#345: 2026 Season preview

We discuss the Lakers resilience and Austin Reave’s place among the 2021 draft class, Cade Cunningham’s passing and Jrue Holiday’s point guard resurgence in Portland. Support at ⁠www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We discuss the incredible start from Victor Wembanyama, and where he fits into the NBA hierarchy right now. Plus the teams and players that jumped out to us in week 1, including the Warriors, Blazers, 76ers, Magic and Pelicans. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We preview the 2025-26 NBA season. We discuss Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, the enormous Denver Nugget off season, teams that could win the west, the Clippers/Warriors age conundrum, Franz Wagner's lack of shooting, the Rockets and Knicks new offenses and more. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

What were the big themes and takeaways we had from this series? What specifically players changed in our minds and why? We reflect on the series, rankings in general, p layer synergies and more before discussing our best offensive players and overall players from the series. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketballBubble : Jimmy Butler, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Paul George'03 Jason Kidd [21-32]'17 Russell Westbrook [20-32]'25 Jayson Tatum [20-28]'11 Dwight Howard [17-28]'16 Draymond Green [18-26]'05 Manu Ginobili [17-24]'21 Joel Embiid [11-23]'19 James Harden [13-25]'24 Luka Doncic [12-24]'20 Anthony Davis [12-23]'03 Tracy McGrady [10-24]'25 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]'09 Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]'05 Steve Nash [8-19]'14 Chris Paul [6-17]'17 Kawhi Leonard [7-16]'16 Kevin Durant [7-15]'22 Giannis Antetokounmpo [6-15]'08 Kobe Bryant [6-15]'09 Dwyane Wade [4-11]'03 Tim Duncan [2-10]'25 Nikola Jokic [2-9]'04 Kevin Garnett [2-9]'17 Steph Curry [1-8]'01 Shaquille O'Neal [1-6]'13 LeBron James [1-3]

For our final two players, we quantify the unique and devastating forms of “gravity” in basketball. In particular, off-ball gravity that is essentially missing from the box score and traditional NBA stats or measurements, the strongest interior force of the century and what happens to a team with a mega gravitational force running around the entire court. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We look at, perhaps, the 3 best peaks of the 21st century, all from slightly different time periods, environments and circumstances. How does an “ideal” or non ideal environment influence how we evaluate a mega peak? How do we account for era changes that influence spacing and the proliferation of shooters? Can anyone solve the 3 LeBrody problem? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketballPreviously discussed players and their ranges:Jason Kidd [21-32]Jayson Tatum [20-28]Dwight Howard [17-28]Draymond Green [18-26]Manu Ginobili [17-24]James Harden [13-25]Luka Doncic [12-24]Tracy McGrady [10-24]Anthony Davis [12-23]Joel Embiid [10-23]Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]Chris Paul [6-17]Steve Nash [8-19]Kawhi Leonard [7-16]Kevin Durant [7-15]Giannis Antetokounmpo [6-15]Kobe Bryant [6-15]Dwyane Wade [4-11]

How do we make sense of small samples and outlier signals in the playoffs? How much should specifically good or bad matchups influence playoff “performance?” We discuss some titanic big men, their coaches, environments, teammate synergies and how much we should care about their individual scoring numbers in the postseason. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketballPreviously discussed players and their ranges:Jason Kidd [21-32]Jayson Tatum [20-28]Dwight Howard [17-28]Draymond Green [18-26]Manu Ginobili [17-24]James Harden [13-25]Luka Doncic [12-24]Tracy McGrady [10-24]Anthony Davis [12-23]Joel Embiid [10-23]Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]Chris Paul [6-17]Steve Nash [8-19]Kawhi Leonard [7-16]Kevin Durant [7-15]Giannis Antetokounmpo [6-15]Kobe Bryant [6-15]Dwyane Wade [4-11]

We discuss two of the most dominant downhill penetrators in league history, and the critical ways in which they're different. First, the strengths and weaknesses of Giannis's battering ram approach and how that influences his playoff impact. Then, Dwyane Wade's unique balance between slicing through traffic and passing through traffic. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketballPreviously discussed players and their ranges:25 Jason Kidd [21-32]24 Jayson Tatum [20-28]23 Dwight Howard [17-28]22 Draymond Green [18-26]21 Manu Ginobili [17-24]20 James Harden [13-25]19 Luka Doncic [12-24]18 Tracy McGrady [10-24]17 Anthony Davis [12-23]16 Joel Embiid [10-23]15 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]14 Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]13 Chris Paul [6-17]12 Steve Nash [8-19]11 Kawhi Leonard [7-16]

Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant were both voluminous score on and off-ball. We discuss Durant's playoff scoring, the impact of his gravity, his floor-raising in Oklahoma City and his more mobile Thunder defense. Then, we upend Kobe Bryant's “inefficiency” narrative, contextualize his problem-solving and huge scoring numbers without dominating the ball. Support atwww.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We tackle Chris Paul's “floor general” approach to offense and the pros and cons of how he pressured defenses (and his turnover suppression). Also, how did he change defensively from 2008 in New Orleans to his Clippers tenure? Where does he rank among small defenders? Then we make sense of Kawhi Leonard's historic scoring numbers and shooting, and the surprising heights of his team's offenses, along with his fluctuating defensive signals. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball