NBA SQUAD: Rockets Fred VanVleet Injury Nightmare, Media Day Wishes, Can the Thunder Level Up Again

Summary

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Locked On Celtics / NBA Squad Show:

Rockets' Fred VanVleet Injury Nightmare, Media Day Preview, and Can the Thunder Level Up Again?
Locked On Podcast Network / John Karalis & NBA Squad (09/26/2025)

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Episode Overview

This episode is a special Squad Show crossover, featuring hosts from across the Locked On Podcast Network. Rather than focusing solely on the Boston Celtics, the panel dives into the fallout from Fred VanVleet's injury on Houston's title hopes, key questions heading into Media Day around the league, and whether the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder can repeat or even level up. The discussion is lively, opinionated, and crammed with big-picture insights about the 2025-26 NBA season.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fred VanVleet Injury & the Rockets’ Contender Status

(Starts ~03:30)

• Immediate Fallout:
  Host Nick Angst opens the discussion on how VanVleet's injury derails Houston’s championship plans, highlighting his unique role as a stabilizing ballhandler, shooter, and playoff presence.

  • "Fred VanVleet was our most important player." – Nick Angst (03:30)

• Are the Rockets Still Contenders?
  Rylan Styles (Locked On Thunder) and others agree Houston will remain a strong regular season force but are now a clear step behind the Thunder and Nuggets for title contention.

  • "Without Fred, the Rockets… don’t have enough in that [playmaking] category." – Rylan Styles (04:22)

• Lack of Playmaking Depth:
  The loss exposes a lack of secondary creators and dependable ballhandlers, especially in setting up stars like Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson.

• Possible Moves:
  Matt Moore (Locked On Nuggets) suggests a trade for a player such as Colin Sexton, acknowledging there’s no true VanVleet replacement available midseason.

  • "Colin Sexton is like the answer here... You're not going to get a replacement-level Fred VanVleet. There aren't any." – Matt Moore (09:13)

• Tier Talk:
  Consensus is that Houston drops to a second or third tier in the West, behind OKC and Denver.

  • "To me, it would be a disappointment to see Denver or Oklahoma City lose to Houston [in a playoff series]." – Danny Cunningham (10:25)
  • Rockets now grouped with Minnesota, Clippers, Lakers, Mavs, rather than with the top two. (11:07)

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2. Thunder’s Path to a Repeat and Evolution of Contenders

(Thunder discussion from 17:04 onward)

• Sustaining Elite Defense:
  The show dives into how tough it is to maintain a historic defense year-to-year.

  • "Defense is sticky, but elite defense is not. If you're a good defense, you'll be a good defense... but replicating these juggernaut performances is very difficult." – Matt Moore (20:20)

• Innovation is Key:
  The NBA’s copycat nature means teams will try to solve (and replicate) OKC’s defensive schemes, so the Thunder must adapt to stay ahead.

  • "You can't win a title doing the exact same thing... It doesn't work that way in the NBA." – Philip Rossman-Reich (17:56)

• Youth & Internal Growth:
  Internal improvement is high on the Thunder’s agenda, with particular focus on Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

  • "Their big move this summer was to bring everybody back and bank on all these guys getting better... [It] could be the difference in repeating or falling in line with history." – Danny Cunningham (19:04)

• Defensive Regression Stats:
  The panel shares stats that teams with the No. 1 defensive rating usually regress the following season, but OKC’s depth and offense may compensate.

• Possible Pitfalls:
  Chemistry, player motivation, injury variance, and young players wanting “their turn” all loom as possible issues.

  • "You don't just run it back because something always happens... At what point does someone say 'Hey, I want my turn, I want to get mine a little bit'?" – Philip Rossman-Reich (23:24)

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3. Media Day: Most Intriguing Storylines & Questions

(31:00 onward)

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Evan Mobley's Leap:
  Anticipation over Evan Mobley’s physical and skill development (“muscle watch”), which could move the Cavs into true contender status.

  • "If Evan Mobley is a top-five player at the end of the year... the Cavs are going to win the title." – Rylan Styles (30:15)

• Roster Tweaks:
  Emphasis on improving defensive balance, especially by adding less “one-way” rotation players.

Orlando Magic

• Shooting Questions:
  Desperation to see if the Magic will finally knock down shots, and how Desmond Bane will fit with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

  • "First thing we want to know is are they going to actually make shots this year? Because that would be nice." – Philip Rossman-Reich (31:46)

• Jalen Suggs’ Health:
  Recovery from an off-season knee procedure leaves a big question mark for point guard stability.

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Nicola Topic’s Role:
  The only “real” question: Will their new playmaking prospect see meaningful time or develop in the G-League?

  • "Nikola Topic is like the only question out there for this Thunder team heading into the season." – Danny Cunningham (34:50)

• Measured Confidence:
  Rylan Styles exudes quiet confidence (“measured boasting”), projecting internal stability.

Denver Nuggets

• Nikola Jokic’s Attitude:
  Watching for any signs of frustration or renewed energy from Jokic at Media Day, especially after last year’s “miserable” but brilliant individual season.

  • "He had what is probably... the best single offensive season in NBA history and was miserable the entire time because he knew that team wasn't good enough." – Matt Moore (36:00)

• Bench and New Staff:
  Adjustments under David Adelman and unresolved questions about the bench and player extensions.

