No Dunks – The Drop | NBA x MLB Awards, Hornets Are For Real, Jokic Is Credited With Too Many Assists

Podcast: No Dunks (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: March 27, 2026
Hosts: Tass, Trey Kirby, JD

Episode Overview

This jam-packed Drop episode bridges the NBA and MLB, as the crew hands out “Silver Slugger” and “Golden Glove” NBA awards inspired by baseball, breaks down the legitimacy of the surging Charlotte Hornets, and dives into an increasingly common NBA debate: Are superstars like Nikola Jokic getting credited with too many assists? Along the way, Tass, Trey, and JD hit on March Madness drama, MLB updates, personal stories, and their signature rapid-fire questions.

Main Themes & Segments

• Charlotte Hornets: Are They For Real?
• NBA x MLB Awards: Silver Slugger & Golden Glove
• Jokic’s Assist Controversy
• NBA Nightly Recap: Magic, Pistons, and More
• March Madness and Baseball Banter
• Silly Awards (Worst of the Week) & Rapid Fire

Detailed Breakdown by Segment

1. WNBA, MLB, and NCAA Crossover Banter

[04:46–11:57]

• The show opens with a quick collegiate catch-up on NCAA March Madness, highlighting Illinois’ victory (“My dad literally is. The guy’s texting me ill all night long.” — Trey Kirby, 06:02). There’s speculation about potential upsets and nods to “long-necked Lithuanian centers” in college basketball (06:23).
• Hockey and MLB quick hits round out this opening: Ovechkin scores a hat trick at age 40 for the Utah Mammoth (“That is cool. All-time leader in NHL goals.” — Tass, 10:02).
• MLB mini-highlights: Kyle Tucker’s megadeal, Bo Bichette on the Mets, and Paul Skenes’ rough start (“The reigning Cy Young winner got yanked after just two outs.” — Tass, 11:00).

2. NBA Recap: Hornets Make a Statement

[11:57–18:54]

The Charlotte Hornets end the Knicks’ seven-game win streak:

• Team Strength & Cohesion:

  • “This was the sexiest looking game of the year… The Hornets were wearing their paradise uniforms which are the bright orange color playing on the bluish floor. I thought it looked really slick out there.” (Trey Kirby, 12:31)
  • Heavy praise for role clarity and player development: Knipple’s near triple double, LaMelo, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges all excelled. Kobe White gets a shoutout off the bench.
  • “It seems to me like this is a team that completely understands who they are, gives a great effort every single night and has enough guys that can get to another level that they’re a seriously threatening team.” (Trey Kirby, 15:17)
  • Hornets are “playing well enough right now that you have to consider them one of the play-in favorites” (15:18).

• Hornets’ Versatility & System:

  • Tass marvels at “the versatility of the big three: Lamelo, Conquer Nipple, and Brandon Miller…they just know exactly what they’re supposed to do.” (Tass, 15:20)
  • Praise for Khan Knipple’s playmaking (8 assists), Miller’s aggressiveness, and LaMelo’s patience and control.

• Big Picture:

  • “The Charlotte Hornets I think are believable…The Knicks will be better than this…But either way the Hornets are real.” (Tass, 17:38)
  • Notable fun fact: Wins come by an average of nearly 18 points, “the highest margin of victory in wins in NBA history.” (Schumann via Trey Kirby, 18:29)
  • Parenting corner: “We barely hear anything from LaVar Ball anymore these days. His son is ballin right now, hottest team in the league.” (Trey Kirby, 18:08)

3. NBA Night Recap: Magic & Pistons

[19:02–24:27]

• Magic Snap Losing Streak vs. Kings:

  • “This was a no-win win for the Magic…If you struggle to beat the Kings like they did, it’s almost in between.” (Trey Kirby, 19:14)
  • Question marks around Franz Wagner’s health; “Feels a lot better if you’re a Hornets fan than if you’re a Magic fan.” (Trey Kirby, 22:14)

• Detroit Pistons Updates:

  • Pistons win despite Cade Cunningham injury. Jalen Duran “looked like literal man against boys…bringing the ball up, dribble drive scoring.” (Trey Kirby, 23:13)
  • Kevin Huerter earning minutes: “He could be a guy beside Cade Cunningham to play at the end of games.” (Tass, 24:21)

4. Baseball-Themed NBA Awards: Silver Slugger & Golden Glove

[29:40–48:13]

Overview: Inspired by MLB, the crew awards the best NBA player at each position for offense (“Silver Slugger”) and defense (“Golden Glove”), arguing their picks and reasoning along the way.

Silver Slugger — Best Offensive Players

• Guard:
  • SGA vs. Luka is the main debate.
  • “Man, I think it’s SGA…but maybe it is Luka. I’ll vote for SGA.” (Trey Kirby, 31:34)
  • Tass: “He’s the best player on the league’s best team…it should factor in here to our Silver Slugger. So he gets it for me.” (32:06)
• Wing:
  • Jalen Brown edges Kawhi Leonard due to durability, team consistency, and expanded playmaking.
  • "He has been phenomenal as the number one guy, and it’s been more consistent than Kawhi" (Tass, 34:45)
• Big:
  • Nikola Jokic in a landslide (“These are easy ones.” — Trey Kirby, 36:14).

