a consolidation, blockbuster trade.

1167
00:55:38,800 --> 00:55:40,920
Is it just they need to consolidate to make room

1168
00:55:40,960 --> 00:55:42,679
for these bodies that are gonna come in by way

1169
00:55:42,679 --> 00:55:43,239
of the draft.

1170
00:55:43,800 --> 00:55:46,480
Speaker 2: For sure. You also have Nicolotopitch who just came in

1171
00:55:46,519 --> 00:55:49,079
the draft, who's also a guard and a lead ball handler.

1172
00:55:50,559 --> 00:55:53,559
I think they bank a lot on, and Sam Presti

1173
00:55:53,639 --> 00:55:57,320
said as much during both his exit interview and after

1174
00:55:57,440 --> 00:56:03,400
the Giddy Caruso swap. Is the size and that the

1175
00:56:03,519 --> 00:56:07,039
height listed on the on the roster doesn't matter as

1176
00:56:07,119 --> 00:56:12,239
much to them as the I forget what word he used,

1177
00:56:12,239 --> 00:56:16,239
but the ability to defend. When you look at the

1178
00:56:16,360 --> 00:56:22,239
Chicago Bulls kind of like defensive breakdown a lot of

1179
00:56:22,239 --> 00:56:26,079
times Alex Caruso was guarding the four over Patrick Williams,

1180
00:56:26,559 --> 00:56:29,199
I do, yeah, yeah. When you look at the Thunder

1181
00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:31,559
last season, I mean, Jay Dubb was the permanent starter

1182
00:56:31,679 --> 00:56:36,039
at the four, even though Josh Giddy physically was bigger

1183
00:56:36,079 --> 00:56:40,960
than him, and I think some of Dubb's best defensive

1184
00:56:41,039 --> 00:56:45,119
performances came against guys like Karl Anthony Towns who are

1185
00:56:45,159 --> 00:56:49,480
significantly larger than him. But their ability to guard up,

1186
00:56:49,559 --> 00:56:53,840
I think is one thing they have really like wanted

1187
00:56:53,840 --> 00:56:59,480
to emphasize and bank on. They've clearly changed directions from

1188
00:56:59,519 --> 00:57:03,039
the first iteration of the Thunder, which was have two

1189
00:57:03,119 --> 00:57:09,039
elite scorers and then fill the roster with long, rangy

1190
00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:12,920
defenders who can run the floor and are super athletic

1191
00:57:13,039 --> 00:57:17,039
but maybe lack a lot of basketball feel. They now

1192
00:57:17,079 --> 00:57:21,320
want everybody who can play point guard, past dribbleshoot. Having

1193
00:57:21,440 --> 00:57:24,679
feel for the game is everything they look for chet Holmgrien,

1194
00:57:24,800 --> 00:57:29,320
Jalen Williams, Nicola Topich, Cason Wallace, Shay Gilges, Alexander Like

1195
00:57:29,360 --> 00:57:32,000
you go down the list, they want guys with really

1196
00:57:32,079 --> 00:57:34,880
high basketball feel who can make plays with the ball

1197
00:57:34,920 --> 00:57:40,559
in their hand. Those guys tend to be guards, and

1198
00:57:40,599 --> 00:57:43,000
I think that's kind of the way they're trending. It

1199
00:57:43,000 --> 00:57:46,679
wouldn't surprise me if they don't make that two or

1200
00:57:46,679 --> 00:57:51,119
three guards for the bigger wing trade, because I think

1201
00:57:51,119 --> 00:57:53,280
they believe in some of these smaller guys to really

1202
00:57:53,280 --> 00:57:56,400
be able to slide and defend up and that creates

1203
00:57:56,480 --> 00:57:58,360
mismatches for them on the other side of the court.

1204
00:57:58,480 --> 00:58:01,960
Speaker 1: Tell her what are the early impressions of Nicola toepitch here.

1205
00:58:02,079 --> 00:58:03,920
Obviously not going to be a factor this season, but

1206
00:58:03,960 --> 00:58:06,599
he was mentioned in the same breath as top five

1207
00:58:06,679 --> 00:58:09,960
pick candidates before he had that ACL injury, So what

1208
00:58:09,960 --> 00:58:12,679
do you sort of make of just his game, Like,

1209
00:58:12,679 --> 00:58:15,000
what are just early impressions Having obviously not seen him

1210
00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:16,719
and definitely not going to see him this year, probably

1211
00:58:16,719 --> 00:58:17,760
in the thunder uniform.

1212
00:58:17,880 --> 00:58:20,559
Speaker 3: So Nick and I like to get into the weeds

1213
00:58:20,559 --> 00:58:23,960
of the NBA draft pretty early, so we scouted him

1214
00:58:23,960 --> 00:58:26,199
a little bit. I will obviously say that Nick did

1215
00:58:26,239 --> 00:58:29,320
a lot more legwork there and then all of us

1216
00:58:29,320 --> 00:58:31,719
collectively obviously once they picked him, we looked a lot

1217
00:58:31,719 --> 00:58:33,519
of film and just kind of broke down his game.

1218
00:58:33,519 --> 00:58:35,519
And the thing that stands off the most to me

1219
00:58:35,559 --> 00:58:39,400
about Toepitch is he's an elite ball handler, playmaker, but

1220
00:58:39,519 --> 00:58:41,719
his ability to get to the rim is something that's

1221
00:58:41,760 --> 00:58:45,599
incredibly impressive. It's very different than Josh Giddy in regards

1222
00:58:45,679 --> 00:58:48,760
to He's just very athletic and is able to is

1223
00:58:48,800 --> 00:58:51,199
a little more explosive, where Josh was a little more

1224
00:58:51,280 --> 00:58:54,840
the kind of the hirky, jerky, the smooth like utilizing

1225
00:58:54,840 --> 00:58:57,000
his length to get to the rim. Topeich is somebody

1226
00:58:57,000 --> 00:58:59,480
who's just explosive off the dribble, coming off the pick

1227
00:58:59,519 --> 00:59:02,119
and roll, taxaom immediately. That allows him to kick out

1228
00:59:02,199 --> 00:59:04,880
to shooters and great for their teammates. But he's also

1229
00:59:04,880 --> 00:59:07,800
a great score, great scorer around the rim. He showed

1230
00:59:07,800 --> 00:59:10,159
improvements with a three point shot. This is kind of

1231
00:59:10,159 --> 00:59:12,800
a theme, you know, Jacob talked about the thunder one

1232
00:59:12,840 --> 00:59:14,840
point zero is what we are kind of calling it

1233
00:59:14,880 --> 00:59:17,519
now right where he had Russ and KD but then

1234
00:59:18,400 --> 00:59:20,320
you drafted these freak athletes and hope that you could

1235
00:59:20,360 --> 00:59:23,119
develop them into shooters. Now it's like you have these

1236
00:59:23,159 --> 00:59:25,880
great feel, high IQ players, but they also need to

1237
00:59:25,880 --> 00:59:28,760
develop into shooters, and Topich kind of falls into that category.

1238
00:59:28,920 --> 00:59:30,920
But he's shown a lot more promise, especially when you

1239
00:59:30,960 --> 00:59:33,599
compare him to Josh Gitty when Josh Gitty was playing

1240
00:59:33,639 --> 00:59:36,440
in the NBL as a draft prospect. In comparison to

1241
00:59:36,440 --> 00:59:39,920
Topitch overseas, I think Topich has a little more ability there.

1242
00:59:40,199 --> 00:59:42,159
I think he's just going to be one again, another

1243
00:59:42,199 --> 00:59:44,320
one of those players who obviously has the size in

1244
00:59:44,360 --> 00:59:48,639
terms of height and his wingspan that's going to be

1245
00:59:48,679 --> 00:59:51,760
able to come out and not only lead second and

1246
00:59:52,119 --> 00:59:53,639
third units if you want to call him that, as

1247
00:59:53,679 --> 00:59:56,800
a lead ball handler and primary creator, but also playoff

1248
00:59:56,800 --> 00:59:58,280
ball with some of these guys like Dub and Sha.

1249
00:59:58,519 --> 00:59:59,559
And that's the ultimate goal.

1250
01:00:00,079 --> 01:00:02,400
Speaker 2: To jump back in here real quick. We've had a

1251
01:00:02,679 --> 01:00:04,639
we started off kind of off the rails. We've had

1252
01:00:04,679 --> 01:00:07,800
like forty minutes of legitimate basketball talk, So it's time

1253
01:00:07,840 --> 01:00:10,679
to take a break. Real quick, Dan, do you.

1254
01:00:10,760 --> 01:00:12,559
Speaker 3: Know I know exactly where you're going?

1255
01:00:12,679 --> 01:00:16,559
Speaker 2: What Nicola topic and one of these like I don't

1256
01:00:16,559 --> 01:00:18,719
know if the NBA did it or if it was

1257
01:00:18,760 --> 01:00:20,280
like a media company that did it, but they did

1258
01:00:20,280 --> 01:00:23,079
one of those like rapid fire questions with with the

1259
01:00:23,159 --> 01:00:27,360
rookies and they asked topic what his favorite basketball movie is?

1260
01:00:28,599 --> 01:00:29,679
Do you know what His answer was?

1261
01:00:30,480 --> 01:00:36,800
Speaker 1: I have zero ideas. It's hope it's not Thunderstruck.

1262
01:00:37,280 --> 01:00:38,000
Speaker 3: No, that's it.

1263
01:00:38,199 --> 01:00:40,480
Speaker 2: That's it. That's a guess. It was not. I'll give

1264
01:00:40,480 --> 01:00:44,119
you one more, one more guess, Dan, what decade?

1265
01:00:44,239 --> 01:00:44,840
Speaker 1: How far back?

1266
01:00:44,840 --> 01:00:45,239
Speaker 2: Were going?

1267
01:00:48,320 --> 01:00:48,679
Speaker 3: Early?

1268
01:00:48,760 --> 01:00:49,000
Speaker 1: Early?

1269
01:00:49,519 --> 01:00:51,920
Speaker 2: And are well saying in our lifetime? Is like all

1270
01:00:51,960 --> 01:00:57,199
basketball movies? I don't know just what. What's a typical

1271
01:00:57,239 --> 01:01:01,719
answer for a favorite basketball movie? Who have one? Who's yours? Okay,

1272
01:01:01,760 --> 01:01:05,480
that's another good guess. This man in a very Eastern

1273
01:01:05,519 --> 01:01:10,519
European accent, did not miss a beat, didn't think, didn't wait.