General

• Media Day “Bingo”:
  Each fanbase has recurring cliches (“Kyrie Irving is ahead of schedule” in Dallas, “A.D. not a center” in L.A.), and the hosts joke about predicting or dreading which ones will appear.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Houston’s Playoff Ceiling:
  "The ball handling and playmaking really matters in that setting. And without Fred, I think the Rockets... don’t have enough in that category."
  – Rylan Styles (04:22)

• Regarding the “Ifs” for Houston:
  "The good news for the Rockets is actually that they have a lot of positive ifs in this situation... If Amen Thompson makes a huge jump... if they make that leap, it can compensate for the Fred VanVleet injury."
  – Matt Moore (05:20)

• On Maintaining Defensive Greatness:
  "Defense is sticky, but elite defense is not... you can't just run it back. You gotta be something new every season in the NBA."
  – Matt Moore (20:20)

• Thunder’s X-Factor:
  "Their big move this summer was to bring everybody back and bank on all these guys getting better... and particularly Chet Holmgren and even Jalen Williams."
  – Danny Cunningham (19:04)

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Important Timestamps

• 03:30 – How Fred VanVleet’s injury impacts Houston
• 04:51 – Are the Rockets true contenders anymore?
• 09:13 – The Colin Sexton trade scenario for Houston
• 10:25–11:07 – Western Conference tiers post-injury
• 15:48 – Compared flaws: Houston vs Denver
• 17:04 – Assessing OKC’s defense and how teams adjust to champions
• 20:20 – Defensive regression stats (“defense is sticky but elite is not”)
• 23:24 – Potential harmony/ego issues for a young Thunder team
• 30:15 – Cavs’ Media Day: Mobley’s development as a potential title-swing player
• 31:46 – Magic’s Media Day: Will they ever shoot?
• 34:50 – Thunder’s only question: Nicola Topic’s integration
• 36:00 – Nuggets’ Media Day focus: Jokic’s attitude and team buy-in
• 41:00 – Mavericks “Bingo” for Media Day tropes

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Panelists

• Nick Angst (Locked On NBA Game Night / Locked On Mavs, Host)
• Philip Rossman-Reich (Locked On Magic)
• Rylan Styles (Locked On Thunder)
• Danny Cunningham (Locked On Cavs)
• Matt Moore (Locked On Nuggets / Locked On NBA Daily)

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Episode Tone

Conversational, irreverent, geeky, informed, and full of friendly jabs. The hosts blend deep analysis with podcast banter, never shying away from bold claims but also highlighting just how unpredictable (and entertaining) the NBA offseason remains.

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For First-Time Listeners

If you missed the episode, you’ll come away understanding why VanVleet’s injury is a seismic shift for Houston, the perennial difficulty of defending a title, and a sense of the “pulse” and burning questions for several top teams heading into Media Day. The panel’s sharp insights and levity make for a fast-moving and engaging primer on the coming NBA season.

Transcript

[Nick Angst]

It's the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day.

[Dana]

Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.

[Jeff Bridges]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[Dana]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T Mobile commercial like you teach me. So Dana.

[Jeff Bridges]

Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at t mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Dana]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Nice.

[Jeff Bridges]

Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

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[Dana]

So what are we having for launch?

[Jeff Bridges]

Dude, my work here is done.

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[Philip Rossman-Reich]

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[Rylan Styles]

There in time for International Sleep day.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

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[Rylan Styles]

And International Sleep Day is tomorrow.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Luckily, AT&T 5G lets you deal with.

[Rylan Styles]

Any issues with ease so the pillows.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you.

[Rylan Styles]

AT&T 5G requires a compatible plan and.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Device coverage not available everywh there.

[Rylan Styles]

Learn [e-mail] 5G Network.

[Nick Angst]

On today's show, it's the Locked On NBA Squad show. We take over the feed of your favorite show and we're all in here talking about Fred Van Vliet's injury. We talk about things that we want to see at Media Day. We talk about what the Thunder need to do to level up this season, all coming up right here. Locked In. NBA Squad starts now.

[Matt Moore]

You are talking ball with the NBA.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Squad show sponsored by Game Time. From the warriors to the Lakers, the.

[Matt Moore]

Knicks to the Heat and everyone else.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

In the league, the local experts of.

[Matt Moore]

The Locked On Podcast network bring you all the scoops, breakdowns and the most comprehensive look across the league.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Trash talk and big takes included. No holding back.

[Matt Moore]

We're giving the green light.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

It's time to talk NBA Quad show.

[Nick Angst]

And welcome into the Lockdown NBA Squad show where we take over the feed of your favorite show. I'm Nick Angst, that host of Locked in NBA game night Locked On Mavs. I'm joined by some of the greats on the Lockdown podcast network from Locked on Magic, Philip Rossman Reich. How are the magic. Is it magic down there?

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

It's. It's magical. Well, you know, we're eager to get this thing started after the summer they.

[Nick Angst]

Had from the reigning champion Thunder Locked On Thunder Rylan Styles. Does the trophy still shine or if all the fingerprints dinged it a little bit?

[Danny Cunningham]

They have a professional cleaner every night so it's still shiny and new.

[Nick Angst]

And the host that everyone loves to hate, Matt Moore from Locked on NBA Daily, Locked On Nuggets Matt Moore. How goes Denver?

[Matt Moore]

Good. They're excited, which I'm the only person that has a fall happening right now. Three of you are. No, falls are changing. It's like 70 degrees outside. It's crisp. It's pumpkin spice season for those that, that partake.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

It's great.

[Nick Angst]

I'll join you. I'll join you in December here from Dallas.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

What is up January 1st.

[Nick Angst]

We may end up somewhere completely different like we do on the squad show and but let's talk about Fred Van Vliet. Let's talk about his injury and how it affects the entire Western Conference because to me, I think with the Fred Van Vliet injury, they lost their most valuable player. Like Kevin Durant is their best player for sure. Amen Thompson is probably their most important player going forward. Shangun could be their best player this season if KD takes a little dip down because of age. But I think Fred Van Vliet was our most important player. Danny Cunningham locked on Cavs joining. And as soon as I was done with the introductions, Danny, that's how I.

