Explore every episode of the podcast Chucking Darts NBA Podcast

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
(3:00) How the Knicks Won the Finals
(17:00) The Spurs' Shortcomings
(30:00) Spurs' Roster Choice Ahead
(55:00) OG Anunoby the Unicorn
(1:09:50) Hornets and Morez Johnson Jr.
(1:30:00) Hannes Steinbach
(1:45:30) Zuby Ejiofor, Allen Graves, and Wrap

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
(1:11:22) Spurs draft at pick 20 + wrap

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
(35:25) Wizards - Cam Boozer
(39:55) Jazz - Darryn Peterson
(46:45) Grizzlies - AJ Dybantsa
(53:40) Bulls - Caleb Wilson
(1:03:20) Clippers - Kingston Flemings
(1:12:30) Nets - Keaton Wagler
(1:16:15) Kings - Brayden Burries
(1:25:30) Hawks - Ebuka Okorie
(1:30:20) Mavericks - Darius Acuff Jr.
(1:35:35) Bucks - Yaxel Lendeborg
(1:39:05) Warriors - Aday Mara
(1:43:35) Thunder - Dailyn Swain
(1:48:00) Heat - Mikel Brown Jr.
(1:51:15) Hornets - Morez Johnson Jr.
(1:56:00) Knicks Options at 24 + wrap

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 Flemings, Acuff, Wagler, Brown, or someone else makes the most sense.

Lucas also discuss his WNBA coverage and the NY Liberty's upcoming season. Check his substack out below and his work at Nets Daily for great W coverage all summer.

https://lucaskaplan.substack.com/

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro + NY Liberty
(9:25) Thunder-Spurs G2
(21:40) Egor Demin's rookie season
(36:30) Mikel Brown, Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler, Aday Mara
(1:02:40) Kingston Flemings
(1:10:10) Dailyn Swain + Yaxel Lendeborg + wrap

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

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 Dybantsa
(22:30) Darryn Peterson and Wiz Culture
(44:30) Trae Young Impact
(51:30) Trade Strategy
(56:30) Cam Boozer, 2026 PGs, wrap

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

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
(41:40) Morez Johnson Jr.
(49:00) Brayden Burries
(58:30) Koa Peat, Ivan Kharchenkov, Motiejus Krivas
(1:03:30) Keaton Wagler, Mirkovic
(1:14:00) Braylon Mullins, Karaban, Reed

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 Christian Anderson. We wrap by discussing possibly our favorite NBA PG dart of all - Stanford's dynamo Ebuka Okorie, whose team is not in the bracket at all.

Enjoy!

https://briangeisinger.substack.com/

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(3:15) The Bracket and Duke's Path
(30:35) Acuff, Flemings, Tanner, Wagler, Philon, Stirtz, Anderson
(1:03:50) Ebuka Okorie + Wrap

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) Charlotte Hornets Success
(17:35) Kon Knueppel as NBA trendsetter
(50:00) Cam Boozer as 1 or 2
(1:15:45) Caleb Wilson as 1 or 2 + Wrap

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.

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
(3:40) The Spurs and the West
(41:30) James Harden Trade and the East
(52:30) 2026 Number 1 Pick

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 STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(6:30) Cam Boozer
(43:50) Caleb Wilson
(1:07:30) Mikel Brown Jr.
(1:28:50) Neoklis Avdalas
(1:45:30) Patrick Ngongba Jr. + Henri Veesaar and Wrap

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 draft philosophy as well. Dart Rank is back! Enjoy.

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro + Dart Rank Explainer
(9:35) Picks 1-7
(1:03:25) Picks 8-14
(1:38:35) Picks 15-21 + wrap

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 STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(5:30) Kon Knueppel
(28:10) Cedric Coward
(47:55) Cooper Flagg
(57:00) VJ Edgecombe
(1:10:20) Dylan Harper
(1:21:10) Ryan Kalkbrenner
(1:27:45) Derik Queen
(1:34:45) Jeremiah Fears
(1:43:15) Will Richard, CMB, Tre Johnson + Wrap

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 well.

Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro
(6:55) Raptors Roster Build + Collin Murray Boyles
(16:30) Offense Ranks 1-30

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
(38:05) Spurs
(49:40) Kings
(57:45) Pelicans
(1:03:05) Hornets
(1:12:30) Bulls + Wizards
(1:23:45) Thunder + wrap

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) Intro
(3:30) Brooklyn Nets' 5 rookies
(37:05) Predicting All-Rookie Teams
(44:30) NBA Defenses Tier 1 + Tier 2
(50::55) Tier 3: Rest of Top 10
(59:30) Tier 4: Mavs, Hawks, Pacers, Heat, Knicks?
(1:14:00) Tier 5: LAL, Den, and the Contender Middle
(1:25:00) Tier 6, DPOY talk + wrap

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 Cooper Flagg.

