Ty's NBA Preview: Postseason and Awards

Finishing off my NBA preview, today I have some playoff predictions and awards predictions. Tomorrow I will do a men's NCAA basketball preview to wrap up all of my basketball writing for a little bit. For my playoff predictions I will do the four play-in teams from each conference, then finish out the playoffs until I get to each conference winner. Then it will be the awards.

I'll start with the East.

From 7 to 10 in the East I have the Pacers, Hawks, Magic and Wizards. That would mean that the Pacers would face the Wizards in the 7-10 matchup, and the Hawks facing the Magic. The Pacers will make easy work with the Wiz. The Pacers are better, and pretty much whole again. The Hawks and Magic game is a little tougher for me to pick. I'm going to go with the Magic because I believe that they play defense just a bit better, and that will be enough to get them the win here. So that means the Pacers will wrap up the 7 seed, and I'm going to go with the Magic to secure the 8th seed once again.

As for 1-6 in the East, in order I have the Knicks, Celtics, 76ers, Raptors, Cavs and Pistons. That means I don't have the Hornets or the Heat in the playoffs. Those were two tough cuts for me, but here we are. And with the way the Heat have started the season, it looks like it may take a lot longer to work it out with Giannis. As for the 1-8 matchup I have the Knicks playing the Magic. The Magic may take a few games from the Knicks, but in the long run the Knicks have a far superior offense and they will find a way to score, probably at will, when they need to. Knicks win in six. My 2-7 matchup in the East has the Celtics facing the Pacers. I am going to go with the upset here and pick the Pacers to win in seven games. The Pacers have this certain clutch gene, and they seem to activate it when they need to, especially in the playoffs. I also think Tyrese Haliburton will outplay Jayson Tatum, and the unwillingness the Celtics have for attacking the rim will be their undoing. My 3-6 matchup features the 76ers facing the Pistons. The 76ers are more experienced, a better team and have better experience in the playoffs. They also have LeBron James, and he will want to prove that he can win with a new team. It will be close for the first couple of games, but in the long run the 76ers will wear the Pistons down and win the series in six games. Finally, the 4-5 matchup has the Raptors facing the Cavs. This time the Raptors will win. Kawhi will play enough to make a difference, and the leap that Scottie Barnes showed last season will be even bigger this year. He will show himself to be the best player in this series. The Raptors will win in six games.

The second round will see the Knicks facing the Raptors and the Pacers going up against the 76ers. These two series should be pretty exciting and fun to watch. I would love to see the Knicks make another run to the East Finals, but I think they will be too tired and worn out from the season and being the reigning champs will take its toll. We will have another new champ for the ninth straight year. Scottie Barnes will continue his ascent, and the Raptors will beat the Knicks in seven games. As for the Pacers and 76ers, I'm going against my best thoughts and picking the 76ers. I don't know how healthy they may be at this point of the season, but I'm going to imagine most of the important players will be good, probably not Embiid, and they will outlast the Pacers in seven games. LeBron James will remind everyone about his dominance in the Eastern Conference.

That means the East Finals will feature the Raptors and 76ers. I'm going to go with the Raptors. Again, I'm all in on Scottie Barnes, and I think this is the season he announces himself as a top 10 player in the NBA. The Raptors will represent the East in the NBA Finals.

Onto the West.

My 7-10 teams in the West are, in order, Denver, Portland, Phoenix and Dallas. The 7-10 game will be a pretty easy win for the Nuggets. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving will make it close for a half, but then the Nuggets will take over and not look back. The 8-9 game will be pretty high scoring, but I'm going to go with the Trailblazers because I think Damian Lillard will be so happy to be playing playoff basketball, and he may score at will, especially with the game being played in Portland. The Nuggets will be the 7 seed, and the Trailblazers will eventually secure the 8 seed.

As for the top 6 in the West I have, in order, OKC, San Antonio, Houston, Minnesota, Lakers and the Jazz. The sixth seed was tough for me, but I think the Jazz will surprise some this year. So, the 1-8 matchup will be a walk through for the Thunder. Sure, the Trailblazers may take a game, they took one from the Spurs last season, but the Thunder will have no real trouble with them. SGA will score at will, and the Thunder big men will feast on the Trailblazers smaller guards in pick and roll mismatches. The 2-7 series, between the Spurs and Nuggets, will be yet another coming out party for Wemby. All of the media members who love Nikola Jokic so much will see him get abused on offense by Wemby. And Jokic won't be able to do all the things he used to when the Nuggets have the ball because Wemby will haunt him. Also, the Spurs guards will feast on the horrific defense that the Nuggets backcourt "plays". I'll take the Spurs in five games. The 3-6 series features the Rockets facing the Jazz. The Jazz will have this nice run to the 6 seed, and then the Rockets will dispose of them in an easy four games. This series may be the most lopsided one in all of round one. And in the 4-5 have the Timberwolves playing the Lakers. The Timberwolves backcourt is going to abuse the Lakers backcourt. LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards are going to do whatever they want against Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. And Rudy Gobert will completely neutralize Walker Kessler. I have the T'Wolves winning in five.

So that leaves me with the Thunder playing the Timberwolves and the Spurs facing the Rockets in round 2. I hate to say it, but I do believe we will have another Spurs-Thunder series in the West Finals. The Thunder are going to be able to stop the T'Wolves backcourt, and Gobert is not going to be able to deal with all the bigs the Thunder will throw at them. The Rockets and Spurs should be a pretty good series, but again, Wemby is going to dominate Sengun and the other Rockets big men. VanVleet may be a little too old to keep up with the Spurs backcourt, and while KD can still score at will, he is going to have a tough time matching up with Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell. I think the Rockets will get a few games off the Spurs, but I have the Spurs winning in six.

So we have the aforementioned West Finals rematch. But I think the Thunder will prevail this time. They have a bad taste in their mouth from last season, and in that game seven SGA figured out how to get his points against this defense. I think it will go the full seven again, but this time the Thunder will find a way to win. The Thunder will represent the West in the Finals.

So, that means I have the Raptors facing the Thunder in the 2026-27 NBA Finals. And while this series will be a blast to watch, I think the Thunder will reclaim the throne and win it all in seven games. Scottie Barnes will make this a true series, but I don't think Kawhi will be 100 percent, and while Collin Murray-Boyles is an up and comer, the Thunder big men will be able to neutralize him. And Scottie Barnes can only do so much. SGA will be the Finals MVP again, and the Thunder will be back on top again.

Now onto awards.

I'll start with Rookie of the Year. I'm going to go with Cam Boozer. I have so much faith in him to be awesome right off the bat. I think the Grizzlies will be better than expected, and that will be because of Boozer. Sixth Man of the Year will be Alex Caruso. The Thunder will use him as the first bench guy all season, and Caruso will do all the things he does well enough to get him the award. Defensive Player of the Year will be Wemby. All he has to do is play enough games, and this award is going to go to him. He is a one man wrecking crew on that side of the ball, and he has proven he can guard all five positions. Coach of the Year will be Darko Rajakovic. Toronto is going to be really good this season, Rajakovic proved he could coach last season, and with their big jump incoming, I think the award voters will give him the trophy this season. Finally, MVP is going to be Wemby. This is the season that Wemby continues to prove how dominant he can be on both ends of the floor, and as long as he hits the 65 game threshold, he is going to be taking home a ton of hardware this season.

That's it for my NBA preseason stuff. Come back tomorrow for my men's college basketball preview. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's NBA Preview: Spurs, Knicks, Thunder

Welcome to the final day of my preseason NBA countdown. This is it, my top three teams going into the season. After some injury news the other night I thought I might make some changes, but after looking into it, this is still the way I see these three teams going into the year. And I know that two of these teams have started slower than most would like, but it is only three games into the year, and I'm almost certain they will figure it all out soon. Let's get to it.

At number 3 I have the San Antonio Spurs. I fully thought they were going to win the Finals last year. After they beat the Thunder it felt like a done deal to me. But my number 2 team proved me wrong. The Spurs have who I believe to be the best current player in the NBA in Victor Webanyama. He can pretty much do it all. I still feel like he drifts out to the three point line a bit too much, but he is still very young and seems to figure out something new to add to his game and become even more dominant. Wemby is a true freak of an athlete, and he is so much fun to watch play basketball. Stephon Castle may be my favorite young player to watch. Sure, he needs to figure the turnover issue out, but he is a beast going to the rim and he plays super hard on both ends of the floor. Devin Vassell got way better last season and has become a very solid offensive player. He also loves to attack the basket, but his jump shot is coming along quite nicely. Dylan Harper is amazing. He seems like a veteran guard, but this is only his second season. There were moments in the Finals that he was the Spurs best and most reliable player. I also love his attitude and his trash talking is up there with some of the best. Keldon Johnson is coming off a sixth man of the year win, and he has become the best bench player in the league. He does it all, and he does it all very well. The guy loves to feast on second units. Luke Kornet is one of the better backup big men in the league. I wish he wouldn't have griped about the Magic City stuff last season, and he was played off the floor during the Finals. But as a regular season backup, he's as solid as they come. Carter Bryant is starting to assert himself more and he is going to have to see the floor more and more. He is becoming too good to keep on the bench. Harrison Barnes is a perfect vet who can still shoot the three ball. Julian Champangie has turned himself into a reliable 3 and d guy. He might have to start as the season continues because they need his shot. De'Aaron Fox may be a trade asset, but while they have him he is a great fast break starter and he can slash and get to the hoop when he isn't running the offense. And the Tarris Reed pick was classic Spurs. They got another big man, who's a bit more old school, who will only get better the longer he is on the team. The Spurs are young and ferocious. They are coming, and if they can keep this core together for the most part, they will be a problem for a long time in the West.

At 2 I have the defending champs, the New York Knicks. I saw that they are doing typical Knicks stuff, what with the rings and starting slow, but this team is way too good to stay down for too long. Jalen Brunson is a top three player in the league. He is a true offensive killer. He runs this offense to perfection. He gets his three off, but can also get into the lane and hit his floater. He is a bit of a ball stopper, but I believe that that is the way this offense wants to run. Brunson rules. Mikail Bridges is one of the better 3 and d guys in the league. He is always on the court too. He is a true ironman. I don't understand the hate he gets either. He is a very, very good NBA player. Karl Anthony-Towns deserves a new contract with this team. He more than proved his worth to them in the playoffs, and the fact that he is a very good defender is icing on the cake. OG Anunoby is probably the second best player on this team. He does it all for the Knicks. He can guard all five positions, he has become a very good and reliable offensive player and he has a motor that never stops. Josh Hart is one of my favorite players. He is the vet that does all the dirty work for this team, and sometimes he goes on these wild heaters where he cannot miss a three pointer. I do think swapping Mitchell Robinson for Andre Drummond is going to be an issue. Drummond used to be a decent big man, but his production has dropped the past few seasons. He isn't the rebounder he used to be either. And having to take a chance on James Wiseman as another backup big is very risky. Jose Alvarado is more than just a viral stealer of the basketball. His shot has come along, he is a key piece to this team and he fits like a glove. Jordan Clarkson's minutes come and go, but when he gets on the floor, he is liable to go off and score tons of points. Mile McBride needs more minutes. He may not be long for this team because he is too good to not play 20 plus minutes a night. The Knicks have a great system, and they are too good to be down for too long. They are also coming off a championship run, so they may be a little tired to start the season, but that won't last too long. The Knicks are the favorites in the East, and they might be the favorites to repeat this year.

