Mailbag: LeBron on Prime LeBron and The Rise of Austin Reaves

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Mind the Game – Mailbag: LeBron on Prime LeBron and The Rise of Austin Reaves

Episode Date: December 9, 2025
Hosts: LeBron James, Steve Nash, J.J. Redick, Paul George, Shea Serrano

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Episode Overview

This mailbag edition of Mind the Game dives into deeply personal and tactical basketball questions sourced from fans on social media. LeBron James and Steve Nash break down their personal peaks, dissect lessons from coaching and playing, reflect on Derrick Rose’s greatness, analyze the new age of offensive rebounding, and celebrate the rise of Austin Reaves. The tone is candid, insightful, and often reflective, keeping true to the podcast's mission of going beyond highlight reels to genuinely explore basketball’s intricacies.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Peak Years of LeBron and Nash’s Career

• [01:34-04:00]
  • LeBron James: (referenced by Shea Serrano in transcript) pinpoints 2017–2018 as his most “complete” season physically and mentally, describing a rare feeling of being flawless on both ends and playing every single game that year.
    • Quote: “I felt like every time I stepped out on the floor, I really could do everything. I wanted to do all three levels. Defensively, guard all three levels...” – LeBron ([02:22])
  • Steve Nash: (via J.J. Redick) highlights the seasons directly following his MVPs (circa 2005–07) as statistically and skill-wise his strongest, feeling “in total command.”
    • Quote: “...that was the year I had the most... juice for it and skill and acumen and command.” – Steve Nash ([03:39])

2. Derrick Rose’s Greatness

• [04:05-05:58]
  • LeBron passionately details Derrick Rose’s explosive pre-injury dominance, leadership, and deep connection to Chicago. Both hosts agree his influence should never be forgotten.
    • Quote: “One of the most explosive players that I’ve ever played… Injuries suck. They really do. And he’s one of those examples…” – LeBron ([04:15])
    • Quote: “He had a great poise about him too. …the way he led his teams… was connective tissue so important.” – J.J. Redick ([05:27])
  • Emphasis on his status as the youngest MVP ever and a universally respected figure in the league.

3. Steve Nash on Coaching Challenges

• [06:04-08:42]
  • Nash likens modern NBA coaching to running a 60-person startup, with huge responsibilities far beyond X’s and O’s. Player injuries and trying to build a new culture made the task uniquely tough.
    • Quote: “As a head coach in today’s NBA, you are like in a way the CEO of a startup… It’s not just 12 players… it’s 50, 60 people… a lot more management skills…” – Nash ([07:23])
  • Nash candidly states he wouldn't return to head coaching, highlighting the overwhelming challenge of organizational leadership in today’s NBA.

4. Life Lessons from Basketball

• [09:09-12:13]
  • Both hosts reflect on how basketball’s routines, teamwork, and resilience inform their daily lives, leadership, and even parenting.
    • Quote: “You learn to be reliable for people to depend on you… what it means to work hard and work for the team…” – Steve Nash ([09:54])
    • Quote: “…the communication that you have with one player doesn’t mean that you can communicate… the same way… I’ve been able to use that type of leadership into my household…” – LeBron ([11:05])

5. The Surge in Offensive Rebounding

• [15:23-20:21]
  • The podcast analyzes a league-wide rise in offensive rebounding (27% in 2025, the highest since 2012) and its reasons: more threes, longer rebounds, and analytics-backed strategies.
    • Quote: “You do notice a lot more teams crashing… because there are so many threes… there’s going to be a lot of long rebounds…” – LeBron ([16:01])
  • Houston and Stephen Adams are highlighted for their dominant offensive rebounding, shifting game dynamics.
    • Quote: “Stephen Adams is getting over one in four offensive rebounds when he’s on the court… you need the whole team… to box him out.” – Paul George/LeBron ([18:26–19:17])

6. Austin Reaves’ Growth

• [20:36-22:37]
  • LeBron attributes Reaves’ breakout to increased health, confidence, and a bigger role. The podcast celebrates his work ethic and complements his focus (“he plays golf and basketball, that’s him!”).
    • Quote: “He’s not just one of the guys, he’s one of the guy… more usage, more responsibility, and he wants that responsibility.” – LeBron ([21:24])
  • There’s admiration for Reaves’ undrafted journey and his rapid rise as an all-around playmaker.

7. Admired Skills – Swapping Attributes

• [22:43-24:52]
  • Each host shares which skill of the other they'd “steal.” LeBron picks Nash’s (or J.J. Redick’s, via transcript) hesitation pull-up jumper; Nash (via J.J.) cites LeBron’s freakish athleticism and versatility.
    • Quote: “Definitely your hesi pull for sure off the bounce… you were so fluent…” – LeBron ([23:14])
    • Quote: “So that combination of athleticism… what you could do in transition, bully ball, passing over people… Man, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to move the way you move.” – Nash ([23:39])

8. Role of the Midrange in Playoff Basketball

• [27:20-29:54]
  • Both assert that while mastery of the midrange isn’t required, it’s essential not to abandon it—the playoffs demand efficiency from all spots.
    • Quote: “You cannot abandon the mid range in the postseason… when the playoffs happen and the lanes are even more packed… a guy that can hit the mid range…is a very, very efficient shot…” – LeBron ([27:29])
  • Cites recent playoff performances by OKC, Indiana, and Jalen Brunson as proof of the midrange’s value.

9. NBA Jam “On Fire” Games — The Zone

• [29:56-33:38]
  • LeBron recalls his epic playoff performance vs. Detroit—scoring 27 consecutive points, likening it to having a “Bruce Leroy glow” (Last Dragon reference).
    • Quote: “I had this Bruce Leroy glow feeling around me that night that I could not even explain…” – LeBron ([31:06])
  • Nash reminisces (via J.J.) about his 48-point playoff night—the rare “zone” where everything feels connected, confidence peaking.
    • Quote: “You just feel a connection to the ball, the floor, the net, the bucket…crazy confidence overcomes you.” – Nash ([32:04])
  • Both emphasize the zone’s intangible, indescribable nature.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote & Context | |-----------|-------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:13 | LeBron | “I could do no wrong out there on the basketball floor...all three levels. Defensively, guard all three levels.” (on peak season) | | 04:15 | LeBron | “One of the most explosive players that I’ve ever played. Injuries suck. They really do.” (on Derrick Rose) | | 07:23 | Nash | “You are like in a way the CEO of a startup... It’s not just 12 players... it’s 50, 60 people.” (on coaching) | | 11:05 | LeBron | “The communication you have with one player doesn’t mean that you can... with this player the same way.” (on leadership & parenting) | | 18:26 | Paul George | “Stephen Adams is getting over one in four offensive rebounds... you need three or four guys around him.” | | 21:24 | LeBron | “He’s not just one of the guys, he’s one of the guy... he wants that responsibility.” (on Austin Reaves) | | 23:14 | LeBron | “Definitely your hesi pull for sure off the bounce... you were so fluent...” (on skill he’d steal from Nash/Redick)| | 23:39 | Nash | “One of the greatest athletes... to have that combination of speed, agility, strength, coordination...” | | 27:29 | LeBron | “You cannot abandon the mid range in the postseason.” (on playoff scoring) | | 31:06 | LeBron | “I had this Bruce Leroy glow feeling around me that night that I could not even explain.” (on being “on fire”)|

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:34 – Peak seasons discussion
• 04:05 – Derrick Rose appreciation
• 06:04 – Surprising challenges of NBA coaching
• 09:09 – Life lessons from basketball
• 15:23 – Modern offensive rebounding trends
• 20:36 – Austin Reaves’ ascent
• 22:43 – Most coveted skill from each other
• 27:20 – Midrange game in the playoffs
• 29:56 – “NBA Jam on fire” game memories

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Tone and Style

The episode is a blend of deep basketball strategy, heartfelt reflection, and friendly banter. Both LeBron and Nash shift smoothly between technical talk and personal stories with self-awareness and humility, keeping things accessible but authentic for serious hoop fans.

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Useful For

• Fans seeking context around recent NBA trends (offensive rebounding, midrange, undrafted rises)
• Aspiring players or coaches curious about the inner workings of coaching and player development
• Anyone interested in leadership, resilience, and personal growth through sports
• Listeners wanting to relive iconic NBA “on fire” moments told by the players themselves

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New episodes of Mind the Game drop every other Tuesday. Follow wherever you listen!

