"NBA Accolades DON'T MATTER!" | Hot Take Tuesdays

[@colinmccarthy8764]

Hot Take: CP3 is better than Isiah Thomas all time. Zeke was not some All-NBA talent like many say during DET championships. His rings were closer to a Chauncey Billups ring (carried by a Great D) than any Magic or Steph ring.

[@ArthPedro]

Where do you rank Stockton

[@colinmccarthy8764]

@@ArthPedro I actually have Stockton outside the top 10. I really like to see a great lengthy peak. One of my favorite stats to determine the height and length of a guys peak is MVP shares. A Cumulative stat showing the total percentage of MVPs you got based on voting. Stockton has less than Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, and is just next to Jalen Brunson. That’s with him having a RIDICULOUSLY long career. He just wasn’t a top 10 guy all that much. I probably have: 1. Magic 2. Steph 3. Oscar 4. West* 5. CP3 6. Zeke 7. Cousy 8. Nash 9. Kidd 10.Payton 11. Stockton

[@ArthPedro]

@@colinmccarthy8764 you know ball, Stockton a Rondo with Clout

[@colinmccarthy8764]

@@ArthPedro as a Celtics fan, I have to keep my disdain for Rondo a little quiet. Bros offense was straight garbage, but people for some reason act like he is up there with other superstar PGs.

[@jonathansykes4986]

@@colinmccarthy8764 lol outside top 10 for a guy who leads the assist record by a fuckton is fucking wild.

[@itsmeflacko1618]

Hot take: Athletes have the worst takes and opinions. Most guys especially NBA guys do little to no research about the literal league they are in and then talk down on people who actually know history and facts just because they aren't 6'6 with a 40 inch vert

[@Kennyisdarkvanilla]

Athletes are also giving takes from experience. It’s like this, Rudy Gobert defensive stats and accolades are amazing but almost every NBA player thinks he’s overrated. Why? Because they’ve played against him. It’s why Luka called for an iso to beat Rudy at the end of the game.

[@simple45679]

​@@Kennyisdarkvanillaelite perimeter scorer cooks an interior defender on the perimeter!?? Omg rudy is so overrated

[@jjharkins4217]

Nah facts Gil’s whole podcast proved u could play ball for along time and not have a clue of what you’re talking about

[@taken_over3416]

@@KennyisdarkvanillaDerek Lively said he was being played in the WCF just because he makes so much money when he had a positive plus minus in the first two games despite losing and was almost certainly the best player on the wolves in that series.

[@MeemXDXD5]

@@taken_over3416 no Ant was. Rudy was the 2nd best player on that team, and that's a problem.

[@BzBuck]

Hot take: any accolade involving voting is less valuable than concrete accomplishments

[@mrman4271]

fax bro all star appearances mean way less than all nba.

[@bladefox5082]

@@mrman4271all nba teams are voted for. But yeah all nba’s mean way more than all stars.

[@BzBuck]

@@mrman4271 but literally all that is voted. We have people like mark Jackson deciding our mvp and the finals mvp is decided by 11 people on the spot. I’d argue media votes aren’t even necessarily better than fans

[@SDesWriter]

Very true.

[@levitoussaint865]

@@mrman4271 all nba is an accolade voted on by the media

[@Equilyzr]

i know he’s discussed his age, but still, rusty looks like he pays child support for his two ungrateful preteens

[@fastbowler]

I blame the haircut

[@DEVILONBOTHSHOULDERS]

HAHAHAHA

[@scoobydoofan24]

wait how old is he lol

[@iainthadbreakfast624]

@@fastbowler i saw him with his hair fully grown out, slit back. that man has movie star hair.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

He looks younger here

[@JonCom3dy]

Hot take: T Mac isn't truly a legit NBA what-if because he had plenty of chances while not injured. He didn't produce and underachieved.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Ooo, I like that

[@StarTraffic-z1o]

T Mac shot selection was a major problem for Orlando in the playoffs. He took 2 many 3pointers. He didn't have a good mid-range game.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

@@StarTraffic-z1ohe didn’t take too many three pointers at all. He should’ve taken MORE 3 pointers. His problem was that he took far too many long twos instead of edit her stepping in more, taking it to the cup and drawing contact, or taking a step back and capitalizing on those threes. Most of his shot diet was a step or two inside the arc which hurt his efficiency.

[@urbaindelva7869]

I agree with that, but he also was not in many good situations to win. At least not until he got to Houston.

[@ericsolheim4834]

Hot take? Sports betting takes the joy out of basketball.

[@kennethxu1789]

not that hot tbh i hate sports betting

[@KnowBallsPODCAST]

I agree, in the playoffs instead of talking about the game people are talking about the best mid game props

[@taylorsilver2566]

Gambling in general is just dumb

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Cold take, cause it should be considered that way. It’s horrible

[@CIavis]

I hate the concept, I dislike KZbinrs that promote it, I hate the bots that promote their sports betting discord under every sports post, I hate the hate tweets that these athletes get for caring more about the game than someone’s parlay, and I hate the TikTok/YT shorts disrespecting players with what they need to hit their parlay at the top of the screen. It was fine when it didn’t hold such a prominent role in Sports. The changing of the legality around it in the US, compounded with how monetarily beneficial the business of “Gambling” is, makes it so we won’t see this going away any time soon. I will forever hate it though.

[@aphilic]

Hot Take: Austin Reaves is overated by lakers fans but underated by by most other nba fans. he has a solid case to be the 3rd option on champ team but with dlo in the pg spot and lebron on the team as well he doesnt get as much ball time to shine.

[@Kadri.762]

He was solid but He wasn’t better than dLo last season

[@aphilic]

@@Kadri.762 maybe regular season but reaves doesnt drop like dlo has consistently in the playoffs plus he isnt afraid of contact like dlo and can foul bait and convert those at a pretty elite 85% at the line

[@Sukinero]

@@aphilicI’m still taking cam Thomas over reaves

[@TashaOneal-l8h]

​@@aphiliclbj is overrated him in his pink 👄 lip overrated 🗑️ son built like a 12 year old girl

[@thatswhyhesthegoat3943]

I don’t even know that he’s necessarily overrated by laker fans I think he’s overrated by the lakers front office more than anything. I think most laker fans have accepted that he’s a basically just good nba player and not much more than that.