Finally, at number 1 I have the Oklahoma City Thunder. I know, Jalen Williams and Cason Walace are out for the year and that stinks. J-Dub is a key cog to this team. They needed him last year and it showed. His injury was horrendous to watch too. Wallace was becoming a great defensive player and he just got paid. His presence off the bench was undeniable. They will miss him. But the Thunder still have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is a two time MVP and one of the best offensive players in the NBA. He is shifty and crafty. I never bought into the foul baiting stuff. He is a wizard with the ball and may be in line for a third MVP. Chet Holmgren is a solid big man, but he is soft as Charmin and kind of disappears when he has to face Wemby. He can play against everyone else, but Wemby has his number. Alex Caruso is a great defensive player and his three has gotten so much better. Caruso is one of the better bench players in the league. Isaiah Hartenstein has a great floater, he is a nice menacing figure on the team and he plays hard defense when on the floor. The Thunder look like they may have found another gem in the draft in Aday Mara. He has looked very good to start the year and he fits this team to perfection. Jared McCain has found himself with this team. He is such a good bench scorer and he is a great backup to SGA. Jaylin Williams really showed out last season and he seems like a better fit next to Hartenstein for the most part when the Thunder need rebounding and defense. Kenrich Williams can score and he has the look of being the new Lu Dort on this team. Ajay Mitchell is a solid backup guard who will get more and more minutes with the injuries the Thunder are now dealing with for the rest of the year. Not having Wallace or J-Dub will hurt, but the Thunder won without them last year, moreso J-Dub than Wallace, and it happened early enough in the season that they will have time to figure it all out. It is going to be tougher for them to win it all without these guys, but I still think they're the favorites and I may still pick them to win it all this year.

That's it for my countdown. Come back tomorrow for my playoff and awards predictions for the season. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's NBA Preview: 76ers, Pistons, Celtics

Welcome back to my preseason NBA countdown. We are to my final six. That means today you get three teams, tomorrow the final three and then on Wednesday I will do my predictions. That means Thursday will be my men's NCAA basketball preview and predictions. We are getting to the end of my preseason NBA stuff, and I am stoked that the season has started.

At 6 I have the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers changed their team around quite a bit, but this time I think it is for the better. They added LeBron James. He is one of the best to ever do it. He brings everything to this team that they may need, and maybe even some stuff they don't. Sure, the helicopter and the outside stuff may be annoying for a bit, but what he helps this team with cannot be understated. He is an exceptional passer. He can play multiple positions. He can score if needed. He still has the ability to run and dunk when he needs to. LeBron is awesome, he chose this team and he will only help them be better when he is on the court. They also traded for Jaylen Brown. This is a massive upgrade over Paul George. Brown plays like George, but he is younger and even more violent and plays better defense. Brown is also going to be out to prove how good he is, and that the Celtics were wrong to get rid of him for very little. Joel Embiid is still here. He is far often too hurt nowadays. But when he is on the floor he is a space eater in the best way possible. He also has a great elbow jumper and he has always been a very good defender. He seems to be a little more locked in this season as well. But he has got to stay on the court for this to all work out. Tyrese Maxey is awesome. He is already a top 20 player in the NBA. He can score at will when needed. He is also a capable defender. Maxey should be the focal point of this team, especially on offense. He is the best young guy they have, and this team should go how Maxey goes. VJ Edgecombe is already an awesome slasher and runner. He loves to get up and down the court. He wants to dunk on everyone's head. He is quick and eager and will get the best looks of his life playing for this team. They went out and got Dean Wade to play defense and shoot threes, and they also acquired Anfernee Simons to be the microwave scorer off the bench. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the classic vet that LeBron likes that the team signed to appease him. KCP can also still score a bit. Labaron Philon Jr was a nice draft pick. Adem Bona is going to have to be the backup center now too, with Hukporti getting hurt. The 76ers fully revamped their team. They got LeBron and LeBron is almost always in the playoffs. There's going to be expectations, but if the 76ers can stay healthy-ish, which is a humongous if, this team can make some serious noise in the East this season.

At 5 I have the Detroit Pistons. I don't get the offseason hate with this team. They won 60 games last season, and while they may not win that many games, I fully expect them to be in the mid to low 50's range this season. Cade Cunningham is awesome. He is the new generation's star point guard. He can get to the rim at will, he is an excellent passer, he plays hard on defense and his shot is coming along quite nicely. Cunningham is living up to the hype so far. Jalen Duren finally signed an extension this offseason, and he looked pretty damn good until he got hurt last night. He is already a great rim runner, pick and roll partner and rebounder, and it looks like he has been working on his jump shot this offseason. He needs to perform way better in the playoffs, but he is a regular season stud. Ausar Thompson is a hellacious defender and he is key to this team's success. He is not a very good shooter, but maybe his best asset in the NBA will be his awesome defense. Ron Holland cannot find real minutes. It felt like a reach when they took him fifth overall a few years ago, and maybe they will trade him this year. Daniss Jenkins is a very good backup point guard and he had some really nice moments in the playoffs last year. Kevin Huerter and Duncan Robinson are only here to make threes. Robinson is a slightly better defender, not by much, but their jobs are to hit the three ball. Paul Reed is a decent backup big. I like that they added John Collins and Isaiah Joe this offseason. Collins is a solid rim runner and Joe can shoot and defend. The Pistons are in a good spot, especially since they re upped with Duren. I think they need to be better in the playoffs, but for right now the Pistons are a very good regular season team with a top tier point guard.

The final team for the day, at number 4 I have the Boston Celtics. The Celtics traded away a core piece to their team this offseason in Jaylen Brown, but they have added key players and they get Jayson Tatum back fully healthy this season. I know he had a less than stellar opening night, but he has found his scoring niche the past two games and he looks to be almost all the way back. I want to see him succeed because he is from Saint Louis. He has always been a great shot creator and shooter, and with his knee seemingly one hundred percent, I think he will get back to himself sooner rather than later this season. Paul George is here in place of Jaylen Brown, and that does not excite me much at all. But George has looked decent in the first 3 games, his shot looks okay and he is trying hard on defense. While I think they will sorely miss Brown, George will be fine for a bit in his place. Payton Pritchard is a three point shooting machine. He doesn't do much else, but he is key to how they play and run their offense. Derrick White is still a solid playing, but his shot really fell off last season. He needs that back to be the true three and d guy they traded for a few seasons back. Luka Garza and Neemias Queta form an okay 1-2 punch in the front court, but they both kind of got played off the court in the playoffs last season. So, to cover up this issue, the Celtics went out and signed Mitchell Robinson. Robinson is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, he is a great pick and roll player that can rim run and he plays his butt off when he is on the floor. Mike Conley is a nice vet to have. They wouldn't trade Hugo Gonzalez for Giannis, so I guess they think very highly of him in the front office. And I think they will be happy with their draft pick from this season, Chris Cenac Jr. The Celtics are a very good team that is getting their best overall player back fully healthy this season. They will win a ton of games and be a pain in the playoffs, as per usual.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the top three teams in my opinion in the NBA. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Tys 2026 - 2027 NBA Preview: Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Rockets

Welcome back to my preseason NBA countdown. So far the Thunder look very, very good. The 76ers are finding ways to win games early on this season, I don't know how long that will last. And will the Cavs ever figure it out? Time will tell.

Coming in at 9 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. Man did Anthony Edwards look very, very good the other night. When he brings that type of energy and killer mentality, he could easily force his way into the MVP conversation this season. He looked every bit the star he can easily become. He was ferocious attacking the rim. He was hitting his jump shots. He was smack talking his opponents. Anthony Edwards is probably my favorite young player in the NBA, and I love it when he plays like he did the other night. Sure, LaMelo Ball traveled on that one shot, but he and Edwards looked really good together. I know it is just one game, but they have a nice camaraderie and if they can do that most nights, this backcourt is going to be tough to defend. The real test for Ball will be when the T'Wolves have to play important games later in the season. Ball has never really played on a team with expectations late in the year. That will change this season. Rudy Gobert still seems to have most of the defense that made him a good NBA player. He has never been a true offensive threat, but he can protect the rim and grab rebounds all day. He has also gotten better at covering switches and staying with some guards on the perimeter. Jaden McDaniels got a one year deal. It feels like a prove it deal. But he proved it last season in the playoffs and he came out of the gates firing this season. He has gotten better each season, he backs up his talk and his offensive game is coming along very nicely. Ayo Dosunmu was a great addition last season, and he got paid this offseason. He brings a great spark off the bench. He loves to get up and down the floor. He wants to run and run and run. He is such a nice, important bench player for this team to have, and he can start on very short notice. Joan Beringer is going to get way more minutes and way more playing time. He needs to prove that he has earned that time. There will be moments of frustration, but if he can show a little something, he will have a definite future with this team. Terrance Shannon Jr is due for a bigger role, and he looked okay at times last season. He struggles defensively, but if he can provide an offensive spark off the bench that would be nice for the Timberwolves. Donte DiVencenzio will most likely not be back this year, and they will miss him. And I wonder if Bones Hyland is simply out of the rotation at this point. The Timberwolves are experimenting with an interesting backcourt this year. I hope it works out for them because I am a big time Anthony Edwards fan. They're also clearly going for it all with the moves they made this offseason. But if they can replicate what happened the other night with some regularity, this team is going to be very, very good this year.

At number 8 I have the Cleveland Cavaliers. I already mentioned them at the top, and the lead they blew, but that is just one game. The Cavs are a proven regular season wins machine. Donovan Mitchell got a big time raise this offseason and the Cavs made it pretty clear that he is their guy. Mitchell is a great offensive player and he is one of the better shot creators in the NBA. He has never been much of a defender, but I think that is because he is this team's offense. Evan Mobley is good, but he is not yet great. He hasn't really gotten much of a jump shot, the playoff lights may be a little too bright for him and he isn't as tough around the rim as one would hope. But he is a highly skilled big man and he, while being a little soft, is still a very good rim protector. James Harden is still very productive. He is like an older version of Luka Doncic. He only cares about one end of the floor and plays a boring brand, for me, of basketball. But he is still productive and still one of the better passers, especially lob passes, in basketball. Jarrett Allen is solid, but the lights are even brighter for him than Mobley in the playoffs. He kind of shrivels when the games start to matter most. That being said, Allen is still a decent enough big man that can still rebound at a high rate. Jaylon Tyson is going to have a much bigger role this season, and he came on strong last year. He proved himself worthy of more playing time. I love that they went out and got Payton Watson. He brings perimeter defense, his shot is better, he is kind of a great fit for this team. He is going to get many more opportunities here than in Denver as well. Same Merrill doesn't move me much. Thomas Bryant is old. Mario Hezjona is a bust. The bench is what scares me most with this team. They have a great starting 5, but that bench is very worrisome. They made it to the East Finals last year, but it was a struggle to get there. That may be the ceiling for this team, but maybe they can make a breakthrough this year.

The final team for the week, at number 7 I have the Houston Rockets. The Rockets got ousted from the playoffs with little fanfare last year, but this team is now whole. I bet that will change their offense too. Fred VanVleet is a very good point guard, and the Rockets missed him very much last year. He facilitates this offense and he is the steady hand this team needs. Kevin Durant is still here, for now, and he is as productive as ever. He can still score at will, create his own shot and find time to fight trolls online. KD is an all time great, but I worry about him possibly wanting to change teams mid season. Tari Eason got himself kicked out of the first game the other night because he shoved a dude to the ground. He is the enforcer that this team needs. He is their James Johnson. Jabari Smith looked very, very good the other night. He was scoring and moving like I have not seen him move before. This may be him entering his prime, and if that is true, this team now has two excellent scoring creators. Amen Thompson got paid, and is one of the best defensive players in all of basketball. He can also handle and distribute pretty well at his size. He cannot shoot a jumper all that well, but he more than makes up for it defensively. Steven Adams is very important to this team's rebounding. When he is on the floor he is an offensive rebounding machine. He is also super strong. Clint Capela still has moments of his excellent rim running ability. And we will have to see if Reed Sheppard was a bust or not this season. Getting VanVleet back is really going to help this team out way more than any of us may think. And KD is still one of the best offensive players ever, who fits in with every team he has played on to this point. The Rockets may be being slept on a bit too much coming into this season. If they can figure out a more coherent offense, which I think they will with VanVleet, the Rockets could push for a top three seed in the West.

That's it for this week. Come back next week for the top six teams and some predictions. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's 2026 - 2027 NBA Preview: Raptors, Lakers, Nuggets

Welcome back to my preseason NBA countdown. Again, I fully understand the NBA has already started. Almost every team has played one game already, and that is only going to ramp up more and more as October comes and goes. But I still have twelve teams to countdown, and I plan on finishing that. Let's get back to it.

At number 12 I have the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors made a nice push last season, played Cleveland hard in round one and they traded for Kawhi Leonard this offseason. Sure, Leonard comes with baggage, but that is off the court, and to be honest, the whole Aspiration thing means nothing to me. He got some extra money and he paid his fine. In my opinion, Aspiration news is old news to me at this point. Leonard, when he plays, is still one of the better players in the NBA. He is still a top notch defender, he can still create his own shot and he is still as lethal as ever. He fits this team perfectly and is purely additive. I love his fit with the Raptors. Scottie Barnes is emerging as a superstar in the NBA. He took his game to a whole new level in the playoffs last season, and he has only gotten better each year in the league. He is a tenacious defender, can guard multiple positions and is becoming a two level scorer. RJ Barrett may get traded at some point, but while he is still on this roster he has found a nice role. He is a solid outside shooter, he can play a little defense and he is playing in his home country. Collin Murray-Boyles is starting to show the team why he should be a starter. He is a good rim runner, can play defense and he will beat the hell out of you on the glass. Immanuel Quickley has always been able to shoot the ball, but he cannot stay healthy all that long, and if he wants real playing with this team he will have to buy in defensively. Jakob Poeltl is still the starting center, but CMB is coming for that job, and Poeltl feels more like a placeholder until CMB is fully ready to take over. And every team that has Kyle Anderson on their roster finds ways to win multiple games and make deep-ish playoff runs. The Raptors are a good basketball team that was made infinitely better when the Kawhi Leonard trade fully went through. They will be a problem in the East, and it wouldn't shock me if they made a push to the East Finals, and maybe even the NBA Finals.

At 11 I have the Los Angeles Lakers. Look, I despise this team. I always have and I always will. They are the evil empire in the NBA. And I hate that they seemingly pushed LeBron James out the door. He brought this team a title. He is the second best player ever. And the Lakers pushed him away for Luka Doncic. Doncic is a great offensive basketball player. I may hate the way he plays basketball, but he can score and find the open player for easy shots. He also thrives off of people doubting him or talking trash to him. But he is an absolute zero on defense. He doesn't try, he hurts his team's defense and he has zero interest in even learning how to play on that end of the floor. He also whines and moans at the refs so much that it completely takes me out of the game I'm watching. He is a narcissist and plays a dull style of basketball for me. Austin Reaves would be Gordon Hayward if he were on any other team. He wouldn't get the looks he gets now and the media would only talk of him in passing. But since he is on the Lakers people seem to think he is a fringe all star. Again, he is a very good offensive basketball player, but he has no interest or clue on how to buy in defensively. Walker Kessler was their big offseason acquisition, but he has not played one meaningful minute of NBA basketball, and he is coming off of injury. He may be the Lakers best defensive player, but until he does it with some consistency, I don't buy him as some humongous addition to this team. The other additions are interesting to me. Collin Sexton is a microwave off the bench, but he doesn't play defense. Jake LaRavia is a non factor on either end to me. Matisse Thybulle is an interesting pick, who does play defense, but he needs to hit open shots more often. Mamu is going to be taking on too big of a role in my opinion. And Kevon Looney's best days are way, way behind him. But the Lakers have the refs and ESPN in their corner. They also have media members on their side, so they will win enough games to be in the top 6 of the West. As much as I loathe this team, they will win regular season games at a nice rate.

The final team for the day, another team I don't really care for, at 10 I have the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is another offensive wonder that the media loves, whom I don't care for. Again, much like Doncic, Jokic has zero interest in playing defense. A basketball court has two ends, and Jokic doesn't even care about one end of the floor, which is a shame because his size alone could deter people. But he will make a few fancy passes here and there, and make a few buzzer beater threes, and the media will go nuts over it and call him the best to ever play the game. Jamal Murray is fine, but he has never put together a season like he had when the Nuggets won the title. He is a great pick and roll guy with Jokic, but much like his counterpart, he doesn't care about defense either, and he gets abused on that end of the floor. I think Aaron Gordon is a very good player, and fits very well with this team, but he is almost always hurt, and when he tries to play now, you can tell he is in a good deal of pain. Christian Braun has not lived up to the contract he signed a few years back. His defense has regressed and he is not the shooter he hoped to become. Cam Johnson is a good three point shooter, and he came on strong at the end of last season, but like a lot of the guys on this roster, defense is a nonstarter for him. They signed DeMar DeRpzan this offseason, who i've always been a fan of, and while he will feast on second units, he has never, ever been a defensive minded player. DaRon Holmes III got injured during his rookie year, and never really found much of a place with this team last season. Tyus Jones is an okay backup point guard. And Julian Strawther is going to have to take on a much bigger role now that some of their other key bench guys are gone. The Nuggets will have an explosive and high scoring offense, which will work great against the lower tier NBA teams. But when they have to play real teams, teams that can take advantage of their lack of defense, they will struggle. They will still win enough in the regular season to be a playoff team, but the playoffs will more than likely explore their horrendous defense yet again.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for my next three teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's 2026 - 2027 NBA Preview: Pacers, Heat, Hawks

Welcome back to my preseason NBA countdown. I know the season started last night, and some of the games were fun to watch. The 76ers looked good, the Celtics blew a humongous lead, the Pistons made a nice push to win and the Spurs and Thunder are going to be at each other's throats for a long while now, which makes the NBA even more fun. Anyway, let's get back to the countdown.

At 15 I have the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are not higher because so much is unknown with this roster. Tyrese Haliburton looked really good in preseason, I just want to see it in the regular season. Haliburton is the straw that stirs this team's offense. He is so good at pushing the ball up and down the floor. He can find the open guy anywhere. He is one of the best clutch  shooters in all of basketball. He's coming back off a really bad injury, and that leaves me with a bit of worry in his case. Ivica Zubac is a very good center. He is big and strong and a solid rim protector. He is good at finishing around the rim and is capable of being a solid rim runner. But he doesn't bring any three point shooting, and that was the best thing Myles Turner gave this offense. Turner could spread the floor. Zubac doesn't, but he does add toughness, which could be nice for this team. I have loved seeing Aaron Nesmith find himself with the Pacers. He is a shooter capable of going off for 30 on any given night. He is also a very good perimeter defender and he plays his tail off. He is wildly inconsistent as a shooter, and that's the problem. He had more responsibility last season, and it did not go great. TJ McConnell has taken a big step back as well. Pascal Siakim may be the second best player on this team. He is very, very good at basketball. He almost made the all star team last season. He showed what he could do with a bigger workload, and he has turned himself into a reliable and productive player. He is great. Obi Toppin is a nice backup big, and he plays so much better when Haliburton is on the floor with him. He struggled last season, but with Haliburton back, I expect Toppin to find his game once again. Jarace Walker hasn't panned out great yet, but he is due for a much bigger role this season, and maybe he finally shows something that gives him more playing time. Jay Huff will provide a decent spark off the bench. Andrew Nembhard gets to return to being a backup, which he is best suited for, and he should be much better than he was last season. And I will never count out a team coached by Rick Carlisle. He is one of the best coaches to ever step foot on a basketball court. The Pacers have the key guys back to make a run, I just want to see them to sustain it for a few months before I fully buy in on this team once again.

At number 14 I have the Miami Heat. I don't get all the clutching of pearls that this team has gotten from other media members. The Heat are coached by the best coach in the game right now, Erik Spoelstra, and he has found multiple ways to win with multiple different players. Also, they have Giannis Antentekoumpo, who is healthy. A healthy Giannis will make all the difference in the world. He is a one man wrecking crew, and he looks energized now that he is playing for a team that has some playoff hopes and expectations. People claiming he may be done are off base in my opinion. Giannis may have a revenge/redemption type season in year one with the Heat. Bam Adebayo is still one of the best defensive players in the league, and he has found a bit of a scoring touch. Adebayo scored 81 in a game last year. He has added a jump shot. He gets to the free throw line. Adebayo may be underrated amongst bigs in the NBA at this point. Davion Mitchell has always been a great perimeter defender, and now he has the semblance of a jump shot. It seems like he just had to get out of Sacramento to find himself in the NBA. They went out and signed Tim Hardaway Jr and Klay Thompson to get some outside shooting on this team. Tim Hardaway Jr was a steal in my opinion, and while Thompson is older, he can still shoot the rock. Simone Fontecchio is a decent backup point guard. Andrew Wiggins has become a totally solid role player and knows what he can and cannot do on the floor. I like that they got Bobby Portis to come along with Giannis. Portis is going to add toughness, and he feels like a prototypical late in career Heat player. I think the Heat are going to be a pretty solid team this season. I think Giannis is feeling better than he has in some time now, and I think he will play a lot this year. If that happens, the Heat will win 50 games and could be a top 6 team in the East.

The final team for the day, at 13 I have the Atlanta Hawks. I think what the Hawks did late last season was no fluke. They kind of found themselves, and I think they will take that into this season and be ready to rock. Jalen Johnson is a star. He has all the tools to be very successful in the NBA. He has all star capabilities, he is a great defender, he just needs to work on his jumper to take the full leap. Dyson Daniels is a great defender and can get to the rim. He has been a revelation since coming over to this team. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a great playoffs, and I think he will only build on that success more this season. It took him a little bit longer than some wanted, but when he figured out how this team played, he started to excel on the court. CJ McCollum is the best veteran guard in the league possibly. He can go on a heater at any moment, he has become a decent passer and even his defense has gotten a tiny bit better. He is so good at keeping this team in games. They brought over Lu Dort, and he will only make this defense that much better. Dort may not be much of a scorer anymore, but the dude can still play high level defense. Dorian Finney-Smith may never be the guy he was with the Mavs, but if he can find a bit of that player from Dallas, he may be a nice bench addition for this team. Onyeka Okongwu has become a decent modern big and he can even stretch the defense a bit. His jumper has gotten better each season. I also really like what they did in the draft with Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor. Flemings is a bulldog on defense and he showed some nice scoring at Houston last season. Adn Ejiofor has a body built for the NBA and he is older, which means he may be able to step into a bigger role than most other rookies can in their first season. The Hawks found something last season, and stuff like that doesn't just go away. I think they build on that and become a viable threat in the East this season.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next three teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's 2026 -2027 NBA Preview: Suns, Magic, Trailblazers

Welcome back to my NBA preseason countdown. I took a day off to write about one of the better movies I have seen in quite some time yesterday, but with the season officially tipping off in about an hour, let's get back to the countdown. We are at the point in my countdown where the teams from here on out are who I think will be, at the very least, in the play-in tournament. Let's get it started.