Transcript

[J.J. Redick]

Coming up on this episode of Mind the Game.

[Paul George]

Today, Mailbag.

[Shea Serrano]

We got great questions from a lot of people on Instagram, YouTube, X and everything. Steve, what was the most surprising challenge as a head coach and would you ever pursue it again?

[J.J. Redick]

What do you think contributed to the growth of ar?

[Shea Serrano]

So he came into the season a lot healthier, but also just the confidence. I hope dearly people have not forgot about Derrick Rose.

[J.J. Redick]

What game were you most on? Fire. NBA Jam Style?

Foreign.

[Paul George]

This episode is presented by the all new Alexa. Your smart, proactive assistant now understands your style and anticipates what's next. Whether you need help finding a meaningful gift or planning a fun night out, you can enjoy a personalized experience based on your preferences. Say the word and Alexa delivers across Echo, Fire TV and more. Learn [e-mail] New Alexa all right, we're back.

[J.J. Redick]

Another episode of Mind.

[Shea Serrano]

There we go.

[Paul George]

Today, Mailbag.

[Shea Serrano]

Okay, jump right to it. Let's jump right to it. We got great questions from a lot of people on Instagram, YouTube, X and everything. So go ahead. Steve started us off and then we gonna just, you know, ping pong it back to each other.

[J.J. Redick]

Beautiful. Okay, here's one.

[Paul George]

Ollie Phipps on IG said, what year.

[J.J. Redick]

Would you both say was the peak of your careers?

[Shea Serrano]

Oh, wow, that's a great question.

What year was the peak for you?

[Paul George]

Do you feel like everything blends into one?

[Shea Serrano]

Yeah, I don't know. I mean, you my peak. I don't know. If you asked me what I feel like was my best season that I had that I felt the most complete as a basketball player. I would say.

2018, 2017, 18 season.

I felt.

Like I could do no wrong out there on the basketball floor. Offensively, defensively, I felt no flaws in my game.

I felt like every time I stepped out on the floor.

I really could do everything. I wanted to do all three levels. Defensively, guard all three levels. I mean, I still feel that way, but it was just another level of that, you know, in 2017, 18, you know, with the team that we had. And you know, and so it was just. Yeah, that season right there, I felt like that was probably my most complete.

You know, season. I played all 82 games, I believe that year. And then if you include the playoffs, I played over 100 games. I didn't miss one game that season. So.

A lot of factors went into that.

[J.J. Redick]

Yeah, I mean, I would say there was more than that year where you could do no wrong on the basketball. I'll accept your answer. I'll accept your Answer for me.

It's a tricky one I would think actually the year after.

My MVPs. So 405-505-060-607 I think was like raw box score numerically in my best year I felt in total command.

[Paul George]

But it's tough like when you dive.

[J.J. Redick]

Into like the, like the advanced stats, you know, it could be a totally different answer. But like I felt like that was the year I had the most kind of met the most just juice for it and skill and acumen and command. So that would, that would probably be my year, I would say.

[Shea Serrano]

Nice. Nice. All right.

[J.J. Redick]

From Andrew mosquito on Instagram.

[Paul George]

LeBron, please tell us how good Derrick.

[J.J. Redick]

Rose was pre injuries. Through all the battles you've had with him on the court, I feel like folks forget how great he was in Chicago.

[Shea Serrano]

Listen, Andrew Mesquita. I don't. I hope and I hope dearly people have not forgot about Derrick Rose. One of the most explosive players that I've ever played, one of the most competitive players I ever played. Injuries suck. They really do. And he's one of those examples. We have a lot of examples in our sport, obviously over the years since this game has been introduced.

But the battles that I had against D. Rose when I was in Miami, when I went back to Cleveland, the guy, I think he's the youngest, if people don't know, he's the youngest MVP in our league's history. And what he meant for the Chicago Bulls, he meant even more for the city of Chicago in whole. And he's a legend. He's a great. And we all love Derrick Rose. If you, if you have ever played basketball, have ever been a part of our league, everyone, there's not one bad thing people can say about Derrick Rose. So he was unbelievable competitor. So we love Derrick Rose, man.