[@TheSilentOnePG]

hot take: Pat Riley’s negligence is one of the main reasons that the Heat’s championship window closed. If Pat could have gotten Jimmy and Bam a primary scorer I truly do think that the Heat beat the 2022 Celtics and have a chance to play against the Warriors rather than depending on Jimmy Jordan to catch lightning in a bottle every single year.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Yeah, he manages in a specific way that leads to some results, but isn’t really punching the ticket for a championship every year

[@TheSilentOnePG]

@@Jonathan-A.C. i can’t stand it lol being a heat fan and watching the Celtics become a powerhouse while we constantly get worse breaks my heart

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@TheSilentOnePG Fr lol. It’s like the opposite of the Heat and Celtics from 2011 and 2012

[@Pokepoketpoke]

Hot take: manu is one of the most underrated players ever. Yes he gets talked about alot but nobody really talks about what he did so well. Genuinely one of the greatest pasers of all time, and being probably the most underrated shooters ever

[@Sukinero]

Goat

[@iMacaroniCheese]

spurs big 3 is criminally underrated and doesn't get enough credit

[@CharlieNorthover-f1i]

This is not a hot take. This is a cold take

[@ethanespo96]

Bro he's literally called the best 6 man ever he's not underrated ur just young

[@pemp9606]

Awards come with context. Championships and awards shouldn’t be the only argument, but they definitely give a good outline. And when comparing players by awards you have to take into account the competition they were facing. No Steve Nash isn’t better than Charles Barkley just because he had 1 more MVP, but if Steve Nash had 0 MVP’s, he wouldn’t even be in the conversation with Barkley

[@fortynights1513]

Out of curiosity, not that Nash is as good a player as Barkley, but what was better: The West that Phoenix made the conference finals of, or the West Barkley made it out of? Both were a part of 62 win teams that got the first seed (in 2005 for Nash and in 1993 for Barkley)

[@SDesWriter]

He's not

[@jonathansykes4986]

Steve Nash is not even close to Barkley. He isn't even better than Dwyane Wade.

[@MOCskoden]

Steve Nash is a better player than Charles Barkley. a player who’s playmaking gap not only edges out Barkley’s scoring and “defensive” gap (he was only an elite rebounder) but also both Nash and Barkley have an 8 year prime stretch and Nash was also a postseason riser and consistently led his teams to more conf finals runs and got robbed a 07 finals run cuz of the Amare and Diaw suspensions, that’s like if the 90s Suns had Kj and Dumas were suspended

[@MOCskoden]

@@jonathansykes4986Wade > Nash > Barkley what are we doing here…

[@SolariaIndra]

Coaching is the most underrated aspect of team success that is often taken for granted.

[@starwarsnewsandmemes8289]

Hot take: Shaq was not "lazy". He was dedicating lots of time to acting and making music, two careers that require lots of hard work and dedication. It's certainly fair to criticize him for jumping into fields where he was significantly less talented, and you would be correct to say that his time probably would have been better spent dedicated to his workout routine and basketball skills. However, calling him lazy for taking on large side hustles is unfair and untrue.

[@shepardice3775]

Hotter take: who cares if he was lazy? It's wild that Shaq is criticized for not being literally the best player of all time and "only" being top 10. If he truly fell way down the rung, the criticism would be valid. The standards and expectations being so high that anything less than top 3 in NBA history meant Shaq failed was always absurd.

[@bboywolf]

He was lazy via his own admissions. LeBron has done similar things business wise lol

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Counter take: Wasn’t as ambitious as he could’ve been in Bball, but was in general in life

[@urbaindelva7869]

​@@Jonathan-A.C.Fair enough.

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@shepardice3775 because look at what he did lol last time we seen a 3peay is STILL Shaq. Imagine if he wasn't basketball lazy? We could righteous be talking about 5 straight championship 5 straight finals MVP Shaq undisputed goat

[@Spawnamvs]

Hot Take: Just because you've played professional/college ball, doesn't mean you're always more knowledgeable or have a better understanding of the game than those who haven't. A lot of players are great at what they do instinctively, but couldn't break the game down as effectively as they play it

[@fadhil2831]

Its not a hot take,playing and teaching are different set of skills and i think everyone knows that

[@Spawnamvs]

@@fadhil2831 That's not what I'm saying

[@fadhil2831]

@@Spawnamvs yeah but the point is still same Convenying your though process are part of teaching And like you said some pro good at doing it instinctively but suck at explaining their though process

[@Spawnamvs]

@fadhil2831 Im sorry, I had just woken up when I typed that reply. I'll add context, but I will say that you're not wrong at all in your point Having the skill to play the game vs understanding the game at a fundamental level are completely different in my eyes Sometimes a person may have an extensive understanding of the game, but not have the talent to compete and will get shut down when offering that knowledge because "he's never played at a professional level"

[@BurntPenguin8371]

This applies to pretty much anything. It would be like saying Patrick Mahomes doesn’t need QB coaches at all because he’s the best QB in the world, or that a professional power lifter shouldn’t listen to any coach if he’s stronger than them. The whole “I’m better than you at it so I’m right” mentality is just so gym bro-ish and gives off the impression of insecurity and not having an actual argument

[@sideactivist]

Steph curry is a direct answer to the “mamba mentality” circlejerk and the people who think that being an asshole 24/7 is cool and productive. Curry lead a dynasty while not doing any of that shit

[@Pokepoketpoke]

I agree with you "mamba mentality" shit is corny asf. But I took curry 2 other hofers and then Kevin Durant on top for that dynasty (I'm not gonna lie I'm a massive curry hater)

[@iainthadbreakfast624]

thats an interesting point. but curry did have draymond to culture set.

[@jonnstewart2023]

if u think mamba mentality is about being an ass then you never watched Kobe and u never lived through that era.. or you're letting some sort of hatred prevent u from thinking logically

[@jonathansykes4986]

@@jonnstewart2023 kobe was a huge ass.

[@trentward2725]

@@Pokepoketpoke devaluing players for having advantages are stupid. Mj isn’t a great player because he’s athletic and skill. He also has a good mindset. If it took him all that to be great he isn’t that great. See how stupid that sounds. Devaluing curry for having good teammates is dumb. C

[@TheRealMRGG85]

The difficulty of the West is usually greatly overstated. Even in current times people are trying to tell me the West is more difficult than the East when the East has probably four of the top five teams in the league.

[@fortynights1513]

Hot take: The Forgotten Primes videos are underrated. Were they privated? I liked the Ray Allen one in particular.

[@Seabassthebass1101]

Hot Take: Paolo Banchero is THEE most underrated player in the whole league Explanation: With how full of stars the league is I get it but I see no news on him while Derek white while a good player gets more media attention. Shaq got more attention playing for the same team which at the time was dookie (before shaq) PS: Love ur stuff

[@patrick05Morgan]

Steph curry is more skilled than Kyrie Irving. The gap in their shooting ability,in favor of Steph, is greater than the gap Kyrie benefits from in any other area. Curry uses his skill in a far more effective way and they are both the same size.

