Episodes
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Ep. 250: Yaxel-mania, the Rookies, and Leaguewide NBA truths with Jack Quantrill of The Drop Step
Jack Quantrill of @TheDropStep_NBA and CelticsBlog comes by to chat about how Yaxel Lendeborg has blitzed the NBA, the rest of the rookie class, and emerging truths among contenders and pretenders. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS: (0:00) Intro (4:00) Yaxel Lendeborg and Draft Philosophy (26:50) Queen/Sengun…
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Ep. 249: The Athletic's Esfandiar Baraheni on the Raptors' defense, CMB, and 3 standout 2026 films
Esfandiar Baraheni ( @esfandiarbaraheni8401 ) of the Athletic joins to discuss the Raptors elite defensive infrastructure and its potential impact on the eve of the 2026 season. Then, we have fun with some film recommendations, including "Blue Heron," "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,"...
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Ep. 248: The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II on his new book 'Game Changers' and NBA revolutionaries
The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II discusses his great new book 'Game Changers: The GOATs Who Revolutionized Basketball,' including what makes a player a revolutionary, how NBA storytelling evolves, and the challenges facing modern revolutionaries today. Pre-order Marcus' book below and enjoy!...
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Ep. 247: The NBA's New Eastern Conference Hierarchy with @youknowball 's Sam Sheehan
You Know Ball's green-thumbed cornerstone, Sam Sheehan, returns to reorder the Eastern Conference in the wake of Lebron James joining the Sixers and a wild offseason. Enjoy! (Order of conversation is not order of predicted finish). TIME STAMPS: (0:00) Intro (4:00) Boston Celtics (21:15)...
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Ep. 246: Full 2026 NBA Draft and Trade Reaction (sprint)
I empty the tank reacting to each (or about 27 or so) team's moves in the NBA Draft, as well as the seimic trades involving Giannis, Lamelo Ball, Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, and Walker Kessler. My companion substack piece:...
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Ep. 245: The Knicks Win! And the Hornets' 2026 draft moment with Brian Geisinger of SplitTheAction
Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird; @bgeisinger.bsky.social) talks the Knicks' victory, the Spurs' arrival and mandate, his history with Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, and the Hornets' unique opportunity at 14 and 18 in the 2026 draft. https://briangeisinger.substack.com/ Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro...
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Ep. 244: Spurs Jubilee and a Finals Preview with Pat
My old friend and Spurs diehard Pat joins to recount a legendary game 7, appreciate the Spurs' roster build, and preview the NBA Finals. Plus, some draft options for the Spurs at 20. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro + Game 7 recap (28:00) The Spurs roster build (38:10) Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals...
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Ep. 243: The NBA Finals-bound New York Knicks + a 2026 Lottery Mock Draft with @TheStrickland 's Prez
Prez (@_prezidente) of the Strickland returns as we wax poetic on the dominant New York Knicks, the special sauce behind their roster build, and the matchup problems they will present in the NBA Finals. Then, a 14 team Lottery Mock Draft. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) NBA Finals New York Knicks…
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Ep. 242: Thunder Tie Spurs 1-1, the Nets' choices at 6, and the top 10 with Lucas Kaplan
Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan) of Nets Daily discusses OKC-San Antonio Game 2 and how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's problem solving led them to a win. Then, we discuss the Brooklyn Nets and yet another crossroads when the draft opens up at number 6, whether taking a PG makes sense, and which of…
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Bonus: The Spurs-Thunder All Time Classic Game 1, and Its Draft Consequences (Sprint)
I gush about one of the greatest games ever played, and highlight some prospects who may one day be lucky enough to play in one like it. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) The Game (19:00) The Draft
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Ep. 241: The Wizards' Number 1 Dilemma with Ross
My buddy Ross, a Wiz diehard, makes his debut to give a secular perspective on the Wizards' incredible good fortune and difficult choice at number 1. Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, and how they project to uplift a hungry franchise. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro + Current Wizards Core (10:20) AJ...