[Rylan Styles]

Wanted to do it. I wanted to time it up to just make you look bad.

[Nick Angst]

Are the Rockets no longer contenders?

[Rylan Styles]

I mean, I think that they're going to be really good, but like, I don't view them as a team right now because of the FEV injury and even before. So, like, I just think it's really unlikely that somebody other than Denver or OKC comes out of the West. I don't think that they're capable of winning the title this year. That doesn't mean they're not going to be really, really good. I think they are going to be really, really good. But I just don't know that they're going to have enough to hold up in the playoffs. Because I just think that ball handling and playmaking really matters in that setting. And without Fred, I think the Rockets are just. They don't have enough in that category. Now, of course they can go out and make a move, but teams that make moves in season very rarely win the championship too. So I would say no.

[Matt Moore]

So I think maybe one of the ancient questions here is to frame it. We're basing this off of known knowns. This is. I have a really hard time with preseason because everyone gets together and we all agree these teams are going to be good, these teams are going to be bad, these teams are going to be mid. And then oftentimes, like, we all knew the Thunder were going to be great and they were great. They were better than we thought though, right? And we all knew that some certain teams were going to be bad. We know they were going to be that bad. Right? The Jazz weren't supposed to be that bad. But it's those outcomes that we don't expect and was part of it is you almost have to plug in. I do this, this kind of exercise with every team I evaluate in preseason. How many ifs do you have? And the good news for the Rockets is actually that they have a lot of positive ifs in this situation. Like, yes, Fev. Losing Fev is terrible. If Amen Thompson makes a huge jump and he just like his three point shot comes around and he is that two way menace, okay, that fundamentally reshapes what they're gonna be like. If he's the most improved player leader, that changes their conversation. If Albert Changun surges off of the run by Turkey.

[Nick Angst]

I'm gonna call Jackson real quick just for a correct, correct pronunciation of.

[Matt Moore]

Then if he becomes that player, that can finally reshape things. If Jabari Smith Jr. Makes this kind of a leap, there are these, these kind of things that, that can compensate for the Fred Beverly injury. They are going to miss, like the setting the floor, the ability to be a guard. That's like, I will bring the ball up, I'll give the ball to Kevin Durant and I can space appropriately around him and act as a secondary playmaker. They are, they do not have that right now. And that's big. But it also, their formula was always going to be kind of thunderish where it's like, hey, we've got like one amazing individual isolation player. And then like our general offense is pretty good because we always get stops and so we're always going against a rush defense, but really the answer is like, we win because of our defense. Like that was always going to be their answer. So I think that there, I still consider them to be a serious threat. But now it's like you don't have the finished product coming in. You're gonna have to figure that out by the end of the year.

[Nick Angst]

And it just became harder for them.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Yeah, yeah, I, I feel like, like with Houston, they need that guy though. It's not like they're a veteran group that's been there before. Yes, they made the playoffs last year. Yes, they were the two seed. And I think we kind of forget how good they were last year. So I don't think they'll take a step, step down to being like, they're still gonna be very good, as everyone is saying here. But Fred Van Vliet does something that I think very few players on that Rockets team do. He's a three point shooter. He's a legitimate three point threat. They were, they were, I believe they were near the bottom of the league in three point shooting last year. Not as bad as my team, of course, because no one's as bad as my team, but they were not.

[Nick Angst]

There's a team in Dallas that may rival that this year.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

We'll see.

[Rylan Styles]

Okay, then do it for 10 years after this year and then.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Yeah, for 10 more years. But like, but like when Houston got to the playoffs, you know, it's, it's one thing to get through the regular season, getting to the playoffs. That's where they really need a guy like Fred Van Vliet to kind of balance things out for their star players to be star players. And you know, Houston's gonna be fine. They'll probably still be a home court advantage team. Like Matt said, they're gonna have to figure some things out now. But their goal is to win a championship and I, I just don't know if they have it right now. Again, maybe guys develop, but that, that's not a team with a lot of like true point guards on that team. Like Fred Van Vliet was one of one to make that, that system work.

[Rylan Styles]

And I think one of the things too that matters here is you have to look at what their potential path would be. And Oklahoma City is very obviously standing in their way. And I don't think that you can beat the Thunder unless you have a lot of really good ball handling and playmaking because of the amount of chaos that their defense causes. I think that you just need to have multiple guys on the floor at basically all times that can take care of the basketball, that can create for themselves, that can create for others. Like that I think is one of the biggest things that they make opponents do. They're beatable when you can do that. It's just not very many teams have that formula. And when you take away a guy like Fred Van Vliet, I just think it's really hard for the Rockets to get to that point where they have enough in that category.

[Matt Moore]

Hayes over on lockdown. NBA Daily had the answer for what they should do and it was. It's been rattling around my brain. Making the money work is very perilous. But Colin Sexton is like the answer here. That is like the guy if they are willing to part with one of the centers. Clint Capella, Stephen Adams, like let's say Steve O falls off the cliff this year because Steve O was amazing last year. But it's always about how many miles injury status can he play.

[Nick Angst]

I think they call it a legend.

[Matt Moore]

New Zealand a what? Legion the cliff.

[Nick Angst]

I think they call it a leggy.

