NBA 2025-26 NBA Thread

[ambchang]

Exactly what I've been saying for a couple of years while some folks were confident that the new Cap Economics would catch up to OKC. The reality is, they may have just cracked the code...

https://www.spotrac.com/news/_/id/3109/the-thunder-are-ready-to-break-the-second-apron-era

Have to hand it to presti. He did so many things right:
1) generated as many chances as he could with draft oicks
2) nailed a high percentage of those draft picks
3 created a vision and system for his team, then drafted almost perfectly in the 2nd round for players who fit the roles in that system. He’s using the second round as a trade vehicle more than a development pipeline. There are a few players who were bypassed due to their age but if they fit then draft him anyways.
4) identified the right players and traded for those. He didn’t mind a short term overpay as long as there is long term value.
5) developing the young talent they have to fit into the right roles.

But this is a lot of things right, from scouting (draft and trades) to getting value in trades to system development to value identification. I’m not sure the spurs, or any other team, can get this much right.

Btw, this is exactly what the second apron should do. Reward competent front offices instead of giving an unfair advantage to big market teams.

 

[scott]

Oh yeah... I forgot, they also drafted Ousmane Dieng, which invalidates everything they've done right. Nevermind.

 

[twodeep]

Have to hand it to presti. He did so many things right:
1) generated as many chances as he could with draft oicks
2) nailed a high percentage of those draft picks
3 created a vision and system for his team, then drafted almost perfectly in the 2nd round for players who fit the roles in that system. He’s using the second round as a trade vehicle more than a development pipeline. There are a few players who were bypassed due to their age but if they fit then draft him anyways.
4) identified the right players and traded for those. He didn’t mind a short term overpay as long as there is long term value.
5) developing the young talent they have to fit into the right roles.

But this is a lot of things right, from scouting (draft and trades) to getting value in trades to system development to value identification. I’m not sure the spurs, or any other team, can get this much right.

Btw, this is exactly what the second apron should do. Reward competent front offices instead of giving an unfair advantage to big market teams.

I would also add one that is under rated trait if a pick does not work out he moves on quickly he does not worry about the optics of a busted pick he gets what he can and moves on.

 

[djohn2oo8]

Nice dub without Durant

 

[JMarkJohns]

Nice dub without Durant

Yeah, well, Suns were without Williams, Green, Allen!!! Haha

 

[spursistan]

We need to start talking about the tragic Bucks roster in terms of being the worst supporting cast a superstar in his prime has had to carry since the 2004-07 KG's Wolves. They have completely collapsed without him. You know it is so bad when a convicted petty thief like Rollins has been their 2nd best player this season..

To think some were trying to equate Giannis' load and burden at Millwaukee with Jokic's last season. It is really not even close in favor of Giannis if we are making an MVP argument from that angle. Giannis should absolutely ask for a trade next summer and stay in the East (Knicks, Miami). I think the Bucks would do good by him and send him wherever he wants

 

[djohn2oo8]

Yeah, well, Suns were without Williams, Green, Allen!!! Haha

Who?

 

[JMarkJohns]

Who?

Mark Williams, 13-8r on 65%
Jalen Green, 29 points with 6 threes on 50-45 splits in one full game of health
Grayson Allen, 19-4a on 45% from range on 9 attempts per

But it was a joke because Houston wasn’t just without Durant. They are missing VanVleet and Eason.

Nobody expects the upstart overachieving Suns to actually compete with Thunder, Nuggets, healthy Rockets. Lakers probably too, though this is a toss up if both are healthy.

Suns don’t have depth up front to handle OKC, Denver, Houston. Not ever. Not even healthy.

 

[brazil]

Pistons are a fun team to watch. Non-stop ball pressure, lots of youth and energy.

Nice seeing teams like them (and us) make a leap after a few years in the gutter.

I'm with you... 13th win in a row. tie for best streak ever for the franchise... I know one happy historic ST poster tbh @SolDragon

 

[Valparaiso]

Have to hand it to presti. He did so many things right:
1) generated as many chances as he could with draft oicks
2) nailed a high percentage of those draft picks
3 created a vision and system for his team, then drafted almost perfectly in the 2nd round for players who fit the roles in that system. He’s using the second round as a trade vehicle more than a development pipeline. There are a few players who were bypassed due to their age but if they fit then draft him anyways.
4) identified the right players and traded for those. He didn’t mind a short term overpay as long as there is long term value.
5) developing the young talent they have to fit into the right roles.

But this is a lot of things right, from scouting (draft and trades) to getting value in trades to system development to value identification. I’m not sure the spurs, or any other team, can get this much right.

Btw, this is exactly what the second apron should do. Reward competent front offices instead of giving an unfair advantage to big market teams.