[J.J. Redick]

Very, very well said. What a player leader. Had a great. I thought also like, you know, we know the explosiveness, we know he could score. We know he became, I think an excellent playmaker. But he had a great kind of. He had a great poise about him too. You know, he, I think he was. The way he led his teams was, you know, was. You could tell the guys followed him, they loved him, they cared about him. And that connective tissue so important. So other than his peak being shortened by injury, you know, his level was all time.

[Shea Serrano]

Yes, sir. All right, the next one.

Three on YouTube. Steve, what was the most surprising challenge as a head coach and would you ever pursue it again?

[J.J. Redick]

I don't think I would pursue it again. You know, it was a unique situation where they came to me and said they could use my help with this group and was I up for it. And so that was a great moment, a great journey. Unfortunately, we were always hurt. Our big three played 16 games together in over two years. So we never really got to see the finish line in a lot of ways, but it was a great experience. What did I learn? One of the things I think that I didn't realize before coaching. There's a lot. There's a lot. But one of the things that I think was interesting was as a head coach in today's NBA, you are like in a way the CEO of a startup in that you're bringing in a new system and culture to like 60 people. It's not just 12 players.

[Paul George]

First of all, there's 15 players and two, two wins.

[J.J. Redick]

There's nine coaches. So including you, there could be nine, 10, 11 coaches. Who knows? On a staff, there's five in the video room, right? There's 10 on the performance team, you know, physios, trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, sports, science.

[Paul George]

Then you have the front office.

[J.J. Redick]

You know, you have to be in lockstep with the GMs, assistant GMs. There's an analytics department. You know, it might be three, four or five people in the analytics department that you're. You're constantly interfacing with. So you add it up. If there's 50, 60 people, you know, there's a lot more management skills that come into it. Especially maybe as a young coach trying to build something. You end up putting out a lot of fires or trying to be connective tissue or spending your time in things that you didn't necessarily expect.

When you accept a coaching position. So I think that's something that in today's NBA has made coaching unlike it's ever been in any era. I think it's made it more difficult in many ways. Even though you would think by having more people it's gotten better.

[Paul George]

I don't think that's necessarily the case.

[J.J. Redick]

I think when teams get themselves cemented, they build that culture, they build that system, that the flow can make it easier and you have more brains, you have more human capital. But as you are building it and trying to settle in, what is our best system, what is our best process? How can we build out all the different departments, performance, Alex, all those things. I haven't even mentioned players very often. So there is a lot going on. You add to a player development. I think that's probably where I would say I was unaware of how tricky that balance was and how much time that took.

[Shea Serrano]

So basically, Steve no. Is not going back to coaching guys.

No.

[J.J. Redick]

This will be the last.

The run of Mind the game to coach is it ends with jj.

[Shea Serrano]

All right, we got a guy. I think it could be a guy or a girl, but off. IG 5, 6.

Dyal.

Asks the both of us, what are some of the best lessons you've learned from basketball that you apply in everyday life?

[J.J. Redick]

I mean, we say this a lot. Sport teaches us so much about life. Like, you and I both learned so much from being in the fire. I think we learn, like, we want our kids to play sports because we know what they'll learn. Being on a team or having in an individual sport, having to stick to a routine, a game plan, winning, losing, collaborating. So for me, the things that jump out, just sports in general. And then you talk about playing at the highest level, sports in general. I think you learn character. You learn to be reliable for people to depend on you, for you to.

Know what it means to work hard and work for the team. I think when you get to the highest level and you're in the arena, as they say, and everyone's ready to critique or the pressure or the lights or brightest, you learn about resilience. You learn about being classy and defeat. You learn about.

Getting up the next day, licking your wounds, and doing it even harder. Like that. Resilience. I think for me, I think that's the biggest thing is being able to accept your successes and failures in the same vein. Never too high, never too low, stay with your process and stick to the script so that, for me, is something I can transfer to other areas of my life.