[Matt Moore]

In New Zealand allegiance. Okay. If he. If he slipped off the ledgy and is no longer as important because they have Capella as kind of a backup and they're playing more small ball. Right. You can use that as a big chunk of this along with Jayshawn Tate and get a lot of the way there. But that to me is the type of player that you want. If you're like Colin Sexton, well, yeah, you're not going to get a replacement level Fred Van Bleed. There aren't any. Like you're not going to get one. So the. The key is going to have to be to try and find somebody who can like amalgamate those things that he does. Which I think Collins Sexton could.

[Danny Cunningham]

I think that there's still like legitimate threats in the sense of winning a lot of games in the regular season, being a home court advantage team, winning a playoff series. But when it comes to contender status, to me it would be a disappointment to see Denver or Oklahoma City lose to Houston. And that in its of itself makes them not a contender to me. Whereas before this injury they realistically could have beaten one of those teams in the postseason. But now it just really is hard to see the path for them to get through the west and they now have a bunch of question marks just like the rest of the non Thunder Denver teams unlock on maps.

[Nick Angst]

We're trying to put together the tiers of the West. They get Thunder in their tier on their own, then Probably Nuggets tier on their own.

[Danny Cunningham]

Yeah.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Yeah.

[Nick Angst]

Then it's, then it's like Minnesota, Houston, Clippers, Lakers, Mavs.

[Rylan Styles]

Not the Mavs, not the Maps. Like checking to make sure that we were listening when you said Mavis fans.

[Matt Moore]

Like, really think this team that like Isaac Harris from Lockdown Mavericks was like talking today about like, well, yeah, I think it could be like a six seed before Kyrie comes back. D' Angelo Russell is their starting point guard and he's their only one.

[Nick Angst]

You're just talking about one. You're talking about the Rockets getting Colin Sexton. That was going to be like the answer for that.

[Rylan Styles]

Kevin Durant.

[Nick Angst]

We have a man Thompson at home. His name is Cooper Flag. He's six, nine.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

That, that's spanking a lot on Anthony Davis, like playing a full season too.

[Nick Angst]

I mean, obviously. I mean, if, if he's going to, if he's not going to play a full season, then we're not even talking about them as a playing team. But, but they're deep.

[Matt Moore]

They're.

[Nick Angst]

They're really deep team. And Cooper Flag's a big X, you know, big X factor. Like, we don't know exactly what he's going to be Year one, but what if he's Blake Griffin Year one, you know what I mean? Like, all of a sudden, that's huge.

[Matt Moore]

I want to go back. Let's not go down making this about the Mavericks. Always.

[Nick Angst]

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[Dana]

Got donuts.

[Jeff Bridges]

Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage?

[Dana]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T Mobile commercial like you teach me. So Dana.

[Jeff Bridges]

Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly, possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Dana]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Danny Cunningham]

Nice.

[Jeff Bridges]

Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

T Mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition.

[Dana]

So what are we having for launch?

[Jeff Bridges]

Dude, my work here is done.

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[Matt Moore]

To go back to I think where Houston is because I want to make the case that they're in that tier two with Denver. Yeah. So they're the two seed. Last year they won the games. Now a lot of those were they had a stellar record versus teams, the elite teams in in the league. And we were all like, yeah, that's not gonna hold. And then what do you know, it didn't hold. But I actually was pretty encouraged by that first round series versus the warriors because if that young team had gotten in there versus the the veteran veteranship of those creaky old dudes and just falling apart, it would have been like, hey, you may not be 16 players, but they actually like stepped up and responded. Shangun had moments. Jalen Green had a half. Like Amen Thompson had had a half. Like they had these moments along the way. And then you know, Kevin Durant honestly hasn't had a great playoff run recently, which is a little alarming. But I still look at Houston and go, is the defense going to be elite under email? Doka with that athleticism. Yeah. Is the offense probably still going to be really good because they were 12th last year and they had KD. Yeah, like I I Thread Van Bleed is the type of player that I always think is super valuable and nobody pays enough attention to and the numbers always bear out how important he is. But if we're looking at the rest of the West, I think the rest of those teams all have like, big, glaring, flaming issues, more than Houston does with the loss of their, you know, secondary playmaker spot up floor.

[Rylan Styles]

General. Well, if we're going to put them in the same tier as Denver, what's Denver's big glaring, flaming issue?

[Matt Moore]

I think they're big, glaring, flaming issue. The bench may not be better. Like, we think it's going to be better. You hope it's going to be better.

[Rylan Styles]

I mean, but also if you're talking about like the bench might not be better compared with this team lost their starting point guard and doesn't really have a ton of depth there. Like, I just think those are in two different categories. I'm not saying that the Rockets shouldn't be at the top of that third tier, but I think it's probably not right to put them in the same tier as Denver and it's probably not right.

[Matt Moore]

I'm more of like, that tier is very, is very wide and I think.

[Rylan Styles]

Denver has done enough not only this off season, but having like, championship equity to be in a tier above the rest of those teams that have not.

[Matt Moore]

Maybe they do have an inexperience. This is the first year head coach.

[Rylan Styles]

How many games playoff run underneath his belt already?

[Danny Cunningham]

Yeah, really impressive playoff run.

[Nick Angst]

How many games would the rockets take off?

[Matt Moore]

7, 20 games with the rocks.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

I mean, soft six.

[Nick Angst]

That'S ending in five. They can't dribble against that team.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Yeah.

[Matt Moore]

I mean, I'm really curious to see what happens with the Thunder defense this year. I'm really curious to see what happens because the second half of the year there was a lot of shakiness and it's like, yeah, because they locked up the one seed in like January 1st. But a lot of the defense was also built on the back of, hey, what if no one could ever make a three versus them? Like, doesn't matter if you're how open you are. Doesn't matter if you shoot from the corner. Doesn't matter if you're creating good looks. Like, no, you're just gonna miss every three pointer.