[@tiredbasketballfan]

Also, some other 'areas' where Kyrie is widely considered much better are subjective and based a lot on eye test. Maybe he is, maybe he's not, but declaring it as a fact is just odd

[@urbaindelva7869]

It's weird. You could argue that Steph's shooting ability and the impact of it are the only things that truly separate him from Kyrie. They're both great scorers, great ball handlers, good passers/facilitators, neutral defenders, play well off the ball, both clutch, etc.

[@RIPJimmyA7X]

​@@urbaindelva7869 Stephs off ball movement is miles and miles better than Kyrie, Kyrie is good at it while Curry is arguably the greatest ever

[@TashaOneal-l8h]

​@@RIPJimmyA7Xcurry is overrated

[@patrick05Morgan]

@@TashaOneal-l8h definitely not. Curry is often underrated and his impact as well as greatness is downplayed because most casual fans spent the last decade hating him for dominating.

[@cheem7807]

if game 6 of the wcf in 2002 happened for a lebron team instead of those lakers, it would be a larger bad mark on his legacy than 2011. people don’t use that against kobe’s legacy like they would if it happened to bron.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Bron gets more hate. I think Kobe’s best arguments come from stats and performance, and not having arguably and sometimes factually rigged series

[@27泓佑劉]

I mean the magic ecf series was insanely rigged and they lost. I blame that on an inferior supporting cast, but Lebron not kicking dh’s butt was embarrassing.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@27泓佑劉 Rigged? The only reason they even lost or at least lost in only 6 games was because the shooting was just incredible for the Magic during that series, whether that comes down to just luck or performing better or the Cavs not having good perimeter defense. Bron had practically the greatest series or at least individual offensive series of his entire career

[@urbaindelva7869]

​@@Jonathan-A.C.True, but I have seen many people point out that LeBron did not deliver in a number of tight situations in that series.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@urbaindelva7869 The series against Orlando in 2009? The one where he famously averaged an absurd stat line and had a devastating game winner? That series?

[@crazypete7503]

Hot take: defensive highlights are better than offensive highlights. A block on a potential poster is 3x as good as an actual poster

[@patrick05Morgan]

Hell nah

[@bekakhojava5499]

The biggest snub of top 75 list was Nikola Jokic, not Klay, Dwight, or anyone else.

[@iainthadbreakfast624]

to be honest yea. he had a mvp the year before 75. and won the 75th mvp

[@fortynights1513]

I think Doc Rivers making the coaches list over Rudy Tomjanovich is another snub that gets overlooked.

[@ninjamage5215]

Wait Jokic wasn’t on the list? Crazy. I remember Dwight missing for sure. I think Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are also notable misses

[@winter9242]

Hell no. You're only mentioning jokic because of recency bias. That list was released in 2021 where jokic only just won his first MVP. Dwight was still the biggest snub

[@quyenevans6948]

the top 75 list was announced at allstar weekend i think when jokic ONLY won one mvp the season before and got bounced out of the playoffs in the second round, one mvp and a few apperances probably werent going to get him on the list because he was only playing at a really high level for two years despite the accolades but yh dwight and klay were snubs

[@justc1re617]

That 2020 Lakers defense was honestly kinda terrifying. Imagine worrying about Ad and then Dwight howard just smacks your shot off the back board. Not to mention Bron playing solid D, Rondo, and of course Caruso. People forget how good that team was bc the lakers have done everything in their power to ruin that roster

[@danielgreen1785]

Hot take: there’s too many timeouts in basketball the game already stops plenty of times with fouls, balls going OB and the end of quarters. You still need timeouts but the last 5 or so minutes in games drag too much.

[@k3rm1t10]

Hot take: Giannis has already become the most underrated player in the entire NBA and it’s not close. People have become numb to the historic stats he has put up the last couple years and it’s a shame he/his team has faced injuries the past 3 playoff runs because otherwise we would be talking about a top 3-5 peak ever with at least 1 more ring and possibly 2 more rings during that stretch

[@fortynights1513]

Is it because Jokic and Embiid have led to as much discourse as they have? Also, who’s the best center after those three right now?

[@SDesWriter]

Historic stats? Giannis 23/10/5 @ 54% (61% TS)......Barkley 22/12/4 @ 54% (61% TS). That's comparing Giannis at his peak to Barkley after falling off in his last few years. He's averaged almost exactly what Barkley did at 6" shorter against better defense.

[@jonathansykes4986]

Jokic better.

[@k3rm1t10]

@@SDesWriter the only years of Giannis’ career where he averaged less than 27/11/5 are his first 4 years. Last time I checked most players don’t peak in their first 4 seasons. Also he is legit the only player ever to average 30 ppg on 60+ % from the field. No disrespect to Barkley but he’s clearly the inferior player who played in the weaker era. There’s levels to this

[@k3rm1t10]

@@fortynights1513 I think it’s a mix of that plus giannis reaching that kind of Lebron level of dominance where we take it for granted because he’s been doing it for a while. Player perception in the public eye will always gravitate towards the shiny new thing That being said I think Giannis is the best player of the 3

[@nbabackcourtmedia]

Hot take: despite his lack of defensive accolades, I don’t know if I could name 10 better wing defenders than Shawn Marion, and I definitely couldn’t name 20.

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@nbabackcourtmedia facts

[@daniel122269]

As a spurs fans it’s actually crazy how much tim Duncan takes have been brought up so much lately

[@bizbaby]

You hit the goldmine with this hot take format

[@KnowBallsPODCAST]

Every NBA champion has players who get overated after except the 24 celtics. Brown is the one player who might get a little overated but generally the 2nd and 3rd or even the best player on the champ gets overated every year. Example Middleton and holiday on the 21 bucks, Murray on the nuggets, poole on the warriors. Klay on the older warriors. These guys were top 30ish players (much lower for poole) but were elevated into the top 20. Realistically a lot of the celtics players are properly rated but because people hated them barley anyone got overated besides brown primarily for his postseason awards

[@tiredbasketballfan]

No offense to Jordan poole but if anyone at any point thought he was top 20, they need some help

[@KnowBallsPODCAST]

@@tiredbasketballfan oh yeah for sure mainly saying that he got pushed up way to high the number doesn't really matter for him, but similar things happened with loony.

[@tino6440]

You can count Jrue for the celtics becoming a bit overrated again

[@urbaindelva7869]

​@@tino6440So much so that there have been claims that he is a future HOFer (he is not, but low standards for the HOF) and that the Bucks's title window closed when they traded him for Dame even though their window was getting narrow while he was there.