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro
(3:30) Anthony Davis + Offensive Identity
(16:45) Cooper Flagg + Anthony Davis
(23:30) Mavs' Bench and Trade Options
(29:25) Cooper Flagg's Timeline
(35:30) Defensive Identity + Most Improved Naji Marshall
(1:01:20) Mavs vs the West and Wrap

Enjoy!

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:

https://www.patreon.com/YouKnowBall

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(4:10) Orlando Magic
(23:30) East Middle
(26:10) Atlanta Hawks + Jalen Johnson
(38:15) Houston Rockets
(48:55) Denver Nuggets
(56:00) Spurs, Mavs, Blazers
(1:20:00) Wiz/Hornets + Wrap

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: https://briangeisinger.substack.com/

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro
(5:45) NBA Finals + Top of 2025 Draft
(19:50) Lamelo Ball + Tyrese Haliburton
(32:45) Charlotte Hornets
(43:00) Playoff Team Building
(55:09) Atlanta Hawks
(1:12:45) Myles Turner
(1:16:00) Clippers + Cavs
(1:28:42) Cooper Flagg + Kon Knueppel
(1:39:40) Wolves/Thunder + Switchblade Guards
(1:50:30) Hornets Optimism + Wrap

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 STAMPS
0:00 Intro
3:55 Mavs
15:05 Spurs
24:30 Sixers
32:00 Hornets
43:15 Jazz
51:45 Wizards
1:00:25 Pelicans
1:15:00 Nets
1:22:00 Raptors
1:33:47 Suns
1:50:45 Grizzlies
1:58:10 Bulls
2:06:05 Thunder
2:09:00 Blazers
2:14:05 Wolves
2:17:13 Heat
2:20:30 Hawks
2:23:13 Kings
2:28:55 Magic
2:31:43 Celtics/Clippers
2:35:00 Lakers
2:38:40 Rest + Wrap (Det, Mil, Cle, NY, GSW, Ind)

@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 Murray-Boyles
(1:32:18) Hansen Yang + Mailbag

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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYX40Uh5OP0

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro
(4:35) Mavericks - Cooper Flagg
(12:20) Spurs - Dylan Harper
(22:00) 76ers - Kon Knueppel
(30:30) Hornets - VJ Edgecombe
(42:50) Jazz - Tre Johnson
(47:10) Wizards - Ace Bailey
(55:30) Pelicans - Khaman Maluach
(1:00:50) Nets - Derik Queen
(1:09:30) Raptors - Hansen Yang
(1:21:30) Rockets - Collin Murray-Boyles
(1:28:45) Blazers - Carter Bryant
(1:34:35) Bulls - Thomas Sorber
(1:39:35) Hawks - Maxime Raynaud
(1:47:10) Spurs - Noah Penda
(1:52:30) HMs (Coward, Fears, Jakucionis, Richardson, Lendeborg, Essengue, etc) and wrap

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
(5:55) MIP Ty Jerome
(12:00) Thunder Improvements and Title Path
(28:00) Obi Toppin and Pacers/Cavs
(44:05) Matas Buzelis
(50:00) Raptors Rebuild + Draft

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 STAMPS
(0:00) Intro
(3:00) Cooper Flagg Check In
(29:30) Kon Knueppel
(1:16:05) Jase Richardson
(1:26:40) Khaman Maluach + Wrap

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 can differentiate among so many "role" players.

Plus, an intro taking a peek at Sixers' 2025 draft strategy.

Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro + Sixers 2025 draft
(18:30) Jared McCain + Kel'El Ware
(58:40) Ron Holland + Matas Buzelis
(1:22:40) Alex Sarr + Steph Castle
(1:47:30) Zach Edey + Reed Sheppard
(1:56:00) Zaccharie Risacher + Bub Carrington
(2:08:30) Kyshawn George + Jaylen Wells
(2:14:20) Donovan Clingan + Kyle Filipowski + HMs/Wrap

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) Alex Condon/Thomas Haugh
(1:28:00) Will Richard + Wrap

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, Jared McCain, Ja'Kobe Walter, Justin Edwards, Devin Carter, etc) or who we just missed discussing in more detail (my guy Kyshawn George, Dalton Knecht, Ryan Dunn, Tristan Da Silva, Kyle Filipowski, Jonathan Mogbo). There is a lot to like this year!