I agree, but this also shows how fickle and random the NBA world can be, because the best thing to happen to Presti and OKC in recent history is the day Paul George demanded a trade to the Clippers, which Presti had no part in initiating. Then he looked at the Clipper roster, and decided-- along with lots of draft picks of course-- to require a second year Shai in the deal, a guy who'd finished 6th in Rookie of the year voting and averaged 10.8 ppg, and who nobody ever considered an MVP candidate. If Paul George doesn't make that trade demand to one specific team, SGA never winds up in Oklahoma, and the Thunder are another good team fighting for relevance. I'll admit that I was getting skeptical on Presti for a little while there when he seemed to be riding the Westbrook/Adams duo as the key to their future, but I've come around to admire the way he has managed things since.

 

[JMarkJohns]

I agree, but this also shows how fickle and random the NBA world can be, because the best thing to happen to Presti and OKC is recent history is the day Paul George demanded a trade to the Clippers, which Presti had no part in initiating. Then he looked at the Clipper roster, and decided-- along with lots of draft picks of course-- to require a second year Shai in the deal, a guy who'd finished 6th in Rookie of the year voting and averaged 10.8 ppg, and who nobody ever considered an MVP candidate. If Paul George doesn't make that trade demand to one specific team, SGA never winds up in Oklahoma, and the Thunder are another good team fighting for relevance. I'll admit that I was getting skeptical on Presti for a little while there when he seemed to be riding the Westbrook/Adams duo as the key to their future, but I've come around to admire the way he has managed things since.

I wouldn’t say the guy who drafted Westbrook and Harden, both slight overreaches according to mock drafts, and eventually Jalen Williams out of a small school, and turned them into All-NBA and MVPs struggled to see the upside of Shai, a lanky combo-guard out of Kentucky, a program with an excellent track record of elite guards and wings under Calipari.

NBA Draft is always a crapshoot. If anything, his blindspot has mostly been Combo-forwards and Centers. For every Ibaka or Adams or Sabonis type success there’s half a dozen Perry’s, McGary, Mullins, Aldrich, Heustis, Bazley… all were 1sts or acquired for 1sts via Presti.

Chet has been real nice health permitting and signing away Hart was real important. Chet over Jabari looks real good right now.

But he’s got a ton of 2nd round whiffs on bigs as well.

His wheelhouse is scoring guards/wings with guard skills, so Shai made sense, and 3/D wings which he has really leaned into.

 

[JMarkJohns]

Also, with his track record of flipping players, George was never going to be wasted. Maybe wouldn’t be Shai, but he would have ended up with a haul of 1sts, and probably doesn’t trade away 1sts or maybe jumps up in drafts like 2020 where multiple excellent players slid well past value to take a franchise player like Maxey or Haliburton when he had the window. That is also something he loves to do is draft day trades or shortly after the draft involving drafted players.

 

[Valparaiso]

I wouldn’t say the guy who drafted Westbrook and Harden, both slight overreaches according to mock drafts, and eventually Jalen Williams out of a small school, and turned them into All-NBA and MVPs struggled to see the upside of Shai, a lanky combo-guard out of Kentucky, a program with an excellent track record of elite guards and wings under Calipari.

NBA Draft is always a crapshoot. If anything, his blindspot has mostly been Combo-forwards and Centers. For every Ibaka or Adams or Sabonis type success there’s half a dozen Perry’s, McGary, Mullins, Aldrich, Heustis, Bazley… all were 1sts or acquired for 1sts via Presti.

Chet has been real nice health permitting and signing away Hart was real important. Chet over Jabari looks real good right now.

But he’s got a ton of 2nd round whiffs on bigs as well.

His wheelhouse is scoring guards/wings with guard skills, so Shai made sense, and 3/D wings which he has really leaned into.

I generally agree, but I'm just saying there's a big gap between the seeing upside of a player who finished 6th in ROY voting-- which I think lots of people did with SGA-- and landing a future MVP level player in a forced trade.

 

[scott]

Every star player in this league, with the exception of one, landed on their current team via some element of luck:

SGA - discussed above
Jokic - a SRP... no further explanation needed
Giannis - a skinny Greek kid picked in the middle of the 1st
Luka - lucky that Nico Harrison exists
Wemby - luck of the ping pong balls

The only top player (as in Top 5, MVP candidate) I can think of recently who didn't land on his team via luck was when LeBron went to the Lakers. But I might be forgetting some guys.

 

[JMarkJohns]

I generally agree, but I'm just saying there's a big gap between the seeing upside of a player who finished 6th in ROY voting-- which I think lots of people did with SGA-- and landing a future MVP level player in a forced trade.