[@KnowBallsPODCAST]

@@tino6440 a little bit but I think the overrating of jrue was happening before the ring

[@gugga2745]

Part of the reason the league is so balanced now is bc a lot of teams just gave up when the warriors were the best and now its all coming together for a lot of them

[@joejeffery5454]

Jimmy Butler needs to become a 2nd option while still in his prime, him becoming a number 2 makes almost any team instant contenders. JB doesn’t care about stats and is a perfect fit into almost any system, he can also turn into prime mj when the team needs without the heat needing it every night for them to compete

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

He basically was in 2019 and they were hot. In 2020 it was more split between him and Bam and Dragic, but they got injured and he had to carry. Then in 2022 and 2023, it’s been more on him and Bam, and they weren’t able to go far. I think something like how you mentioned, and they can win

[@djadondaman17]

They went to the ecf in 22 and finals in 23? Not far?

[@urbaindelva7869]

Jimmy is not in his prime anymore. He could be a second option, but with his injury history, is he a reliable one?

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@djadondaman17 Well I say go far in regards to how far HE can go just as the best player. Clearly he’s been shown to be able to make it to the Finals, as overall the best player. But making it simply to the Finals only matters so much when you’re either already exhausted from other series you faced, and/or facing better matchups to begin with. I think in 2020 they would’ve had a closer series and maybe had a chance to win if everyone was there and not injured, in 2022 they already grounded a lot to even the Game 7 in the ECF, and in 2023, Jimmy got injured and otherwise still played a fuckton before the Finals, playing 18 games with one Game 7 series, and against an opponent who faired easier in their respective Conference. They achieve very highly for underdogs, but they aren’t the same as the Celtics were before, where it’s a matter of building up to eventually getting to dominance; Jimmy and them achieved as much as they could essentially. But there’s a reason they got swept in 2021, some reason why they lost in 2024 (Boston was super dominant to begin with), and a reason they’ve generally done poorer in the Regular Season as compared to the Playoffs

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@urbaindelva7869 As long as he’s not playing too much during the Playoffs. I think him doing well not getting too worked out before a season (conditioning, but not just destroying his body), doing well in a Regular Season (doesn’t have to be 73-9, just a good 50-55 wins), and then amping it up in the Playoffs alongside another heavy performer would be really good. So far, it’s seemed like him and Bam have been doing all they can and figuratively more, especially without being as naturally skilled or talented as their contemporaries

[@dobronx4771]

Hot take:people need to stop mistaking being the best with being the greatest. The greatest is to have the best accolades or in my case whoever has the most TOTAL MVPs(finals mvps and mvps). Being the best is where you can talk more about who was the better scorer, defender(etc). Magic Johnson is nowhere near being a top 10 best player, but he for sure is a top 10 greatest player.

[@hopoff9968]

I agree I always felt Magic Johnson was a little overrated as an individual player. A lot of his greatness is his stellar career not skill or talent.

[@justkota.3059]

Another hot take: Any inter-era discussion/debate is kind of pointless because the sport changes drastically each and every decade, to the point that going back 2 decades can make you feel like you're watching a different sport. Rules changes, improved schemes based on analysis and statistics, the skillsets of the top players, everything contributes to the point that even stats can't accurately represent what they are meant to. For example, Lebron's scoring record doesn't take into account the eras in which he played in comparison to older ones. Scoring 30ppg today is the equivelant of (lets say) 25ppg in the mid 2000's. I don't mean to disrespect any player from any era, my point is exactly that all forms of basketball should be appreciated equally and using basic or even advanced stats in a biased way undermines everyone's accomplishments.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

He also played in half of the 2000’s. I think 90’s would be more apt. I agree with your overall point

[@justkota.3059]

@@Jonathan-A.C. Exactly! That's why I said "eras", because his record especially can be interpreted as either more or less impressive within this context depending on whether you're arguing for or against him.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@justkota.3059 Ah, I gotcha

[@cheem7807]

rings before 1985 have an asterisk because there was no salary cap. huge advantage for large markets

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

I think the fact the league hasn’t developed much by then (not to Jordan standards, at least), sort of cancels that out. It’s already an era where it’s not considered as strong

[@adamw7777]

Jordan's era, specifically the 90s was not significantly stronger than today's game. During the time when he was actually winning championships ​the stars of the 80s were washed and the expanding league meant average quality was much worse than today. The only time in the past that really compares to the last ~10 years quality wise was the mid to late 80s. The quality then was an anomaly and it has mostly been increasing recently because of the globalization of the sport.@@Jonathan-A.C.

[@Intr0vertical]

Hot Take: I think wherever you have larry bird or magic johnson all time. You have to have them beside each other. Eg 1 at 4 then the other at 5, or one at 7 the other at 6 or 8 etc. I just don't think they separated themselves enough to be more players between them

[@quyenevans6948]

i'd say 4 and 6 with tim duncan in between them

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@Intr0vertical I like this take

[@sheyarjames4904]

Hot take: Rusty's channel is neither overrated or underrated, it's properly rated.

[@InReality-wx9tq]

Hot take 2 rusty reactions are better to the longer more thought out hot takes and it makes his videos better

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Absolutely

[@payupjoe]

Hot take: If Russ wins a ring with the nuggets this season and is playing how he was with the clippers, he’ll be in top 30 players OAT discussion

[@kesusthekoala8450]

Hot take: nikola Jokic is already a greater all time player than wilt because Jokic has a greater offensive peak and he has lead to winning at his peak whereas wilt could not win at his best

[@nattywilx]

Hot take: Stocks is a bad stat. Steals and blocks are two different categories that do two fundamentally different things.

[@1994khalid24]

Hot take: Lowry has a better HOF case than Derozan Demarr has better counting stats in the regular season, and while Lowry doesn’t have the most spotless playoff record, DeMarr has made a career out of post season choke jobs. Lowery also does far better in stuff that don’t appear on the stat sheet, he’s a better defender and he was a key part of a championship roster.

[@mcgaming8982]

I agree

[@chrilpy]

Neither should make the HOF

[@comicthecon]

Kyle Lowry has had his fair share of playoff choke jobs himself & demar seems to have better longevity. Disagree

[@1994khalid24]

@@comicthecon Yep, he does have his fair share of choke job, but he’s also shown up in more big moments and tbh, longevity can only take you so far when year in year out you’re dropping points in the season only to have shitty playoff performances. Like underperforming in the playoffs is one thing, having DeFrozen as a nickname because you’re a playoff choker is a whole other

[@Sukinero]

Fax and I hate when people tell lowry to retire when he can still produce

[@bucksin6always]

The 2018 Rockets are one of the greatest teams to not win but will mostly be forgotten in 20 years

[@patrick05Morgan]

10 years with Kareem, several years with worthy, cooper, Nixon,Wilkes, etc> 3 years with Kevin Durant and draymond/klay.

[@urbaindelva7869]

Well, yeah, because you're playing with one core for much longer than the other one, and one player on the latter core left after 3 years.

[@patrick05Morgan]

@@urbaindelva7869 my whole point

[@urbaindelva7869]

​@@patrick05MorganIt's hard to compare that, though.