1274
01:01:10,519 --> 01:01:12,679
Speaker 3: Just fired off, no smile.

1275
01:01:12,840 --> 01:01:22,480
Speaker 2: Air Bud it was best basketball movie Airbuds.

1276
01:01:21,119 --> 01:01:27,320
Speaker 3: That fast, didn't crack a smile. Incredible huge brother is a.

1277
01:01:27,199 --> 01:01:29,679
Speaker 2: Die hard Airbud fan. How can you not love him?

1278
01:01:30,159 --> 01:01:32,000
Speaker 1: Might be a multi sport athlete, then too right the

1279
01:01:32,679 --> 01:01:34,039
soccer football? What else do you do?

1280
01:01:34,400 --> 01:01:36,239
Speaker 2: Everybody did everything. I think he went the space at

1281
01:01:36,280 --> 01:01:41,199
one point in time, like the Space Buddies are like

1282
01:01:41,199 --> 01:01:43,480
all of Airbud's offspring going into space.

1283
01:01:43,519 --> 01:01:47,559
Speaker 1: I don't know Jacob any early impressions of Dylan Jones

1284
01:01:47,599 --> 01:01:50,519
other than we will probably never predict where his how

1285
01:01:50,519 --> 01:01:52,840
his next three point attempt is going to be missed.

1286
01:01:53,400 --> 01:01:58,440
Speaker 2: Dylan Jones just feels like a Presty Pet project, like

1287
01:01:58,880 --> 01:02:02,239
they They apparently wanted him last draft in the second round,

1288
01:02:02,960 --> 01:02:05,320
but Dylan decided to go back to school at Weaver State,

1289
01:02:05,679 --> 01:02:09,440
stay another year and bet on himself to go first round.

1290
01:02:09,880 --> 01:02:12,840
What she did? The Thunder traded five second round picks

1291
01:02:12,880 --> 01:02:17,920
to move up to get him. Big dude, great feel,

1292
01:02:18,039 --> 01:02:20,719
plays with the ball in his hands, not super athletic,

1293
01:02:20,800 --> 01:02:25,039
but can make every pass, has a really nice, polished

1294
01:02:25,039 --> 01:02:30,079
offensive game. Is a competitor. This is like the kind

1295
01:02:30,079 --> 01:02:33,719
of I call him the pesty the Presty Pet Projects.

1296
01:02:33,760 --> 01:02:37,880
Holy shit, say that three times fast, the Presty pet Projects.

1297
01:02:38,119 --> 01:02:41,440
Because we've seen a series of guys in this mold

1298
01:02:42,039 --> 01:02:45,440
that they have taken. None of them have panned out

1299
01:02:45,440 --> 01:02:48,079
so far, but maybe Dylan Jones will be the one.

1300
01:02:48,079 --> 01:02:50,800
The most recent one was Keyonte Johnson out of Kansas State,

1301
01:02:51,239 --> 01:02:55,679
who is now with Thunder East aka the Charlotte Hornets.

1302
01:02:56,639 --> 01:03:00,800
They keep going for like these stockier, like thick boy

1303
01:03:01,199 --> 01:03:04,000
defender can play with the ball in their hands like

1304
01:03:04,119 --> 01:03:08,159
jumbo sized playmakers. Dylan Jones is the next in that line.

1305
01:03:08,559 --> 01:03:12,159
They're hoping that time three four. I mean this goes

1306
01:03:12,159 --> 01:03:16,599
all the way back to uh Deontay Burton was this

1307
01:03:16,760 --> 01:03:18,760
archetype as well, right, I bet you haven't heard that

1308
01:03:18,840 --> 01:03:22,159
name in a while. They they have this for some reason.

1309
01:03:22,199 --> 01:03:25,719
That's an archetype that they like. They haven't struck gold yet,

1310
01:03:25,760 --> 01:03:28,199
but eventually they will find their Draymond Green. I'm convinced

1311
01:03:28,239 --> 01:03:28,480
of it.

1312
01:03:30,320 --> 01:03:32,400
Speaker 1: I can't refuse. I think this under of kind of

1313
01:03:32,440 --> 01:03:34,079
just negated the concept of hyperbole.

1314
01:03:34,199 --> 01:03:35,840
Speaker 2: So all is true.

1315
01:03:36,280 --> 01:03:39,800
Speaker 3: Hey, Dylan Jones is like my one draft pick I

1316
01:03:40,000 --> 01:03:44,679
nailed in evaluation. Ever, I'm like one for two hundred now,

1317
01:03:45,039 --> 01:03:52,280
but I drilled this one. Yes, that's right, I mean.

1318
01:03:52,159 --> 01:03:54,719
Speaker 1: They really would. Would they trade five seconds to get him?

1319
01:03:54,800 --> 01:03:56,400
I mean they got them to spare, but like so

1320
01:03:56,440 --> 01:03:57,960
they clearly really wanted him.

1321
01:03:58,000 --> 01:04:00,880
Speaker 2: Well, they also have so many stains they can never

1322
01:04:01,000 --> 01:04:04,440
pick all of them forever. I mean they can make

1323
01:04:04,599 --> 01:04:06,639
four G League teams with the second round picks that

1324
01:04:06,679 --> 01:04:09,239
they have. Yeah, so they had to go similar eventually, right.

1325
01:04:09,320 --> 01:04:11,000
Speaker 3: They promised that they were going to take him or

1326
01:04:11,039 --> 01:04:12,400
they told him they were going to take him in

1327
01:04:12,400 --> 01:04:15,039
that second round where the drafted a similar archetype in

1328
01:04:15,079 --> 01:04:18,239
Kante Johnson snow coincidence they picked him there, But Dylan

1329
01:04:18,280 --> 01:04:19,599
Jones bet on himself and he wanted to be a

1330
01:04:19,599 --> 01:04:22,599
first round pick. We saw him at Weaver State and

1331
01:04:23,159 --> 01:04:25,320
sure enough of them to trade up for him and

1332
01:04:25,320 --> 01:04:28,960
and shipped didn't really ship Keyonte off, but ended up

1333
01:04:29,000 --> 01:04:31,440
cutting Keyonte because Dylan Jones was their guy that draft.

1334
01:04:31,960 --> 01:04:34,840
Speaker 1: Rest Ashore, I did watch some AJ Mitchell film in

1335
01:04:34,880 --> 01:04:37,440
advance of this podcast, and he looks like to me

1336
01:04:37,840 --> 01:04:40,599
if TJ. McConnell played with a moral compass. What are

1337
01:04:40,639 --> 01:04:42,000
our early impressions of him?

1338
01:04:42,440 --> 01:04:42,599
Speaker 2: Uh?

1339
01:04:42,639 --> 01:04:42,920
Speaker 1: This one?

1340
01:04:43,039 --> 01:04:46,079
Speaker 2: I love that. Yeah, that's fun. He's a fun player. Man.

1341
01:04:46,199 --> 01:04:50,960
He again really good feel point guard, has a little

1342
01:04:50,960 --> 01:04:54,440
bit of nasty to him, is very competitive, just continues

1343
01:04:54,480 --> 01:04:57,639
to fit the bill of what they are looking for.

1344
01:04:57,679 --> 01:05:00,840
A lot of people said that they reached Dylan Jones.

1345
01:05:01,559 --> 01:05:04,039
I'm not a huge draft guy. I don't get deep

1346
01:05:04,039 --> 01:05:06,440
in the weeds because I fall in love with somebody

1347
01:05:06,440 --> 01:05:07,840
and then the Thunder don't take them, and then I'm

1348
01:05:07,880 --> 01:05:11,599
pissed off for the rest of eternity. You know, shout

1349
01:05:11,599 --> 01:05:13,559
out Jaris Walker forever in my heart.

1350
01:05:14,639 --> 01:05:17,320
Speaker 1: You may have Dodge Defray trade on that one.

1351
01:05:17,480 --> 01:05:20,039
Speaker 2: So apparently they don't like him very much. They keep

1352
01:05:20,079 --> 01:05:22,639
just taking more fours and fives and not giving my

1353
01:05:22,679 --> 01:05:23,400
man if here's a.

1354
01:05:23,400 --> 01:05:25,320
Speaker 1: Wing, and I just I cannot wait to talk to

1355
01:05:25,360 --> 01:05:29,760
Kaitlyn Cooper about this. Yes, but I just I don't

1356
01:05:29,800 --> 01:05:31,800
see it like I just I don't see him as

1357
01:05:31,840 --> 01:05:34,280
a wing. And I'm I don't want say I don't

1358
01:05:34,280 --> 01:05:37,159
know what the Pacers are doing, but the way they

1359
01:05:37,239 --> 01:05:39,400
view him seems very curious to me. But I'm sure

1360
01:05:39,440 --> 01:05:42,639
she will enlighten me in some respects agreed, And I

1361
01:05:42,719 --> 01:05:45,480
think the Thunder are doing okay without him, just like.

1362
01:05:46,039 --> 01:05:49,480
Speaker 2: For sure, all right, But yeah, a lot of people

1363
01:05:49,559 --> 01:05:53,280
said aj Mitchell was like high value for the pick

1364
01:05:53,320 --> 01:05:55,639
that they got him at in the second round. They

1365
01:05:56,119 --> 01:05:59,639
climbed that second day draft board pretty significantly to get there.

1366
01:06:00,119 --> 01:06:03,519
They didn't have a second rounder. They traded Lindy Waters

1367
01:06:03,559 --> 01:06:05,599
and then they traded that pick to move up, and

1368
01:06:05,599 --> 01:06:07,320
then that pick to move up. I think they moved

1369
01:06:07,360 --> 01:06:10,119
up two or three times. So they had very clearly

1370
01:06:10,199 --> 01:06:13,400
like zeroed in on him in that second round and

1371
01:06:13,719 --> 01:06:15,800
early results from watching him at Summer League, he seems

1372
01:06:15,840 --> 01:06:17,000
like a fun player. He'll get a lot of G

1373
01:06:17,079 --> 01:06:17,880
League burn this year.

1374
01:06:18,400 --> 01:06:20,079
Speaker 1: Oh he's not gonna be like closing games.