At number 18 I have the Phoenix Suns. This team surprised a bunch of people last year, myself included, and I think they may be one of the harder playing teams in the league. They come at you hard and will not stop. They're a pain to play against. Devin Booker is a superstar. He is a legit scoring threat from every level. He has even gotten better defensively. He may be a little upset that the Suns may have made it as far as they can with him as one of the star players, but he did sign a humongous extension last year, so he is with the Suns for the long haul. Like him or hate him, I personally despise him and was stoked when the Grizzlies finally traded him, Dillon Brooks is an important player on this team. He is their best defender, he found some more offensive last season and he continues to talk trash, regardless if anyone is even listening to him anymore. Jalen Green is still explosive, but he may only be that for the rest of his career. He just hasn't seemed to fully figure the NBA out just yet. Sure, he can pop off for 30 on any given night, but he is more apt to struggle shooting the ball and get benched in the playoffs. Collin Gillespie is a fine backup point guard, but some media members seem to think he should start for this team. I don't buy that for one second. He is so much better coming off the bench. They traded for Miles Bridges, which confused me a bit. Sure, he is a solid rim runner, and can still jump out of the gym, but he has off-court stuff to deal with, and his game has regressed a bit the past few years. They just gave Oso Ighodaro a nice extension, but he has to be better on offense. His shot is still a little funky, but I did read that he is working with a shooting coach. They signed Luke Kennard this offseason, and he will bring some added scoring from the outside to a team that needs more of that. I'm excited to see Khaman Malauch in year two. He looks to be a solid modern big man, and I want to see how much he has improved. The Suns are a solid team. Like I said, they play hard every night and they win with their defense. I also truly enjoy watching Devin Booker play basketball as well.

At number 17 I have the Orlando Magic. The Magic are in a kind of limbo right now. They have a very good roster on paper, but they can never stay healthy enough to make any real noise. Defense also used to be their calling card, but they regressed a bit in that area last season. And their offense has never been very good. Paolo Banchero is a good basketball player. He has gotten a little better in every aspect of the game each season, and he has proven his worth in the playoffs. He needs to stay healthy. Franz Wagner can never stay healthy. But when he is on the floor he may be the Magic's best overall player. He is their true jack of all trades. He just cannot ever play more than 50 games a year it seems. Jalen Suggs is one of the best perimeter defensive players in the whole league, but that is all he does. And, like almost everyone else on this team, he can barely play 30 games a year. Anthony Black has been a revelation, but he didn't get a contract extension, and he may not be long for this team. Desmond Bane is the model of consistency, and he stays on the floor. He is a great shooter, plays super hard defensively and you can count on him to be on that court for pretty much every game. Wendell Carter Jr is a very solid center. He won't wow you all that much, but he will produce and provide. Jevon Carter is a hard playing vet. I don't know what Nikola Vucivic will provide, but maybe he will play better since he is back where it all started for him. The Magic have the makings of a top 6 seed, but injuries constantly derail this team. I would have them much higher if I could count on health.

The final team for the day, at number 16 I have the Portland Trailblazers. This team made some changes, but I don't think the outcome will be totally different. Damian Lillard is back and it is so cool to see him in a Blazers uniform again. And he will bring a nice dose of outside shooting to a team desperately in need of that. Ja Morant is now here. This feels like a low risk, high reward trade for them. Morant was unhappy in Memphis, they traded him and he has a new home now. Maybe this will energize him, but he has kind of fallen off since all the gun stuff popped off. Jrue Holiday is probably their best true point guard. He plays that position so well and he is one of their better defenders. Donovan Clingan is coming into his own in the NBA. He has fully bought in on defense and his offensive game is coming along. Denji Avidija is a great offensive player. He will have the ball in his hands a little less, but that may help his shooting percentage from the three, and he will find some great cutting lanes with Holiday, Morant and Lillard passing him the ball. Toumani Camara is a great all around player. I have become a humongous fan of his the past two years. He is really good. Scoot Henderson has gotten just a little better each season. His three is even coming along just a little bit. He may not be a fan of it, but coming off the bench has been great for his progress in the NBA. Robert Williams III is a good backup big who provides some solid offense and really good defense off the bench. And maybe all the Yang Hansen talk from last offseason will show up this season. Portland has a decent enough team to make a push this season. Hell, they even took a game off the Spurs in round one of the playoffs last year. But this team construction is funky. I want to see them play a few games during the season before I fully buy in to them being a playoff team.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next three teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's 2026 - 2027 NBA Preview: Wizards, Jazz, Mavericks

Welcome to day four of my NBA countdown. We are officially in play-in territory. The three teams today, given health and a little bit of luck, could very well see themselves, at the very least, competing for the 7 or 8 seed in their respective conferences.

At 21 I have the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have been moribound as a franchise for some time now. But boy oh boy did they make some moves last season, and they picked the right guy first overall in the most recent draft. I am an AJ Dybansta fan. This kid is going to be good, and it may happen right away. He has all the tools to lead this team for the foreseeable future. He can score, his jump shot looks better, he is going to become a solid defender and he seems to love playing basketball. I was stoked when they took him because he was the right choice. Dybansta has star written all over him. The Wizards did give Trae Young far too much money, and that contract will be tough to move if they end up wanting to move him, but he is still a good point guard. He can get the ball in your hands at the perfect release point on some of his passes. He may fire up too many threes, but when he is on, he can light up the scoreboard. He is a zero on defense, but the guy can score and distribute the ball. I don't know if Anthony Davis is long for this team, but he will have to show the other NBA teams that he is still a viable player, so however long they have him, he needs to play well. He is a former all NBA guy, and while he may not return that form, Davis is still a decent modern big man in the league. Bilal Couliboly is an okay enough player, but his defense has not translated to the NBA just yet. I like Bub Carrington, and he showed a few things last season, but that may have been hollow due to how bad they were last year. Deandre Ayton is here, and he is another big body that they can throw out there. He just doesn't play as big as he is in real life. Tre Johnson is decent, and can score, but again, we don;t know if that was all hollow due to how awful this team was at the end of the season. Khris Middelton is too old now and too hurt. He got his ring with the Bucks, and ever since then he has been either hurt or traded. Alex Sarr is the best defender on this team, he is a good rim runner and he has gotten so much better since his rookie year. I wouldn't be shocked if he takes a big leap this year. The Wizards have an odd roster construct, but if it hits they could find themselves fighting for a playoff spot all season long. I don't believe they're a top six team in the East, far from it, but they have the potential to be in that 8-9 conversation if they click and stay relatively healthy all season.

At 20 I have the Utah Jazz. The time is not for this team to play full games and try to win. They have a roster that makes sense and they have a coach that is too good to keep playing awful lineups in the fourth quarter so they can tank for draft position. I do think Lauri Markanen is a bit overrated, but he is still a good basketball player. I believe he is more of a type of potential on a good team player, but that is neither here nor there. He is the focal point of this team and they will go as he goes offensively. I like the Jaren Jackson Jr trade. He may not be the defender he was a few years ago, and his shot comes and goes, but he is still a good player and he brings more height and rim protection to this team. Ace Bailey had a much better rookie season than I anticipated he would. He's a willing cutter to the rim and his shot is coming along. He should maybe start on this team, but he will feast coming off the bench on second units. Daryn Peterson has all of the potential in the world. He is such a good basketball player. There were real conversations on if he should have been the number one overall pick. But he did look disinterested at times at Kansas last season, and if he starts slow, who is to say that won't happen again. Isaiah Collier is already a proven scorer, but last year he looked like a more willing passer, and that will only help him stick around longer. If you listen to the Zach Lowe's of the world you may think Kyle Filipowski is a viable center, but I think he is wildly overrated by certain media members. Jaxson Hayes is a better backup big man option. Keyonte George is about to take a leap. The Jazz have a good team in place here. They have a good coach. I don't like saying that because I have never liked the Jazz, but this team could be good. They just need to play full games at full strength and see if they can make a real push at not just the play-in, but a top six spot in the West this season.

The final team for the day, at 19 I have the Dallas Mavericks. This team has pretty much fully remade themselves in the two years since the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade. Some familiar faces are still around, but they have new guys and a fully new coaching staff. I think Dusty May was a home run hire. I'm already a fan of his, he returned Michigan basketball to glory, so I will always root for him. He has a great young player in Cooper Flagg. Flagg is one of the faces of the future in the NBA, right along with Wemby and Dylan Harper and SGA. Flagg is a great do it all offensive player. He needs to buy in more defensively, but the offensive bag he already has is pretty impressive. Kyrie Irving is back, coming off a torn ACL, and he has looked like himself in the preseason. I don't know if he will stick around with the Mavs all season, but while he is there, if he can continue at this current pace, he and Flagg are going to be a dynamic duo for this team. Dereck Lively is still hurt, and I fear for him that he has already played his best basketball during his rookie year. The guy simply cannot stay on the floor. I wonder how long PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford will be on this team. Washington can shoot the corner three and is a solid rebounder, but he may want to be playing deeper in the playoffs. Gafford is a solid rim runner, and Irving will be able to feed him the ball, but he has got to stay healthy. They acquired Zaccahrie Risaccher, a former number 1 overall pick, but who knows what he is going to bring to this team. He has never been fully effective since entering the league. I am a humongous morez Johnson Jr guy for obvious reasons. But he knows how Dusty May wants to play and he has a never ending motor. He is also a great rebounder. I think he will see his minutes increase exponentially during the season. Naji Marshall is a solid backup point guard. I think they got a great bench scorer and stretch big in Santi Aldama. The Mavericks have some dudes and they have a lethal duo in Flagg and Irving. I think the Mavericks could have a nice bump in wins, especially if this team plays the way May wants them to earlier than expected. I think the Mavs are coming, and this season will bethem announcing themselves as a future perennial playoff team.

That's it for the week. Come back next week for more of the preseason NBA countdown. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's 2026 - 2027 NBA Preview: Clippers, Hornets, Warriors

Welcome to day three of my NBA preseason countdown. We are inching closer to the play-in teams, and who knows, maybe these teams today will surprise and make a push to the play-in. We shall see.

Coming in at number 24 I have the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers future is very much in doubt. They are going to have to scrape the bottom of the barrell to fill out their roster, and with no draft picks, that will make it all that much harder on them. But right now they have some dudes that can play, and they will be a frustrating team to play on a night to night basis. This is now Darius Garland's team. He is the engine that runs this offense and he will be asked to do whatever he can to lead this team. Garland is a solid player, but he does not stay on the floor enough to be a franchise leader. He just gets hurt far too often. He is great offensively, but he is also a non factor on defense. Garland will get every opportunity to prove he can lead this team this season. Keaton Wagler was a nice draft pick, but he has a long, long way to go. He has a lot of stuff he needs to figure out before he becomes a viable NBA player. But the dude can shoot the rock. He will score this season. But he will not bring much else to this team during his rookie season. And he is going to get abused on the defensive end of the floor. Then we have the rest of this roster. It is filled with guys that are past their prime, never met their prime or are just a steady presence. Rui Hachimura revived his career with the Lakers, but now he is going to be asked to do that again in a starting role with a roster not near what he had with the Lakers. But the guy can shoot the three. Bradley Beal is way past his prime and he has never been the same since leaving Washington. Derrick Jone Jr was always an explosive player who could kind of shoot the three, but both of those have decreased over the past couple years. Brook Lopez used to be a defensive stopper and clutch three point shooter. Now he misses tons of games and is only getting older and older. Gradey Dick has never figured it out, Brandon Ingram is hurt, so is Max Strus and Cam Christie was just waived. This team has some dudes that can do some things, but the days of being at or above .500 look to be over for a bit with the Clippers. They screwed themselves with the whole Kawhi Leonard situation, and they are a long way off from being formidable again. But Wagler and Garland will be fun to watch, and I have always rooted for Rui Hachimura. The Clippers may not be very good, and that may last for about five or six seasons now.