[Shea Serrano]

Yeah, Yeah. I piggyback what you just said on the process. Just like, you know, understanding the process and, you know, being patient, understanding that things just not gonna happen overnight, you know, and you have to work towards whatever that is, you know, you can in basketball, you know, working towards wanting to be great, you know, and you can accommodate to life. And, you know, understanding that relationships does not just happen overnight. It's about every day applying and every day working towards it, you know, and for me, as, you know, being a leader of so many different franchises in my career and so many different men, you know, understanding that how to get the most out of players, you know, and being able to understand that the communication that you have with one player doesn't mean that you can communicate that to get the most out of this player the same way. And, you know, I've been able to use that type of leadership into my household of now having kids, understanding, you know, Bronny and Bryce and Zuri, they're all different. Yeah. Yes. They're all my kids. But how I talk to Bronny may be different than how I talk to Bryce. How I talk to Zuri may be different from how I talk to Bronny if I want to get the most out of them. So, you know, sports has allowed me to kind of use you know, my, you know, I guess leadership and my, you know, where I've been in my career to kind of take some of those things into my household as well, but also just understanding that, you know, it's all about the process and you can't just think it's going to happen.

You have to go through things like we've been, we talk about it almost comes up in every episode about how the best teacher in life is experienced, you know, and that's how you, that's how you learn from it. That's how you learn from it.

[J.J. Redick]

It's a great, great answer. It's just funny, right? Like we, when you're a kid, it's so hard to understand. Like, this is, I want to be great at something. This is a 10 to 50 year commitment. They're like, well, I want to be good tomorrow.

[Shea Serrano]

Yeah, yeah, right, right, right, right, right.

[J.J. Redick]

Whereas it's like, no, to really, really be great at something and to kind of be in harmony with that, that thing is like a long term commitment and a slow burn. So, yeah, I love your answer there.

[Paul George]

Thank you to our partner, Alexa. You know, in basketball, the best plays happen when everything flows naturally.

[J.J. Redick]

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[Paul George]

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[J.J. Redick]

Dubai.

[Paul George]

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[J.J. Redick]

Of places to go. I'd love to go up the Burj.

[Paul George]

Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

[J.J. Redick]

To get in the red dunes, or.

[Paul George]

To take part in some of the.

[J.J. Redick]

Water sport and enjoy that great weather.

[Paul George]

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[J.J. Redick]

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[Paul George]

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[J.J. Redick]

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[Jason]

Now.

[Paul George]

I wanted to talk about offensive rebounding a little bit.

[J.J. Redick]

20, 21 teams were the league was offensive rebounding at 22% clip this year.

[Paul George]

It's gone up every year more or less. And this year 27% offensive rebounding percentage.

[J.J. Redick]

League wide, which is the highest since 2012.

[Paul George]

Have you noticed this trend?

[Shea Serrano]

I didn't notice the numbers, but you do notice a lot more teams crashing, you know, trying to get extra possessions. And I think the reason is that because there are so many threes that's being shot now.

You know, and there's going to be a lot of long rebounds or a lot of, you know, you know, it's going to be a lot of missed shots. You know, there's the team shooting 40 and 50 sometimes, you know, at one point, you know, Boston was shooting, you know, they got 60 of a game and you know, if you're shooting, you know, 35% of the team or if you happen to have a great shooting team and you're shooting in the 40s, that means there's 45% left of offensive reboundings to actually, you know, to take advantage of. If you're able to get that, you know, so yes, you definitely, you can sense it down on the court that if you're not checking for your guy, you know, when a shot goes up, you know, then and it's not just. It used to be just the bigs, you know, it used to be just the bigs and some, you know, some of the forwards, but now there's point guards running in there, you know? You know, and there's two guards running. There's everybody. Everybody is crashing and creating extra possessions.

[J.J. Redick]

You know, it felt like five years ago even there was like two camps. There was like the teams that just got back, got back on the shot, tried to build their defense, not give up transition points. And there was the teams that crashed.

[Paul George]

And it felt a little bit more.

[J.J. Redick]

Like it was personnel based. Like, do we have offensive rebounders? Let's go crash. Let's get extra possessions. You know, if we don't have offensive rebounders, I don't know that we want to crash and give up transition opportunities or put people in a position where they can't get back. The analytics have been proving that offensive rebounding can stop transition opportunities. One, you could give up a rebound and get an extra possession, therefore they don't get transition, obviously. But two, it crowds that painted area, that Runway, I like to call it, for someone to get an outlet and start the break. So I think what's happened is a lot of teams are recognizing, well, if it's going to help our defensive transition and it could give us extra possessions.

[Shea Serrano]

Then why not go for it?

[Paul George]

It feels like more and more teams.

[J.J. Redick]

Are going for it, right? Like, let's go now. Maybe everyone has different rules, like, you're not going for lost causes. Maybe the corner guys are running through the elbows. Maybe certain guys just have the green light. But the numbers are going up and.

[Paul George]

It'S been a huge part of Houston's play.

[J.J. Redick]

The Knicks, Detroit, all great offensive rebounding teams, but Houston is the number one offensive team in the league right now. But on their first attempt, I think they're 10, 11, 12. They're somewhere like above average.

[Paul George]

But when you add into it that.

[J.J. Redick]

They'Re a 37% offensive rebounding rate at the time of recording here today, like, that's insane. And Stephen Adams is getting over one in four offensive rebounds when he's on the court.

[Paul George]

So one in four misses.

[J.J. Redick]

Steven Adams is getting that thing. And so. And to go through, like, the. The analytics again is like, our highest values are layups, you know, free throws.

[Paul George]

Then offensive rebounds, because offensive rebounds lead.

[J.J. Redick]

To more layups, more free throws or kick out threes. Kick out threes, kick out threes. So you can see the value of Stephen Adams to that offense when we.

[Paul George]

Don'T really Consider him an offensive rebounder.

[Shea Serrano]

Right, Right. And you understand that, I mean, you know, as a competitor and you know, as an opposing team, that if you play Houston, one of the main focuses, you know, is Stephen Adams. You know, you know, you try to.

[J.J. Redick]

How many cats gonna go down there? Right.

[Shea Serrano]

The whole. You need the whole team, plus the bench and the coaching staff and your security team to box him out. The strongest guy, oh, my God, he's ridiculously strong. You can't box him out with two people. You need three or four guys around.

[J.J. Redick]

Him, and then other guys get an opportunity. Right. Cause you gotta double, triple him on the glass. Like, he puts himself in position where.

[Paul George]

He can make a play on the.

[J.J. Redick]

Ball, even if three guys are trying to box him out. And so then, of course, drawing that much attention, the next. Next two or one or two guys coming in has got a, you know.

[Shea Serrano]

Exactly.

[Paul George]

Incredible impact.

[J.J. Redick]

I think it's a, you know, a pretty cool adjustment. Like, the game is constantly evolving. We're constantly trying to find new ways and seeing the league kind of push these boundaries. You know, Houston at this moment, time.

[Paul George]

Of recording, you know, they're flirting with.

[J.J. Redick]

The highest offensive rebounding rate, you know, this century. So it is. And they're the number one offense. So obviously, a lot of these conversations are contextual. They're about personality.

[Shea Serrano]

Right, Right.

[J.J. Redick]

But I think seeing a league wide jump is always kind of fun to kind of dive in and see what's happening.

[Shea Serrano]

Yeah. And let's see how, you know, how it continues to unfold, you know, throughout the course of the season. And. Yeah, but it's definitely, you know, to the start of the season. It's always great to see how, you know, new dynamics and what's. What's. What's happening in the league today, what's changed a little bit. So let's see how it continues to unfold.

[J.J. Redick]

For sure. Here's. Here's one from Nylon25, Ian X. Or I guess that's from X. Maybe. After a month into the season, what do you think contributed to the growth of Army?

Do you think this is his summer.

[Paul George]

Work, or do you think that was right there when he left off and he just picked up?

[Shea Serrano]

I just think AR has picked up exactly where he left off of confidence. He's also healthier this year than he was last year. And I know he kind of set out a couple games this year, but last year he was dealing with a toe issue late in the season.