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(15:15) Donovan Clingan
(22:45) Ron Holland
(34:45) Matas Buzelis
(41:45) Jaylen Wells
(48:43) Zach Edey
(56:16) Zaccharie Risacher
(1:04:05) Isaiah Collier
(1:11:55) Alex Sarr
(1:17:05) Stephon Castle
(1:21:50) Bub Carrington, Kel'El Ware, and wrap

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 Hunter to Cavs
(49:30) Jimmy Butler to Warriors
(57:40) Sacramento Kings
(1:03:40) De'Aaron Fox to Spurs
(1:08:30) Lakers Rescinded Trade for Mark Williams
(1:14:00) Bucks/Wizards
(1:24:00) Brandon Ingram to Raptors + Wrap
(1:33:30) David Lynch Epilogue

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 Bailey, Dylan's electric and polarizing teammate, who may get drafted the highest of all 3.

Enjoy! And check out the great work at http://the-center-hub.com.

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(12:05) Kasparas Jakucionis
(50:25) Dylan Harper
(1:30:40) Ace Bailey + Wrap

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.

Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro + Brian's Substack
(6:30) Maxime Raynaud
(28:30) Jaylen Blakes
(36:50) Hunter Sallis
(50:10) Jamir Watkins
(1:06:35) Ian Schieffelin
(1:23:45) Zack Austin
(1:39:25) Drake Powell
(1:44:00) Ian Jackson
(1:56:50) Andraj Stojakovic
(2:01:15) Jacob Cofie + Wrap

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 projection. Plus, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach.

Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(7:48) Cooper Flagg on Offense
(40:05) Flagg on Defense
(52:00) Flagg Pro Projections
(1:01:40) Kon Knueppel
(1:09:20) Khaman Maluach + wrap

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 so many darts and so little time.

Stay tuned for a more in depth draft philosophy discussion later this week. Enjoy!

TIME STAMPS
(0:00) Intro + Mike's Patreon
(7:40) Cleveland Cavaliers
(23:45) Cavs' Defense and Evan Mobley
(50:25) Houston Rockets + Tari Eason
(1:06:20) Amen Thompson
(1:13:30) Jabari Smith Jr
(1:17:30) Jalen Green + Halfcourt Offense
(1:29:00) Draft Philosophy Preview + Wrap

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) JAYLEN WELLS
(38:30) All-NBA Lamelo
(55:30) OKC and Cavs
(1:04:30) Zach Lavine Redemption
(1:14:25) Wizards Rookies

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 Bridges Shot Doctor
(12:00) Knicks Projection
(16:25) East Top 6 Seeds
(33:00) KAT Integration
(41:30) East Wrap
(51:15) Western Conference Seeds
(1:35:10) MIP Award/Kuminga
(1:41:00) Rookie Extensions
(1:50:30) Magic Team Building
(2:07:00) All Rookie Projections
(2:18:30) MVP/DPOY
(2:23:00) Title picks + wrap

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 rankings and jumped around a bit, so the order of discussion below is not necessarily a strict 1-30 order. We clear it up as we go.

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(7:40) Thunder/Wolves/Magic/Celts
(28:30) Grizzlies
(36:50) Cavs/Knicks/Heat
(46:45) Spurs/Mavs/Rockets
(1:01:00) Lakers/Nuggets/Warriors/Sixers/Bucks
(1:17:35) Kings/Clippers/Suns/Hawks/Suns/Pacers
(1:30:20) Pistons/Blazers/Raptors/Hornets and rest

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 had different rankings and jumped around a bit, so the order of discussion below is not necessarily a strict 1-30 order. We clear it up as we go.

TIME STAMPS

(0:00) Intro
(4:30) Thunder/Celts/Knicks/Pacers
(27:20) Mavericks
(35:20) Sixers/Bucks/Nuggets/Suns/Kings
(51:15) Warriors/Cavs
(1:13:15) Pels/Wolves/Hawks/Rockets
(1:27:30) Lakers
(1:34:30) Spurs/Raps/Hornets/Rox/Grizz/Clips/Heat
(1:48:35) Bulls/Magic/Pistons and rest

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 and Evan Mobley
(40:00) Houston Rockets
(57:15) Immanuel Quickley
(1:02:45) Jaime Jaquez + Nikola Jovic
(1:13:00) Brandon Miller
(1:18:20) Dyson Daniels
(1:28:00) Role Player Rapid Fire
(1:33:05) Trey Murphy
(1:41:40) Christian Braun/Julian Strawther
(1:51:45) Shaedon Sharpe
(2:00:00) Jarace Walker

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
(07:15) Matas Buzelis
(30:30) Ron Holland
(47:00) Bobi Klintman
(1:00:00) Kel'El Ware
(1:16:00) Donovan Clingan
(1:22:10) Jaylon Tyson
(1:30:20) Tristan Da Silva
(1:34:30) Reed Sheppard/Bub Carrington/Isaiah Collier + Wrap

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 slop tides that have subtly turned.