At number 23 I have the Charlotte Hornets. This team came on like a wave during the second half of last season. They surprised a ton of people last year, but this team has changed a ton since all of that popped off. LaMelo Ball is gone. He was not long for this team anyway, but they kind of traded him out of nowhere. This is a big bet on a few of their young guys. Kon Kneuppel made me look foolish when I named him as a prospect I wasn't high on last year. He can really shoot the three and he plays hard every night. But I feel like he got exposed in the play-in game last year, and with more responsibility I don't see how he replicates what he did during his rookie season. This season will be interesting for Kneuppel. Brandon Miller has all the tools to be an all star. The kid is big and strong, can shoot and has become a solid rebounder. He can also run the break and looks good in transition. His problem, he gets hurt a ton. He is going to be taking on a bigger role now, and they need him on the floor if they want to be successful in the near future. Coby White is a fun player to watch, but he is now the lead guard on this team and he will be running the show. He has never really had to do this in his career, so it will be something to watch as the season goes on. Grayson Allen has come over to this team, but I feel like he is an overrated shooter. He doesn't do anything else to help a team, and his antics on the court are tiresome. Naz Reid is finally going to start, and I think he is going to be great. I do like that he has a shot to start and I think he is going to have a very, very good season. I fully believe that he is the best overall player on this current roster. Liam McNeely spent more time in the G League than in the pros last season. Tidjane Salaun is still very raw. Moussa Diabate has a motor that never stops and is a great rebounder, but he is undersized. Ryan Kalkbrenner barely saw the court when they went on their run last year. Dennis Schroeder is here because I feel like he is going to play for every NBA team at some point. I'm not very high on Hanes Steinbach. I feel like the Hornet struck lightning in a bottle last year, was exposed in the play-in and then decided to go in a totally different direction. They have a ton to figure out before they become a real playoff threat.

The final team for the day, coming in at 22 I have the Golden State Warriors. This is just not the same team that it was four years ago when they last won a title. Steph Curry is still there, he is still the greatest shooter of all time and he will play his heart out anytime he is on the floor. But he is not on the floor as much as you would like if you were a fan of the team. He is only getting older as well. Draymond Green is still on the team and he is still a menace defensively. But people are used to his antics and he doesn't affect the game like he used to. He is also far more concerned with his podcast it seems. Al Horford is 40. Age always wins out in the end. That's a fact. Kristaps Porzingis has not been at camp. Steve Kerr doesn't even know what is going on with him. Jimmy Butler tore his ACL last season. So did Moses Moody. I love Yaxel Lendeborg, but he is going to be asked to do way, way too much during his rookie year. Gary Payton II is a great defender, but he is too often injured. They gave an unproven Brandin Podziemski 110 million dollars, which is wild to me. The Warriors are not the dynasty they used to be. I kind of thought they were going to blow it all up after last season. But it looks like they are going to try for one final run with some of their original guys that started all their recent winning. I don't think it is going to go as well as they hope, but maybe they will prove me wrong, and make a run to the playoffs. We shall see.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next three teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's 2026 - 2027 NBA Preview: Nets, Pelicans, Grizzlies

Welcome to day two of my preseason NBA countdown. We are still in the dregs of teams, but one team I will be talking about today looks to have a brighter future than others this low on the list, and I just happen to root for that team. More on them later.

Coming in at number 27 I have the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets can't get out of their own way it seems. They struck gold a few years back when they signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and were able to trade for James Harden. But injuries and the pandemic slowed that team down. They got Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett when they were too old. Vince Carter was too young to bring them a title when he was there. Deron Williams didn't turn out to be the franchise player they hoped. It seems like miss after miss with this team. And now they have a bunch of unproven young guys that are turnover machines. Michael Porter Jr proved he was a solid scorer last season. He can fill it up. But he doesn't play defense and is not a team leader. He is much more suited to be a 3rd or 4th starter on a title team, which he was in Denver. Egor Demin looks to be a very good three point shooter, but he has not been able to stay on the floor in his first two years. Danny Wolf is an intriguing passing big man, but his shot has not come along just yet, and he is a turnover machine. They drafted Mikel Brown Jr, which some writers seem to like, but I am not very high on at the moment. Noah Clowney Jr will be taking over for Nic Claxton, but he is not the rim protector, nor the rim runner that Claxton was for this team. Terance Mann was once deemed untradeable because of his value to the Clippers a few years back, but now he struggles to get real minutes on this team. Day'Ron Sharpe is a solid enough big, albeit undersized. He would be much better in a bench role, but I believe he is a starter on this team. And Julius Randle is here now because why not. The Nets have an odd collection of players. They don't seem to mesh very well looking at this roster on paper. It wouldn't surprise me either if Michael Porter Jr and Julius Ranlde are playing elsewhere by the end of this season. Jordi Fernandez is a good coach, he just needs a better roster. Until that happens, the Nets are going to be running in the mud. They are no more than a turnover machine that would be lucky to win 20 to 25 games this season.

Speaking of an odd roster construction, at number 26 I have the New Orleans Pelicans. I like players on this team. I think they have talented guys. They have some dudes that are highlight reel players. But the team just doesn't make sense. I'm over hearing about how Zion Williamson is in shape and he is going to become the all NBA player we all hoped he would. He played a good amount of games last season, but it all felt hollow to me. He is explosive and can be dominant, but he just doesn't seem to have the desire to be the star he could have been in his career. He can still dunk the hell out of the ball. Dejounte Murray is a good, calming point guard, but he has never been the same since he was with the Spurs, and he is always injured. I love watching him play, but that doesn't happen all that often. Trey Murphy III is the prototypical 3 and D player, but he is not long for this team. Some contending team is going to make an offer for him this season, and I would hope the Pelicans would take it. I've always enjoyed Saadiq Bey, but he is not very capable unless he has the ball in his hands, and that will be tough for him if the starters are healthy this season. Jordan Poole, who I will always root for, is borderline unplayable at this point in his career. They signed Ben Mathurin, but he is another dude that is not worth much unless he is attacking the rim, which will be tough on this team. I am a Derik Queen guy, but even by his own admission he needs to be in better shape and work harder on his game. Jeremiah Fears seems like a capable player, he just needs minutes. Like I said, this team has players that I enjoy, but they don't mesh and work well as a unit. It wouldn't be surprising if, along with Trey Murphy, they move some other guys and start to build this team around Fears and Queen. I think Zion's time with this team is up, and Murray is going to want to play on a winning team. The Pelicans will score in bunches, but they will also give up tons and tons of points defensively.

The final team for the day, the team that I think has a nice future lined up, at number 25 I have the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies finally blew it all up. The time had come. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr were traded last season. They finally got off of Ja Morant. They let Santi Aldama and John Konchar walk. The team that I started rooting for is pretty much all gone. And I'm stoked for what they are building right now. I love that they were able to draft Cam Boozer. I hoped that was who they would get, he "fell" to them and they wasted no time in picking him. He has the look of a perennial all star and the face of this franchise. They need to build around him now. I am a Zach Edey fan, he just needs to stay on the court. When he is out there this defense is so much better and he is a great rim protector. I just need him to stay on the damn court. I think Cedric Coward is a star in the making. He had a very good rookie year and I see him only getting better from here on out. Ty Jerome was a good signing, and if he can stay on the floor this season, the Grizzlies will have a competent starting point guard. I also like Scotty Pippen Jr as his backup, but he may be in line for more minutes, and I don't know if the Grizzlies can provide him with that right now. GG Jackson is so much fun to watch shoot, but he doesn't do much else and I don't know if he will get any real time with this team. I loved the Karim Lopez pick. He is tailored made to be a defensive stopper, and the fact that he was a pro in New Zealand means he is used to playing against adults. And bringing Isaiah Stewart over made me jump for joy. He is the exact type of veteran I want to have on a team this young. The Grizzlies are going to be a solid playoff team within two years, but I think they actually have a shot to push for the play-in tournament this year. Maybe I'm too high on them, but damn it is hard not to be excited by what they have done this offseason.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next three teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's 2026-2027 NBA Preview: Kings, Bucks, Bulls

For the next ten days I will be counting down the NBA teams from last to best, in my personal opinion. I'll tell you why I have each team where I have them, what I expect from them and how I see their season playing out. I'll dive a little deep into each team given that I'm only doing three a day. I love the NBA, the season is right around the corner and I look forward to watching these teams play this season. Let's get to it.

At number 30 I have the Sacramento Kings. The Kings continue to be the Kings. They just cannot seem to get it right. They traded away De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, both of whom have just played in the Finals. They are looking to offload Domantas Sabonis, so that means he will probably play in the Finals this season. Sabonis is a solid enough player, but he is not often injured and his trade value has dropped pretty significantly. I don't know what they could honestly get for him at this point. They may be able to find a bench guy and a late first round pick, but that seems almost too high. Sabonis is still a good passer, and can score, but it feels like he is past his prime. Darius Acuff is going to score and score in bunches. But he is going to be inefficient. He is a rookie, he will hit a wall. But he will also get the keys to the offense and he will get to shoot the ball to his heart's content. Keegan Murray has never reached the heights he did as a rookie. He has playoff experience, he can score the ball, but he is coming off an injury, and his contract looks to be an anchor around the front office's neck. He still has potential, but time is running out. Zach Lavine has decent career stats, but they feel so hollow. I don't know that he has ever played a truly important game in the NBA. And his explosiveness is pretty much gone. Father time has caught up to him unfortunately. He doesn't play much defense either, but no one on the Kings is all that committed to playing defense. They're taking a shot on De'Andre Hunter, and while I thought he was going to be a good pro, his game has not translated to the NBA. He is just a step slow, and his shot has not come along all that well. Precious Achiuwa is still in the league and he is still getting minutes with this team. Ben Simmons is back in the NBA, and he has looked solid in preseason. Will that translate to when the games matter? Who knows. But he is going to get a real shot at proving he still belongs in the NBA. Malik Monk is a scoring machine, but he does not bring anything else to this squad. He would be much better off being a bench guy on a true contender right now. Efird Payton is here, because why not I guess. Payton can do little things, but not enough to make a true impact on the floor. I don't think Alex Karaban is long for the NBA, Maxime Raynaud is hurt and will miss the start of the season and they're going to give Leaky black a chance. The Kings are going to be bad this year. I would be shocked if they win 20 games. The offense is going to look very rough, and the defense will be even worse. The Kings give up on players way too soon and it seems to bite them in the butt. I wish they were as good as they were in the late 90's and early 2000's, but here we are. The Kings are a mess.

At 29 I have the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks pulled the plug on Giannis, which was the right thing to do. He needed some fresh scenery, and the Bucks needed a rebuild. They got some dudes in the trade, but they're a few years away from being a few years away. Thanks for that saying Fran Friscilla. Ke'el Ware was the prize of the trade. The Bucks were very aggressive in asking the Heat for them, and they gave in and included him in the deal. Ware is a very raw player, but he has loads of talent and potential. He can protect the rim and throw it down, he just needs to do the rest now. He will get every opurtunity in Milwaukee. I do not think Tyler Herro will stick around. He is too needy, too risky and not as great as he may think he is at basketball. I love the Brayden Burries pick. He could be a very good, jack of all trades player in the future. But he is a rookie and he needs time and minutes. I am not a Nate Ament guy, but the Bucks traded up to draft him and I think they have expectations for him during his rookie year. He needs to bulk up, but the talent is there. AJ Green had a decent year last season, and I wouldn't be shocked if he continued to get a little better this season with more playing time. Jaime Jacquez Jr is very well suited for a bench role, but he will be starting on this team, and that may be too much of a load for him to take on right now. Caris Levert is now on the team, and while he can score, he is on the back half of his career, and he is not great on defense. Kyle Kuzma is somehow still in the NBA and still getting real minutes on this team. Kevin Porter Jr is a good scorer, but he is also a hothead that cannot produce without the ball in his hands. Kam Jones will get a shot to make the team, and I would be stunned if Myles Turner is still on this team by the all star break. The Bucks had to do something big and they did just that. It will set the team back a few seasons, but they also got some solid young players in the trade and those dudes will get a shot to prove themselves this season.