So he came into the season a lot healthier, but also just the confidence, understanding that his role is going to continue to pick up. More usage rate, you know, more responsibility. He's not just one of the guys, he's one of the guy, you know, on our, on our, on our team and he wants that responsibility. So, you know, we, you know, I think the coaching staff and JJ knew it wasn't too far fetched to give him more responsibility and he's just taking full advantage of it. A guy is a. He plays golf and he plays basketball.

That's him. He has time and he puts the work in and then he goes on a golf course and clears his mind and then he plays basketball and it clears his mind. And I think, you know, the guy's just, he's just a great dude, man. And I'm so happy for all his success so far in his career.

[J.J. Redick]

Yeah, I mean, man, that dude is fun to watch. I'm curious, like, I'm so curious having not known him in high school or college, like what this growth has been like. I know he didn't get drafted, but maybe he kind of in a way worked it out to not be drafted. Maybe he was like a second round incredibly, you know what I mean? Incredibly fun to watch and a guy that can do it at all three levels and playmaker teammates. Yeah, it's just cool to see people grow and get opportunities, make the most of them. And I also hear he can shoot a low score on the goal. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Shea Serrano]

He's damn good. He's damn good. I think we got time for two more. I'll start off with this one.

[J.J. Redick]

Okay.

[Shea Serrano]

Oh, this is a good one right here. Okay.

YouTube. From YouTube. Okay. How do you say this? Okay. Dh Dhruvkastruv 6401 Dhruv Kastroui Dhruvkastaroori 6401 from YouTube for the both of us. If you could take one skill set that the other has and add it to your bag, what will it be?

[J.J. Redick]

Where do I start?

[Paul George]

You want me to go first?

[Shea Serrano]

No, no, I'll go first. Definitely your hesi pull for sure off the bounce. How efficient you was. No matter. Right hand, left hand, like just you were so fluent with this hesi getting right to the pocket. Yeah. It would be the ball handling into the hesi pool for sure. That's not even a question when it comes to what I would take from you.

[J.J. Redick]

Thank you. I mean the thing that from your game that is just so far from mine is just your athleticism. Like it like one of the greatest athletes, movers, size, strength, you know, to have that combination of speed, agility, strength, coordination, and then to be able to do all the stuff that you know, to score, to pass, to dissect. But so that combination of athleticism, what you could do in transition, what you could do in bully ball, what you could do in passing over people like it just. You just added a whole matrix to the game that I could never even touch right. I could never touch that with. With just that ability that you were able to then put into the game of basketball. It's one thing to be an elite athlete, it's another thing then to use your athleticism to affect the game in multiple ways. Defense, offense, transition, passing, scoring, bully ball, downhill drives like that. Man, I can't even imagine what it would be like to move the way you move.

[Shea Serrano]

Oh, man, don't make me blush. Thank you. Thank you. Don't make me blush.

[J.J. Redick]

You're allowed. You're allowed to blush. On Mind the game.

[Paul George]

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[J.J. Redick]

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[J.J. Redick]

All right, let me look. Should I think one more.

[Paul George]

Oh, how about this one? Lakers lead on X. Do you think you have to master.

[J.J. Redick]

The mid range to be a reliable first option in the playoffs?

[Shea Serrano]

No, I don't think you have to master the mid game to be a reliable first option. But I do know that you cannot abandon the mid range in the post season. You know, and I know, and I know our, you know, throughout the course of the regular season, you know, we want a lot of threes, layups, dunks, free throws, you know, but when the playoffs happen and the lanes are even more packed and you know, you're trying to, you're trying to manage the best shot that you can get to have a guy or a couple guys that can hit the mid range at a very inefficient way. I mean, we saw what OKC did last year in the postseason. We saw what Indiana did. We see, you know, with Jalen Brunson and the Knicks be able to accomplish, you know, to have, you know, someone that can hit the mid range shot in the post season is a very, very efficient shots, you know, especially in the post season. So you don't have to, you don't have to be someone that master it to be the number one option. And I know we have Shea, who is definitely the number one option, but you, it's not definite, but you cannot abandon it. I would say 100%.

[Paul George]

Yeah, I think it's the totality, right.

[J.J. Redick]

Of what you bring to the table. Like, you know, but to your point, like, the mid range has to be a facet of your game because people.

[Paul George]

Are trying to take away everything else.