1375
01:06:22,079 --> 01:06:24,239
Speaker 2: Maybe maybe he'll get some time over lou Door. But

1376
01:06:24,280 --> 01:06:28,159
the guard glutt as you dubbed it, dan is h

1377
01:06:28,880 --> 01:06:30,679
is a little too thick. I think for AJ to

1378
01:06:30,679 --> 01:06:32,199
get through all right.

1379
01:06:32,039 --> 01:06:37,599
Speaker 1: This one hurts. Are we selling our Ushman Jang stop stock, guys, Taylor.

1380
01:06:37,960 --> 01:06:40,320
Speaker 3: I'll kick us off and say yes, but I'm going

1381
01:06:40,400 --> 01:06:43,679
to uh to hand this over to Jacob, who's been

1382
01:06:43,760 --> 01:06:46,800
leading the train, gone his rants on the uncontested and

1383
01:06:47,199 --> 01:06:49,440
no better better time for him to do it now.

1384
01:06:50,840 --> 01:06:52,599
Speaker 2: I don't think you can sell the stock because don't

1385
01:06:52,599 --> 01:06:53,960
think you're gonna get any money for it.

1386
01:06:56,239 --> 01:06:57,000
Speaker 3: That's all you've gotten.

1387
01:06:58,880 --> 01:07:00,960
Speaker 1: Then we need to get him to Brooklyn somehow, which

1388
01:07:01,000 --> 01:07:02,079
is I agree.

1389
01:07:02,239 --> 01:07:08,360
Speaker 2: I Actually I think he is falling into the god

1390
01:07:08,440 --> 01:07:13,679
arrest his soul, Alexey Pokashevski Mold the tray Man Mold.

1391
01:07:14,480 --> 01:07:18,360
I think he could be good if he got some

1392
01:07:18,480 --> 01:07:22,840
fight in him, and if he got an opportunity. That

1393
01:07:22,960 --> 01:07:26,000
opportunity is just not there with this team anymore. Two

1394
01:07:26,119 --> 01:07:27,960
years ago and you drafted him, you were like, yeah,

1395
01:07:27,960 --> 01:07:30,639
there's a long runway because this team isn't gonna be

1396
01:07:30,760 --> 01:07:33,559
very good. And then now there are second best odds

1397
01:07:33,599 --> 01:07:37,519
to win the finals, so he needs a runway in

1398
01:07:37,599 --> 01:07:42,159
a place like Brooklyn. I've said it for a year now.

1399
01:07:43,199 --> 01:07:45,719
I think Usman Jang could be a really good player

1400
01:07:46,239 --> 01:07:49,559
if like, nothing would make me happier as a human

1401
01:07:49,599 --> 01:07:52,440
being than to see Usman Jang walk out on the

1402
01:07:52,440 --> 01:07:55,840
court and just sucker punch the shit out of somebody,

1403
01:07:56,199 --> 01:07:58,320
Just pull a Draymond Green and try to choke out

1404
01:07:58,360 --> 01:08:03,480
Rudy Gobert. He he needs some dog in him desperately,

1405
01:08:03,840 --> 01:08:09,360
and I'm afraid there's just no dog. And without the dog,

1406
01:08:09,519 --> 01:08:13,119
that the the skill just as never going to come out.

1407
01:08:13,559 --> 01:08:15,320
Speaker 3: That's what I was looking for, Thank you, Jacob.

1408
01:08:15,760 --> 01:08:17,359
Speaker 1: I just I still won't be able to get over

1409
01:08:17,439 --> 01:08:20,199
the rookie year flashes of like you can't contact with

1410
01:08:20,319 --> 01:08:23,760
the feel that it felt as like a connector at points,

1411
01:08:23,760 --> 01:08:25,880
and so I'd like that he's so fluid.

1412
01:08:26,600 --> 01:08:30,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, that size, he's he's an alright ship ship.

1413
01:08:31,079 --> 01:08:33,159
Speaker 3: I mean like he had an incredible run in the

1414
01:08:33,159 --> 01:08:36,359
g League finals. He was the League finals MVP, was assertive,

1415
01:08:36,479 --> 01:08:40,319
driving to the rim, finishing through contact. He just won't

1416
01:08:40,359 --> 01:08:40,560
do that.

1417
01:08:40,600 --> 01:08:41,920
Speaker 2: And then he went to the g Or then he

1418
01:08:41,960 --> 01:08:44,359
went to the Summer League and got blocked three times

1419
01:08:44,399 --> 01:08:48,359
by Darius Baisley. And at that, I I know when

1420
01:08:48,399 --> 01:08:52,000
something is so overcooked it is on fire. And when

1421
01:08:52,039 --> 01:08:55,159
you get blocked three times by Darius Baisley in Summer League,

1422
01:08:55,399 --> 01:08:56,640
the alarms are going off.

1423
01:08:56,880 --> 01:08:58,880
Speaker 1: Jacob, would you care to tell me why Aaron Wiggins

1424
01:08:58,960 --> 01:09:02,000
is the most overrated player the NBA per your own opinion?

1425
01:09:03,199 --> 01:09:06,560
Speaker 2: So the context was he is so he is overrated

1426
01:09:06,600 --> 01:09:10,000
because everybody has an article about him being underrated. To

1427
01:09:10,079 --> 01:09:14,319
be clear, you said earlier on this podcast something about

1428
01:09:14,439 --> 01:09:16,960
if Cason Wallace can get ten percent better and if

1429
01:09:17,000 --> 01:09:20,880
Aaron Wiggins could get fifteen percent better. Just for clarity,

1430
01:09:21,039 --> 01:09:24,359
if Aaron Wiggins got fifteen percent better, we're talking prime. MJ.

1431
01:09:25,600 --> 01:09:28,560
The dude is incredible. You want to talk about the

1432
01:09:28,800 --> 01:09:32,079
ultimate role player. You need someone to come in and

1433
01:09:32,079 --> 01:09:35,000
defend a wing. Get Aaron Wiggins off the bench. You

1434
01:09:35,039 --> 01:09:37,439
need someone to come in and hit some threes. Get

1435
01:09:37,479 --> 01:09:39,680
Aaron Wiggins off the bench. You need someone to come

1436
01:09:39,720 --> 01:09:42,119
in and be like a secondary playmaker and move the ball.

1437
01:09:42,640 --> 01:09:44,960
Go get Aaron Wiggins off the bench. You need somebody

1438
01:09:45,039 --> 01:09:47,520
to mop the floor after the game, Go get Aaron

1439
01:09:47,560 --> 01:09:51,880
Wiggins off the bench. The dude. The versatility of him

1440
01:09:52,199 --> 01:09:58,039
is incredible. He's like a cult favorite in Oklahoma City.

1441
01:09:58,039 --> 01:10:02,079
He does so much stuff, He feels so many needs,

1442
01:10:03,079 --> 01:10:05,680
whatever you need on any given night. I am not

1443
01:10:05,760 --> 01:10:07,920
ashamed at all to say he is the best Wiggins

1444
01:10:08,439 --> 01:10:13,439
playing basketball and Planet Earth right now. He's He's so

1445
01:10:13,600 --> 01:10:17,039
good that I think he's becoming overrated because so many

1446
01:10:17,039 --> 01:10:18,359
people are now hopping on the Wigan.

1447
01:10:18,560 --> 01:10:21,119
Speaker 3: That was our argument on the podcast. If everybody says

1448
01:10:21,159 --> 01:10:23,399
the most underrated player in the league is Aaron Wiggins,

1449
01:10:23,439 --> 01:10:24,920
is he really underrated anymore?

1450
01:10:25,079 --> 01:10:28,640
Speaker 1: That was the This is fun because I disagree strongly

1451
01:10:28,880 --> 01:10:31,840
with you two here. I do feel sometimes, and not

1452
01:10:32,000 --> 01:10:34,359
just I'm not talking about you guys specifically, but people

1453
01:10:34,399 --> 01:10:37,000
who cover or root for that specific team are looking

1454
01:10:37,039 --> 01:10:39,880
at it through their lens of how exposed they are

1455
01:10:39,920 --> 01:10:42,720
to that player and the discourse around them. I still

1456
01:10:42,720 --> 01:10:45,479
would guess to you that if you pulled general NBA

1457
01:10:45,600 --> 01:10:48,239
fans who are trying to cover the entire league, Aaron

1458
01:10:48,279 --> 01:10:50,239
Wiggins is not going to be someone that the average

1459
01:10:50,319 --> 01:10:53,279
NBA fan knows a ton about, and that when you're

1460
01:10:53,439 --> 01:10:56,359
talking about underrated players, I don't think you should ever

1461
01:10:56,399 --> 01:10:57,840
be talking about. I mean, if you want to have

1462
01:10:57,840 --> 01:11:00,960
the discussion who's the most underrated player on their own team,

1463
01:11:01,680 --> 01:11:04,239
and that's a separate discusson when you're talking about over

1464
01:11:04,319 --> 01:11:06,720
it underrated players in the NBA, Excuse me. I think

1465
01:11:06,720 --> 01:11:09,640
you more so have to view it from the view

1466
01:11:09,760 --> 01:11:12,720
of twenty nine other fan bases rather than the team

1467
01:11:13,079 --> 01:11:14,039
who he represents.

1468
01:11:14,159 --> 01:11:21,319
Speaker 2: Totally fair, Totally fair. The dude's a badass.

1469
01:11:18,960 --> 01:11:21,039
Speaker 1: At The gimmick too, is that he saved basketball.

1470
01:11:21,119 --> 01:11:22,600
Speaker 2: Aaron saved basketball.

1471
01:11:22,960 --> 01:11:25,279
Speaker 1: Yeah, so corats Aaron Wiggins on saving.

1472
01:11:25,560 --> 01:11:29,560
Speaker 2: A great contract as well. The thunder paid him early

1473
01:11:30,880 --> 01:11:34,239
in order to get a better deal he was. They

1474
01:11:34,279 --> 01:11:35,960
could have just kept him on roster next year for

1475
01:11:36,039 --> 01:11:40,199
like two million dollars. Got the man his money earlier,

1476
01:11:40,600 --> 01:11:43,560
and in turn got what was it five years forty six.

