Thinking Basketball
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Thinking Basketball
Ben Taylor, creator of the popular YouTube channel Thinking Basketball (and author of Thinking Basketball the book) goes deeper on basketball analysis, history, philosophy and theory with co-host Cody Houdek, and a variety of guests ranging from journalists to former players. Ideal for fans intere...
Последни епизоди
346 епизода
#348: Floor-raising coaches & new offensive trends
We discuss the Rockets unique, league-leading offense this year, Doc Rivers floor-raising coaching around Giannis and the Bucks, and the trend toward...
#347: AR's ascension, Cade's passing & Point Jrue
We discuss the Lakers resilience and Austin Reave’s place among the 2021 draft class, Cade Cunningham’s passing and Jrue Holiday’s point guard resurge...
#346: Seriously, how good is Wemby? Plus Week 1 thoughts
We discuss the incredible start from Victor Wembanyama, and where he fits into the NBA hierarchy right now. Plus the teams and players that jumped out...
#345: 2026 Season preview
We preview the 2025-26 NBA season. We discuss Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, the enormous Denver Nugget off season, teams that could win the west, t...
21st century peaks Ep 14 | Rankings & Lessons from the series
What were the big themes and takeaways we had from this series? What specifically players changed in our minds and why? We reflect on the series, rank...
21st century peaks Ep 13 | The mind-blowing value of gravity
For our final two players, we quantify the unique and devastating forms of “gravity” in basketball. In particular, off-ball gravity that is essentiall...
21st century peaks Ep 12 | The 3 LeBrody problem
We look at, perhaps, the 3 best peaks of the 21st century, all from slightly different time periods, environments and circumstances. How does an “idea...
21st century peaks Ep 11 | Judging playoff value beyond scoring
How do we make sense of small samples and outlier signals in the playoffs? How much should specifically good or bad matchups influence playoff “perfor...
21st century peaks Ep 10 | The Kings of downhill basket pressure
We discuss two of the most dominant downhill penetrators in league history, and the critical ways in which they're different. First, the strengths and...
21st century peaks Ep 9 | Mega Hybrid scorers
Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant were both voluminous score on and off-ball. We discuss Durant's playoff scoring, the impact of his gravity, his floor-rai...
21st century peaks Ep 8 | Floor generals, “engines” & 2-way Midrangers
We tackle Chris Paul's “floor general” approach to offense and the pros and cons of how he pressured defenses (and his turnover suppression). Also, ho...
21st century peaks Ep 7 | The perfect “quarterback?” & the 7-foot unicorn
Steve Nash was an early “heliocentric” star. Dirk Nowitzki was a big man who played on the perimeter and off the ball. We discuss team building around...
21st century peaks Ep 6 | Global impact and modern midrange isolation
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joel Embiid are all-time level scorers with a ton of midrange shots. We discuss their unique (and concerning?) geometric f...
21st century peaks Ep 5 | The Tracy McGrady enigma & Playoff Luka
Would Shaq's Lakers have won 3 titles with T-Mac instead of Kobe Bryant? We tackle this question and more discussing Tracy McGrady's magical but brief...
21st century peaks Ep 4 | Flexibility & gaining/losing value in the playoffs
Harden and Ginobili had nearly opposite roles and box score stats. We discuss Manu's underrated defense, his role filling in the gaps in San Antonio,...
21st century peaks Ep 3 | A+ defenders with unique (but flawed) offense
Draymond Green and Dwight Howard were defensive superstars, but how good were they offensively? We discuss their fairly unique roles, and the progress...
21st century peaks Ep 2 | Can a weak scoring guard be a superstar?
Jason Kidd was one of the best defensive point guards ever, but what about his lower scoring offense? How valuable is his pace and passing despite his...
21st century peaks Ep 1 | Honorable Mentions
What player peaked the highest in the 21st century? We kickoff our 25 best peaks of the 21st century by discussing all the players who didn't quite ma...