The conversation winds around basically the entire league, so sit back, relax, and know some ball with us. Subscribe to the You Know Ball Patreon.

Enjoy!

6:00 Nets
29:00 Sixers
46:00 Knicks
1:07:15 Thunder
1:26:25 Bucks
1:46:20 Nuggets
2:04:40 Kings
2:18:50 Mavericks
2:29:15 Grizzlies, Heat, and Wrap

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 Intro
5:00 Alexandre Sarr
1:01:20 Zaccharie Risacher
1:37:30 Tidjane Salaun
2:19:30 Pacome Dadiet
2:47:45 Juan Nunez + Wrap

Enjoy!

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 darts, and that's what matters.

My full write up:

https://chuckingdarts.substack.com/p/2024-nba-draft-dart-board-understanding

Enjoy!

5:30 Hawks
16:45 Wizards
24:05 Rockets
26:35 Spurs
32:10 Pistons
33:30 Hornets
36:35 Blazers
40:00 Wolves
45:10 Grizzlies
51:10 Jazz
54:15 Bulls
56:25 Thunder
1:00:50 Kings
1:04:10 Heat
1:07:55 76ers
1:11:15 Lakers
1:13:40 Magic
1:16:00 Raptors
1:23:10 Cavs
1:28:20 Pelicans
1:33:00 Nuggets
1:37:05 Bucks
1:39:30 Knicks
1:47:55 Suns
1:52:50 Celtics
1:55:10 Pacers, Mavs, Clippers, Warriors

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 Detroit Pistons
39:50 Charlotte Hornets
44:45 Portland Trail Blazers
48:30 Memphis Grizzlies
50:25 Utah Jazz

https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/2024-nba-mock-draft

https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/2024-nba-draft-big-board-40

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 Carrington (me).
0:00 Intro + T10 creators
10:00 Ajay Mitchell
46:05 Bub Carrington
1:24:00 Jaylon Tyson
1:51:30 Nikola Djurisic
2:03:30 Jared McCain + Wrap
Enjoy!

Ben Pfeifer (@bjpf) returns to discuss 3 prospects with extreme talents and physical traits that have confounded me this cycle: Nikola Topic (post ACL news), Kel'el Ware, and Dillon Jones. Ben Sells me on high outcomes for all 3, we examine their historical draft context, and we marvel at Dillon Jones' savant abilities.

Enjoy!

Nikola Topic 5:00
Kel'el Ware 47:35
Dillon Jones 1:09:35 + wrap

Who will win and why?

Enjoy!

Premier draft analyst Brian Schroeder (patreon.com/BrianJNBA) stops by to discuss the deep well of power wing prospects in the 2024 draft.

The playoffs have reinforced the perpetual truth that role wings with power-based athleticism have a valuable role on advancing teams (PJ Washington, Aaron Gordon, Josh Hart, Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Aaron Nesmith, etc). The 2024 draft has several darts who can aspire to similarly crucial roles.

2:15 Isaiah Crawford
23:45 Tyon Grant-Foster
43:35 Jamir Watkins
54:30 Keshad Johnson
1:13:00 Nique Clifford

with some extra observations on others on the back half. Enjoy!

Nate Grubel (@DraftDeeper, 2024 Draft Consultant and Analyst) returns to kick off a mini-series exploring the optimism within the 2024 Draft. Here, we each select 7 players who we think could thrive in a valuable NBA role, and how several have a unique productivity or athleticism that may hint at something more.

Great conversation and episode for those with draft curiosity. Enjoy!

Stephon Castle 7:15
Devin Carter 40:30
Reed Sheppard 53:00
Hunter Sallis 1:04:00
Dalton Knecht 1:15:00
Johnny Furphy + Isaiah Collier 1:27:00
Jared McCain + Tyler Kolek 1:42:40
Alex Karaban + Nique Clifford + Tyon Grant-Foster 1:55:50
Tyler Smith + Jalen Bridges 2:10:05

The Draft Lottery has come and gone, the Hawks have the number 1 pick, and the Great Prez from Draft Strickland stopped by to do a full lottery mock (no trades). This is what we would do, not predicting what the teams will do. So, we debut a lot of our deep scouting feelings in a very uncertain year.

Enjoy!

8:40 Atlanta Hawks
24:15 Washington Wizards
45:00 Houston Rockets
56:15 San Antonio Spurs
1:08:35 Detroit Pistons
1:21:20 Charlotte Hornets
1:30:30 Portland Trailblazers
1:42:00 San Antonio Spurs
1:48:15 Memphis Grizzlies
1:51:05 Utah Jazz
1:54:00 Chicago Bulls
1:59:25 Oklahoma City Thunder
2:06:25 Sacramento Kings
2:13:10 Portland Trailblazers + Knicks talk to wrap