1477
01:11:43,840 --> 01:11:45,840
Speaker 1: Five years forty five and a team option on the

1478
01:11:45,920 --> 01:11:50,039
last year because the right insane deal? Even Isaiah Joe,

1479
01:11:50,119 --> 01:11:52,800
I mean you talk about guard screening that dude, I

1480
01:11:52,920 --> 01:11:57,319
podcast favorite Isaiah Joe four years forty eight, team options

1481
01:11:57,319 --> 01:11:59,079
it on the fourth here because of course why not?

1482
01:11:59,439 --> 01:12:02,760
Speaker 2: So isn't it wild that they got him off the

1483
01:12:02,800 --> 01:12:06,319
buyout market because the Sixers cut him in camp?

1484
01:12:06,840 --> 01:12:09,640
Speaker 1: Or conversely, is he really worth twelve million? If Gary

1485
01:12:09,680 --> 01:12:11,800
Trent Junior can't get more than the minimum? That's like

1486
01:12:12,199 --> 01:12:15,159
throw some negative thundertakes here, better player than Gary Trent Junior?

1487
01:12:15,439 --> 01:12:18,119
But is he worth thirteen times as much as Gary

1488
01:12:18,159 --> 01:12:18,760
Trent Junior?

1489
01:12:19,560 --> 01:12:19,960
Speaker 2: We did it?

1490
01:12:20,039 --> 01:12:22,239
Speaker 1: Are you ready to enter the cookie cutter portion of

1491
01:12:22,279 --> 01:12:22,880
the podcast?

1492
01:12:22,880 --> 01:12:23,600
Speaker 2: Fellat's do it?

1493
01:12:23,960 --> 01:12:24,439
Speaker 3: Can't wait?

1494
01:12:24,439 --> 01:12:24,680
Speaker 2: Wait?

1495
01:12:24,760 --> 01:12:27,920
Speaker 1: So the first cookie cutter question, Taylor is for you.

1496
01:12:28,359 --> 01:12:31,039
Is there anything about this team we haven't discussed yet

1497
01:12:31,079 --> 01:12:33,600
that you think is not receiving enough? Should I specify

1498
01:12:33,680 --> 01:12:36,439
national attention so that you know we know that we're

1499
01:12:36,439 --> 01:12:38,760
not being necessarily just through the thunder.

1500
01:12:38,479 --> 01:12:41,680
Speaker 3: Got This is a really tough question. We've covered a

1501
01:12:41,720 --> 01:12:47,359
lot of ground. I'm impressed, man, Do you have something

1502
01:12:47,399 --> 01:12:50,880
that comes to mind, Jacob, I'm trying to think of

1503
01:12:50,920 --> 01:12:56,239
something good just for the sake of the podcast. I

1504
01:12:56,239 --> 01:12:56,680
don't know.

1505
01:12:56,880 --> 01:12:59,279
Speaker 1: We'll just say that I'm the best interview of all time. Covered.

1506
01:12:59,359 --> 01:13:03,880
Speaker 2: Yes, I think the best interviewer of all time. He's

1507
01:13:03,920 --> 01:13:07,239
gonna moderate the presidential debate here in a week, we

1508
01:13:07,319 --> 01:13:08,479
have Dan fa Valley here.

1509
01:13:09,560 --> 01:13:10,720
Speaker 3: God speed Dan.

1510
01:13:11,199 --> 01:13:15,279
Speaker 1: I think that's a good time to move right along. Okay,

1511
01:13:15,439 --> 01:13:17,920
this question, I guess it's like kind of fairly easy,

1512
01:13:17,920 --> 01:13:19,840
but it's also not. The team is at full strength.

1513
01:13:20,119 --> 01:13:24,159
You can only play ten players collectively. Can you too

1514
01:13:24,199 --> 01:13:27,199
get to a consensus of who the top ten are?

1515
01:13:27,239 --> 01:13:29,600
I do feel like they might just have nine locks,

1516
01:13:29,720 --> 01:13:31,880
But I'm curious to see what you come up with.

1517
01:13:33,520 --> 01:13:36,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, so, Taylor, I think we both agree the starters

1518
01:13:36,920 --> 01:13:44,720
are Shay dor Caruso, dub Chet yep. And the bench

1519
01:13:44,760 --> 01:13:49,520
is Hartenstein, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins yep.

1520
01:13:50,600 --> 01:13:52,960
Speaker 3: So who's that? Ten's Kenner Williams.

1521
01:13:53,640 --> 01:13:54,399
Speaker 2: Nice. I got it.

1522
01:13:54,479 --> 01:13:58,399
Speaker 1: So I got this team right Boom When I go

1523
01:13:58,479 --> 01:13:59,840
back and look at what I had penciled in for

1524
01:13:59,880 --> 01:14:01,359
a last year, and it was like, oh, the Uzman

1525
01:14:01,479 --> 01:14:03,479
Jang Hope was still pretty high based off where we.

1526
01:14:03,479 --> 01:14:05,760
Speaker 2: Hey, I remember our pod last year we were gassing

1527
01:14:05,800 --> 01:14:06,479
the man up.

1528
01:14:06,800 --> 01:14:10,840
Speaker 3: We were, and hey, look we're surprised. Don't be surprised

1529
01:14:10,840 --> 01:14:12,840
early in the season when you see us get some

1530
01:14:12,840 --> 01:14:14,960
of those man's he's the tenth man and Sev Keinrich

1531
01:14:15,199 --> 01:14:16,119
we saw that last year.

1532
01:14:16,319 --> 01:14:19,119
Speaker 2: Don't be surprised when he gets that tenth man minutes

1533
01:14:19,119 --> 01:14:21,199
and gets absolutely flam boyd.

1534
01:14:21,439 --> 01:14:23,560
Speaker 3: It won't be much. It won't be much, but they're

1535
01:14:23,560 --> 01:14:26,359
going to give him every last avenue to try and

1536
01:14:26,399 --> 01:14:29,119
prove himself early in the season. We're talking like four

1537
01:14:29,159 --> 01:14:31,560
minutes maybe every once in a while.

1538
01:14:32,159 --> 01:14:34,920
Speaker 2: He out to my Saturday morning if he wants.

1539
01:14:35,880 --> 01:14:38,199
Speaker 1: That would look that could have maybe been an under

1540
01:14:38,239 --> 01:14:42,760
talked about thing about this team is I haven't seen

1541
01:14:42,800 --> 01:14:44,479
it yet, but there are people that are gonna say,

1542
01:14:44,479 --> 01:14:46,079
there's just too many guys. How are they gonna figure

1543
01:14:46,079 --> 01:14:48,920
it out? Mark Diagnolt has just shown ever since he arrived,

1544
01:14:48,920 --> 01:14:51,199
and okase he like that. Dude's gonna figure it out

1545
01:14:51,439 --> 01:14:54,159
and everyone's gonna play. We're probably gonna see, uh, what's

1546
01:14:54,159 --> 01:14:57,479
his name is? Maleve Leon's gonna get any minutes. Didn't

1547
01:14:57,479 --> 01:14:59,359
even though that was a real human being until like

1548
01:14:59,399 --> 01:15:00,000
a couple months.

1549
01:15:00,760 --> 01:15:03,680
Speaker 2: That makes two of us, So I think that it's

1550
01:15:03,760 --> 01:15:06,479
worth We just talked through the five off the bench.

1551
01:15:07,000 --> 01:15:11,199
Cason Wallace was six highest in minutes, total minutes played

1552
01:15:11,199 --> 01:15:14,119
and minutes per game last season, and now you have

1553
01:15:14,239 --> 01:15:19,119
Isaiah Hartenstein and Joe and Wiggins on those new contracts.

1554
01:15:20,000 --> 01:15:23,079
Like where does Wallace fit in there? Does he go up?

1555
01:15:23,159 --> 01:15:27,399
Does he go down? Like it's that's not a bad

1556
01:15:27,520 --> 01:15:29,920
question to ask, Like how do they get everybody minutes?

1557
01:15:30,319 --> 01:15:33,279
Speaker 1: How did the thunder simultaneously submarine the six man of

1558
01:15:33,319 --> 01:15:34,960
the Year case for four different players?

1559
01:15:35,720 --> 01:15:37,159
Speaker 2: That's right, very true.

1560
01:15:37,479 --> 01:15:40,239
Speaker 1: Let's throw this one to I mean collectively, I think

1561
01:15:40,279 --> 01:15:42,159
you can get here. What is I know it'll be

1562
01:15:42,159 --> 01:15:44,840
matchup dependant. We already talked about this. We're fastwarding to

1563
01:15:44,880 --> 01:15:46,840
the end of the season. What will wind up being

1564
01:15:46,840 --> 01:15:48,960
their most used crunch time lineup?

1565
01:15:49,399 --> 01:15:51,399
Speaker 2: Ooh, that's a fun question.

1566
01:15:51,840 --> 01:15:53,920
Speaker 3: I think it's going to going to be last year

1567
01:15:54,039 --> 01:15:58,239
starters minus Giddy obviously with Carusoe in place. But Jacob

1568
01:15:58,239 --> 01:16:00,239
and I earlier in the podcast talked about you know,

1569
01:16:00,479 --> 01:16:02,640
you said hart and sign might be the bigger impact player.

1570
01:16:02,680 --> 01:16:04,680
So I was curious if you go Hart and sign.

1571
01:16:04,520 --> 01:16:08,560
Speaker 2: Potentially No, I'd go, I'd go with those guys. I

1572
01:16:08,560 --> 01:16:11,720
think they're I would say, I think there's a chance.

1573
01:16:11,720 --> 01:16:13,800
Maybe you say about loud Dort for a case and

1574
01:16:13,880 --> 01:16:16,319
Wallace or something like that, but I just think they

1575
01:16:16,359 --> 01:16:21,039
trust lou Dort so much and late in those games.

1576
01:16:21,039 --> 01:16:25,359
It's going to be matchup dependent obviously, but that lineup

1577
01:16:25,439 --> 01:16:29,520
is just going to terrorize other teams defensively that you

1578
01:16:29,640 --> 01:16:31,920
just you clamp everybody on one end and then you

1579
01:16:32,000 --> 01:16:34,920
have Shay and Dub go to work on the other end.

1580
01:16:36,039 --> 01:16:38,319
I think that'll be their their closing line up for sure.