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Bonus: The NBA Playoffs' 2nd Round and Draft Extras (Sprint)
A solo episode into each 2nd round series, a first round autopsy, and some related draft thoughts on the 2026 class. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro (4:20) Thunder-Lakers (22:35) Spurs-Wolves (31:00) Knicks-Sixers (43:00) Pistons-Cavs (52:30) 2026 Draft + Wrap
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Bonus: A Final Four Full of Darts (Sprint)
I sprint through Michigan-Arizona and Illinois-UConn, with deeper looks at Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, Morez Johnson, Brayden Burries, Keaton Wagler, and the 10 or so total NBA players playing this weekend. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro + Title Pick (5:00) Yaxel Lendeborg (32:00) Aday Mara...
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Ep. 240: March Madness Bracket, Duke's Path, 2026 Draft PGs, and Ebuka Okorie with Brian Geisinger
Brian Geisinger, author of Split the Action and host of BuzzBeat, breaks down Duke's title path within the March Madness bracket. Then, we dive into the many PGs with Final Four and NBA Draft aspirations - Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, Tyler Tanner, Bennett Stirtz, Labaron Philon, and…
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Ep. 239: The Hornets' Offense, Knueppel, and Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson going 1-2 w Brian Geisinger
Brian Geisinger, host of Buzzbeat and author of Split the Action, rejoins to rejoice in the Charlotte Hornets' exceptional season, their envelope pushing offense, Kon Knueppel, and the draft lessons that suggest a 1-2 ranking for Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro (4:00)...
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Bonus Ep: "The New Year's Freeze" as a Solution to Tanking (Sprint)
I advocate why a standings freeze on January 1 followed by a wins race for lottery odds among the bottom 7 teams would solve the NBA's tanking crisis. Enjoy! And credit to Matt Powers ( @DraftPow ) of Swish Theory for the first version of the idea that I have heard.
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Ep. 238: The Spurs, the title, and 6 candidates for #1 in 2026 draft w Bennett Herbert (@bendog28)
Bennett Herbert (@bendog28) stops by to discuss the San Antonio Spurs' rise and their title chances "ahead of schedule," the James Harden trade, and a loaded top of the 2026 draft (Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler). Enjoy! TIME STAMPS...
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Ep. 237: Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Mikel Brown Jr., and a loaded ACC draft class w/Brian Geisinger
Brian Geisinger, host of the Buzz Beat podcast and the Split the Action Substack, returns to check in on the scouting reports of prospective top 5 picks Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson. We also contrast and debate Mikel Brown, Neoklis Avdalas, Patrick Ngongba, and Henri Veesaar. Enjoy! TIME…
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Ep. 236: A Three Year Redraft (2023-2025), aka Dart Rank with Sam Ferris (@DraftDummies)
Sam Ferris (@DraftDummies) joins to bring back Dart Rank, a cumulative redraft of the 3 most recent draft classes headlined by Victor Wembanyama, Zaccharie Risacher, and Cooper Flagg, respectively. We go out to 21, identifying the "average" top 7 picks over a 3 year sample, and cover a bunch of...
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Ep. 235: NBA Rookie Rankings 1-10 with Nathan Grubel (@draftdeeper1213) of @NoCeilingsNBA
Nathan Grubel of @NoCeilingsNBA returns to discuss his weekly rookie rankings 1-10, and we update our scouting reports and thoughts on a rookie class with landmark responsibility within the league, from Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Cedric Coward, Kon Knueppel, to many more. Enjoy! Enjoy! TIME…
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Ep. 234: NBA Preview pt. 3: Offense Ranks 1-30, + Week 1 reax & Raptors roster build w Es Baraheni
Esfandiar Baraheni (@justesbaraheni) of @TheAthleticNBADaily and @raptorsrepublic joins to round out a belated preview ranking where we expect all 30 offenses to end at the end of the season. Es also analyzes the curious roster build of his beloved Toronto and we mix in some early reactions as...