[Nick Angst]

That's aura defense.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

There's also, there's also the thing of, like, every team has probably spent the entire Summer watching the Thunder and figuring out what they do. And I think this happens with every champion because they're trying. They're gonna. It's a copycat league. Everyone's gonna try and copy what the Thunder are doing to some extent, and someone's gonna figure out a way to, like, frustrate them. And that's probably Dallas, because they seem to always frustrate them.

[Matt Moore]

But wow.

[Nick Angst]

Wow.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Someone. Someone's. Someone's gonna. Someone's gonna hit on something, and the moment they hit on it, it's gonna spread like wildfire throughout the league. Now, I'm not here saying the Thunder aren't the favorites to win the championship. Like, they're. They're the favorites to win the championship again. But this is what happens in the league. I think the question for OKC as they defend their title is how do you evolve? Like, how do you kind of keep innovating and keep doing something different? Because you can't win a title doing the exact same thing that. It just. It doesn't work that way in the NBA.

[Danny Cunningham]

I mean, full story.

[Matt Moore]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Danny Cunningham]

I mean, it's just the topic where it's like, you know, they had the historically great defense last year. They brought everybody back from that historically great defense with a bunch of guys whose DNA is breaded in defense. And they're. They're gonna have to make an adjustment at some point this season for sure. I mean, they're gonna see teams throw different things at them and then how they adjust from there. We don't know if it'll be positively negatively, but we'll have to see. So I am also very interested in it.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Are there. Are there problem of more concerns in Oklahoma City, or do you feel like they're all locked in on a second championship?

[Danny Cunningham]

I mean, it's not locked in because it's just so hard to win a championship. And I. I think that it would be a little dishonest to say that I do think they're the favorites to win it, but we've done this the last couple of champions as well. The Celtics were the obvious favorites, the Nuggets are the obvious favorites, and the Thunder now fall into that category. The only difference being that Oklahoma City has guys who can still progress. It's like you expect Chet to be a lot better this season than he was last year and play more games, frankly. Although that doesn't really matter. He played all the postseason, which is what we're really talking about here. But offensively, he can get worlds better. I think Casey Wallace can get a lot better and on down the roster. So how this team internally develops is going to be the biggest story. It's going to be the difference in between repeating or falling in line with the rest of the NBA history recently of this parody era. Like their big move this summer was to bring everybody back and bank on all these guys getting better. They're going to be right or they're going to be wrong about that. And we'll see what's going to happen this summer, this season. But I think that they made a really good bet that these guys are going to keep getting better and particularly Chet Holmgren and even Jalen Williams can get better as well. We saw him play way differently in the playoffs. They did in the regular season at getting downhill and getting to the free throw line more and being just a bit bigger force as a score. So I'm very interested in seeing them. It's not going to be a waltz your way to the championship by any means, but they are in a good position.

[Matt Moore]

So I got a, I got, I got some, some nerd, nerd stats here. Teams that finished number one in defensive rating the following season, their average finish since 2011-12 is 6.33. On defense the next season, so you Finish with number one on defense, your average finish is 6.33. Four teams went back to back with a number one Pacers 2012, 2013 was three years in a row they did that because that right. Was insane. The 2016 spurs and the 2021 Celtics. So it is just kind of interesting to see this like team, teams that went number one on defense and their average finish. One of the kind of conclusions I've come to is that defense is sticky, but elite defense is not. If you're a good defense, you're going to be a good defense. If you're an elite defense, you're going to be a good defense the next year. But replicating these just oh my God juggernaut performances is very difficult, which is interesting. Now the Thunder's offense is still more than good enough. Like, I actually think that they probably underperformed offensively last year. And you think about Jalen Williams development and like 700 million great players that they have and they're likely to compensate for that. But I just think it's interesting in that kind of what we're talking about, which is they will have to find a new way to win. That to me was Boston's big miscalculation and honestly Denver's too is if you, if you really look back at this. What happened to these teams is they thought that they could just do it again and you can't, not right now. You can't just run it back. You got to be something new every season. I think in the NBA.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

You have.

[Rylan Styles]

To be like, how new does that new thing have to be?

[Danny Cunningham]

And there's an argument that like the Thunder can be one of those outlier teams as, as hard as it is. But I mean, whenever you have a group of players that arguably can take up a whole all defensive team in this roster of its own, that I, I think that there is no reason to head into the season with any sort of worries really about their defense.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

I think, I think the big, the big thing and kind of the big takeaway on that is that, you know, the other aspect of, is that you just don't know what's going to happen during the season. Like, you know, knock on wood, someone, you know, shay could miss 30 games, you know, you know, for whatever reason, you know, it could be fine for the playoffs, but things happen during the course of the season. Every season is different. You can't, you know, you can't. You don't just run it back because something always happens that you have to be able to, to navigate. And I think that'll be a factor in this as well. And then again, like, it's hard to be that intense on defense. And I think one, you know, it's a test for every team defending a championship. And it gets to what Matt was saying. You have to have the, you have to have the energy to do it again. You have to have the desire to do it again. And you hear this from every single team that wins a championship and every single team that, that wins multiple championships. They always say the second one's harder than the first one because you got to find motivation. You know, I, I mentioned the problem of.

[Matt Moore]

More.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

These are a lot of young guys and they've been very, very selfless. But at what point does someone say like, hey, I want my turn, I want, I want to get mine a little bit. You know, I gotta, you know, Chad and Jalen got their, got their. And Jdub got their contracts. But does that, does that play into things as well? How, how committed are they to doing this again? Or do they go into that thought process of, of, oh, we're the, you know, we're not running away with the one seed. We're fine. We can let some things slip. We'll focus back up in March. That's where a lot of these teams slip up and get burned in the playoffs and why the champion always loses in the second round.