1581
01:16:38,680 --> 01:16:40,800
Speaker 1: What would be the spot if you're looking at a player,

1582
01:16:40,880 --> 01:16:43,239
and I think it's that there's three locks like the SGA,

1583
01:16:43,479 --> 01:16:46,560
Chet and jub or non negotiable. What would who would

1584
01:16:46,560 --> 01:16:48,960
you see them fuzing and filling with more in that situation?

1585
01:16:49,039 --> 01:16:51,439
And Alex Caruso or a lou Dort.

1586
01:16:53,439 --> 01:16:57,319
Speaker 3: Between these two that is so tough like the staple

1587
01:16:57,439 --> 01:17:00,680
right right exactly, and they trust him on just about

1588
01:17:00,720 --> 01:17:02,279
anybody one on one on the prim.

1589
01:17:02,279 --> 01:17:05,840
Speaker 2: But Caruso is a two past two years like all

1590
01:17:05,920 --> 01:17:08,960
defensive team guy. I always wanna say.

1591
01:17:08,880 --> 01:17:13,239
Speaker 3: Dort if he were elsewhere, you know, magic Himalkers.

1592
01:17:13,800 --> 01:17:15,199
Speaker 1: I think if you were looking at it from an

1593
01:17:15,239 --> 01:17:18,840
offensive perspective, Alex Caruso would probably make more sense. But

1594
01:17:18,880 --> 01:17:21,079
there's like lu Dort just doesn't have a problem getting

1595
01:17:21,119 --> 01:17:24,439
shots up, and there's value in the volume as well

1596
01:17:24,479 --> 01:17:27,119
as the percentage, and so that's like a big difference maker.

1597
01:17:27,520 --> 01:17:29,239
That's what I used to use Marcus mart as an

1598
01:17:29,239 --> 01:17:31,520
example of. Is No, he's shooting thirty four to thirty

1599
01:17:31,560 --> 01:17:33,239
three percent from three. He's had some bad seasons, but

1600
01:17:33,279 --> 01:17:36,760
it's he's taking them, and like defenses will react, maybe

1601
01:17:36,760 --> 01:17:38,199
not all the time, but they will react to that.

1602
01:17:38,439 --> 01:17:40,399
Caruso's a little bit more passive in that regard, so

1603
01:17:40,439 --> 01:17:42,560
I actually do think it would be his spot they

1604
01:17:42,560 --> 01:17:45,800
would mess with more. And also, how is like lou

1605
01:17:45,880 --> 01:17:47,800
Dort I said this about someone out, but he's like

1606
01:17:47,880 --> 01:17:51,119
first team all. Him and Hartenstein are first team all

1607
01:17:51,159 --> 01:17:53,079
younger than you think that they are. I don't know

1608
01:17:53,079 --> 01:17:55,680
if the thunder have just had like eighty different iterations

1609
01:17:55,760 --> 01:17:57,159
under him, but Ludor feels like he's been in the

1610
01:17:57,239 --> 01:17:58,600
league since nineteen eighty five.

1611
01:17:58,800 --> 01:18:01,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, yes, it's crazy. So many of those players feel

1612
01:18:01,520 --> 01:18:04,079
the same way. But hey, just a spicy segment up

1613
01:18:04,079 --> 01:18:06,119
a little bit so we aren't too cookie cutter and

1614
01:18:06,279 --> 01:18:09,640
Shay honorable minch yea had been Shay, that's right, Nicole

1615
01:18:09,760 --> 01:18:13,520
topic coming back from injury, he's gonna play. Uh, don't

1616
01:18:13,520 --> 01:18:16,039
sleep on Isaiah Joe. We saw him come in and

1617
01:18:16,479 --> 01:18:19,680
clutch time multiple times throughout last season. He's not going

1618
01:18:19,760 --> 01:18:21,920
to answer this question. He's not going to get more

1619
01:18:21,960 --> 01:18:24,960
clutch time minutes than Cruiser or Hartenstein. Maybe more than

1620
01:18:24,960 --> 01:18:27,880
Hartenstein will see. But we saw Isaiah Joe play some

1621
01:18:27,880 --> 01:18:29,880
some big roles there. I mean too. He was starting

1622
01:18:29,920 --> 01:18:32,119
in the playoffs instead Josh Giddy and they needed to

1623
01:18:32,119 --> 01:18:34,039
make that adjustment. So Isaiah Joe is another one I

1624
01:18:34,039 --> 01:18:35,640
would just give an honorable mention.

1625
01:18:36,279 --> 01:18:39,399
Speaker 1: I love this question usually more than our guests. We'll

1626
01:18:39,439 --> 01:18:42,600
start with you, Jacob. What is a weird, funky, offbeat

1627
01:18:42,840 --> 01:18:43,880
lineup you would like to see?

1628
01:18:43,920 --> 01:18:46,840
Speaker 3: I love this. This is a great under have so many.

1629
01:18:47,039 --> 01:18:51,439
Speaker 2: Weird, funky offbeat lineup that I want to see this season.

1630
01:18:53,800 --> 01:18:58,640
Speaker 1: Let's go Cason Wallas at center, k so.

1631
01:19:01,199 --> 01:19:08,840
Speaker 2: Lou Dort, Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, J dub and Isaiah

1632
01:19:08,880 --> 01:19:18,680
Hartenstein just for the defense. I mean, that's just a

1633
01:19:18,680 --> 01:19:22,119
bunch of dogs. Those are those are some dogs that

1634
01:19:22,119 --> 01:19:24,359
are just gonna get after it. That would be a

1635
01:19:24,439 --> 01:19:27,960
and a bunch of thick boys too. We mentioned the

1636
01:19:28,239 --> 01:19:30,640
boys earlier, like that's a lot of meat on the court.

1637
01:19:30,640 --> 01:19:33,000
I'm kind of into that lineup. I think that could

1638
01:19:33,000 --> 01:19:33,880
be a really fun one.

1639
01:19:34,039 --> 01:19:35,720
Speaker 3: I like that that That's where I was heading as

1640
01:19:35,760 --> 01:19:38,039
well as like an all defensive kind of line up there.

1641
01:19:38,680 --> 01:19:40,720
But let's get fun and let's just say we throw

1642
01:19:40,840 --> 01:19:43,960
a bunch of size out there. Give me Chet, give

1643
01:19:44,000 --> 01:19:47,079
me Isaiah Harton sign, give me Dylan Jones, give me

1644
01:19:47,199 --> 01:19:52,880
j Dubb there's four and Swan Jang all the length,

1645
01:19:53,000 --> 01:19:53,800
all the size.

1646
01:19:54,960 --> 01:19:58,039
Speaker 2: Just I was dying last season for the skinny boy

1647
01:19:58,119 --> 01:20:01,479
lineup of Chet Poku j at the same time.

1648
01:20:01,680 --> 01:20:03,720
Speaker 1: You called them, didn't you call them the Holy Affinity?

1649
01:20:04,600 --> 01:20:06,439
I remember dying someone. I don't know if I saw

1650
01:20:06,439 --> 01:20:07,600
it or if I heard you guys say, but I

1651
01:20:07,640 --> 01:20:08,119
was dying.

1652
01:20:08,239 --> 01:20:10,960
Speaker 2: I don't. I don't think that was me, because if

1653
01:20:11,000 --> 01:20:14,239
I said that, the shirts would have been printed. I

1654
01:20:14,279 --> 01:20:14,880
promise you.

1655
01:20:14,880 --> 01:20:18,319
Speaker 3: That they is good. We had the thin Tower shirts

1656
01:20:18,359 --> 01:20:19,520
going last year. We did that.

1657
01:20:19,600 --> 01:20:23,600
Speaker 1: Those I think, honestly, let's put this whole thunder. They

1658
01:20:23,600 --> 01:20:25,640
don't care about the size of their players thing to

1659
01:20:25,680 --> 01:20:29,600
the test. So give me Alex Caruso, give me Caseon Wallace,

1660
01:20:30,000 --> 01:20:33,640
give me Lou Dort, give me Aaron Wiggins. And I'm

1661
01:20:33,680 --> 01:20:38,079
torn between who did I say, Dort Caruso, Cason Wallace,

1662
01:20:38,079 --> 01:20:40,720
Aaron Wiggins. And like, I'm torn between, Let's just put

1663
01:20:40,800 --> 01:20:42,479
Ushman Jang at the five? Or is like, do we

1664
01:20:42,520 --> 01:20:45,520
really Williams Kennris Williams is like an actual five. I

1665
01:20:45,520 --> 01:20:48,039
didn't pick some not an actual five, like he's played five.

1666
01:20:48,279 --> 01:20:50,880
So I'm just gonna go with I'll pick a real

1667
01:20:51,000 --> 01:20:54,159
NBA player though here to round out that lineup, I

1668
01:20:54,199 --> 01:20:57,680
guess J Dub like that's just yeah, I mean it's just.

1669
01:20:59,199 --> 01:20:59,520
Speaker 3: Nobody.

1670
01:20:59,680 --> 01:20:59,880
Speaker 2: Yeah.

1671
01:21:00,039 --> 01:21:01,159
Speaker 3: And then passing lines, I.

1672
01:21:01,119 --> 01:21:04,439
Speaker 1: Trust Caruso and collectively Caruso, Wiggins and Dort they'll figure

1673
01:21:04,439 --> 01:21:06,479
out a way to defend some traditional big men. Oh yeah,

1674
01:21:06,479 --> 01:21:07,720
and you know what, let's take an except for that.

1675
01:21:07,800 --> 01:21:10,479
Let's roll that line up out against Minnesota's starters.

1676
01:21:10,840 --> 01:21:14,199
Speaker 2: Yes, hey, love the Thunder. Love to play the J

1677
01:21:14,439 --> 01:21:17,680
Dub Kendrich Williams front court against those Minnesota starters.

1678
01:21:19,119 --> 01:21:19,720
Speaker 1: So there.

1679
01:21:19,720 --> 01:21:20,840
Speaker 2: I just saw it and it worked.

1680
01:21:21,079 --> 01:21:23,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, there we go, So let's let's see it, Okay, Taylor.

1681
01:21:24,079 --> 01:21:26,800
As we recorded this, the Thunders over under a set

1682
01:21:26,840 --> 01:21:29,760
at fifty seven and a half. It was fifty six

1683
01:21:29,760 --> 01:21:32,079
and a half. Excuse me, I misspoke. Are you taking

1684
01:21:32,119 --> 01:21:33,600
the over or the under?

