The Athletic NBA Daily

We still believe in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni check in after a 15-game slate in the NBA to recap Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Luka Doncic’s heroic 40+ point performances and Houston’s dominant win over the Boston Celtics.

Then, Will Guillory, staff writer for The Athletic who covers the Rockets and Pelicans, joins the show to discuss: internal growth allowing the Rockets to hit another gear early in the season, Fred VanVleet’s return allowing his teammates to find their roles, the credit Alperen Sengun deserves for Houston’s long range shooting success, how Marcus Smart mirrors Ime Udoka and more! Also, what do the Pelicans have planned for Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III?

And we end the show with a salute to Ty Jerome, Draymond Green and the Indiana Pacers.

Host: Dave DuFour
With: Esfandiar Baraheni
Producer: Zuri Irvin
Audio/Video: Alex Oliver
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave DuFour, Esfandiar Baraheni and Law Murray are live Sunday night following Celtics-Magic, Nets-Pacers, Clippers-Warriors and Lakers-Raptors to break down Luka Doncic's (latest) 40+ point game, Yaxel Lendeborg's continued ascension and preview Law's NBA Power Rankings for the upcoming week.

Host: Dave DuFour
With: Esfandiar Baraheni and Law Murray
Producer: Zuri Irvin
Audio/Video: Alex Oliver
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The NBA season has been... well.... kind of a bummer to start with all the injuries, but Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers are here to walk you through the week of NBA basketball including the success of the Grizzlies, why the Thunder are not contenders, Gobert's struggles and picking the NBA Cup Champion. Then Philip Rossman-Reich joins the show to discuss the Orlando Magic and do some trivia.

Host: Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers
With: Philip Rossman-Reich
Producer: Andrew Schlecht
Video Producer: Monica Compton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are the Grizzlies good? Dave DuFour and Andrew Schlecht get to the bottom of it after Memphis remained undefeated with an impressive win in Portland. Plus, Dave explains why Darius Acuff Jr. is on a Wilt Chamberlain trajectory.

Then, Henry Abbott, founder True Hoop and author of BALLISTIC: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance, joins the show to discuss the rise of high-profile injuries in the league, including conversations on: single-sport specification in youth sports, improper workout regiments, parallels in European football, kinematic movement analysis, an increase in possessions per game, style of play, the 65-game rule and how this all affects roster construction.

Host: Dave DuFour
With: Andrew Schlecht
Producer: Zuri Irvin
Audio/Video: Alex Oliver
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a lot of injuries, but the basketball continues to bounce.

On an active Wednesday night in the NBA, Dave DuFour and Andrew Schlecht recap Steph Curry’s big night against the Timberwolves, AJ Dybantsa’s impressive NBA debut and the Miami Heat finally winning a game this season.

Then, Senior NBA writer Sam Amick checks in to discuss Oklahoma City’s options after losing Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace long term, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP chances, whether LaMelo Ball has too much on his plate in Anthony Edwards’ stead and why the Portland Trail Blazers have been the surprise of the season so far.

And we’ll end the show with Charles Lee assuming a paternal role with Naz Reid and the Charlotte Hornets.

Host: Dave DuFour
With: Andrew Schlecht
Producer: Zuri Irvin
Audio/Video: Alex Oliver
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.