[Danny Cunningham]

And that's where it's going to be difficult for the Thunder to lean on their foundation of Ever since Mark's taken this job, even whenever the team was winning 20 something games, he's talked about being, you know, one of 82 and 0 and 0 and stacking days and all that stuff that gets monotonous but stuff that you can see that they've really bought into. Can you keep that same level of buy in after getting your accolades? I'm not in their brains, I have no idea. But I mean, I think that the proof is in the pudding for now of the they still showed up to work every night and we talked about it on the various shows on this network whenever they were winning 20 something games that they were a tough bad team back then. So they showed up then whenever there was no motivation at all. And the guys that were playing weren't going to even be in the NBA the following season. So we'll see if they show up now on the quest to defend their title.

[Nick Angst]

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[Dana]

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[Jeff Bridges]

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[Dana]

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[Dana]

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[Matt Moore]

Visit t mobile.com I speaking of, like, wanting to become something different, this is where I'm really hoping the Cavs recalibrate back. Danny is. You know, they were so good defensively under bigger staff. They're so good defensively and I really did kind of, I kept waiting for them to turn that corner and maybe pick it up and look more like that. And that never really happened. They made a jump where they landed. I think they were top eight at one point for a while, like they were surging for like a little bit. But it wasn't ever like this elite defense. And to Phillips point about how much energy it takes. It's so hard to be a great offensive team if you're great on defense because it's just. It's such a grind and.

[Rylan Styles]

Right.

[Matt Moore]

It felt like the offense became a little bit of a crutch for the Cavs, and I'd like to see them rebalance things this season a little bit.

[Rylan Styles]

I think that needs to be part of their goal because last year and the Cavs have, since Evan Mobley's been there, they've gone into it being like, we are a defense first team. And for the first few years, they were like his second year in the league, Donovan Mitchell's first year in Cleveland, they were the number one team in defense. And then the year after that, I think they were seventh. But Evan Mobley missed like eight weeks throughout that Season. So like that I just don't necessarily read into that drop off because you lost a, a guy that was defensive player of the year finalist the year before. But I think last year they figured out pretty early that's like, oh, we're sick offensively. Like we can just outscore teams. And Matt, I'm sure you can think back to this but like they played a game in Denver and it was in I believe December when they went out west, it was right around Christmas and they beat The Nuggets like 149 to 135 in a game that did not go to overtime. Like they almost scored 150 points in a regulation game. And the cat like management and the coaching staff was not too thrilled about that because they gave up 135 points. But I think there was this things like we can just score more than anybody else in the league. And to be fair to them, they had this, the second most efficient offense in NBA history last year. So they could do that. But I do think some of the changes that they've made, particularly to some of the role players do tend to lean towards defense just a little bit. Like, and you, you can't count on Lonzo Ball a ton because he's played 70 games in four years. But replacing Ty Jerome with him in the rotation is a really big step up for them defensively. And to get back to the earlier point about the Thunder, like and even the Pacers too, those two teams didn't have anybody, certainly not role players that opposing teams could just be like, you know what, you can't play in this game. Like we are going to play you off the floor. And the Cavs had that last year. Like Ty Jerome could be played off the floor because he was a traffic cone defensively and Isaacoro could be played off the floor because nobody was going to defend him on the offensive end of the floor. And I think that what they wanted to do and I do think that relatives, they accomplished this on paper we'll see what happens when they start actually playing games. But I think what they wanted to do was just build a roster where the only guy that is truly a one way guy is Darius Garland because he's just small and never going to be a good defender. And I do think that like he and Donovan at least give effort even if they're not great defenders. You can have a star that's a one way guy, but they don't have role players that are one way guys. So I do think that there will be a Bit more of a commitment to the defensive end of the floor this year than there was last year.

[Nick Angst]

Let's go around the room and say what you're excited about or what you want to learn from your media day. Let's start. We'll start cabs, since we're still going. Cabs. What are people excited about? What do you want to learn from your meeting?

[Rylan Styles]

I mean, I think people are excited to see what Evan Mobley looks like. So he came into media day last year and, like, looked noticeably bigger, and he didn't want to get into how much weight he gained or, you know, what kind of stuff he did to. To become stronger. But I do think that being stronger is something for him that should be, like, number one on the priority list. I think it's that, and I think it's tightening his handle because ultimately, like, if Evan Mobley is a. And I'm not saying that I expect this to happen this year, but if Evan Mobley is a top five player at the end of the year, and I don't expect that to happen, but if he is, the Cavs are going to win the title this year. Like, if he takes that sort of leap, and internally the Cavs believe that is a possible thing for him, but if he does that, the Cavs are going to win the title because they're going to be awesome. Because that is a huge leap for a guy entering this season as your second best player behind somebody else that was first team, all NBA. So I think it's what Evan Mobley looks like. Kenny Atkinson and Kobe Altman already talked. They talked on Tuesday of this week. So we kind of got the updates about Darius Garland's health, and Max Druce is going to miss a few months. So, like, the news year items are not going to be unveiled next week. But I think it's like, does Evan Mobley does. Does he pass the eye test? Sitting at a podium in a jersey, not actually doing anything with the basketball.

[Nick Angst]

Danny is on full muscle. Watch.

[Rylan Styles]

Yes. Yes. Remember that one year Giannis came back to Milwaukee, he's like, you are jacked. Now, can we get some of that from Evan Mobley?

[Nick Angst]

Full muscle watch about the Magic.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

I mean, I think the first thing we want to know is are they going to actually make shots this year? Because that would be nice if. If they could make shots at all. Anywhere. This, you know, anywhere on the floor. Threes would be nice, but mid Rangers are good, too.