#330: 2025 free agency reactions
We discuss the major moves of the free agency and trade seasons, from Kevin Durant's trade to the Bane Magic to the Bucks wave and trade. Support at w...
#329: Top-10 players of 2025
Who were the best players in 2025? First, we discuss all players as if they were healthy and ready for a playoff run, and then we trying to balance a...
#328: The legendary Pacers & the Thunder championship
We discuss the Pacers egalitarian “ecosystem” that nearly stunned the NBA world, and the Thunder's unique team construction that led to the 2025 champ...
#327: Indy's chances, OKC hatred & SGA's paradigm
The first two games of the NBA Finals and the Pacers prospects. Also, OKC's best defender, their historical versatility, why fans hate them and the co...
#326: Final Preview + All-Playoff teams
Does this Finals represent the future of the sport? Where does this Pacers run rank historically? We discuss this along with our All-playoff teams and...
#325 What we've learned in the 2025 Playoffs
What players are we higher on and lower on after seeing them in the 2025 NBA playoffs? What concepts or trends have emerged in these playoffs? From of...
#324: Jokic-Caruso war & Conference Finals previews
We preview the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, but first, a look back at OKC-DEN. Do we feel differently about different players after the seri...
#323: Rob Mahoney on DEN-OKC! Playoffs vs Regular Season
Rob Mahoney of the Ringer is here to discuss the incredible Thunder-Nuggets series before Game 7, how good the play has been, Playoff Jamal Murray, ri...
#322: Themes of the 2025 NBA Playoffs
Why are defenses defending stars so well? Why are rotations so short for some teams? We discuss the key themes and trends from the playoffs, from phys...
#321: The MVPs can't score! Zones are everywhere! The Cavs & Celtics have life!
Xs and Os expert Mike De La Rosa returns to break down the latest games of the week, including the insane Nuggets-Thunder OT thriller in Game 3 and ho...
#320: The 2nd round is crazier than the first!
Who should be most worried among Cleveland, Boston and Oklahoma City? Is there something to Shail Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams bumpy offensiv...
#319: 3 West finishes + mini East previews
ESPN's Bobby Marks joins to discuss the end of the Western Conference 1st round: The Wolves wrapping the Lakers, the Clippers-Nuggets going to the bri...
#318: The best 1st round ever?
We discuss the incredible physicality, wild Rockets-Warriors series, the latest in the Nuggets-Clippers classic, the importance of “playoff players” a...
#317: Week 1 emergency reactions!
Our Xs and Os expert Mike De La Rosa joins for an emergency episode on the first week of the 2025 NBA playoffs: Lakers-Wolves, Clippers-Nuggets, Knick...
#316: Playoff opening weekend!
Clippers-Nuggets! Rockets-Warriors! Lakers-Wolves! What an opening weekend of the playoffs! We also discuss Knicks-Pistons, and a brief acknowledgemen...
#315: 2025 Playoff Preview
We focus on three (potentially) huge series in the Western Conference, along with some light discussion about the potentially competitive Eastern Conf...
#314: The 2025 Thinkies (Defensive Awards)
It's time for our 7th annual Defensive Awards – we discuss the best defenders in the NBA across categories like best paint protector, best perimeter h...
#313: The Giannis Offense + “Top-10” shooters
We discuss the Giannis Offense, Zion Williamson and more, and then Cody “presents” his top-32 shooters (or is it April's Fools?) as we think about spa...
#312: What's real in March??
We discuss the exploding (and crumbling) teams in March, players coming out of nowhere like Quentin Grimes and Josh Giddey, tanking, the up and down L...
#311: How good is Shai historically?
What exactly has made Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the MVP favorite this season, and where does he stack up historically with some of his skills? We discus...
#310: The best offensive players in the NBA
Who is the best first option in the league? The best second option? We discuss the top offensive players right now from off-ball big men who space the...
#309: Power ranking the top challengers
Ben thinks his camera is flipped, there are 2 new teams in a “dangerous” tier to challenge the Inner Circle title contenders, and Cody and Ben have a...