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Ep. 233: NBA Preview Pt. 2: An Over/Under Lock Draft with Jack Quantrill ( @TheDropStep_NBA )
Jack Quantrill, host of the Drop Step NBA POdcast and contributor to Celticsblog, swings by for a season preview episode where we draft our favorite "locks" for over or under performance by teams this year. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro (7:35) Grizzlies (18:10) Bucks (29:30) Orlando Magic…
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Ep. 232: NBA Preview Pt. 1: Defensive Ranks 1-30, All-Rookie Teams + Nets' Gambit w Lucas Kaplan
Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_), Nets beat writer and contributor to Nets Daily, Basketball Insiders, and Swish Theory, joins to chat about the demented Nets" gambit surrounding their 5 first roundrs, predict all rookie teams, and tier out regular season defenses 1-30. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00)…
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Ep. 231: Dallas Mavericks' Blurred Vision and Cooper Flagg with Lauren Gunn (@TheLaurenGunn)
Lauren Gunn returns to sort through one of the West's most polarizing teams as the Mavericks try to turbo-charge two timelines into a title contender. How the youth, age, and uncertain offensive and defensive identities converge for the confounding Dallas Mavericks, and around its number pick...
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Ep. 230: NBA Offseason Retrospective and New Contenders with @youknowball 's Sam Sheehan
Sam Sheehan (@NBABabysecret) of the You Know Ball podcast + patreon joins to review the NBA's full offseason and determine which teams changed their stars, with a focus on new contenders in each conference. Plus, some awards discussion. Enjoy! And subscribe to the You Know Ball patreon:...
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Ep. 229: NBA Playoffs Lessons and Building a Winner with Brian Geisinger
Welcome back! Hornets expert Brian Geisinger, author of the excellent Split the Action Substack, returns to take a long look at the playoffs, the Finals, and how teams across the league are trying to build a contender in a rapidly evolving league. Enjoy! Brian's sub:...
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Ep. 228: Full 2025 NBA Draft Reaction: Every team and pick (sprint)
The draft is in the books and the darts have been chucked! I "run" through every team and pick (see time stamps), with some FA thoughts mixed in. My draft write up is available on my substack, linked below. https://chuckingdarts.substack.com/p/2025-nba-draft-final-dart-board-cooper Enjoy! TIME...
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Ep. 227: Derik Queen, CMB, Thomas Sorber, Kalkbrenner, and Hansen Yang with Matt Powers
@DraftPow, editor in chief of @SwishTheory, returns to discuss the brainy, knotty bigs of the 2025 class. Enjoy, and thank you for the questions! Addressed at end of episode, TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro (3:40) Derik Queen (40:38) Thomas Sorber (1:03:00) Ryan Kalkbrenner (1:09:50) Collin…
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Ep. 226: 2025 NBA Mock Draft Lottery with Keandre Ashley of @HoopIntellect
The lottery order is set, so let's pick it! Keandre, owner and operator of the fantastic Hoop Intellect channel, joins to go 1-14. Plenty of scouting and fit thoughts, as well as a long tail on honorable mentions of a very diverse class. Enjoy! And check Keandre's mock draft here:...
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Ep. 225: The Thunder's title path, Pacers/Cavs, and Raptors Draft Targets w Esfandiar Baraheni
Esfandiar Baraheni (@justesbaraheni) of The Athletic's Daily NBA Show, Raptors Republic, Forbes, and elsewhere joins to talk Most Improved Players, the Thunder's title chances, a R2 upset pick, and the Raptors rebuild and draft strategy this year. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro + Ivica Zubac...
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Ep. 224: Kon Knueppel's Star Bet, Cooper Flagg Redux, and a Khaman Maluach debate w Brian Geisinger
Brian Geisinger (Split the Action substack; @bgeisinger.bsky.social) returns to check in on number 1 pick Cooper Flagg, then a deep look at his teammate Kon Knueppel, and whether he can be an unconventional NBA star. Plus, discussion on Jase Richardson and a debate on Khaman Maluach. Enjoy! TIME...