[@patrick05Morgan]

@@urbaindelva7869 they are two different situations for sure, but I think it’s important when considering the magic vs Steph conversation many people are having. Rusty believes curry had more help, but I personally disagree because once I researched the situation magic was drafted to and played in for all but his last year in the league, it changed my perspective.

[@bebobop1472]

Hot take: tanking isn’t a reliable method of becoming a playoff or championship calibre team. The best teams in the nba succeed not necessarily because they had high picks, but because they used their resources smartly, and continued to build a well oiled and efficient machine on the court.

[@justkota.3059]

Hot take: There is no such thing as a "GOAT". People can argue who the *best* player was/is/has been, but being great is far too subjective to warrant any meaningful discussion that can reach a definitive conclusion. For example, my GOAT is Kobe because of what he did with what he was given, his work ethic and just the vibes. People who support Jordan, Lebron, or literally any other player like Steph, Kareem, Wilt or whatever are equally correct and I cannot argue against that as we value different things.

[@aa_davi5410]

Hot take: the thunder could easily be a 60+ win team next season with a top 3 defence a Shai mvp season a chet 2nd year leap and jdub all star season

[@tyresekutama4314]

Hot take: The 2025 thunder will win 78 games next season where shai will win mvp as well as fmvp they have the best lineup in the league, best bench and a top 3 coach in the league

[@lemonysnicket6597]

Harden is the greatest ringless player of all time. The stats speak for themselves, and honestly the warriors were so ridiculous that taking them to 7 in the wcf is more impressive than half the actual championship runs throughout history

[@kjjr3270]

Not really a hot take tbh

[@tiredbasketballfan]

Building a team just to beat another team and still losing is not more impressive than winning a championship

[@jordandwiggins1026]

@@tiredbasketballfanI mean how many actual champions throughout NBA history do you think could have actually beat the 2017/18 Warriors?

[@bradentucker4854]

@@tiredbasketballfanwhat Jordan wiggins asked you how many teams thought out the history of the nba can beat that warriors team not very many probably less then 5 If even like you have to look at the greatest teams of all time or it’s not close

[@tiredbasketballfan]

@@jordandwiggins1026 Well, they didn't beat them either. I didn't say I expected them to win. I'm saying they lost. It's unfortunate for them that they had to play the Warriors but that's what happened. That's how the NBA playoffs work, every year you face who's in front of you and while we can acknowledge the context we can't ignore the actual results

[@thatswhyhesthegoat3943]

Considering he’s never really been known as a great defender, Kevin Love getting the last stop on Steph in game 7 of the 2016 finals is arguably more impressive than Lebron’s block or Kyrie’s 3 pointer. Not many other bigs in history would have defended Curry as well as Love did and I don’t think he gets nearly as much credit for it as he deserves because of the other two big plays mostly overshadowing it.

[@MrLaryece]

You know the craziest thing? The season the Bulls were top 5 in defense was the year Lonzo missed the whole year and the PF position was being filled by a 6'5 SG

[@MOCskoden]

Hot take: accolades only work relative the same era being played in, because not every era follows the same criteria of voting rules… 60s 70s were based on players votes before the media took over the voting onwards and how all-nba teams added 3rd teams after the late 80s relative cuz the league was expanding, the growth of talent spreaded makes it harder to win as many MVPs as someone like Kareem did in the 70s with six MVPs, Jordan with 5 MVPs in the late 80s and 90s and how LeBron only has 4 MVPs despite playing a much better talented era than both MJ and Kareem. DPOYs are also inconsistent cuz sometimes it’s by the advanced stats and impact of a players defense but sometimes the narrative that a perimeter defender has underrated value swings the media and give it to someone who is a great perimeter defender but their overall impact doesn’t measure up to the Forward or Center who holds more weight overall…

[@calebburt180]

Hot take: winning 60+ games, while impressive, is not conducive to winning. It just wears down the players too much and makes them play worse.

[@tiredbasketballfan]

If the goal is to win 60 games and players play more minuutes just because of that, maybe. If during the season a team plays a normal rotation and tries to get in the best position for the playoffs, and in the process wins a lot of games, I don't see the problem. The opposite, it usually indicates versatility, consistency and good habits

[@fortynights1513]

Not conducive to winning championships you mean

[@jonathonduhon9278]

Yeah, people don't think about how many seventh seeds stormed to the title because they were well rested.

[@chrisuncleahmad666]

Because apparently losing more games makes players play better?

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@chrisuncleahmad666 more energy.

[@danielmarable2108]

HOT TAKE: TATUM IS THE THIRD BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE He’s only behind Jokic and Giannis Case over Luka: the gap between Tatum and luka’s defense is far larger than between Luka and Tatum’s offense. Plus, we just saw these two go head to head in the finals and the eye test clearly showed Tatum was the better, more impactful player Case over Shai: better shooter and defender + Tatum’s been leading his team to success longer than Shai Case over Embiid: Durability and Tatum & the Celtics own Embiid every time they play. Embiid collapses in the playoffs and half the time isn’t even available

[@bradentucker4854]

@@danielmarable2108 Tatum for the second time in his career could not shoot when it came to the finals and when I say cannot shoot I mean once again he shot under 40% for the finals series not just one or two games the series tatum was saved by the supporting cast mainly jaylen brown

[@danielmarable2108]

@@bradentucker4854you’re right and I can’t argue with that. But I think that shows just how good he is. Despite his shooting struggles, he managed to impact the game in every facet. Many still think he should’ve won finals mvp

[@bradentucker4854]

@@danielmarable2108and to say they went head to head is crazy when luka is getting 3/4 pressed by jaylen brown you know the guy who got the finals mvp when Tatum once again shit the bed now imagine if he lost we’d be talking abo it him worse then brons second finals collapse but what’s crazy is tatum has an elite team and he can’t score come finals

[@bradentucker4854]

@@danielmarable2108 and many were wrong because jaylen clearly had the bigger impact offensively and defensively Tatum is great like at worst top 7 and come playoffs he’s over embidd because we’ll we know why

[@danielmarable7716]

I think if you tried really hard, you could make an argument for Tatum over Giannis

[@generalock3015]

Shout out okoro ❤❤❤ my favorite role player

[@Magrip-zi4nh]

Anthony Edwards is overrated as hell. He is phenomenal already, but people treat him as if his clearly insane ceiling makes him a better player in the present. Happens with almost every player with “high potential” too.

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@Magrip-zi4nh yup they did the exact same thing with his teammate Kat and now look, damn near a third option

[@TheVinnyCerezer]

HOT TAKE: - Instead of an expansion, the NBA should create a 2° Division. Where they can have 20 teams that fight for a spot in the 1° Division. Like the top 8 teams of the 2° division go to a tournament and the top 2 go to the 1° division. While the 5 worst teams in the 1° division play a seeded tournament where the they play each other twice and the two worse go down to the 2° division. Also the 2 semi-finalist of the tournament of the 2° division play eachother in a 3 game series to play another 3 game series agains the 3-placed on the 1° division tournament the spot in the 1° division. That would solve the problem with tanking while solving the dynasty and superstars issues, and would make more money to everyone.