1685
01:21:34,520 --> 01:21:37,800
Speaker 3: Look? I do believe there's there's going to be the

1686
01:21:37,840 --> 01:21:40,439
Thunder fans, because there is with every fan base. And

1687
01:21:40,520 --> 01:21:41,880
maybe they get off to a little bit of a

1688
01:21:41,920 --> 01:21:44,239
soo start because there's the growing pains of trying to

1689
01:21:44,239 --> 01:21:47,479
incorporate new players, new big time players, and Hartenstein and

1690
01:21:47,479 --> 01:21:50,720
Crusoe thunder fans aren't used to that. This duration of

1691
01:21:50,760 --> 01:21:53,520
the Thunder. That being said, I'm hammering the hell out

1692
01:21:53,560 --> 01:21:55,439
of you over. I think they're gonna be fifty nine

1693
01:21:55,520 --> 01:21:59,359
or sixty wins easy, Jay, even in the West.

1694
01:22:00,079 --> 01:22:02,159
Speaker 2: Give me the under. And the reason I say that

1695
01:22:02,359 --> 01:22:08,199
is because they had really really good injury luck last season.

1696
01:22:11,000 --> 01:22:13,399
Knock on wood, Like I hope to God every NBA

1697
01:22:13,479 --> 01:22:17,560
team stays healthy. Uh, it's just an inevitability that somebody

1698
01:22:17,600 --> 01:22:21,600
gets hurt at some point in time. So because of that,

1699
01:22:22,159 --> 01:22:25,000
because of like that, a little bit of that newness

1700
01:22:25,119 --> 01:22:28,199
being gone and teams definitely have them circled on the schedule.

1701
01:22:28,239 --> 01:22:30,560
Now give me slightly under.

1702
01:22:32,039 --> 01:22:35,479
Speaker 1: I'm I haven't really revealed my over underpicks because we

1703
01:22:35,520 --> 01:22:37,359
haven't done our collect to podcast yet, but we did

1704
01:22:37,399 --> 01:22:39,560
do a segment where I predicted that the Thunder gonna

1705
01:22:39,560 --> 01:22:41,800
win at least sixty five games next year. So I'll

1706
01:22:43,079 --> 01:22:44,600
the over and here's my thing.

1707
01:22:45,119 --> 01:22:46,000
Speaker 2: You're gonna come right.

1708
01:22:49,119 --> 01:22:51,560
Speaker 1: They have these different dynamics on offense, and now if

1709
01:22:51,560 --> 01:22:53,720
they had the whole wing thing, someone who's six six

1710
01:22:53,840 --> 01:22:55,760
or taller who could create like another guy of that,

1711
01:22:55,760 --> 01:22:58,079
I'd feel better about this. But you could tell me

1712
01:22:58,600 --> 01:23:01,680
that Shay super fatigued from playing in the Olympics, or

1713
01:23:01,720 --> 01:23:03,800
that Jay Dubb for some reasons te or that they

1714
01:23:04,000 --> 01:23:06,279
I don't I don't want to throw the injury manifestation

1715
01:23:06,319 --> 01:23:07,800
out there, but they could be missing their two best

1716
01:23:07,840 --> 01:23:10,399
players in a given night, and the depth is just

1717
01:23:10,439 --> 01:23:13,000
so absurd that one there. The defense is never going

1718
01:23:13,039 --> 01:23:14,760
to be an issue. But I do think they have

1719
01:23:14,880 --> 01:23:18,920
enough to figure out how to score efficiently independent of

1720
01:23:18,960 --> 01:23:21,119
their two most important offensive players right now, who are

1721
01:23:21,199 --> 01:23:23,279
j Dub and Shay. And that just sells it for me,

1722
01:23:23,359 --> 01:23:26,880
is that Okay, even if there's fatigue, I just and

1723
01:23:26,880 --> 01:23:28,520
and you know what might be fair, there could be

1724
01:23:28,560 --> 01:23:32,000
a drop off from Shae from top two MVP candidate,

1725
01:23:32,039 --> 01:23:34,560
Like there's not really much where there's more room for

1726
01:23:34,640 --> 01:23:37,279
him to go down than there is at this point.

1727
01:23:37,319 --> 01:23:39,239
And it just doesn't to me, It just doesn't matter.

1728
01:23:39,359 --> 01:23:43,359
So I will be somewhat shocked if they don't hit

1729
01:23:43,880 --> 01:23:46,840
the the over and and like their relative like you

1730
01:23:46,840 --> 01:23:49,199
would need to, like the mothership would need to come

1731
01:23:49,239 --> 01:23:52,039
and call half this roster home for them to not

1732
01:23:52,159 --> 01:23:53,720
hit the the over And it would have.

1733
01:23:53,680 --> 01:23:56,640
Speaker 3: To be like the plague of Egypt as seasons what

1734
01:23:56,640 --> 01:23:59,880
we called it back when KD was hurt, Russ was hurt,

1735
01:24:00,279 --> 01:24:04,840
who else was searching everyone? Every Perry Jones was getting

1736
01:24:04,880 --> 01:24:06,000
like sixty minutes a game.

1737
01:24:06,800 --> 01:24:11,199
Speaker 2: That was the Sebastian Telfair season. Yes, sat tells you anything.

1738
01:24:10,960 --> 01:24:14,680
Speaker 1: Pre guns, pre guns, which are I normally ask where

1739
01:24:14,680 --> 01:24:16,680
did these teams stack up in the conference? But I

1740
01:24:16,680 --> 01:24:19,720
think we know where the thunder stack up. So, Jacob,

1741
01:24:19,760 --> 01:24:21,760
what are some of the teams that you think if

1742
01:24:21,760 --> 01:24:24,079
you had to pick one and Taylor You're not gonna

1743
01:24:24,079 --> 01:24:25,439
be allowed to pick the same ones. I'm giving you

1744
01:24:25,520 --> 01:24:27,600
the short shrift here because you're going second. What is

1745
01:24:27,640 --> 01:24:29,439
the team that you look at as the most intriguing

1746
01:24:29,520 --> 01:24:31,960
or most concerning problematic matchup for the Thunder.

1747
01:24:32,319 --> 01:24:33,479
Speaker 2: Oh, that's a great question.

1748
01:24:33,680 --> 01:24:37,760
Speaker 1: So Mavericks will be mad if you don't pick them.

1749
01:24:37,840 --> 01:24:40,880
Speaker 2: Mavericks fans have been mad at me for forever, so

1750
01:24:40,960 --> 01:24:44,560
I have no problem with that at all. I think

1751
01:24:44,560 --> 01:24:46,680
the Thunder matchup way better with the Mavericks now than

1752
01:24:46,680 --> 01:24:49,279
they did at the playoffs last season. And let's be

1753
01:24:49,439 --> 01:24:54,960
very clear, the Thunder were three inches of a shay

1754
01:24:55,159 --> 01:24:58,399
Go Justess Alexander leap for a corner three from taking

1755
01:24:58,399 --> 01:25:02,479
the Mavericks to Game seven in Oklahoma City when they

1756
01:25:02,520 --> 01:25:08,000
shot like incredibly inefficiently. Like It's not like the Mavericks

1757
01:25:08,000 --> 01:25:09,720
blew them out in that series. It was a very

1758
01:25:09,880 --> 01:25:12,800
very very close series. I think the Thunder matchup even

1759
01:25:12,840 --> 01:25:17,640
better now. I mean, now you throw out dort on

1760
01:25:19,359 --> 01:25:23,880
Luca and Caruso on Kyrie Irving, and you are able

1761
01:25:23,920 --> 01:25:27,800
to slide Dub over to PJ. Washington, who's probably not

1762
01:25:27,800 --> 01:25:30,000
going to shoot that well again in his entire lifetime.

1763
01:25:30,920 --> 01:25:34,399
I think the Thunder matchup I'm intentionally fueling the Dallas

1764
01:25:34,439 --> 01:25:39,800
hate here. I want to manifest it. I'm gonna say,

1765
01:25:39,960 --> 01:25:41,680
the Minnesota Timberwolves.

1766
01:25:42,199 --> 01:25:43,439
Speaker 1: What is it about them that you think?

1767
01:25:43,520 --> 01:25:47,840
Speaker 2: Is am I allowed to? I mean, I've already said

1768
01:25:47,840 --> 01:25:48,840
the S word a few times.

1769
01:25:49,119 --> 01:25:52,039
Speaker 1: I've dropped way too many F bombs on this podcast. Anyway,

1770
01:25:52,319 --> 01:25:54,960
we're at the point where, like Apple, like, we don't

1771
01:25:55,039 --> 01:25:57,880
check it, but we're automatically just listed as Yeah, Like

1772
01:25:57,920 --> 01:25:59,640
the transcription is just filled.

1773
01:25:59,319 --> 01:26:04,600
Speaker 2: With why why is that a worry? Anthony fucking Edwards

1774
01:26:04,840 --> 01:26:08,199
is a worry that dude is an absolute killer? Their

1775
01:26:08,359 --> 01:26:13,560
size is really good, you know, I'm I mean.

1776
01:26:13,560 --> 01:26:16,359
Speaker 1: Yeah, they've got What's interesting about their dual size is

1777
01:26:16,359 --> 01:26:19,239
they have dual heft and neither of their big men

1778
01:26:20,159 --> 01:26:22,479
like move like a hefty big man. And definitely Karl

1779
01:26:22,520 --> 01:26:24,199
Anthony Towns for sure, when you look at what he's

1780
01:26:24,239 --> 01:26:25,960
able to do, like going north.

1781
01:26:25,840 --> 01:26:28,920
Speaker 2: South, and he really impressed me in the playoffs, Kat

1782
01:26:28,960 --> 01:26:31,640
did like he shed a lot of negative stereotypes for

1783
01:26:31,760 --> 01:26:34,239
me in the playoffs this year. He played with a

1784
01:26:34,239 --> 01:26:36,079
lot of toughness. He really showed up for the moment.

1785
01:26:37,279 --> 01:26:41,359
And I just I think Jane McDaniels is disgustingly good,

1786
01:26:42,079 --> 01:26:43,079
especially defensively on.

1787
01:26:43,119 --> 01:26:44,560
Speaker 1: The one end of the floor, yeah for sure.