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Ep. 223: A 2024 NBA Doubles Redraft and March Appreciation with YouKnowBall's @TrillBroDude
Trill returns from his triumphant YouKnowBall Extravaganza in New Orleans to crack off another 2024 redraft: this time, in Doubles format. Trill takes two players, then I take two, and so forth. The Doubles format illustrates how tight this draft is, how many cases there are to make, and how we…
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Ep. 222: RJ Luis, Walt Clayton, and the Underrated NBA Talent of St. Johns and Florida with CT Fazio
CT Fazio ( @CTFazio24 ) rejoins to draft scout two of the trendiest teams in the NCAA tournament, Big East Champion St. John's and SEC Champion Florida. Draft these players and enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro/St. John's (7:25) RJ Luis (48:30) Zuby Ejiofor (1:08:00) Florida/Walt Clayton (1:20:00)...
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Ep. 221: 2024-2025 NBA Rookie Class Examination + ROY with Ben Pfeifer
Ben Pfiefer (@_bjpf, Sportscasting, Sportskeeda) rejoins to examine the Rookie class and find 10 players whose contributions we have enjoyed, plus we sneak in a Rookie of the Year Pick. Note: There are more than 10 enjoyable rookies! HM to those without enough run (Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham,...
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Ep. 220: Trade Deadline Sprint 2025 (Luka, Fox, Butler, etc) + a note on David Lynch
Chucking Darts returns with a solo sprint through the most fascinating confounding trade in recent NBA history, plus the rest of a very eventful trade deadline. Plus, an epilogue on filmmaker David Lynch. He was quite good. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro (3:00) Luka Doncic Trade (45:00) De'Andre...
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Ep. 219: Kasparas Jakucionis, Dylan Harper, and Ace Bailey with Caleb Mueller of The Center Hub
Caleb Mueller (@CalebMueller23), creator of The Center Hub (@thecenterhub_bb), joins to discuss the current top 2 players on his board for the 2025 draft: Kasparas Jakucionis of Illinois and Dylan Harper of Rutgers. After a deep look into each of their games and projections, we discuss Ace…
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Ep. 218: Maxime Raynaud, Ian Jackson, and scouting with ACC with Brian Geisinger
ACC expert Brian Geisinger (@bgeisinger.bsky.social; @bgeis_bird) returns to scout the NBA prospects in the bi-coastal ACC. For part 1 where we discuss Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach in depth, see our previous episode. Find Brian's excellent work at briangeisinger.substack.com....
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Ep. 217: Cooper Flagg + Duke Scouting Report w Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird; bgeisinger.bsky.social)
The foremost ACC analyst in the country, Brian Geisinger, returns to go deep into the Duke Blue Devils, and specifically number 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. We discuss his role with Duke's offense, how it may be impacting his offensive strategy, and how his early play affects our draft…
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Ep. 216: The Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, and Draft Development with Mike Gribanov (Pt.1)
Mike Gribanov (@mikegrib8 on all platforms, including his excellent Patreon) returns to discuss the 17-1 Cleveland Cavaliers, their hitherto dominant offense, and a developmental check in on Evan Mobley. Then, we discuss the gnarly Houston ROckets' defense and where their team goes from here with...
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Ep. 215: Early NBA Conclusions, aka "I've Seen Enough!" with Jack Quantrill of @TheDropStepNBA
Jack Quantrill, of the excellent Drop Step NBA Podcast, joins to offer some early season NBA conclusions that we feel are permanent and will hold through the rest of the season. Standings, win totals, rookie awards, and more. Enjoy! Time Stamps (0:00) Intro (4:30) OKC, Dallas, Minnesota (25:35)...
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Ep. 214: Final NBA Season Preview, aka Chuck and Prez Explain it All with _prezidente of @DraftStrickland
Draft Strickland's Prez (_prezidente) rejoins for an omnibus preview of the 2024-2025 NBA regular season. Playoff seedings, awards, All-Rookie, title picks, the works. Plus, plenty of Knicks, some team building talk, and Rookie Extension analysis. Enjoy! TIME STAMPS (0:00) Intro (3:25) Mikal...
