The Smartest Plays of the 2023-24 Season! | Pt. 2

Ben Taylor from Thinking Basketball breaks down some of the highest basketball IQ plays of the season, from ghost screens and misdirections to no-look dimes to throw off the defense.
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[@70bugs]

I hope the NBA keeps doing this partnership thing with Thinking Basketball, the videos are always so good and insightful

[@ApEsXiT]

Me too...me too

[@krbball]

Thinking Basketball and NBA collab is fire🔥🔥🔥

[@randybell101190]

That Brunson play was genius

[@MG-np6wh]

I love that Jokić got his own section 😂 sometimes when I watch his regular games, the camera doesn’t even follow the ball he throws because it was so unexpected, his brain works differently

[@jabless4173]

I see Thinking Basketball, I click! Jokic on the thumbnail is icing on the cake.

[@enmorot]

It's just insane that the high IQ plays that the best players do occasionally are something Jokic does nearly every game. As Gordon said, "he's playing a different game".

[@ballislife4ever476]

Seeing these moments explained just opened my eyes to how high IQ some of these players are 🤯

[@dglow10]

Great stuff. Missed the play were Jokic faked lacing his shoes in order to buy time for the coaching stuff to check whether a challenge is useful. And missed the play at the last game vs Minesota with 20secs to go. In which he fake argued with a ref at the three point line on a second free throw by Porter Jr. Just to crash the boards. The defense reacted to his path and because of that the rebound bounced to a teammate. Very creative in finding winning plays.

[@AntiNeoFascist]

Saw the fake tying shoelaces. Haven't seen the freethrow one you mentioned. Do you have a link?

[@rcube33]

^

[@ShynyMagikarp]

These are great plays but I would like to shout out THINKING BASKETBALL's play on this one. Giving us the extra context for these clips, sometimes a month prior or a few weeks prior is really out of this world. We don't deserve this man's dedication to his craft.

[@unknownoob100]

Hopefully thinking basketball could do live broadcast in this year playoff. The depth of the breakdown is mind blowing

[@YourBeastRoy]

This guy is freaking AWESOME and knows so much about ball. NBA LISTEN UP

[@fridolinkusch8271]

Ben Taylor🐐

[@kkim5000]

3:38 you can read the "OH SHIT" on ellis's lips xD

[@snehalbhartiya6724]

yup XD

[@matt-parkers-evil-twin]

i mean it worked twice, so 2 points from 3 possessions is still a win for the kings. shame they couldnt score

[@enmorot]

Shaq: Ellis f'cked up. Thinking basketball: If you look closely, there are good reasons why Ellis did he did what he did.

[@matt-parkers-evil-twin]

@@enmorot yeah, even as a kings fan i didnt notice until i saw this. such a great breakdown. was hard to watch in real time though

[@willandra]

thought the greatest pass ever candidate was gonna be the inbounds lob from 3/4 court, crazy how jokic has 2 of the greatest passes ever in one season

[@flstep835]

Oh my god the way that Brunson played with Ellis just blew my mind! I thought this was possible like only in fantasy or some fiction but there it is

[@matt-parkers-evil-twin]

hey, it worked twice, 2 points from 3 possessions is a win for the kings! shame they didnt score at all

[@edwardyang7153]

thinking basketball is the goat, glad NBA is working with him more, would like to see more of him ffsfs

[@owmegwoagm]

More Thinking Basketball content 🙏🙏

[@xlament6926]

I'm a simple man. I see thinking basketball, I click.

[@elmehdinafia1237]

8:46 the ball literally left the screen for a second there 😂

[@siyabongakunene5052]

🃏the joker is on another level

[@ClamsCasino1997]

I was at that game where Jokic did the no look to Gordon, it was even crazier in person

[@leungsz]

I'm firmly in the camp that if someone doesn't appreciate Jokic and that he's boring, that person knows nothing about basketball.

[@dnuggey]

Thinking Basketball + Jokic = auto click

[@lewblank7799]

2:20 "the Knicks were nursing" ... I caught that

[@kindofbluenyc]

Another Great Video. Love high IQ basketball.

[@ehtikhet]

Elevated and deep analysis from TB yet again. Love this series, great job promoting such intelligent coverage NBA. 👏👏👏

[@ehtikhet]

To lower the tone, Jokic’ no look pass was fuckn nuts. I think everyone is sick of legacy boomers shouting ill informed bad takes at each other. What a breath of fresh air.

[@live4wap]

I was kind of impressed to see such a high grade content on the official NBA page. Good job guys!

[@smooth415]

Is Jokic the smartest player ever? Like genuinely I can only think of a handful of players with this type of intellect (LeBron, Magic, Nash, etc.)