1788
01:26:44,640 --> 01:26:47,800
Speaker 2: But yeah, I think that length can really give a

1789
01:26:47,840 --> 01:26:49,960
guy like Shay Godess Alexander problems. So I'm gonna go

1790
01:26:50,039 --> 01:26:53,359
Memphis or sorry, not Memphis Minnesota. I'm not worried about Memphis.

1791
01:26:54,439 --> 01:26:57,720
Minnesota would be the team that I would say poses

1792
01:26:57,760 --> 01:27:00,159
the biggest threat to Oklahoma City, and I would not

1793
01:27:00,239 --> 01:27:01,840
be surprised to see both of those teams in the

1794
01:27:01,840 --> 01:27:02,920
conference finals this year.

1795
01:27:03,920 --> 01:27:05,319
Speaker 1: Taylor can't be the Timberwolves.

1796
01:27:06,319 --> 01:27:09,399
Speaker 3: I like that Timberwolves answer, But if we're not taking

1797
01:27:09,399 --> 01:27:11,960
playoffs in just regular season, the thunder were only one

1798
01:27:12,000 --> 01:27:14,319
in three against the Lakers last year, and they really

1799
01:27:14,359 --> 01:27:18,119
struggled with that size of physicality down low. I know

1800
01:27:18,920 --> 01:27:21,359
that's not somebody's gonna word me in the playoffs, but

1801
01:27:21,640 --> 01:27:23,880
it is somebody they the playoffs.

1802
01:27:25,600 --> 01:27:28,239
Speaker 1: What I will say, I don't think the Lakers are

1803
01:27:28,239 --> 01:27:32,239
a real threat to anybody right now, but getting if

1804
01:27:32,279 --> 01:27:34,600
they have a healthy Gave Vincent and Jared Vanderbilt like,

1805
01:27:34,680 --> 01:27:37,119
they can play some like really nasty defensive lineups that

1806
01:27:37,119 --> 01:27:39,760
I shouldn't give a bunch of teams problems. I am

1807
01:27:39,800 --> 01:27:40,840
surprised that you picked them.

1808
01:27:40,760 --> 01:27:41,239
Speaker 2: Though, Taylor.

1809
01:27:41,279 --> 01:27:43,640
Speaker 3: With all that, I was just thinking regular seasons, trying

1810
01:27:43,680 --> 01:27:44,720
to go through the stats you.

1811
01:27:44,760 --> 01:27:53,640
Speaker 2: Had two times, sorry, three times, three time. I'm sorry.

1812
01:27:53,680 --> 01:27:55,399
Speaker 3: Denver Nuggets is the other team behind.

1813
01:27:55,439 --> 01:27:58,439
Speaker 2: I'm also manifesting the Denver hate apparently as well well.

1814
01:27:58,520 --> 01:28:01,600
Speaker 3: And again, like anybody else up, there'd probably be the Mavericks,

1815
01:28:01,640 --> 01:28:04,239
but I do feel more comfortable with them. Like Jacob mentioned,

1816
01:28:04,239 --> 01:28:07,159
so Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. Sure, regular season, though,

1817
01:28:07,199 --> 01:28:09,159
I want to see the Thunder take care of the Lakers.

1818
01:28:09,159 --> 01:28:10,880
They did not do so last season. I want to

1819
01:28:10,880 --> 01:28:11,920
see them do so this year.

1820
01:28:13,840 --> 01:28:16,000
Speaker 1: I actually think I do agree with you that they

1821
01:28:16,039 --> 01:28:18,760
match up better. This is more directed to Jacob with

1822
01:28:18,800 --> 01:28:20,920
the Mavericks than they did last season. I also think

1823
01:28:20,960 --> 01:28:23,840
the Mavericks match up even better with the Thunder now

1824
01:28:23,880 --> 01:28:25,199
than they did last season, because.

1825
01:28:24,960 --> 01:28:25,680
Speaker 3: They are a good point.

1826
01:28:25,720 --> 01:28:29,479
Speaker 1: They're fucking huge. They can get to lineups where Luca

1827
01:28:29,640 --> 01:28:31,279
like if you pull Kyrie Ring off the court and

1828
01:28:31,279 --> 01:28:32,960
just throw Naji Marshall in there. Luka Donc is the

1829
01:28:33,000 --> 01:28:35,760
shortest player on the floor, which is wild.

1830
01:28:36,399 --> 01:28:39,279
Speaker 2: Now, I don't want to make this a Dallas pod.

1831
01:28:39,520 --> 01:28:43,199
I think Dallas also got much worse defensively.

1832
01:28:43,680 --> 01:28:46,319
Speaker 1: Ooh no, uh, I mean maybe, well, we'll have to

1833
01:28:46,319 --> 01:28:51,079
revisit that. There's no way I is really freaking good.

1834
01:28:51,239 --> 01:28:52,840
And Derek Jones, do you want to go to the

1835
01:28:52,840 --> 01:28:56,560
Aaron Wiggins route with this? His defensive impact was just

1836
01:28:56,680 --> 01:28:59,720
overinflated because it was over he was over indexed. At

1837
01:28:59,760 --> 01:29:01,600
one point, they made the trade that got them PJ.

1838
01:29:01,800 --> 01:29:04,880
Washington Daniel Gafford, so you had like a forty eight

1839
01:29:04,920 --> 01:29:07,800
minutes of solid rimp protection. That's when Derek Jones Junior

1840
01:29:07,840 --> 01:29:10,800
started to shine. And I also believe that Quentin Grimes

1841
01:29:10,800 --> 01:29:12,479
is probably one of the most underrated editions of the

1842
01:29:12,479 --> 01:29:16,199
off season because I was of that dude's career. All

1843
01:29:16,359 --> 01:29:18,840
he did was defend at the point of attack, do

1844
01:29:18,920 --> 01:29:21,720
it really well, and knock down threes. And so I

1845
01:29:21,760 --> 01:29:24,439
would say, is there a chance they got worse defensively

1846
01:29:24,479 --> 01:29:26,920
relative to them finishing sixth after the trade deadline or

1847
01:29:26,920 --> 01:29:30,520
whatever it was? Maybe, but I framed it as and

1848
01:29:30,520 --> 01:29:32,359
maybe I'll be wrong. I'm wrong all the time. When

1849
01:29:32,359 --> 01:29:34,000
we go back and regrade the off season, it is

1850
01:29:34,039 --> 01:29:37,479
a bloodbath on my end. So that's the caveat. They

1851
01:29:37,479 --> 01:29:40,920
improved the offense without getting worse defensively. To your point though,

1852
01:29:41,039 --> 01:29:43,720
and I'm I'm really just messing with you all the

1853
01:29:43,760 --> 01:29:46,159
credit in the world. I don't know how well they're

1854
01:29:46,159 --> 01:29:49,199
gonna defend when you have Clay, Kyrie, and Luca on

1855
01:29:49,239 --> 01:29:50,920
the court at the same time. I think it's gonna

1856
01:29:50,920 --> 01:29:53,159
take a lot. We've seen Luca defend Okay at points.

1857
01:29:53,319 --> 01:29:55,560
We've seen Kyrie like when he gives a damn like

1858
01:29:55,680 --> 01:29:58,079
that's someone who will fight. Like can they maintain that

1859
01:29:58,560 --> 01:30:01,600
more consistently so that will be fascinating. But I think

1860
01:30:01,640 --> 01:30:04,800
between Quentin Grimes and nause Marshall, shame on the Pelicans

1861
01:30:04,800 --> 01:30:06,800
are just letting him walk because who wants to pay

1862
01:30:06,840 --> 01:30:07,520
the luxury tax?

1863
01:30:07,600 --> 01:30:07,760
Speaker 2: Right?

1864
01:30:09,319 --> 01:30:12,079
Speaker 1: I honestly think like Dallas Is I said, they just

1865
01:30:12,119 --> 01:30:13,800
made the NBA Finals and I feel like people are

1866
01:30:13,800 --> 01:30:14,560
sleeping on them.

1867
01:30:15,039 --> 01:30:18,520
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a fair point. That also, again just channeling

1868
01:30:18,560 --> 01:30:21,439
the inner hater. I don't know if I'm as high

1869
01:30:21,479 --> 01:30:24,760
on Nausey Marshall as you are, you would be way

1870
01:30:24,760 --> 01:30:27,479
more knowledgeable about that than I am. I Also, I

1871
01:30:27,560 --> 01:30:29,720
just I really worry about Klay Thompson being able to

1872
01:30:29,760 --> 01:30:33,199
just move defensively. I saw Clay up close and personal

1873
01:30:33,239 --> 01:30:37,640
last season the injuries to the left leg. Was it?

1874
01:30:37,720 --> 01:30:42,479
The left leg just devastating like his whenever you watch

1875
01:30:42,520 --> 01:30:46,039
him like up close and personal. That left leg is

1876
01:30:46,520 --> 01:30:48,920
like significantly smaller than in the right leg. There's the

1877
01:30:49,000 --> 01:30:52,840
muscle atrophy. I worry it's gonna catch up to him

1878
01:30:52,840 --> 01:30:56,439
even more than it did last season. But he'll kill

1879
01:30:56,479 --> 01:30:57,680
you from three. I mean he can make up for

1880
01:30:57,720 --> 01:30:58,720
it on the other end for sure.

1881
01:30:59,199 --> 01:31:02,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean two devastating injuries Achilles and acl is

1882
01:31:02,800 --> 01:31:06,239
just like Kevin rant Is coming back and still player,

1883
01:31:06,239 --> 01:31:07,840
playing the best defense of his career by the end

1884
01:31:07,840 --> 01:31:11,079
of last season. Guys, I kept you for ninety minutes

1885
01:31:11,279 --> 01:31:12,119
on this podcast.

1886
01:31:12,159 --> 01:31:14,479
Speaker 3: Is there anything we kept you for ninety minutes?

1887
01:31:15,039 --> 01:31:18,640
Speaker 1: But is there anything that we didn't discuss? Any takes

1888
01:31:18,640 --> 01:31:21,239
you would like to get off before I let you skadato?

1889
01:31:21,560 --> 01:31:23,119
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm surprised we haven't talked about the G

1890
01:31:23,239 --> 01:31:25,319
League team yet who won the G League title?