[@27泓佑劉]

That would be impossible due to financial reasons. Owners aren’t dumb enough to risk losing money by allowing their franchise to fail. Commercial success of American sports is largely tied to owners pumping insane money into the leagues, with insurance that their team staying in the league no matter what.

[@charliegrey90]

hot take: the nba should adopt the fiba rules. it will make the game better and show who the true stars are.

[@Paul_Reeds_Boyfriend]

I ate my goob

[@danielshaltes911]

Hot take: the draft lottery should include all 30 teams & involve all 30 1st round picks. Obviously we can still give greater odds to worse teams, but this would put more emphasis on player development & scouting for sleepers because teams would be less able to rely on tanking until you get a blue chip prospect. This also helps prevent a 2010's Kings/2020's Pistons type of a situation where the sysiphain weight of perpetual tanking harms the culture. But most importantly, think of THE CONTENT! Can you imagine if after all the tanking of 2023 Wemby went to a playoff team? Or if the Suns gave him up to Brooklyn just so they could win one playoff series? It would be chaos! Front Offices would be pissed! And those of us who make and/or consume basketball media would be eating good all the way through the offseason!

[@aryannahar1691]

Hot take: The goat debate is obviously very subjective. I mean that in the sense that, its based on what you value more. Peak or Longevity in your criteria. Both players are undoubtedly the greatest players to ever grace the game of basketball, but when you have to pick your GOAT, I feel it boils down to what u value more. I pick jordan, cuz i feel his legacy is not stained in any way

[@beastdude27]

Hot Take: Giannis is starting to become underrated (mainly in the view of the media). He just became the first player ever to average 30 PPG on 60% FG and unless you're a Bucks fan or a NBA Super Fan, you barely even heard anything about it and the media voters pretty much just completely ignore how good he is.

[@AngelGomez-yf9gc]

Hot Take: Kobe's Mentality was actually a hinderance, he overworked himself constantly, it's what made him great but it took too much out of him

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

If it only it were balanced by thoughtful rest

[@VastContent]

Hot take Both AAU and Highlight culture within the basketball sphere is starting to and will end up destroying typical USA development

[@urbaindelva7869]

If the AAU actually ran like a legitimate sports league, they would be better off.

[@iStealEBTCards]

The traditional Point Guard is going to be the next position phased out of basketball. With how every other position is now able to create their own shot or let the offense flow through them, the concept of a traditional Point Guard who’s whole goal is to set up the offense and defer to others is becoming outdated

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@iStealEBTCards nah that'll never go out we seen it with the suns last year no matter how good your players are at playmaking if you don't have a legit playmaker out there the offense stalls

[@urbaindelva7869]

There are still teams in the league that have point guards who could qualify as being "traditional." Cavs - Darius Garland Pacers - Tyrese Haliburton Suns - Tyus Jones, Monte Morris Timberwolves - Mike Conley (?)

[@jaco2174]

Greg Popovich should be clear cut greatest coach in nba history. Phil might beat him in the ring department but winning 4 rings in the 90's, 00's, and 10's while only having Timmy as a top 75 player of all time and being the winningest coach of all time. I don't see anybody beating that.

[@afuturemodern]

hot take: college chips should count towards all-time rankings, especially when you lead your team as a freshman, because it's harder than winning an nba chip (bigger field, can't lose once). ie Melo and AD should probably be higher on your list than they are

[@unbede]

Hot take: adding on to your bam lead team point. I think trae young and bam would be a crazy duo, traes passing ability and bams capabalities as a lob threat just make such a nasty combo, and i think a lot of traes deficiencies can be covered by miami heat defense

[@nicolasfierro2143]

Hot Take: Advanced stats are usually used with no knowledge in how they work. Many advanced stats are only applicable to certain teams and favor certain players but no one ever reads the formula so they don’t know that.

[@tkells895]

HOT TAKE: When debating the greatness of an INDIVIDUAL player, winning a championship with one team is overrated-player mobility and adaptability across multiple teams shows true greatness in the modern NBA.

[@patrick05Morgan]

POV:you’re a Lebron fan

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@patrick05Morgan I agree with both of y’all

[@tiredbasketballfan]

Winning multiple chips across a career shows adaptability no matter if you stay or go, teams are forever changing internally

[@urbaindelva7869]

​@@patrick05MorganIt's different for LeBron because it wasn't just that he changed teams voluntarily. It was also the timing at which he changed teams and the control he had over most of those situations.

[@patrick05Morgan]

@@urbaindelva7869 and that’s exactly why one could use that as a critique of him not winning more. For the first seven years of his career Cleveland did a terrible job surrounding him with talent and sensible fans cannot fault him for getting out of that organization. However, for the next 14 seasons of Lebron’s career he exercised a level of player movement and power over who he plays with that no other superstar/all time great before him ever has. 4 championships in 21 going on 22 seasons, when you look at the resume of players he’s played with can be a cause for concern.

[@webslinger4733]

I honestly believe peak MJ would still be a 30 ppg All NBA player if you drop him into todays league, and probably even BETTER if he’d grown up in the 2000s and got drafted into todays league. Slanderers say he’d be Demar Derozan but forgot that a 32 year old Derozan averaged a career high 28 pts in 2022. MJ was a better scorer, defender, playmaker and more athletic than Demar. He’d absolutely be at least all nba 2nd team and gets those Bulls to at least the 2nd round

[@fortynights1513]

MJ would have probably been encouraged to learn to shoot three pointers in addition to his midrange game. He probably wouldn’t get the same resume, but he may be a better player with modern spacing.

[@winter9242]

Slanderers saying he'd bedemar DeRozan are idiots. We got a similar player to MJ in kawhi leonard and kawhi isn't as athletic nor as good in passing as MJ

[@urbaindelva7869]

He probably could have.

[@paratame105]

When comparing players' accolades, I think some of them, like MVPs and DPOYs, would gain value from simply including 2nd and 3rd places. This would decrease the bias many people perceive enormously.

[@adriandiff]

hot take: the 2019 raptors are a top 5 team of the 2010s

[@urbaindelva7869]

That depends on who the other teams on your list are.

