NBA First Half Takeaways: What Have We Learned Before The Allstar Break?! | Game Theory Podcast

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon take a close look at the 2025 NBA Draft Class and evaluate the rookie seasons of several first & second round selections. 02:25 - The "ethics" of Bam Adebayo's 83-point performance 17:45 - Kon vs Coop (Rookie of the Year Debate) 34:10 - Dylan Harper 50:01 - VJ Edgecombe, Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, Ace Bailey 1:17:19 - Cedric Coward, Maxime Raynaud, Egor Dёmin, Nolan Traoré, Danny Wolf, Hugo González, Kasparas Jakučionis, Will Riley 1:35:11 - RAPID FIRE: Collin Murray-Boyles, Carter Bryant, Kobe Sanders, Nique Clifford, Joan Beringer, Will Richard, Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Jamir Watkins, Khaman Maluach 1:40:30 - OUTRO   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In thie edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Samn Vecenie & Bryce Simon will go through several NBA players that were moved at this year's trade deadline & evaluate their performances so far with their new teams.  5:15 Jayson Tatum's opening two games 16:15 Jonathan Kuminga on the Hawks 32:30 James Harden on the Cavaliers 47:50 Trae Young on the Wizards 59:45 Jared McCain on the Thunder 1:11:20 Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin on the Clippers 1:21:00 Luke Kennard, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, others. SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK! CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL!  SPONSORS: FABLETICS ALREADY HAS INCREDIBLE DEALS: GET 80% OFF EVERYTHING WHEN YOU SIGN UP AS A VIP! JUST HEAD TO FABLETICS.COM/GAMTHEORY, TAKE A QUICK STYLE QUIZ, AND BE SURE TO SELECT GAMETHEORY WHEN PROMPTED TO UNLOCK YOUR 80% OFF. SHOUTOUT TO OUR PARTNER - FANATICS SPORTSBOOK! EARN UP TO 10% BACK ON YOUR BETS WIN OR LOSE. USE FANCASH ON TEAM GEAR ON FANATICS.COM BONUS BETS OR PROFIT BOOSTS IN THEFANATICS SPORTSBOOK APP! STAY TUNED FOR EXCLUSIVE OFFERS ALL SEASON LONG!    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Same Vecenie & Bryce Simon open by reacting to the news that Jayson Tatum will officially be making his return to the court & what this could mean for the NBA playoff race. Then, they go through every NBA Award & give their current unofficial ballots with just under 6 weeks to go in the NBA season.  02:27 - Jayson Tatum Returns! 17:00 - MVP/1st Team All-NBA 42:50 - 2nd-Team All-NBA/3rd Team All-NBA 1:06:12 - Defensive Player of the Year/All-Defense 1:20:09 - Rookie of the Year/All-Rookie 1:35:37 - Coach of the Year 1:45:30 - Sixth Man of the Year 1:46:51 - Most-Improved Player SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK! CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL!  SPONSORS: RIGHT NOW, MIZZEN & MAIN IS OFFERING OUR LISTENERS 20% OFF YOUR FIRST PURCHASE AT MIZZENANDMAIN.COM, PROMO CODE GAME20. SHOUTOUT TO OUR PARTNER - FANATICS SPORTSBOOK! EARN UP TO 10% BACK ON YOUR BETS WIN OR LOSE. USE FANCASH ON TEAM GEAR ON FANATICS.COM BONUS BETS OR PROFIT BOOSTS IN THEFANATICS SPORTSBOOK APP! STAY TUNED FOR EXCLUSIVE OFFERS ALL SEASON LONG!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon give their biggest takeaways from week 20 of the NBA season! 05:05 - Nuggets-OKC 32:55 - Stretch Run/Playoff X Factors 44:28 - Paolo Banchero Is Figuring It Out 57:10 - Most Dangerous Play-in Team 1:11:50 - Non-Tanking NBA Gripes 1:21:01 - National Title Contenders for CBB SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK! CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL!  SPONSORS: RIGHT NOW, MIZZEN & MAIN IS OFFERING OUR LISTENERS 20% OFF YOUR FIRST PURCHASE AT MIZZENANDMAIN.COM, PROMO CODE GAME20. EARN UP TO 10% BACK ON YOUR BETS WIN OR LOSE. USE FANCASH ON TEAM GEAR ON FANATICS.COM BONUS BETS OR PROFIT BOOSTS IN THE FANATICS SPORTSBOOK APP! STAY TUNED FOR EXCLUSIVE OFFERS ALL SEASON LONG! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon go 1-to-30 & conduct their first mock draft of the 2026 NBA Draft season! SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK! CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL!  SPONSORS: RIGHT NOW, MIZZEN & MAIN IS OFFERING OUR LISTENERS 20% OFF YOUR FIRST PURCHASE AT MIZZENANDMAIN.COM, PROMO CODE GAME20. EARN UP TO 10% BACK ON YOUR BETS WIN OR LOSE. USE FANCASH ON TEAM GEAR ON FANATICS.COM BONUS BETS OR PROFIT BOOSTS IN THE FANATICS SPORTSBOOK APP! STAY TUNED FOR EXCLUSIVE OFFERS ALL SEASON LONG! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon give their biggest takeaways from week 19 of the NBA season!  