[Nick Angst]

I just wanted to play a game of knockout and just watch them.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Yeah, yeah. Just like during Media day. Just like just play knockout, just make sure the ball goes in the basket. Yeah. I think the biggest thing that, that we want to learn or just begin to understand is how Desmond Bain's gonna actually fit into this thing and, and get a sense because the sense is that everyone is very, very excited about what this team can be. And, and I think, I think the, the anticipation is probably outpaced what they'll actually do. I still, I'm a big believer that it's a process. It's going to be multi year thing. They're not a championship team this year quite yet, but I think they're, I think what they want to show is that they're on the path to it. So we got to see how, you know, whether Desmond Bain actually works in the way that we all think he's going to work. And the newsiest item that we'll be watching on Monday is Jalen Suggs hasn't exactly committed that he's ready for training camp after his knee injury. That's kind of a big deal. I, I don't, we don't know where he's at in his recovery from the injury. And, and while the Magic like described his knee injury, his knee surgery that he had in February as just cleaning up some cartilage, he had a pretty complex procedure that's called a mosaic plastic. You can look, look that up. It is a pretty complex procedure. He's on the court. They've, they've posted photos of him not wearing a brace or knee padding or anything like that. We just don't know if he's doing contact yet. We don't know if he's going to be participating in camp yet. We don't know if he's going to be ready for the preseason game in Puerto Rico yet. We just don't know where he's at. So I think that's a big, big piece of the magic puzzle is Jalen Suggs as a spot up shooter, as you know, the point guard and name as the head of the snake on defense. They, they need him and they need him to play 65, 70 games at least.

[Nick Angst]

Who has a healthy point guard?

[Rylan Styles]

Denver?

[Matt Moore]

The Thunder. The Thunder.

[Nick Angst]

The Thunder don't have a point guard.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Whoa.

[Danny Cunningham]

Shay's a great point guard.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Sure.

[Danny Cunningham]

I mean he, he plays whatever he wants to play. But the Thunder's biggest storyline is Nicola Topic just because there's no idea what his role looks like. I mean, this is a guy that will struggle to play off the ball. He'll struggle to defend but he is an elite playmaker and he can he showed the ability to get to the rim in summer league, although that means about as much as, you know, a scrimmage against Eisenhower High School. So who knows what that looks like with Nikola Topic. So is the plan to kind of put him in the G League as a guy that hasn't had a lot of opportunities to play post knee injury in a live action type of game? Is the plan to put him in the back of the rotation expecting some lopsided scores that you got a year ago with the best point differential on the NBA? Is the plan to have him be incorporated into that secondary unit to take some of the playmaking burden off of those J dub staggered lineups that could stall in the half court very easily last season offensively. So I think that Nicola Topic is like the only question out there for this Thunder team heading into the season.

[Nick Angst]

The only question about his team is.

[Danny Cunningham]

The I mean over here, what could go wrong?

[Nick Angst]

Do you like what I mean?

[Danny Cunningham]

Everything could go wrong. I mean the, the whole team could get injured, we could all die in a plane crash. Who knows. But I mean as of this very dark.

[Nick Angst]

Did we just learn Rylan rides on the plane with the team?

[Danny Cunningham]

Like as of this, no, I do not. As of this, I actually had to drive the Republic playoff game. But as of this moment, there's not a ton. Now there's going to be questions pop up throughout the year. They're not going to go 82. 0 and they're not probably going to go wire to wire with the one seed even they might lose opening night if you look at the history of champions on ring night. So again, this is not to say the Thunder gonna be awesome, but heading into the season that's like the biggest storyline, which is a good spot to be in.

[Nick Angst]

What a storyline.

[Matt Moore]

Infuriating because he manages to deflect all criticism without ever boasting and he projects supreme confidence. But it's all like hidden behind a very like, yeah, no, who knows what could happen.

[Nick Angst]

It's like measured boasting.

[Matt Moore]

Yeah.

[Danny Cunningham]

Like yeah, I'm a very measured person.

[Matt Moore]

You.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

You might win.

[Matt Moore]

Crazy things happen. Nuggets is there will be questions about David Adelman and kind of his plan for reshaping things because he gets. He's a whole new staff. Will Jamal Murray continue to stagger with the second unit? But to me the biggest question is just like Joker is at a point now where he has very little patience and that he exuded that last year. I think Nicole Jokic had what is probably. It's debatable, but it's probably the best single offensive season in NBA history last year season and was miserable the entire time because he knew that team wasn't good enough and he was constantly frustrated. And that's not how he wants to play. He does not want to average what he averaged last year. He does not think that is how basketball should be played. So if Joker comes into Media Day, if he arrives because he's going to come literally from the airport and will be there exactly 15 minutes after when he's supposed to be takes a while.

[Nick Angst]

For a horse to get from that.

[Matt Moore]

And yes, over the sea, it's Denver.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

They have horse links.

[Matt Moore]

And if he could but if he comes in and it's like, I'm really excited. Like, I think that this he's. He does indicate how he feels about things. So if he comes in is like he. There's that sense of we're going for it. He'll always be like, we'll see. Like, the, you know, the moves are good, but you have to do it on the floor. Like, he's very measured in that way. Him and Rylan would get along. But if he comes in with a better attitude, it's going to be a big deal. It's going to be a big lift for the entire team. The other question is Christian Brown and Peyton Watson's extensions and that whole restricted freedom mess.

[Nick Angst]

Will there be any talk about. We're glad that we don't have to deal with Michael Porter Jr's podcast. Is it.