[@crazykng8473]

2016 warriors 2017 warriors 2016 Cavs 2013 heat

[@crazykng8473]

And then the 5th is between 2017 okc 2018 rockets 2018 Celtics and finally 2019 raptors

[@buddbrown6858]

thank you for acknowledging that Thanos' plan was dumb. The "Thanos was right" shit got me so mad those years ago

[@angevinegangevine7959]

POA defense is more important than traditional vertical rim protection. Mobility and switch ability with added rim protection is still the best defensive archetype, but if I guy is immobile and can’t switch but can deal w post ups and lane clogging, I’d take a solid perimeter guy over that if I’m trying to win the title. Guys like Nick Claxton and Evan Mobley are valued more than other rim protectors, and they can play better with better POA defense. POA defense also buys time for defenses to late switch and get in position overall, which is more valuable the higher the pace is and the more teams are late switching.

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@angevinegangevine7959 the 2 guys you used as examples tho are mainly rim protectors especially claxton

[@angevinegangevine7959]

@@itsmeflacko1618 The point is they aren’t Roy Hibbert or Hassan whiteside style rim protectors. Todays defenses are designed to stop middle penetration and close out to shooters with switching and guys that can cover ground. So the traditional slow, vertical rim protector is less valuable. I highlight those guys bc they are their teams “rim protector” but the reason they’re playing isn’t only altering shots at the rim or guarding post touches like bigs in the 2000s. They start bc of everything else they bring while still being capable of altering and blocking shots at the rim. Overall making the point that preventing penetration and mobility is more valuable to the modern defense than players that only excel at erasing mistakes at the rim. Like you could argue Mobley is more valuable than Gobert come playoff time, and that makes my case without having to highlight the actual perimeter defenders. If Tim protection mattered so much, all of those slow bugs would still be getting minutes, they aren’t anymore.

[@benjamin-qn7nf]

Hot take: Harden & Kawhi is a better duo than Kawhi & PG

[@urbaindelva7869]

I think so. Kawhi and PG always felt redundant because they're so similar in play style. Kawhi and Harden feel like a more natural fit given Harden's playmaking ability.

[@otchannel1783]

Hot take: If Bill Russell was put into the NBA tdy he would be ranked how Bam is currently

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Bill seemed a bit better for influence on a team. Maybe it was the circumstances he was in, but he had a close relationship with all of them, and even became the player coach at one point

[@winter9242]

Nahhh bill russell is much more physically gifted than bam. Better athleticism, height and wingspan

[@urbaindelva7869]

From what I understand, Russell was a very good scorer but sacrificed that in service of winning chips. So, I think that plus his defensive prowess would put him above Bam.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@winter9242 Oh yeah, I didn’t even remember that. He was literally an Olympian level athlete. Bam is great, but he’s not exactly Bill. I’m sure they’d still be very similar tho

[@winter9242]

@@Jonathan-A.C. true also a lot of people don't know that bill russell was a physical marvel as well since he's overshadowed by wilt's physical prowess

[@sumboi2210]

James harden is a bigger playoff choker than CP3. Paul has had no real terrible series or many bad games at all, more so just failures to truly rise up and seize the moment such as the finals and the rockets series while he was with the clippers. Harden on the other hand will often be the main reason his team lost due to truly terrible shooting and high turnovers.

[@loudimes5502]

As a pistons fan, i think you’re underselling how good those early 2000s Pacers teams were. The Lakers were better, but the Pacers were no scrubs

[@lildroptop4178]

Hot take: when the majority talk about the eye test, they really mean aesthetics and flashiness, not ability. Thats why kyrie is propped up in the most skilled oat conversations when there are others who have more skills than kyrie does

[@hexylic5851]

Hot Take: the east was the better conference overall for one year recently, the season where gs and bos played in the finals, the top 5 was just stacked and even chicago was good early on in the season

[@Evan-i4e]

All fifteen west teams are good the east just has 5+ blue collar teams and several teams with Wemby stopers. The west is better but the east counters most west teams. People were really surprised a shooter team lost to a blue-collar team even though historically it's their 4x weakness lol. Anyone saying Luka will be a goat is looking at score stats and ignoring facts, statistically he will never win a ring because he will always play a team he can't beat.

[@fortynights1513]

@@Evan-i4eHow would you define a “blue-collar” team?

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

They were better or close in 2019, better in 2021, better in 2022, and not too far behind in 2023. They might have competed again in 2024 if not for injuries

[@urbaindelva7869]

​​​@Jonathan-A.C. Honestly, I think that the lower halves of both conferences have been the difference in recent years. The lower half of the West elevates it while the bottom half of the East drags it down.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@urbaindelva7869 I can see that. I also think that just in 2020, they were relatively close, In 2021 it was the East by far (would’ve been the Nets if not for the Bucks, would’ve been the 76’ers if Ben didn’t CHOKE AT THE END OF GAME 7 and mr “here’s your MVP ffs” Embiid would’ve actually played well, and perhaps would’ve possibly been the Celtics if not for the that), In 2022, I thought it was moderately close, especially with the fact that there were more injuries in the West (I thought it was a weak Playoffs year overall), In 2023, it was the West, but I thought the East wasn’t terrible, more just injured or not ready yet, and In 2024, it should’ve been the East even more because the West had plenty of old and leaving teams alongside young and upcoming teams, whereas like 3 in the East could’ve won if not for injuries. But I agree about the overall impact the rest of the conference has on the big teams. I would just say that they can also do the opposite, which is make it seem as though they are better and capable at least of being contenders (which is the important part to me), but as an example, who in the recent season could’ve actually been a contender? Minnesota if they weren’t tackling a worse matchup and if Ant was better conditioned, Dallas obviously, Denver, and maybe the Clippers if they actually performed completely well and didn’t lose Kawhi. Lakers were bound to an exit at some point, Suns were barley even in the Playoffs, OKC were too young, and the Pelicans were just not good enough. In the East, it was the Celtics, but then the Bucks got completely injured, and the Knicks got obliterated. It becomes a lot closer if injures weren’t such an affliction, especially to the more unfortunate extent they were in the East (with Embiid’s ass injuring everybody)

[@Ari19904]

Hot take: players 30 years ago were just as athletic and talented as players today. People like to act like there’s been millions of years of evolution between now and the 90s. Humans are humans, and they could still jump high and move fast back then. If we’re talking skill, then players today certainly have the edge, but in terms of raw athleticism and talent, it’s basically the same 🤷‍♂️

[@smike7309]

I disagree with athleticism, I can agree to talent. Players like MJ, Dr.J, David Robinson, Shawn Kemp, etc were not common back then. There’s no where near the amount of lob threats as well now. The slow footed back to the basket big is just about gone nowadays because they’re too unathletic/slow to keep up with today’s game. I agree with the top end talent though, especially the 90s center pool.

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@smike7309 no your wrong it was literally nothing but those guys, Reggie Lewis len bias Dominique Grant Hill kj Scottie Xavier McDaniel Dr j James worthy spud Webb etc. bro they had a 5'6 dude dunking the athleticism was there dudes couldn't dribble or shoot back then I'm telling you. Even Ron Harper before the knee injury

[@slimharden4143]

Hot take: I love the kinds of players you hate. Give the man the rock and let him get a bucket, this is basketball in its most entertaining form.