04:00 - Darryn Peterson Discourse Is Out of Control 33:30 - Pistons Biggest Week in a Decade 47:55 - Jaden Ivey’s Injury Situation is Depressing 1:05:53 - NBA’s Apparent Tanking Ideas 1:33:55 - How Hard is It To Hide a Bad Defender in today’s NBA? / Is it Easier to Have a Bad Offensive Player or Bad Defensive Player on the Court? SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK! CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL!  SPONSORS: RIGHT NOW, MIZZEN & MAIN IS OFFERING OUR LISTENERS 20% OFF YOUR FIRST PURCHASE AT MIZZENANDMAIN.COM, PROMO CODE GAME20. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon list & discuss their current ranking of NBA teams in order of who will most likely win the 2026 NBA Championship. SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK! CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL!  SPONSORS: REFRESH YOUR WARDROBE WITH QUINCE. GO TO QUINCE.COM/GAMETHEORY FOR FREE SHIPPING ON YOUR ORDER AND 365-DAY RETURNS. NOW AVAILABLE IN CANADA, TOO. GO TO SURFSHARK.COM/GAMETHEORY OR USE CODE GAMETHEORY AT CHECKOUT TO GET 4 EXTRA MONTHS OF SURFSHARK VPN!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon talk about what they took away from all-star weekend (if anything), as well as do what we're calling The Tank Commanders Sickos Draft, an event that involves an intricate scoring system, a thing for us to keep track of and root for in the final two months of tanking games, and an Arbiter of Tanking Integrity.  03:35 - NBA Allstar Games... It Worked!22:10 - Ideas how to fix tanking37:42 - Tank Commanders Sicko Draft!SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK!CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL! SPONSORS:REFRESH YOUR WARDROBE WITH QUINCE. GO TO QUINCE.COM/GAMETHEORY FOR FREE SHIPPING ON YOUR ORDER AND 365-DAY RETURNS. NOW AVAILABLE IN CANADA, TOO.GO TO SURFSHARK.COM/GAMETHEORY OR USE CODE GAMETHEORY AT CHECKOUT TO GET 4 EXTRA MONTHS OF SURFSHARK VPN! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon list their biggest takeaways from the 2025-26 season heading into the NBA Allstar break.04:07 - Jeremy Sochan signs with the Knicks17:26 - JJJ OUT for the season27:10 - The NBA is going to do something about the Tank Race56:06 - No clear cut favorite in the East and the West is NOT inevitable1:09:27 - Hornets and Celtics are making the case for Max/Min strategy at center1:21:42 - No clear cut favorite in the East and the West is NOT inevitable1:32:00 - Award races are heating up!1:41:30 - The 2026 NBA Draft is truly special in the top part of the lotterySIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK!CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL! SPONSORS:CONTROL BODY ODOR ANYWHERE WITH MANDO & GET 20% OFF + FREE SHIPPING WITH PROMO CODE “GAMETHEORY” AT SHOPMANDO.COM! #MANDOPODGO TO OMAHASTEAKS.COM TO GET 50% OFF SITEWIDE DURING THEIR PRESIDENTS’ DAY SALE. AND USE PROMO CODE GAMETHEORY AT CHECKOUT FOR AN EXTRA $35 OFF. MINIMUM PURCHASE MAY APPLY.FABLETICS ALREADY HAS INCREDIBLE DEALS: GET 80% OFF EVERYTHING WHEN YOU SIGN UP AS A VIP! JUST HEAD TO FABLETICS.COM/GAMTHEORY, TAKE A QUICK STYLE QUIZ, AND BE SURE TO SELECT GAMETHEORY WHEN PROMPTED TO UNLOCK YOUR 80% OFF. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon list & discuss their biggest winners, losers & WTFs of the NBA trade deadline. 03:46 - Subscribe to the Game Theory Substack! (LINK BELOW)06:00 - Big picture NBA trade deadline thoughts10:15 - WINNER: NBA Owners/Front Offices16:55 - LOSER: Players just below max level/smaller guards22:40 - LOSER: Restricted free agents28:30 - WINNER: Boston Celtics35:45 - WINNER: Oklahoma City Thunder41:39 - WINNER: Minnesota Timberwolves  48:05 - WINNER: Ivica Zubac/Indiana Pacers55:55 - UHHH... WHAT HAPPENED HERE?: Chicago Bulls1:08:38 - WINNER: Utah Jazz/Memphis Grizzlies1:15:27 - WINNERS: Guerschon Yabusele, Jock Landale, GG Jackson1:17:35 - WINNERS: Two-Way Contracts That Were Converted1:24:35 - Judge rules Charles Bediako ineligible to play for AlabamaSIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK!CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL! SPONSORS:CONTROL BODY ODOR ANYWHERE WITH MANDO & GET 20% OFF + FREE SHIPPING WITH PROMO CODE “GAMETHEORY” AT SHOPMANDO.COM! #MANDOPODGO TO OMAHASTEAKS.COM TO GET 50% OFF SITEWIDE DURING THEIR PRESIDENTS’ DAY SALE. AND USE PROMO CODE GAMETHEORY AT CHECKOUT FOR AN EXTRA $35 OFF. MINIMUM PURCHASE MAY APPLY.FABLETICS ALREADY HAS INCREDIBLE DEALS: GET 80% OFF EVERYTHING WHEN YOU SIGN UP AS A VIP! JUST HEAD TO FABLETICS.COM/GAMTHEORY, TAKE A QUICK STYLE QUIZ, AND BE SURE TO SELECT GAMETHEORY WHEN PROMPTED TO UNLOCK YOUR 80% OFF. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.