Shai was a shocking drop in 2018. McDonough tries to trade up to get him at 10 but Sarver overruled and wanted immediate help and said Mikal was the pick. Shai was consistently mocked as a top-10 player that year and Calipari guards up to that point had pretty much always landed in the very good to elite range.

Of course I don’t think anyone knew the full measure of Shai’s promise, but I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the talent scout that plucked Westbrook, Harden from the raw and quirky ranks earlier than mocked and helped build future MVP platforms and saw Jalen Williams as lottery worthy when most had passed up to that point.

It was super lucky the Clippers were the only team George was willing to be traded to without issue but I don’t think it was lucky Presti saw the Shai talent and took advantage of a desperate owner. Both are sort of his thing.

 

[spursistan]

Biggest elephant in the room in the NBA right now ; The Magic might actually be better without Banchero (their offense is sure better).

 

[timtonymanu]

Hawks lost to the now 2 wins Wizards

 

[scott]

Wow Dillingham is really quite terrible... who wanted this chud?

 

[djohn2oo8]

Reed has arrived

 

[Fabbs]

Co sign. Reed looked good including in the clutch.
dj it was a subtle play that of course the announcers glossed over, but did you see Jimmy Cuntler roll on Jabris leg in Warrior karate kid leg take out style?
Jabs knee buckled but appears he is okay.
Dirtiest team in the NBA hands down.
Insufferable. Fark I'm glad the Rockets overcame.

Stephina left the game late but I'm pretty sure it was sore vag.

 

[Fabbs]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1993859524630073653

DAF with the call.

 

[Valparaiso]

One of the worst takes in modern basketball is the "he's not a PURE point guard" complaint. The three purest point guards of the last thirty years or so were John Stockton, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul, and between them they have 59 seasons and zero championships. Steph Curry, Tony Parker, Kyrie, Jamal Murray and other "shooting guards in point guard bodies" have had tons of success, as have large combo guards like Shai, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, etc...
Reed Sheppard is proving a lot of naysayers wrong, and leading Houston in BPM... a Houston team that includes Kevin Duran, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson.

 

[Robz4000]

One of the worst takes in modern basketball is the "he's not a PURE point guard" complaint. The three purest point guards of the last thirty years or so were John Stockton, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul, and between them they have 59 seasons and zero championships. Steph Curry, Tony Parker, Kyrie, Jamal Murray and other "shooting guards in point guard bodies" have had tons of success, as have large combo guards like Shai, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, etc...
Reed Sheppard is proving a lot of naysayers wrong, and leading Houston in BPM... a Houston team that includes Kevin Duran, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson.

Everyone you mentioned outside Shai (and two of Curry's) were the sidekicks to all-time greats tbh. As much as I love DWhite he doesnt belong in this convo.

 

[Valparaiso]

Everyone you mentioned outside Shai (and two of Curry's) were the sidekicks to all-time greats tbh. As much as I love DWhite he doesnt belong in this convo.

Disagree... DWhite doesn't need to dominate the ball like a "pure" PG, doesn't need to have a high usage rate to be effective, and his impact stats show that he has been consistently impactful, which is one of the reasons he's valuable to a team. I don't think it's a coincidence that DWhite has a ring while a first ballot future Hall of Famer like Westbrook doesn't. If you asked most GMs who feel like they're one piece away from contending for a title if they'd rather have White or someone like Trae Young, the vast majority would probably pick White, despite the fact that Young averages more points and assists as a ball dominant pure PG.
Stockton played with the best PF of the 90s and the best shotblocker of the 90s while accumulating record numbers of assists, and still couldn't get there. Granted, Jordan got in his way twice, but he fell short 17 other times too.

 

[JMarkJohns]

You can succeed with a pass-first PG, they just cannot be your best player. You need scoring threat from your point of contact.

Of course there’s a yin to this yang where best players like Harden or Arenas never came even as close as those true PGs to a Title. So it’s not just the scoring. It’s an efficient and, arguably, unpredictable type of scoring… this is also the point where Defense enters the chat, although Stockton was a tough SOB on that end. He just wasn’t a scoring threat at all really.

Again, it really is that second tier of PGs with a balance of scoring and passing that have the best path to success so long as they aren’t the #1 option on their team. Having a Duncan, Jokic, Giannis, and even Kawhi, or even Durant as the Finals MVP player really opens up pathways for those types of player.

Only thing that’s truly clear from this is, if you have an elite big man, your number two player needs to be an All-Star level Scoring PG or elite two-way combo guard.

Magic with Dwight Howard probably make a few more Finals, maybe even win one if Jameer Nelson is Tony Parker or Billups.