[J.J. Redick]

They're gonna try to take away rim attempts, they're gonna try to take away threes. So where's the space? It's gonna be in opportunities to get to a spot in the mid range. You know, that's just the reality. They're gonna run people off the line, they're gonna funnel people inside the line, then they're gonna come to help.

And we saw it, right? We saw the symbiotic nature of good teams is that they have players that create space for the best player. For the best player. If he's got to go one on one, his guy's gonna be like, I'm not letting him get his rhythm and hit a three. So I'm gonna get up into him, I'm gonna force him inside the line and make him make something tough and contested. So at the end of the day, if your teammates make space for you and you have the skill to get to that, it's incredibly valuable in the playoffs and almost like you said, necessary. There is no way around it, no matter what the analytics says to be all three. It's just, it's very, very, very. I mean, very few teams have been able to do that. You know, probably the closest would be the hard and Rockets teams that were dangerously close to winning. But you know, the mid range is such a, you know, inevitable part of good offenses.

[Shea Serrano]

Absolutely. Great question. Great question.

[J.J. Redick]

All right, here's. Here's Another question from Dr. Dunks with four z's obviously on x. I mean, he's really drunks. What game were you most on fire, NBA Jam style? And what's it feel like to be in the zone? First thing that comes to my mind for you, and this may not be the one you think is that Detroit playoff game.

[Shea Serrano]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, that's. What was that? 2006? No, I don't even remember. It was 2006 or 7, I believe. Or maybe. Yeah, 2006 or 7.

[Paul George]

Early.

[J.J. Redick]

Early.

[Shea Serrano]

Yeah, it was early. Early in my career. Yeah, I think I was just. I think I was just 21 or 22. Yeah, I was either 21 or 22. And that was the, what, 27 in a row? The last 29 out of 30, you know, in the palace of Auburn Hills and versa. Unbelievable, talented team. I believe that team had went to like the conference finals. Like, I don't remember some astronomical number. I think it was like five, six straight times or something like that.

But they had so many great players, great defense, great defense, great complimentary players. They just had it all. And I don't know how young this person is or how old this person is to ask this question, but they have to look up Bruce Leroy from the Last Dragon. I had this Bruce Leroy glow feeling around me that night that I could not even explain. Like the shots that I was making, I was taking shots that either I had worked on, but I didn't log enough hours with some of those shots. Yeah, I've shot them before, but I didn't log enough hours to master them. But that night I just.

Yeah, I had a Bruce Leroy glow, man. That's the best way I. That's the best way I could describe it. I was in a zone and I can't. If you ask anybody about what does it feel to be like in a zone, it's the most.

It's the most unexplainable thing. You can't explain it. You just can't. I just had a feeling.

[J.J. Redick]

I mean, that's a great. That's a great point. Like, it's hard to explain. You just feel a connection to the ball, the floor, the net, the bucket, everything, the game. Like it just crazy confidence overcomes you.

Which is a feeling like you said. So. Yeah, I would say for me, my career high was I had 48 in a playoff game at Dallas.

They were playing me to score, so I had kind of one on one all night. And this just says something more about me, I think is that someone hit someone. We lost the game. Playoff game in Dallas. Someone came up to me after like, you know, I don't know, just someone backstage who played hoops and was like, you had 48 in the last three minutes and you're trying to pass every possession. So for me, like I like to, you know, I like to score when my team needed it, but I felt like I didn't need to always.

[Paul George]

I didn't want to score a ton unless I had to score a ton in that moment.

[J.J. Redick]

I always wanted. I felt our team was healthier when it was a nice balance between scoring. But my whole game was built, I think, I mean, in a lot of ways same as your game with just different ways. Like on, just paint pressure, rim pressure, just always a threat to get downhill. So for me it was really about being aggressive. So sometimes you find those nights where you are in a zone, maybe you shoot a little bit more. But I think we're both similar in that way that I don't think either of us went out there saying like, if I get hot, I'm going for, you know, we were more like just trying to play within the confounds of our team's needs.

[Shea Serrano]

I agree. I.

[J.J. Redick]

Thanks for watching Mind the Game.

[Paul George]

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Remember to like subscribe or follow wherever you're watching.