The final team for the day, at number 28 I have the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls will be kind of fun to watch, but they will not win a ton of games. Caleb Wilson is going to be awesome. He has all the skills to be an all star. He is explosive to the rim, has an okay jumper and can rebound the ball and start the fast break. His three point shot should only get better during his rookie season. I am going to really like watching him play basketball. Josh Giddey is average, and that is just fine. He can't shoot the three, but he can attack the rim. He can guard perimeter guys a bit, but gets crushed by everyone else. He is a solid passer, but not elite. Matas Buzelis needs to pop now. This is year three and the idea of waiting on his potential needs to stop now. He needs to show that he is ready to be a full time starter in the NBA this year. Zach Collins has never found a spot to stick around in the NBA. I felt like he was drafted too high, and now that is showing. He is, at best, a backup big. I'd be shocked if Norm Powell is still on the team past December. I don't know why he signed with the Bulls, but he is there now and he will get every shot he wants. The Cavs moved Isaac Okoro over last season, and that seems like the right move by them. Okoro did play better after the trade, but he has not lived up to his potential as of yet. Patrick Williams hasn't figured it out. Buddy Hield seems like a placeholder. Tre Jones is a good backup point guard. And who knows what Noa Essengue can provide this team. The sheer fact that they have Caleb Wilson makes this team fun. But fun and winning games is not one and the same. The Bulls will struggle, but Caleb Wilson will be a blast to watch.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next three teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

The Lonzo Ball Hype is Over. Is His Career Also Over?

It was reported earlier today, and then refuted by the player himself, that Lonzo Ball was possibly retiring. Now, this was a report I saw on Bleacher Report. He then refuted it, also saw this on Bleacher Report, and said he was "just waiting for a call". Either way, I think retirement may be his best option at this point.

Lonzo Ball came into the league seven years ago with loads of potential. He was a top five pick. He was going to stay home with the Lakers. He was going to be part of them climbing out of the hole that Kobe Bryant left after his retirement. He and Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Ivica Zubac, Alex Caruso, they were all in this core that was going to make the Lakers legit again. Ball thrived in Summer League. He was the MVP during his rookie season in fact, at Summer League. But that didn't really translate to much winning for the Lakers during Ball's rookie season. The Lakers just weren't a very good team during his two year tenure. Ball did make second team all rookie, but Kyle Kuzma had surpassed him and was a first team all rookie. His second season wasn't much better, which ended after 50 games due to surgery.

Then LeBron James joined the Lakers and the front office decided they needed to make some changes. Ball, along with some other players and picks, namely Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram, were traded to the Pelicans for Anthony Davis. That worked out really well for the Lakers. They have the 2020 championship banner hanging in their stadium. As for Ball, all the potential he had was starting to feel wasted in New Orleans. He had his moments, again, the dude can ball. But he never really found much of a groove in New Orleans, again getting passed by a teammate, Brandon Ingram. He did have a solid season during the 20-21 year. He was molded into a three and d player, and that seemed to best suit his skills at that point. He was never the best point guard, so taking him off the ball seemed like an easy option. He parlayed that into a deal with the Chicago Bulls.

During his first season he almost immediately got hurt. He would eventually need surgery and be ruled out for that whole season. He then missed the next season getting his previous surgery and some clean up work. He never felt too comfortable when he tried to return that season, which pushed him to get his previous work checked out, and that led to the extra procedures. He would eventually return to the Bulls lineup in 2022, but he never really found any of the success he had with the Lakers or the Pelicans. While with the Bulls he played only 35 total games. He never really looked like himself again. He had to put up videos to prove to some media members that he was trying to get back to playing basketball. That's never a good sign in a player's career. He ended up with the Cavs last year, saw time in about 35 games and was eventually traded to the Jazz, who waived him immediately.

Now we have this announcement and rebuttal and no one really knows what's next for Ball. Ball was a highly sought after recruit who was a one and done player at UCLA., He was good enough to be the second overall pick in his draft class, but that never translated to much success in the pros. Most people will most likely remember his father's rants more than anything Ball did in the NBA. He has been surpassed as a pro by his brother, LaMelo, by a mile. LaMelo is a big time guard who has a shot to finally play some meaningful playoff games in Minnesota. Lonzo never really had that opportunity. He also never gave himself that opportunity. It can most likely be linked to all the injuries, but I also think he never lived up to the hype and potential. Ball had his most success as a three and d player, but that didn't fit the image that he and his father created. Ball wanted to be the focal point of a contending team. But he didn't have that skill set. If he had accepted the role of a fifth starter, who could make open shots and shut down opposing guards, he may still be on an NBA team right now.

I liked watching Ball play as a rookie, but those days are long, long gone now. If he does retire, his career will be one I remember of unfulfilled potential. He had all the gifts in the world to succeed, but he was derailed by hype and injuries. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ben Simmons is Back

Ben Simmons is back in the NBA. Let’s discuss.

This felt like it was going to happen soon anyway. He was out of the league for a year, but he started posting workout videos, and his usual look at how good my jumbo shot is now type of stuff on social media. I didn't know where he was going to sign, but it felt like it was coming. He ended up with the Kings. And this feels like the right spot for him.

I heard that he may sign back up with the Clippers. That wouldn't have made much sense considering all of the heat they have going on right now. He wouldn't have been able to really show off for the other 29 teams in the NBA if he signed there. They also have Darius Garland and others who need the ball in their hands to be effective. Some people said the Lakers. That makes zero sense. He plays way too slow for what they're doing, he wouldn't help out the offense much, and it looks like this Lakers roster is very disinterested in playing any defense, which may be Simmons best attribute at this point. There was no way he was going back to Philly. It ended so poorly there, and they are clearly going in a different direction, signing LeBron James and all.

There were a few teams where I thought it could work other than Sacramento. The Wizards popped into my brain because, why not? They have such a weird roster, full of random dudes, so why not add Simmons into that mix? He could help Alex Sarr on the defensive end, and maybe take a little ball handling off of Trae Young's plate. He could use a break. Charlotte seemed like maybe due to them trading away LaMelo Ball. I feel like he could set up Kon Knueppel for threes and throw lobs to Brandon Miller. But they have Coby White for that, and Coby White is a far superior shooter to Simmons. I also looked at Cleveland, just for a flyer. He could run the second unit, replace some of the defense Dean Wade left when he signed with Philly and they could even put Simmons, Mobley and Jarrett Allen out there for a monstrous defensive front court. But they would have to give him very little money, and I don't know if Simmons would've accepted that.

I'm sure there's others that did their due diligence on Simmons, but the Kings make the most sense to me because of the state of the franchise. The Kings are going nowhere fast right now. They have let a bunch of good players go for next to nothing, they have missed more than they hit in the draft and they are in the space to take a chance on a guy, just to see what he has left, and if he shows anything, they can flip him for younger players or more cracks at the draft. Darius Acuff is going to get to run the show in Sacramento. They took him in the lottery for the sole purpose to let him score and score as much as he can. Acuff is not going to be asked to pass the ball much or play much defense. They want him to score and put up shots. I would be shocked if Domantas Sabonis is still on this team by the All Star break. He wants out, they want to trade him and I bet he will get his wish. Zach Lavine is untradeable and his best days are behind him. The Kings are giving what seems to be De'Andre Hunter's last shot in the NBA. I thought he was going to be a decent NBA player, but it just hasn't translated to the league. Alex Karaban looks slow and unplayable on the defensive end of the floor. Malik Monk can score, and has seemed to find a home in Sacramento. But he is only getting older, and I have to imagine that at some point in his career he wants to play in meaningful games late into the playoffs. They may still have something in Keegan Murray and Maxine Raynaud. But that is it. So why not take a shot on Simmons? If he can find some version of himself when he was making all NBA teams and winning rookie of the year in Philly, that would be a humongous win for Simmons and the Kings. If he can handle the ball a bit, find Acuff and Murray open for threes or throw a few lobs to Precious Achiuwa and Raynuad, that would be great. If he can step up on the defensive side of the ball and show any kind of true defensive pressure, maybe a contending team will give him a spot.

I know this is a lot of maybes and a lot of stuff he will have to show scouts, but it could happen. I don't think it will though. I think Simmons may have a few decent games here and there, but nothing will really stand out. I think that when he gets back on the floor, his shot will be nonexistent. I think he will be scared to shoot free throws. But I will be watching Simmons and kind of rooting for him. This is a former number 1 overall draft pick who fell off the face of the universe. I'm glad he's back, but he has a ton to prove. Maybe Sacramento is the exact place he should be right now. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

The Hammer Comes for The Clippers

The NBA has levied their punishment against the Clippers, and boy is it big. The Clippers got crushed in fact. I didn't think they would get in much trouble, but I was very wrong.

For people who may not know, the NBA has been investigating the Clippers for about a year now due to some under the table payments given to former player Kawhi Leonard. Apparently this was a way to circumnavigate the salary cap so the Clippers could keep Kawhi on the team as long as possible, and try to build a title contending team around him.

This is very against the rules. It states in the NBA bylaws that stuff like this, namely circumnavigating the salary cap, is very against policy. The Clippers have denied it, and they are still denying it, but they just got their asses handed to them. The owner of the team, Steve Ballmer, has been suspended for a year. Lawrence Frank, the GM, is suspended for the year. Kawhi's uncle, Uncle Dennis, is banned from NBA activities for life, Kawhi has been given a 700,000 dollar fine and the Clippers have to forfeit five future first round picks.

This is brutal. This is a lot. I don't know that any other professional sports team in America has been levied a fine like this. This is right up there with some of the stuff the NCAA used to do back before NIL and when they actually had some kind of power. The Clippers were already in rebuild mode, and this will definitely speed up the process. They let Paul George walk in free agency a year ago. They traded Ivica Zubac during the season last year. They traded Kawhi before all of this stuff went down. They let Ben Mathurin walk in free agency. They are taking on younger players with boom or bust potential and they look to be in the process of trying stuff out. Now they kind of have to continue this for the next, at the very least, five years.

The fines and suspensions levied against the front office is bad enough, but the picks that are going to hurt the most. You can build through the draft. Teams have won doing that. The Bucks got a title out of drafting Giannis. But they also made trades for guys like Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez. Those trades involved draft picks. The Lakers have always found a way to get a title, usually through trades. Those trades involve coveted future draft picks. They have also made trades on draft night, when picks are also available to move. The Warriors went on a generational run with a team build through the draft. The draft is important. The draft is where the most research happens. And picks are a known commodity and other teams want that. The Clippers now have zero leverage in any deal they may try to get involved in with another team. Let's say that, maybe next season, the Clippers want to offload guys like Brnadon Ingram, Gradey Dick or Rui Hachumira. They will have no power in any deal. They cannot attach those guys to picks. Other teams won't want to give them any picks either. They will just want to offload bad contracts or unhappy players. And those players will most likely be deep bench guys. How are they going to build around Keaton Wagler and Darius Garland now? They traded James Harden last year and took a big shot on Garland. When Garland plays he has some exceptional talent. But now he is going to have little to no help around him. And if they engage in trade talk, they are not going to be able to bring back any big time players.