[@jonnstewart2023]

same

[@hexylic5851]

Hot take: the raptors will be an 8 seed in the east because they have the talent and a decent offfensive gameplan

[@L00se_change]

For the red spots. Cortizone 10 from any store, I developed the same exact looking thing when I turned 25. Use it to this day

[@alphabrother6823]

Kelly Oubre is the most attractive NBA player of all time

[@shieldon530]

Hot take: the nba should track hockey assists and passes that lead to shooting fouls on would be assisted baskets followed by a made free throw (any one of the three)

[@cratwinterz200]

Hot Take: the NBA needs to either acknowledge the NBL history or stop doing so with the BAA. The acknowledgment of the BAA stats/achievements was a decision made retroactively by the NBA. The BAA was not only segregated (while the NBL wasn’t) but also unquestionably the weaker league. Of the 3 (arguably 4) leagues folded into the NBA the only one acknowledged as part of its history was the segregated one.

[@snowman_oven]

hot take : the iverson 01 game against the lakers weights too much when we talk about historic greatness and comparison with other players

[@aidanotime9235]

Hot take: People overrate team defense massively. The saying “defense wins championships” has been completely dismissed by teams like the Magic. Sure, defense is useful, but a team like the pacers should still be seen as a contender

[@urbaindelva7869]

To be considered a contender, a team has to be good to great on both ends. The Pacers are a really good offensive team, but not defensively. Neither are the Magic because of their offensive woes. We have seen many teams throughout history win titles off the back of their defense.

[@bmantheawsome77]

Rusty I hope you are doing well mentally man you make great content ive been watching you for years I hope you are doing better mentally brother keep up the great content I don't always agree with you but of course that's just all of us having our own options but I respect your opinions you are very smart and reallly know basketball god bless you brother keep up the great work

[@ivymorgan6625]

Re: the commentary idea, we have that with cricket in new zealand, there's a radio team that do the "alternative cricket commentary collective" and its radio hosts talking shit while also doing some commentary and getting hyped up. I feel cricket or baseball are more fitting sports for that than basketball because there's a lot more downtime tho

[@Battle.Tomato]

Hot take: High career averages are better than high total numbers That's why believe Lebron's scoring record is overrated

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Didn’t he average like 27 a game on great efficiency for two decades?

[@jammer9941]

So if Luka and embiid retired today would you consider them the 3rd and 4th greatest scorers in nba history? That is where their career averages would be if they retired today and that's all we looked at when determining the greatest scorers ever.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@jammer9941 Luka? Maybe. Not quite that level, but yeah. But EMBIID? Hell nah

[@pabloruedaarzoz8065]

The thing with defense is that the rules and officiating are what have allowed the boom in scoring, moreso than the defense being bad or lazy. Or players nowadays being that much better offensively or in general, that's not the case they are allowed to get away with more. That's why the moment the league wanted to, from the all star game onwards, scoring decreased and things weren't that easy for the offense. In fact, if they removed the defensive 3 second rule and allowed the defenses to be more physical, and did bot allow players to get easy points by flopping, this narrative about defenses would probably not get wiped out entirely, but get a massive hit

[@urben7032]

Hot Take: Current and future NBA Stars cannot be compared to stars from the past. Explanation: We are entering a new NBA Era where individual players matter less to accomplishments such has championships. We will see more and more importance going into the shoulders of role players, making it so a better constructed roster instead of a trio of stars works better. If we want to keep championships in the discussions of top 30s, top 20s etc. we need to distinguish between old stars and new stars, because an individual star player has less impact on a teams off season success then it did in the past.

[@IMHO_NYK]

Hot take: As this new Era of basketball continues I think its only gonna get harder and harder to get a repeat champion considering how talented the league is getting and how hard its getting to keep a “championship roster” together that being said i don’t think the Celtics will repeat because of that (i know im biased)

[@Clashertainment]

Hot take: Donavan mitchell is severely underrated and imo is top 5 rn. Perimeter defense has vastly improved on the cavs and no one minus curry has better shooting. Not to mention his borderline elite playmaking.

[@urbaindelva7869]

Top 5 player or top 5 SG?

[@VinceWhitacre]

Hot semantic take: talent is what you're born with, skill is how you shape that talent through conditioning, nutrition, medicine, etc. Players are no more talented than they ever were; but they are *unquestionably* more skilled than ever.

[@urbaindelva7869]

Debatable.

[@itsmeflacko1618]

@@VinceWhitacre exactly bro I try and tell people they were just as raw talented back then they just didn't have the skills the same

[@owenaiabens4940]

Ben Wallace is the MOST underrated player in NBA history! He’s a Top 5 Defender all time.

[@oscarmichot-duval7045]

Hot Take: Paolo Banchero MVP, Magic top 2 seed, narrative is he's a cornerstone of LA28 and Magic offense is top 5

[@oephry3253]

I would say that Jordan or Kobe would've won more rings if they were nicer to their teammates, but while some people might respond well to negative reinforcement, the vast majority of people are going to be better off with positive reinforcement.

[@Thraxen97]

Hot Take: The Lakers miss the playoffs Barely made the play in, at best stayed the same team as a few teams below them last season got better, and you cant depend on AD and Bron BOTH playing 70+ games again

[@SDesWriter]

The West is so deep, they could play better than last year and still miss the playoffs. I don't think they'll be worse (because I think Reeves will have a bounce back year), but not getting anything in the off season is going to be something they'll regret. They would have been a contender if they could have gotten DeRozan and his 24ppg. Now LeBron AND Steph are as likely to finish off their careers without a playoff appearance as they are to see another Conference Final.

[@tiredbasketballfan]

@@SDesWriter The Lakers don't need another 24ppg, they need competent 2-way role players, which DeRozan very much isn't. The Warriors are those who need a secondary scorer

[@Thraxen97]

@@SDesWriter If the Lakers would have went with Derozan instead of Westbrook, they might have won another ring.

[@SDesWriter]

@@tiredbasketballfan well, with the inconsistency of both of their guards scoring, along with LeBron getting older, I’d argue that they need a dependable scorer as much as anything.

[@tiredbasketballfan]

@@SDesWriter It's always nice to have more scoring, but they already have 2 dependable scorers. The problem is that the rest of the roster can either play offense or play defense, and being a serious team requires doing both without substituting players every possession. LeBron's inconsistent effort does complicate it a bit, but I still think good 2-way role players can transform the team even if it sounds less exciting than another star. If you have a competent *team* there's no need for more than 2 players averaging 24. You need players to fill the other roles on a basketball team - Defense, dirty work, off ball threats, etc