Golden Glove — Best Defensive Players

• Guard:
  • Derrick White wins (“He is a great man defender, he’s a great help defender and a great block, a shot blocking guard as well.” — Trey Kirby, 38:22)
  • Runners-up include Chris Dunn, Jalen Suggs, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso.
• Wing:
  • Both Thompson twins (Amen & Ausar) are finalists, but the hosts ultimately highlight Scottie Barnes for his rim protection and switchability ("For me, Scottie Barnes at the top of my list; he guards everybody.” — Tass, 43:26).
  • OG Anunoby and Toumani Kamara get shoutouts.
• Big:
  • Victor Wembanyama is the runaway winner at center: “He’s like the only guy that’s ever made defense cool…he’s leading the league in blocks and has people trying to brainstorm ideas for a new statistic" (Trey Kirby, 44:26)
  • Jokic gets a quick “Silver Slugger” revisit; Gobert, Chet considered runners-up.

Notable Quotes:

• “This one's an easy one. And just like Greg Maddux on the mound, I think Wemby’s gonna rack up a lot of Gold Gloves during his time.” (Trey Kirby, 45:09)
• The segment includes fun with possible new stats for Wemby’s altered shots (“nopes”, “U-turns”) (45:41).

5. Controversy: Jokic’s Assist Numbers

[52:35–56:24]

• The hosts break down Jokic’s recent 19-assist game—questioning how many were legitimate, especially those credited on simple handoffs:
  • “Some of these are literally just handing the ball off to Jamal Murray... You don't get a butt assist.” (Tass, 52:52)
  • “When you're impressed with the move that the guy does to get the score…that should maybe negate the assist part of it.” (Trey Kirby, 54:22)
• The subjectivity of the assist stat is dissected: “It's the only real subjective stat that's out there. Like, it's up to the scorekeeper to decide if something is an assist.” (Trey Kirby, 54:28)
• Tass makes a case for Jokic’s “gravity” still holding value.

6. Worst of the Week

[56:32–61:51]

• NBA Scorekeeping (“Jokic’s assists”): Returns as a theme.
• Body Language Watch: Alperen Sengun makes a game-saving block but barely gets love from teammates ("He deserved chest pumps. Yeah, he deserved people getting excited about him." — Trey Kirby, 57:39).
• Fan Mishaps: A Cavs fan’s beer gets knocked over by a stray ball—hosts compare it to the all-time Gerald Henderson “ball-to-the-face” clip.

7. Rapid Fire & Fun Closing Rounds

[73:19–84:44]

Favorite Cartoons & Board Games

• The crew reminisces over Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, Looney Tunes, and the gross-out classic Ren & Stimpy.
• Board game rookie hazing: Katan, Risk, Hues and Cues, Monopoly Deal.

Karaoke/Singalong Songs

• Three songs the hosts allegedly know every word to (“Mr. Boombastic,” “That’s Amore,” “The Humpty Dance,” “Midnight Train to Georgia,” and even the full “Jesus Christ Superstar” soundtrack).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Lavar’s just letting that happen…People change.” (Tass, 18:54)
• “This is one of the toughest choices, I think, of all the breakdowns.” (Trey Kirby, 33:08, on Silver Slugger guard)
• “He’s like the only guy that’s ever made defense cool…People like watching what Wemby is able to do out there.” (Trey Kirby, 44:26)
• On Jokic’s 19-assist game: “You don’t get a butt assist.” (Tass, 52:52)
• On blocked shots: “There should be an additional stat to guys who just clutch their blocks. Like a snatch, snatch block.” (Tass, 50:22)
• On board games: “We started in Denver. Now we’re going to Utah…You have to keep it intact the whole way.” (JD, 78:05)

Timestamps (Key Segments)

• 04:46 — Wedgie count & NCAA March Madness recap
• 11:57 — Knicks-Hornets breakdown/Hornets discussion
• 19:02 — Magic-Kings, Pistons-Pelicans recaps
• 29:40 — MLB-inspired NBA Awards: Silver Slugger/Golden Glove
• 52:35 — Jokic’s controversial assist tally
• 56:32 — Worst of the Week: Scorekeepers, Rockets’ chemistry, spilled beer
• 73:19 — Rapid fire: Cartoons, board games, and go-to karaoke tracks

Takeaways

• The Hornets’ identity and team cohesion are real and they’re seen as dangerous playoff spoilers.
• The hosts relish the chance to adapt MLB awards for NBA positional debates, providing fun yet sharp analysis.
• Scorekeeping—especially on assists—is more subjective than most fans realize, an issue that’s especially noticeable with Jokic.
• The show maintains its playful and conversational tone, blending basketball nerdery, pop culture, and listeners’ shared trivia.
• “No Dunks” continues to serve as both a hangout and a basketball salon, fostering both fun and insight for NBA (and MLB) junkies.

For listeners who missed the episode:
This summary delivers the playful, analytic, and culture-nerd energy the No Dunks crew brings—covering serious NBA debates, MLB crossovers, and the kind of personal, irreverent tangents that make the show a unique staple in the basketball podcast world.