I have big feelings that Garland is going to ask out, or when his contract is up, there is no way he is going to stay and re-sign with them. Wagler is an unknown commodity. He has skills, but he has a lot of growth that needs to be shown, and now he won't have as much time as he would have if the Clippers had stayed out of trouble. Brandon Ingram has shown flashes, but he is nowhere near the player people hoped he would be when he was drafted. Gradey Dick has proven nothing to this point. Brook Lopez is old. Bradley Beal is past his prime. Max Strus is always hurt. The Clippers are going to be bad this season, and it is only going to get worse from here. They need Wagler to hit and hit big. But they are not going to have any way of putting a solid, young team around him until he is in his mid 20's. Star players are not going to want to go there until this punishment is up. Any vet that hits is going to ask out. They won't have the benefit of building through the draft until 2032.

This is a mess and one that the Clippers seem not so fit to dig their way out of. This is also going to make other teams become very aware of shady outside dealings and shady family members. Time will tell what this actually makes the Clippers look like. But in the short term, the Clippers are going to be a moribund franchise with no way of getting out of their current state. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Russell Westbrook Calls it a Career

Russell Westbrook shockingly retired from the NBA today. Let’s discuss.

To be honest, I thought he still had some seasons left in him. It always felt like his engine was never going to run out, and if a team was willing to take a chance on him, he'd give it his all. Hell, Sacramento is back to being a dumpster fire, but Westbrook still showed up every single game ready to go and played his ass off every night when he was put in the game. But it was also very aware that his skill set had been diminishing for the past couple of seasons.

I was one of the people who thought he would really help out the Nuggets last season. It seemed like he could bring a good change of pace off the bench and make the Nuggets second unit fast and fun. And while he had his moments, he was basically played out of the rotation in the playoffs. He just couldn't keep up with the youth of the Timberwolves.

His two previous seasons, with the Clippers, was a nice homecoming, but it didn't change much for that franchise. They still found ways to blow it in the playoffs, or every important player was injured when it came down to the important games. He also missed 2/3 of his first season with the Clippers. That was when the injuries really started to rear their head.

But it was the three seasons before that, all with the Lakers, that really showed me, a big fan of his, that he might have been washed up. LeBron wanted him in LA, on his team, and it was a total mess. Those Lakers teams never meshed, and Westbrook seemed like the common scapegoat for all of their issues. He did last three seasons with the team, but he only held them back. He never averaged more than 18 points, and his explosive athleticism was diminishing rapidly.

Before his time with the Lakers, Westbrook was one of my favorite players to watch. During his time with the Thunder he was easily one of my favorite players and, I don't think I'm speaking out of line here, was one of the 15 best players in the whole league. We are talking about a player who averaged a triple double over multiple seasons. I know some of the stat-obsessed nerds, the analytic guys, the Zach Lowe's of the world, all tried to downplay what he did, but what he did was incredible. I was all about him winning his MVP. He kept the Thunder as a playoff caliber team after Kevin Durant left them for the Warriors. That was when Westbrook was at his best. He wouldn't let that team crumble and become a joke. He played super hard every night, did whatever it took for that team to win enough games to be in the playoffs and more than earned his MVP. He kept me being a Thunder fan for a few years after KD left. It wasn't because they had Serge Ibaka or Andre Roberson. It was all about Westbrook. He took the necessary leap and proved that he was the type of player that could lead the team. But that didn't translate to much playoff success, unfortunately. Westbrook did all that he could and then some, but when you are surrounded by mid level exception players, first and second round exits are the norm. And even when Westbrook left and went to the Rockets, I held no ill will towards him. He had won an MVP, been an all NBA player, did something no player had done since Oscar Robertson, but he didn't have the championship that most pros crave. He probably also wanted to team up with James Harden again. That didn't work out, and that was when the journeyman part of his career began. I mentioned the Kings, Nuggets, Clipper and Lakers. He also had a top in Houston, as mentioned before, and he even spent a season with the Wizards, teaming up with Bradley Beal and making the Wizards a playoff caliber team. But it was those Thunder years that I will remember most. The way he would fly up and down the floor. His vicious attacks at the rim on a drive. The way he would snag rebounds and get a fastbreak started. His elbow jumper that felt like it was almost always going in. His deep breath before shooting a free throw. That is the Russell Westbrook I will think about when I look back on his career.

My biggest question though, the one I just debated with my son about, as much as I adore Westbrook, I do not think he will be a Hall of Fame player in the end. He has all the big awards, but he is incredibly polarizing, and he doesn't have that ring. I think that maybe, with some time away, more and more people will grow to respect what he did, and realize he had a great career, but I just don't think he is Hall of Fame caliber. I also wouldn't rule out a return. If some team needs a last season addition at point guard, or wants a veteran to help out a rookie, I'd call Westbrook before anyone else. Time will tell. But for now, enjoy retirement Russ. You have earned a much deserved rest from basketball. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Thoughts on LeBron Going to Philadelphia

LeBron James has made his decision on where he will play basketball this upcoming season. He chose, after some long deliberation, the Philadelphia 76ers. Let’s discuss.

The 76ers were always mentioned as a possible team, but it felt far fetched. It doesn't go along with his narrative, he has no ties to the city, he has never had to face them in any high pressure situations, it sounded like a pipe dream to me. I even wrote a few weeks back how I thought that Cleveland was the best option, and I would have put Miami next and then Golden State before I even ranked Philly. But here we are, and I have some thoughts.

First off, I love that he chose the 76ers. Of all the teams mentioned, this one seems like the easiest fit for him as a player. He can come in right away and be the point guard. Tyrese Maxey isn't a point guard, he's a legit 2 guard. VJ Edgecombe may eventually be the point guard, but he can now learn how to play it properly playing with James. Jaylen Brown is better off the ball, and Joel Embiid has never, ever wanted ball handling duties. This is a seamless fit for, what I believe to be, James' best option at this point in his career. Labaron Philon is a rookie, so we, much like Edgecombe, will get valuable time learning from one of the best to ever play. Anfernee Simons is a shooter. Dean Wade is too big to be a point guard, and they brought him in for defense anyway. Caleb Love is a 2, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who they are about to sign, is a veteran 3 and D guy. The 76ers needed someone they could trust to bring the ball up the floor and run the offense.

Another advantage Philly has over a team like Cleveland, LeBron won't have to be superhuman on defense. I know that Embiid's health is, and always will be, a major issue. But when he is on the floor he is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. I think Jaylen Brown is one of the better two way players in the league. He goes hard on both ends, and he has to guard the opponents best players a lot of nights. Edgecombe showed growth on that end last season, and Maxey is an ever improving defensive guy. Dean Wade, as mentioned before, is a solid defender. They brought in Andre Drummond for defense. Maybe they will turn Philon Jr into a defense first guard. The 76ers have way more, and way better, defensive options than the Cavs. If James' decision was solely based on defense, Miami may have been the better choice, but Philly is no slouch.

I also think he may have chosen the 76ers because it is all gravy for him at this point. He's done everything and then some than any NBA player could ever dream of doing. He has rings, MVP trophies, Finals MVP trophies, is a perenial all NBA guy and people seem to love him. If he can make Philly a legit title contender, or even win one with them in the next two seasons, his legend will only grow from there.

Now, as with everything, there look to be some downsides to this as well. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe like to fly up and down the floor. That was when the 76ers were at their best last season. When they gave the keys to those guys and just let them run, the 76ers looked like a fun team. I fear, with James being the guy with the ball in his hands most of the time, those two won't get as many opportunities to run, and that could stifle their growth as the focal points of the team. And don't get it twisted, this is Tyrese Maxey's team now. He is the one they are trying to keep and build around. Adding Jaylen Brown was a big deal, but Maxey is the number one guy. Getting James to sign was awesome, but he has to know this is Maxey's team. I assume Embiid figured that out last season when he played and his post touches went way down. Maxey is the dude here, and Edgecombe is the clear number two guy. I don't think James will stifle them much, but any hindrance would be worrisome for me.

Joel Embiid and LeBron staying on the floor for long periods of time will be a problem as well. LeBron will be 42 in December. I will be 44 in December and getting older is tough on the body. LeBron James is a medical marvel, but time catches up to all of us at some point. And we all know Embiid's story way too well. He is such a supernova talent, but he is barely ever healthy. And he gets weird injuries too. It's not always your typical stuff.

I also worry that James may want to bring in "his guys". They have already done that with Caldwell-Pope. But what if he wants some of his other buddies to come to Philly? Russell Westbrook needs a new team, but that would not be so good for Philly. I know DeMar DeRozan is a free agent, but he is far too old to team him up with Edgecombe and Maxey in the backcourt. I heard that James may have wanted to team up with Kyrie Irving again, but if Philly were to trade for him, they would have to trade some good, young talent.

LeBron James comes with a host of great things, but there's also some issues too. I think Philly is done adding players. I fully believe they're all set now. They have one of the best starting fives in the NBA, if they can all stay on the floor. They are going to be a blast to watch. Again, I love that James chose this squad over all the other options. But I will be watching to see if anything looks funky or weird as we get deeper into the season. As of right now though, LeBron going to the 76ers makes them a legit title contender, and one of the top four teams in the East in my opinion. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

The Grizzlies Need to Trade D'Angelo Russell Away

The Grizzlies finally got off of their former three top players, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane, all within the past year. While I am bummed to see them go, this had to be done.

I wrote about them blowing that team up. Morant had become an off-court issue, Bane was traded out of nowhere, as was Jackson, and the team seemed to be running nowhere fast. They weren't playing all that well, and a change felt necessary. When Morant was finally traded, this included the Grizzlies acquiring D'Angelo Russell. I was not a fan of this move, but to get Morant out of the building, they had to take on Russell's contract.

My issue with Russell, he is a hollow scorer. His points mean nothing in the long run. He can fill up the stat sheet, but if you look at his team's success, it is not really there. He has never been the focal point of a team that has made deep playoff runs. And he is horrendous on the defensive end of the floor. I just didn't like the fit with what it looks like the Grizzlies are trying to do.

This version of the Grizz is going young and looks like they want to fly down the court. Drafting Cam Boozer was such a big deal and it was that decision that made me happiest with what the Grizzlies are trying to build now. Boozer is as NBA ready as any prospect in this past draft. He does need to improve defensively, but he is already there as an offensive player. He will score in bunches, can find open teammates, and I'd love to see the offense run through him in the very near future. Cedric Coward had an excellent rookie season, looked very good in Summer League and will be taking on even more of a lead role with this team now. He is a silent assassin, and I love that about him. He also looks like he has the chops to be a very solid defender in the NBA. Zach Edey has all the tools to dominate and be a great rim protector. He just has to stay healthy. That has been his biggest issue since he entered the league. But when he is on the floor, he is a monster. I'm super high on Karim Lopez. I feel like they got him much later than he should have been drafted, and he can fill Brandon Clarke's, RIP, role on this team. I think Jermari Grant and Isaiah Stewart can slide right into their roles as veteran leaders on this team. I'm excited to see what a healthy Ty Jerome, and what more minutes GG Jackson can provide this team. I think Walter Clayton Jr can be a solid backup point guard. I really like Scotty Pippen Jr, and even think he can start for them at point guard this season. I still believe in Jaylen Wells. Cam Spencer showed me a few things last season that intrigued me. And I want to see what O-Max Prosper and Quentin Post can bring to this squad.

So, looking up and down this roster, as I just did, Russell doesn't feel like a very good fit. I think he would take much needed touches and shots away from guys like Jackson, Pippen Jr, Jerome and Clayton Jr. He would try to run the offense on his own instead of letting it go through Boozer. I don't think he would ever have any consistency finding Edey on pick and roll lobs at the rim. Russell has his place in the NBA, but that should be with a team that doesn't really have any shot at winning meaningful games. He is an empty stats guy. He has never shown that he can get off the ball and run around screens. His defense, as mentioned before, is terrible. He may be a locker room menace. Basically, if the Grizzlies can get anything of note for him, they need to do that ASAP. The longer he stays on this roster, the more of a headache he will cause. And I fear he would stunt the growth of the younger guys they should be building around already. By all accounts the Grizzlies are looking to move him. I just hope it gets done soon, as in, today.