[Matt Moore]

I don't think anybody will mention it because they all. It's weird. I think they all liked Mike. He was frustrating to play with at times and has certain issues with awareness at times. But I think. I don't think that they're glad he's gone. So I don't think that there'll be a lot of backbiting. I think the like, one of the things about this entire thing with Porter and the podcast is the real problem is that Porter just said all the things that said I'll get said a lot in NBA locker rooms. He's just said those things and people that have spent time in them know that and that's like a real problem. And if you're going like, well, then why don't you talk about it? Because I'm literally not allowed to. Like, they're on record or they're not. So while I don't like. Porter's comments are obviously like a whole big bag of. But they're Also not unique to mpj.

[Nick Angst]

Did the Nets, like, skate when their media day with the, like, the biggest, most notable thing that Porter Jr. Said was that he spends 250 a day in Ubers and Ubers wild.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Didn't he say he's thinking of retiring?

[Matt Moore]

Yeah, he said he's still thinking of retiring.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

We.

[Matt Moore]

We kind of knew that. Then there's. He's also still splitting an apartment rent with his.

[Nick Angst]

Yes. With an X. And splitting. Not too long to straight up paying. Just like.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Yeah.

[Matt Moore]

Yeah.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Also not a reality TV camera following him at this point.

[Nick Angst]

I mean, it's. It's called. What's this podcast.

[Rylan Styles]

How come he wasn't on Starting five?

[Danny Cunningham]

Yeah, he should be on this year's Netflix.

[Nick Angst]

Don't you have to get some subscriptions up starting.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Starting five tries to pick the most boring guys because they won't cause trouble for the Mavericks.

[Nick Angst]

It's. I'm excited to hear the phrase Kyrie Irving is ahead of schedule. That will. That will happen almost guaranteed.

[Matt Moore]

We're.

[Nick Angst]

We're doing. We're doing lockdown Mavs media day Bingo. And that's my free space.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Why?

[Nick Angst]

Because they're just gonna say that. I just. I know. I know they're gonna say it, but.

[Matt Moore]

What if they don't? Like, if they don't and you don't.

[Rylan Styles]

Get the free space, then you're not.

[Nick Angst]

Gonna win a. Yeah, you're not gonna win the.

[Danny Cunningham]

How much panic, though, is induced if they don't say it?

[Nick Angst]

None for. None for me because I'm. I. I have low expectations for him. I think he will come back at some point during the thumbnail.

[Rylan Styles]

You're gonna make, though, is gonna be panic inducing.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

As the ad is a 80s, not a center on that. On that bingo card.

[Nick Angst]

Yeah. Though the. So the real thing is that I'm. I want to know the status of Anthony Davis because he's has been back on the basketball court. We've. We've heard him play five on five, but he just posted a picture recently where his eye. I mean, it just looks like. I mean, he looks like a frog. The frogs, like the eyes that are on top of their head that are just like bulging out. Like, I need to know the status of that. He was recovering from the adductor injury at the end of the season. Then he had this detached retina, which I don't know. I don't think he had a detached retina. You can't see out of that eye.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Is Tio Sellis in Dallas now? And so reference.

[Nick Angst]

I missed them no idea what that is. Missed on me.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

Eyeball. Eyeball. Monster. It was crazy.

[Nick Angst]

And so I want to know, I wonder where Anthony Davis is, where he is on that because obviously like we said earlier, the whole season revolves around him. I don't know if there's anything about Cooper flag I'm going to learn or hear about or see. Like they've already. Jason Kid has already talked about they want to use him as a guard. That's. That's interesting but already been said and that's where I'm on that. And then obviously I think for all of us there's like hierarchy on where certain players are like do we. Do you learn? Like if one coach thinks of highly of another player compared to another one. Like especially the players that just got brought in.

[Danny Cunningham]

Yeah, I think, I think that you learn a little bit more during training camp than you do at media day just because it's a week long of just asking players about practice and whoever they keep bringing up is the guy that's kind of performing the best and especially the ones that they keep bringing up unprompted. So I'm kind of more interested in training camp than I am at media day, but still.

[Nick Angst]

True. Well, it's. I know the maps have gotten together a couple of times already so we could be getting some, some drops just.

[Matt Moore]

As like a little heads up. If your GM and your coach won't do press together to start it, it's probably a bad sign there.

[Nick Angst]

What if they don't press? What if they won't do press together at all ever? Jason.

[Matt Moore]

Yeah, Jason. Jason. Kidding.

[Nick Angst]

One time.

[Matt Moore]

Jason Kidd has been elite during this process of. Didn't he. He got extended. Yes.

[Nick Angst]

No, not yet.

[Matt Moore]

But there was talk about that. Steiner.

[Nick Angst]

There was talk there but when, when the like the Knicks job thing came up, I was just waiting waiting for that extension to come in and never did.

[Philip Rossman-Reich]

That's what a college coach would do.

[Matt Moore]

He avoided blowback on the LUCA thing. Managed to basically duck under any of it and avoid any sort of being implicated in anything got mentioned for the Knicks job and then is going to wind up using that to get an extension. It's. It is pro level finessing by J. Kid.

[Rylan Styles]

Good for him.

[Nick Angst]

That's what he does. That's what he does. Gentlemen, thanks for hanging out with me on lockdown NBA squad show. Go check out all these great shows link in the description wherever you're listening, watching this to find those shows and all kinds of great stuff all over the place. Guys, thanks for listening to Locked on NBA squad. Go listen to Locked NBA Game night Locked on NBA Daily with many of us on the lockdown NBA Podcast Feeds oh Gecko.

[Matt Moore]

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[Philip Rossman-Reich]

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