[@Anthonydu01630]

It’s hard to say who is the smartest, because first of all, IQ isn’t only about Playmaking/Passing, for exemple you have to be super smart to be a great off ball player like Curry or KD, or to be an elite off ball defender like Draymond or Lebron, and even handles and footwork require elite anticipation, quick reflex and creativity to always have a counter, same for finishing at the rim, finding space and angles to attack and shoot, so a guy like Kyrie is definitely a genius imo, and even as a 1 vs 1 defender you need these same skills, that’s why a lot of elite ball handler are also elite 1 on 1 defender (MJ, Kobe, Paul George, Tatum, ANT ect) … So IQ is much more than just great playmaking, and even when we are only talking about playmaking, you still have to take into account the fact that big guys like Joker, Bron, Magic, Luka or Bird can see and make passes over the defense and use their size and strength to make a full court outlet pass or bullet skip pass, while guys like Cp3, Nash, J.Kidd, Trae Young ect could use their quickness, low center of gravity and agility to beat the defense of the dribble and find the open man … So imo, the players who are the most complete in term of all the skills i mentionned are the smartest, Jokic is definitely in Top 5 with his GOAT playmaking/passing, his elite footwork and off ball game on offense and defense. Doncic is also Top 5 imo with his GOAT playmaking/passing, GOAT handles and footwork. Lebron definitely Top 5 with his GOAT Playmaking/passing, GOAT finishing and elite off ball game on offense and defense, Curry is definitely Top 5 with his GOAT off ball game, GOAT handles, elite playmaking/passing and even finishing, and then it’s probably MJ with his GOAT footwork, GOAT finishing, elite off ball game on offense and elite 1 vs 1 defense, but they’re all close and you can even add guys like Harden, Magic, Bird, Nash, Cp3, J.Kidd, SGA, Kyrie ect.

[@butterflyl3926]

@@Anthonydu01630 When people say BBIQ, they usually mean effectiveness in breaking down a team defense, not ISO defense. MJ, Ant, Kyrie, Curry has no place in this convo. Of the current players, only Joker, Lebron and Luka do.

[@callumm5301]

“The Knicks were nursing” good pun Ben

[@lewblank7799]

Glad I'm not the only one who caught that lol

[@grayjinghutongz8393]

Josh Hart's bounce off Jrue was galaxy brain stuff. Glad Knicks erasure isn't a policy for this series.

[@jonasbrown1]

the last jokic pass is insane too because to takes the dribble to draw the other defender to the other side of him to try for a steal and that clears up the lane to gordon

[@badger297]

Thanks Ben! These breakdowns are awesome 👌

[@katsutama]

Love those videos. Keep them coming!

[@8teenOfficial]

I agree, Jokic is the best passer ever. He kust thinks differently. His passes really different from the guards too

[@arp_909]

That is such a great video, I didn’t want it to end! Your analysis is incredible.

[@coreyshafarman8918]

Check out his KZbin channel “Thinking Basketball”. It’s full of videos like this

[@nbapbaupdate8338]

Thinking Basketball 🔥🔥🔥

[@microfoneman]

Love your work

[@IOSALive]

NBA, Your videos always make me happy, so I subscribed!

[@JohnDoe-gf5he]

Great partnership

[@Sceptile24]

BEN IS THA MAN

[@1lilswervalot]

Thinking basketball came a long way

[@mikhaeleldrickadag3475]

NBA and Thinking Basketball collab is one of the smartest plays of this season

[@dimelo58]

Love these

[@Carlostothe24]

Need like 10 of these videos a week

[@gerardvermaat6944]

Just watched the first 3 plays. Brilliant!

[@niwlecram4566]

had to double check the channel... if it was NBA. 😂

[@doctorwilly]

Epsn should sign Ben instead of all those loud mouths that pretend to be analysts

[@inzagi9999]

Love this...

[@MichaelKaiser79]

Partner with awful coaching pls

[@supersaiyan8437]

That Colin sexton play is one of the best plays I ever seen

[@acgeewhiz]

Love when Thinking Basketball gets all the film to go with the narrative. Film is so crucial to understanding the fine details.

[@zonzore]

I love the colab.

[@felix_irgendwas]

Brunson was like: "In order to fool your enemy, you must fool your friend first."

[@Pgpiano2390]

2:25 the knicks were nursing lol

[@aldogarciamoreno5490]

another great one was the pass off the backboard from I think from Jaime Jaquez Jr. to Jimmy Butler, when he had his man sealed and it made sense to use the backboard since it was easier for Jimmy to get it after

[@alandpost]

MOAR please

[@lazargordic6120]

This man is a amarvel, he should have a mainstay VOTE for NBA awards every single year, not some sensationalist journalist that have them now.

[@40141rgr]

I guess Luka and Joker show why the European game is so different from the Playground American mentality. They simply outsmart the other team

[@dosquats]

So good

[@lucalemay9997]

Nice collab

[@danielallyway]

Wow, they have "Thinking Basketball" on here!

[@GoRavens520]

Beasley’s lagging 2:03😂

[@Law-of-EnTropy]

10:01 by the way, this was the play that made Brunson and Hart argue on who's supposed to defend this on a podcast lmao now watching you analyze this, it's actually none of their fault. Jokic just happened to throw that pass because the exact same play from their last game happened again

[@user-hy8bq4ut6v]

Mwb is on a different level

[@benw7367]

The self pass has definitely happened before. I'm think 00s but can't recall the players

[@user-oh1iu2ee9h]

Whats the name of music in the background

[@horvack]

I'm surprised you haven't seen someone baiting a lane violation before. If I recall correctly, it happened enough times that there's a rule preventing it on the offensive side, and you can lose the free throw entirely (even if the offensive player doesn't take any steps at all, they can't make sudden movements, kind of like a defensive lineman in football). I can't find the rule about this, so I may be mistaken on that part, but I definitely remember seeing it happen.