We shall see. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Thought on the Jaylen Brown Trade

Now that I had over a week to sit on it and think about it, I'm ready to discuss the Jaylen Brown trade.

For people that don't know, or don't follow basketball, Jaylen Brown was traded from the Celtics to the 76ers for Paul George and two future first round picks.

On paper this seems pretty tame. I'm still floored that this is what the Celtics and Brad Stevens settled for in a deal for a player that just finished sixth in MVP voting and proved that he can be the leader of a team that vaults to the number 2 seed. Sure, the Celtics were beaten in the first round of the playoffs, to the 76ers no less, but still, the Celtics had a better year than most expected and Jaylen Brown more than proved his worth.

I know that Brown is a divisive player in the NBA. I happen to really like the way he plays basketball. He is a two way player, he has a knack for getting to the rim, he can throw it down, his three point shot is better and he really gets after it defensively. Me, much like almost every other writer, thought the Celtics were going to struggle going into last season. Jayson Tatum was supposed to be out the whole season after tearing his ACL in the playoffs last year. The Celtics let Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday walk out of the door. They took chances on guys like Luka Garza and Neemias Queta. They looked like they were going to take a massive step back. Jaylen Brown would have none of it. He was a man on a mission this season and he balled the hell out. The Celtics started strong and never wavered. Even when Tatum came back, much to the surprise of everyone, Brown accepted his new role and did whatever it took for the Celtics to win. Yes he struggled in round one versus the 76ers. Yes he put too much pressure on himself. Yes he forced the issue. But he led this team all season to the number 2 seed. He showed that he has what it takes to win a ton of regular season games. He has a Finals MVP to his name. He is one of the best two way players in the league. And all the Celtics could get was George and some picks that should not be all that good.

I am a Paul George fan. Let that be known. But he has fallen off a cliff since one of his last seasons in LA. He had that one year where he helped lead the Clippers to the West Finals. But since then he has been too often injured or too focused on his podcast or getting suspended for supposedly taking a banned substance. He is not the player he once was, and that is just an unfortunate realism at this point. The Celtics basically got older at the exact same position, have to pay almost the same amount of money to a lesser player and they have picks that are essentially useless for them to use, unless they can find a trade partner.

I don't know if the Celtics are done making moves either. That has to be said. But this move is baffling. Brad Stevens has this aura about him. I feel like he is supposed to be one of the better GM's in the NBA, not named Sam Presti. Everyone applauded him when the Celtics overachieved this year. People say he has a knack for finding hidden gems in the draft. But this trade does not sit so well for me. Jaylen Brown makes the 76ers instantly better than the Celtics now, in my opinion. Tatum is an incredible player for them to have, but he doesn't have much firepower next to him now. Payton Pritchard is an okay player, but he is not on Brown's level. I like that they signed Mitchell Robinson, but he gets hurt a lot, cannot shoot free throws and tends to be played out of games. Derrick White is on the wrong side of his prime. Garza and Queta probably just had their best seasons, so I don't see them repeating last year ever again. Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman better pop like they hope they will. And now they have an old and, possibly washed, Paul George.

On the other side, the 76ers have Brown, Maxey and Edgecombe. That should strike fear in a bunch of East teams. They may be getting LeBron, which would make them a lethal offense. Joel Embiid is always hurt, but I'd much rather have him on my roster than Garza or Queta. They signed Anfernee Simons, who will only help their bench scoring. Dean Wade should get some solid run and adds good defense. And I love the Labaron Philon Jr pick. The 76ers got much better while the Celtics got worse and older.

The Celtics hater in me loves that they did this. But the basketball fan in me is so confused and baffled by this. Anyway, Jaylen Brown got out of Boston, which he wanted, and now he will have multiple chances to show up the Celtics every single season and in the playoffs. And I cannot wait to watch him do it time and again.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Where Does LeBron Best Fit?

It looks like LeBron James is down to three teams he is looking to sign with for the next season. The reported three teams are the Heat, 76ers and Cavs. I don't know why the Warriors are already out of it, maybe because the Wizards have said they don't want to move Anthony Davis, but this is the most updated thing I have seen so far. The three teams in the running all make sense to me.

The 76ers need a player like James. If they were able to add him to the team, they could be pretty lethal. The backcourt is set with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Both of those guys are legit. Maxey proved his all pro capability last season. He went to the next level. He is ascending to being a star at this point. The 76ers should build around him. They just added Jaylen Brown, in one of the wilder trades I've seen in recent history. He is going to be on another level this season. He is out to prove some people wrong, and Brown is too good a player not to show them up. He may have one of the better seasons we have seen in some time. Joel Embiid is the center. He cannot stay healthy, but he was an MVP as of late. When he was on the floor last season, the 76ers were great. With less of a load, Embiid could play more than usual, and that usually spells more victories for the 76ers. It's that 4 spot that seems lacking. All indications were that Dean Wade was going to start after they signed him as a free agent. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have a 41 year old LeBron James starting than Dean Wade. James knows the East, he can help push the 76ers to make a deeper playoff push and would put them as a top 6 team right away if he signs there. I do think the fit next to Brown may be a little rough at first, but both guys are smart enough and good enough that they will figure it out. This team would be able to speed up games and slow teams down if need be. But, I do think that the 76ers want to go faster. Edgecombe and Maxey are speedy players, and when they pushed the tempo last season, they played much better basketball.

The Heat make sense if they want to push for a title right away. Need we forget, they just traded for Giannis. Pairing Giannis and LeBron would be pretty tight if you ask me. I'd love to see the two of them on the same team. The pick and roll would be dope. Giannis would get some great passes from James. Giannis and James could make some nice music defensively. Add in the rest of the starting five, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Bam Adebayo, this team would be hellacious on defense. James also has capability with Erik Spoelstra, and apparently he has repaired his relationship with Pat Riley. The depth would still be an issue. I don't really know who comes off the bench. They would have to scrape the bottom of the barrell for league minimum guys. But James has made that work in the past. The problem though, this is not the past and both James and Giannis, especially Giannis as of late, are both often injured. Injuries would be the biggest and most pressing issue with this version of the Heat. I do think that this would push them up, past the 76ers in fact, if James were to sign on with the Heat. But the fear of injury may be too big of a risk for the Heat to actually pull this off. They also may not have the money to get him in the door anyway.

Finally we have the Cavs. This one makes the most sense for a myriad of reasons, and I think this is how it will actually play out in the end. Cleveland is his home. He is a legend there. He won them a title for the first time in 50 plus years back in 2016. He had some of his best years with the Cavs. And they have a solid roster for the first time since he went back in the mid 2010's. They just re-upped Dononvan Mitchell. He is the future of the team and he is the current best player on the team. James Harden is most likely going to come back. I know he wants to play with James, and I'm pretty sure James wants to play with him too, outside of Team USA basketball. Evan Mobley would find life much easier on the offensive end of the floor playing with James. He would get so many more open looks and runs to the rim. Max Strus could spell him for minutes. They are apparently leaving space open for Bronny to come play with them. They have some solid rookies and vets they can rely on coming off the bench. And Kenny Atkinson, for all his faults, is a solid NBA head coach. They would most likely have to let Jarrett Allen walk, which would sting, but if it means getting James to come back home, I bet they would do it in a heartbeat.

Going back home for James makes the most sense and I see this being the only outcome in the end. Time will tell, but I would be surprised if James isn't wearing a Cavs jersey to start the 2026-27 season. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

The Memphis Grizzlies Have a Bright Future

Before I go out of town next week and take that time off from writing, I wanted to leave you all with one more piece that involves the NBA. It has been a big basketball week, but with the draft and trades, it was at the forefront of my mind. So, before I bid you all adieu for one short week, I want to talk about how the Grizzlies have reinvigorated my fandom.

It has been tough to be a Grizzlies fan the past couple seasons. They flamed out two years ago to the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and they were not very good and injury riddled all last season. Throw in all the off court stuff with Ja Morant, inexplicably trading Jaren Jackson Jr last year and letting Taylor Jenkins go before the playoffs two years ago. The Grizzlies have been a dumpster fire for about two years now, but this past week they have been making moves.

They started off the week with a bang on Tuesday night when they drafted Cam Boozer third overall. This is who I wanted them to take and they snagged him as soon as they realized he was going to be available. He is the type of player they can build around. He is a smart and savvy basketball player. He is going to average close to 20 points right away. He is a solid rebounder and passer already. His defense needs to improve, and I have no doubt that it will in due time. Memphis is going to love this kid, he will most likely love it there. He is NBA ready and looks like he may be the top rookie in this class. I fully believe he has the front position on winning rookie of the year next season. I'm so stoked about Boozer.

The Grizzlies traded down a bit in the first round, they originally had the 16th pick in round one as well, but they moved down to 21. Here they took Karim Lopez. This kid is tough. He has been playing professionally in New Zealand against dudes bigger and meaner than him and he thrived. He is a hard nosed rebounder. He doesn't take any garbage from anyone. He can get tough buckets. Bigger NBA players aren't going to intimidate him like they will other rookie players. And again, the city is going to love his toughness and his demeanor. He feels like a silent assassin. He looks young, but the guy is no joke. I feel like he can be this new roster's version of Steven Adams. He will only get bigger and stronger working with NBA trainers and I feel like he may be one of my favorite players in a very short time.

I'm even excited about the kid from BYU they took in round 2, Richie Saunders. I didn't know much about him until they drafted and then I went and checked out some clips of him on the internet. He was the second best player on that BYU team, behind AJ Dybansta obviously. But Saunders is not without his skill set. He can step out and shoot the ball. He tries very hard on defense. If he is open he will make shots. He has a toughness to him too.

That has me most stoked with this draft class, these three kids look like they have the mentality and bodies that are already set for the NBA. The Grizzlies got the most polished player in the draft in Boozer, they got one tough son of a gun in Lopez and they are taking a shot on a guy that can give them solid bench minutes in the long run. I love it. They were also able to acquire Isaiah Stewart from the Pistons for some second round picks. Again, they feel like they're going back to their roots of being tough and mean and physical and opponents will hate to play them. Stewart is one of my favorite players currently in the league. He doesn't back down from anyone. He is also a good rebounder and a surprisingly good shot blocker. He will also protect the young guys if they need it as well.

Peering out and taking a deeper look in this roster, they really only have one more thing to do to make this offseason an absolute home run for me, and that is finding a way to trade Ja Morant. I loved Morant, but he messed up and now he seems disengaged and wants out. I say let him go. Trade him to Sacramento or Brooklyn and try and get some picks. Hell, that may be all they can get for him at this point. But the time has come for both Morant and Memphis to move on.

The Grizzlies have a new franchise building block in Boozer. They have young guys to put around him in Cedric Coward and Zach Edey. Stewart is going to most likely start. Lopez will get extended minutes. I'm ready to watch GG Jackson fire the ball at the rim 20 times a night. They took a flyer on Walter Clayton Jr in the JJJ trade, so let's see if he can bring some of that college magic to the NBA. Santi Aldama can still stretch the floor a bit. They still have Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr under contract. Those guys have some kind of value. Hell, I'd even give Olivier-Maxence Prosper some extended minutes just to see what he has.

Look, the Grizzlies won't be very good this season, but they are trending in the right direction for me. I like what they accomplished this week. I'm excited to watch them again. I will be happy when they finally move Morant. This wasn't the case last season. But the moves this week have me pumped. I cannot wait to watch this team learn, grow and become good together. I'm happy to be a Grizzlies fan once again. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.