1891
01:31:25,319 --> 01:31:27,000
Speaker 3: But yeah, that's right. Let's go through the Oka see

1892
01:31:27,039 --> 01:31:27,800
blue roster.

1893
01:31:29,920 --> 01:31:32,720
Speaker 1: This year, which is story. It'll look like the predictions

1894
01:31:32,760 --> 01:31:33,600
over under a four.

1895
01:31:34,359 --> 01:31:39,680
Speaker 2: This is the most I have a serious This is

1896
01:31:39,680 --> 01:31:42,279
the typical tailor, Dan, You have the opportunity to reel

1897
01:31:42,319 --> 01:31:44,319
them in. You didn't do it. I was gonna say,

1898
01:31:44,319 --> 01:31:48,800
this is the most thorough and exhaustive Thunder preview I

1899
01:31:48,880 --> 01:31:52,560
have done. Kudos to you, Dan, I could not cover

1900
01:31:52,600 --> 01:31:58,359
all thirty teams at the level of detail that you do.

1901
01:31:59,359 --> 01:32:01,560
You sent us the outline and I'm like, shit, who

1902
01:32:01,560 --> 01:32:05,479
does the Thunder podcast here? Dan or me? So I

1903
01:32:05,800 --> 01:32:09,880
there is nothing else I could add. Taylor, for the

1904
01:32:09,960 --> 01:32:12,720
love of God, brevity, please.

1905
01:32:14,479 --> 01:32:16,319
Speaker 3: Hey, I could not agree more. When you sent that

1906
01:32:16,319 --> 01:32:18,720
that outline over, I was like, usually I can just

1907
01:32:18,800 --> 01:32:22,079
jump on and like, give my my takes for Thunder

1908
01:32:22,119 --> 01:32:23,880
previews and we're good to go. And I saw these,

1909
01:32:23,920 --> 01:32:25,680
I was like, I need to have some bullet points down.

1910
01:32:27,039 --> 01:32:28,399
But for the sake of this, I mean, that's so

1911
01:32:28,439 --> 01:32:30,760
boring if I don't have an answer. So, in typical

1912
01:32:30,800 --> 01:32:33,800
Taylor passion, I have two. The serious one being even

1913
01:32:33,840 --> 01:32:37,560
though Hardin's sign is on the team, do not overrate

1914
01:32:37,840 --> 01:32:41,640
the Thunder still going to small ball in that being

1915
01:32:41,640 --> 01:32:45,479
their go to with no true center. They've had success

1916
01:32:45,479 --> 01:32:47,399
with that in the past. Mark Dayton's not going to

1917
01:32:47,399 --> 01:32:49,239
go away from that just because they have two que

1918
01:32:49,319 --> 01:32:52,359
unquote centers on the team. That's my serious one. Second one,

1919
01:32:52,359 --> 01:32:53,039
I'm gonna leave.

1920
01:32:52,920 --> 01:32:55,039
Speaker 1: The list as someone who was in favor of building

1921
01:32:55,079 --> 01:32:58,039
the Kenrich Williams Statue. I'm very much glad to hear

1922
01:32:58,279 --> 01:32:58,840
that'sens of it.

1923
01:32:59,600 --> 01:33:02,520
Speaker 3: We'll see some of it on occasion. My second one,

1924
01:33:02,520 --> 01:33:03,880
I'm just going to leave you with. We did a

1925
01:33:03,920 --> 01:33:07,359
conspiracy theory off season podcast and my Thunder related one

1926
01:33:07,760 --> 01:33:10,000
because you guys have alluded to it. Already talked about

1927
01:33:10,399 --> 01:33:13,479
the Charlotte Hornets the Thunder East, but there's also another team,

1928
01:33:13,880 --> 01:33:20,359
the Washington Wizards now the Thunder recently recently just hire

1929
01:33:21,000 --> 01:33:24,319
the Charlotte Hornets just hired a Thunder scouts like heading

1930
01:33:24,359 --> 01:33:27,000
their scouting department, and we've seen all the Thunder players

1931
01:33:27,039 --> 01:33:29,920
going over to the Hornets. We've also seen the Wizards

1932
01:33:30,439 --> 01:33:34,439
Ran GM and President B ball Ops, two former Thunder

1933
01:33:34,720 --> 01:33:39,479
staffers under the Sam Pressy tree. Sam Presty, it's playing chess,

1934
01:33:39,479 --> 01:33:41,880
not checkers, man. These are two farm teams from the

1935
01:33:41,880 --> 01:33:44,600
Oklahoma City Thunder. When the Usman James and the Poku's

1936
01:33:44,600 --> 01:33:46,840
and the trade Man's can't get time here and ok see,

1937
01:33:46,920 --> 01:33:49,760
we're sending them elsewhere to develop when we can't draft

1938
01:33:49,800 --> 01:33:53,359
the Colabali because he's going too high. We have little

1939
01:33:53,359 --> 01:33:55,720
Dowkins do it for us and develop him, and soon

1940
01:33:55,800 --> 01:33:59,439
enough we're going to trade for him Checkers.

1941
01:34:01,000 --> 01:34:02,039
Speaker 1: Affiliates of That's right.

1942
01:34:02,079 --> 01:34:05,199
Speaker 3: It's just like EPL or not EPL. Just like international soccer.

1943
01:34:05,279 --> 01:34:06,840
We have these like main clubs and they have all

1944
01:34:06,840 --> 01:34:08,119
these other clubs throughout.

1945
01:34:08,439 --> 01:34:10,359
Speaker 1: How do they go around them? Back then, though, what

1946
01:34:10,399 --> 01:34:11,159
does that look like?

1947
01:34:11,479 --> 01:34:13,560
Speaker 3: I mean you saw that I asked Caruso for josh

1948
01:34:13,640 --> 01:34:14,680
Kinny string up trade?

1949
01:34:14,880 --> 01:34:15,079
Speaker 1: Right?

1950
01:34:16,239 --> 01:34:21,119
Speaker 2: You can after this podcast you can catch Taylor on

1951
01:34:21,199 --> 01:34:22,600
Info Wars next, folks.

1952
01:34:22,600 --> 01:34:25,279
Speaker 3: That's right with my tenfoil hat on and I will

1953
01:34:25,359 --> 01:34:26,079
leave you all with that.

1954
01:34:27,079 --> 01:34:30,479
Speaker 1: So can you guys. We'll start with you, Conspiracy Theorist

1955
01:34:30,840 --> 01:34:34,479
number one, Taylor, Can you tell our listeners where they

1956
01:34:34,520 --> 01:34:36,960
can find you on social media? And then Jacob will

1957
01:34:37,000 --> 01:34:39,079
let everyone know where they can just find all the fantastic,

1958
01:34:39,159 --> 01:34:41,439
fantastic work. You guys have a lot of kind words

1959
01:34:41,439 --> 01:34:44,640
about me. I appreciate it. I'll venmo you afterwards for

1960
01:34:45,239 --> 01:34:48,479
the paid promotion of that. Look, they're terrible for business,

1961
01:34:48,479 --> 01:34:50,439
but great for my ego. Everyone's always so nice, So

1962
01:34:50,800 --> 01:34:52,319
thank you, guys. But tell are you able to just

1963
01:34:52,359 --> 01:34:53,680
tell our listeners where they can find.

1964
01:34:53,560 --> 01:34:56,000
Speaker 3: Yes, so I promise it. I'll actually have conspiracy theories

1965
01:34:56,000 --> 01:34:57,640
all throughout my Twitter account, but you can find me

1966
01:34:57,680 --> 01:35:01,439
on at Twitter at Jacob Big to differ at Taylor

1967
01:35:01,560 --> 01:35:04,560
Underscore p. Fifteen. I'm Taylor with an eab a word spelling,

1968
01:35:05,399 --> 01:35:07,359
and obviously you can find us at the Unscore and

1969
01:35:07,359 --> 01:35:10,279
Contestant on socials as well as our YouTube account, which

1970
01:35:10,319 --> 01:35:12,399
we really have kind of have leaned into you over

1971
01:35:12,399 --> 01:35:14,760
the past season, putting a lot of great content out.

1972
01:35:14,960 --> 01:35:16,960
I'll let Jacob take it away with his personals and

1973
01:35:17,000 --> 01:35:18,920
also a little more details about the Uncontested.

1974
01:35:20,000 --> 01:35:22,960
Speaker 2: I am at Jacob Niffin. It's k and I FFPN.

1975
01:35:24,920 --> 01:35:27,760
I don't know my Twitter's a show, So come come

1976
01:35:27,840 --> 01:35:31,960
enjoy the ride. We do Thunder podcasts every Wednesday and

1977
01:35:32,000 --> 01:35:33,920
Sunday night and then once the season gets here, every

1978
01:35:33,960 --> 01:35:37,000
post game. So if you are interesting following along with

1979
01:35:37,039 --> 01:35:39,159
what should be one of the most exciting teams in

1980
01:35:39,199 --> 01:35:41,840
the league this year no more, the black Eye of

1981
01:35:41,880 --> 01:35:45,640
the NBA, come hang out. We would love to have

1982
01:35:45,720 --> 01:35:47,479
you guys along for the ride this season.

1983
01:35:48,319 --> 01:35:50,279
Speaker 1: I echo everything you said. You can find links to

1984
01:35:50,319 --> 01:35:53,880
the Uncontested YouTube and audio podcast in our own podcast

1985
01:35:53,880 --> 01:35:56,520
and YouTube description. Thank you guys so much for your

1986
01:35:56,520 --> 01:35:58,439
time love the uncontested that I do listen to it

1987
01:35:58,439 --> 01:35:59,960
religiously so I can figure out a way to get

1988
01:36:00,000 --> 01:36:01,920
offended and then bring it full circle and accuse you

1989
01:36:01,920 --> 01:36:05,239
guys of sub sub talking me. I guess that's called

1990
01:36:05,279 --> 01:36:05,840
throwing shade.

1991
01:36:05,880 --> 01:36:07,039
Speaker 2: One of the kids call it.

1992
01:36:07,079 --> 01:36:08,880
Speaker 1: They talk, they throw things around, like who has the

1993
01:36:08,880 --> 01:36:12,159
most riz on the thunder And that was fun topic.

1994
01:36:12,199 --> 01:36:15,520
So thank you guys so much, and as you know

1995
01:36:15,560 --> 01:36:18,000
by now, I will be hitting you up down wise