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Ep. 213: NBA Season Preview: Ranking Defenses 1-30 w Mat Issa (@matissa15) of Forbes
Mat Issa (@matissa15), basketball writer for Forbes, Basketball Insider, Opta Analyst, and Fansided, returns to rank NBA Defenses 1-30 heading into the 2024-2025 season. As with every year, rankings are based on projected defensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions). Enjoy! We had different...
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Ep. 212: NBA Season Preview: Ranking Offenses 1-30 w Charlie Cummings @klaytheist11 of Swish Theory
Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11), the great contributor to Swish Theory and author of the Know Your Role series, returns to rank NBA Offenses 1-30 heading into the 2024-2025 season. As with every year, rankings are based on projected offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions). Enjoy! We…
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Ep. 211: The NBA's Most Improved Players in '24-'25 with Esfandiar Baraheni
Welcome to the Season Premiere of Chucking Darts! Today, Forbes contributor and freelance journalist Esfandiar Baraheni returns to discuss the player improvements that will define the 2024-2025 season. Enjoy! Time Stamps (0:00) Intro (7:00) Victor Wembanyama (16:20) Cade Cunningham (24:20) Chet…
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Ep. 210: NBA Summer League Standouts with Keandre Ashley ( @HoopIntelllect )
Keandre Ashley (@HoopIntellect) the foremost NBA draft analyst on Youtube, discusses 2024 NBA Summer League's top rookie performers. Subscribe to his excellent channel and enjoy our discussion projecting Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland, Kel'El Ware, Jaylon Tyson, and more! Timestamps: (00:00) Intro...
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Ep. 209: NBA Offseason Recap, aka Second Apron Summer with TrillBroDude and SamSheehanNBA of YKB
You Know Ball's Bartleboys join to address the 2024 NBA offseason, looking specifically at 9 teams who changed their franchise direction most drastically. We ruminate on short and long term consequences, ruminate on future trades, crown the unimpeachable truths of summer league, and dissect the...
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Ep. 208 (Bonus): 2024 Draft's French Wings (Sarr, Risacher, Salaun, Dadiet) + Juan Nunez with Ignacio Rissotto (@eyreball)
A mammoth episode I did not get to release pre-draft, please enjoy the great international scout Ignacio Rissotto of No Ceilings (and writer for Fiba, formerly the Stepien) give deep background and insight on the French prospects that may well come to define the 2024 draft in years to come. 0:00...
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Episode 207: 2024 NBA Draft Recap/Big Board Reveal: Every Team, Every Pick (Sprint)
The 2024 Draft is in the books. I sprint through every team in order, starting with the Hawks at pick no.1, and discuss every move they made. Along the way, I talk about my write up (linked below) and where and why I ranked the players. Steals, risks, blunders we can debate. But they're all…
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Ep. 205: Top Ten Mock Draft and Philosophy with Ersin Demir (@edemirnba)
Ersin Demir, contributor to Shot Quality ( @shotquality5054 and author of a fantastic scouting substack, joins to go through his predictive mock draft and which teams he (and we) deviate from. Enjoy! 3:10 Atlanta Hawks 9:05 Washington Wizards 15:05 Houston Rockets 24:05 San Antonio Spurs 37:05...
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Ep. 205: Dart Creation: Ajay Mitchell, Lotto Bub Carrington, Jaylon Tyson, NIkola Djurisic, and Jared McCain with @_prezidente
Draft Strickland's Prez (_prezidente) comes back for another odyssey into his favorite scouting type: slippery creators, or as he calls them, "prezbait." Deep looks into 5 prospects that no one quite knows what to do with, and full throated cases for aggressive placements on Ajay (Prez) and...
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A basketball podcast of debatable accuracy. Rigorously, joyfully discussing the NBA. 100% correct until the ball is tipped. Darts are meant to be chucked forward. It's ok to be wrong about sports.
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