[@ricanthony13]

damn, the joker repeated passing reference was so weirdly accurate... Did he asked him that???

[@marquiseruffin645]

This should be good😮

[@deanneschaible3089]

Go joker !!!!

[@marvinjayson5031]

Are the butts the new fedoras now? 😂

[@Reguru22]

You need to check out Magic's and Isiah's best passes before crowning Jokic the greatest.

[@nevalelapena]

There are no look pass... And then there are never look pass

[@johnny852]

#ThisLeague

[@jegbryrmegikke1]

Faking a charge is just not heard of lol

[@treychapo1898]

Basketball is the greatest sport ever and UFC is second

[@KRS_two]

UFC is not a sport

[@dg2379]

FACTS

[@treychapo1898]

@@KRS_two lol you know what I mean

[@jaakanfinau6593]

LeBron out here changing the mainstream media. More X's and O's and less BS.

[@dz_ssbm]

did you miss the pt 2 in the title lol? this series predates lebron's podcast. do love lebron's pod and think its helping discourse but if you weren't aware of style of content before its not because it didn't exist.

[@oddsapper673]

Season ain’t even over yet

[@ahoj4480]

this this have to get alot of wievs or NBA numbers managers will stop doing this

[@Red_Ryan_Red]

Integrate more high quality KZbin channels in the content.

[@talestomazalves8089]

Very welcome james harden praise 🙏

[@housearrest857]

👍

[@aquamarine56]

9th 😂

[@PCDisciple]

This mf video gave me 2 rounds of ads within 1:30 huh??

[@Ace-3.]

Turn to Jesus and away from sin ❤🙏 God bless and much love

[@Shaun_YT]

first

[@Metalovichinkov]

Told you ! Jokic is bored. Last year he got rid of mistakes and this year, he pushes opponents to make them. Jokic exploits NBA players like i exploit NBA 2k AI...

[@LLDRv]

This is how you do basketball content in youtube unlike Jxmyhighroller who just puts up stats and shrieks false narratives to favor whatever message he wants to convey and also A.M hoops who is a hypocrite by creating also false narratives about gambling when he himself promotes gambling in his ads.

[@moneymike226]

JxmyHighroller is great too. Also so is GOAT. Thinking Basketball is great but he isn't the only good basketball KZbinr. I bet you're an MJ die hard also which is why you don't like certain people. Oh and if you don't like gambling then don't gamble. The NBA itself promotes gambling.

[@LLDRv]

@@moneymike226 Where did you come up to the conclusion that I am an MJ fan? Also, even if the NBA promotes gambling it does not validate that it is right. Jxmy just compiles stats that are readily available in internet and just vomits information that has already been said and uses it and claims that he had that idea first.

[@owmegwoagm]

@@LLDRvthat dudes in his feelings for whatever reason, I agree with your take

[@D.ray2490]

Jokic is Galezed to much that pass is def not the best ever.. some of Luka's and Haliburton's passes are crazier than that! I only say this coz it's not crazy to me to do behind the back pass if you used to it, but some of the stuff Luka did makes no sense! Even that first casual across the court pass by Jokic was more impressive imo

[@butterflyl3926]

No, the full court pass only requires vision and accuracy. It only works because of bad defense. The behind the back pass requires all of that + understanding opponents' schemes and rotations + timing it without even looking. It only works because of good defense.

[@collegepennsylvania837]

"The Gospel is the I am so sinful that Jesus had to die for me, yet so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. I can't feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone." - Tim Keller

[@tb109987]

All due respect to Joker, but he is not a better passer than Magic or LeBron.

[@zee688]

According to Casual White Boy fans. The only players who can make smart plays and use their brain are Luka and Jokic 😂😂

[@moneymike226]

Shut your racist dumbass up.

[@ParaditeRs]

Come on, neither or those Jokic plays belong on this 😂. How can it be a high IQ play if he still fucks it up? 😂 I don't think Ben Taylor has ever watched Steve Nash if he thinks any of those passes are contenders for the best pass in NBA history.

[@Chairsium]

He literally has a 30 minute video on his channel about how Steve Nash has an argument for greatest offensive player ever.

[@hjalmarskytnielsen9383]

But he didnt fuck it up. Aaron Gordon Got a Lay up

[@ParaditeRs]

@@hjalmarskytnielsen9383 He fucked up the attempt at getting the opposing teams players to commit a lane violation by stepping in the lane himself.

[@ParaditeRs]

@@Chairsium Well then perhaps he shouldn't make such contradictory statements then.

[@hjalmarskytnielsen9383]

@@ParaditeRs but he didnt fuck up the pass so why doesnt that play belong?