The Athletic NBA Daily: "Can the Thunder Repeat? + Post All-Star Break Leap Team" | Slam N Jam

Date: February 21, 2026
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht, Alex Spears
Guest: Ryland Stiles (Locked On Thunder, OKC Dream Team)

Episode Overview

This week’s Slam N’ Jam is packed with analysis of post All-Star break NBA storylines—including the surprisingly excellent All-Star Game format, the real contenders in a wide-open season, Detroit's dominance against elite teams, and an in-depth check-in on the Oklahoma City Thunder: their depth, injuries, player development, and playoff outlook. Plus, the annual "Post All-Star Break Leap Team" predictions and a round of Thunder trivia!

1. Key Discussion Points & Insights

NBA Weekly Recap: All-Star Break & Notable Games

[02:53–10:49]

• All-Star Game Revamp: New format is a success, with competitive, closely contested games, driven by Victor Wembanyama’s energy.

  • “Each of the first three games was close, came down to clutch shots from Scotty Barnes, De'Aaron Fox and Kawhi Leonard… best All-Star game I can remember in a long time.” – Andrew, [02:53]

• Saturday Night Highlights:

  • 3-Point Contest: Dame Lillard wins third title, promises to recruit Steph & Klay next year.
  • Dunk Contest: Jace Richardson's scary fall; Miami’s Kashad Johnson wins; Mac McClung shines with creative dunks for Bleacher Report.
  • Funniest Moment: Blazers’ rookie Yang Hansen, through a reluctant translator—“I can’t wait to kiss [Jokic].” [05:20]

• Kevin Durant “Burner Scandal, Part 2”: DM leaks with trashtalking, but KD shrugs it off.

• Notable Games:

  • Detroit Pistons dominate Knicks again, even shorthanded.
  • Clippers edge Nuggets, with Benedict Mathurin’s breakout (38 points in home debut after trade from the Pacers).
  • Pistons’ Cade Cunningham drops 42/8/13; Paul Reed fills in for missing Detroit bigs after brawl suspensions.

• Tanking Update:

  • Commissioner Adam Silver hints at major anti-tanking reforms: new lottery odds proposals, limits on consecutive high picks, etc.
  • “Some of these ideas just seem mean to the Pacers!” [08:14]

The Good, The Bad, The What: Around the NBA

[11:09–42:30]

The Good

[11:29–17:59]

• Andrew: The NBA season is wide open—key injuries to OKC and Denver, uncertainty at the top, lots left to learn about the true contenders.

  • “I really don’t know who is going to come out of either conference, which I think is a very good thing for the NBA.” – Co-host Andrew, [12:56]

• Alex: The Detroit Pistons are historic in their record against other elite teams:

  • 11–3 with a +6.4 point differential vs. top-10 teams.
  • “Since ‘03–‘04, teams better than Detroit in this stat—7 of 9 went to the Finals, 5 won the title.” [16:19]
  • Big schedule test coming: Spurs, Cavs, Thunder over next two weeks.

The Bad

[18:27–29:21]

• Co-host Andrew: The disappointing 2022 NBA Draft class.
  • Jaden Ivey gets first career DNP-CD; most 2022 lottery picks have already changed teams or are fighting for NBA jobs (Sharp, Jalen Williams, Jalen Duren only lottery picks still with drafting teams post-5).
  • “This class was supposed to be game-changing. Instead, the best players so far are Chet and J-Dub, and a lot of guys are just good role players or fighting for a contract.” – Co-host Andrew, [21:34]
• Alex: The Philadelphia 76ers' frustrating deadline—didn’t add needed depth, more concerned with cap than helping Embiid/PG now.
  • “If it’s not worth investing assets to improve this roster now, when is it going to be?” – Andrew, [26:39]
  • “He [Daryl Morey] is rightly referred to by Sixers fans as Daryl Snorri.” [26:34]

The What: Post All-Star Break Leap Team Predictions

[29:22–42:30]

• Purpose: Identify players ready to make a major leap in production after the break.

• Previous Success Story: Deni Avdija’s 2025 post-break jump led to his All-Star campaign.

• 2026 Picks:

  • Alex Sarr (Wizards): Under-the-radar rookie, improving shooting/passing/rebounding; could surprise if he returns healthy.
  • Benedict Mathurin (Clippers): Traded to L.A., should get all the shots he can handle with thin depth; aiming for a massive usage spike.
  • Peyton Watson: (Cheat pick, already mid-leap): “Could be a future All-Star if he lands on the right team.”
  • Scoot Henderson (Blazers): Just back from injury; bold target is 19/7 with more minutes, as Portland leans into youth down the stretch.

• Other Names Considered: Max Christie, Modest Bouzelis, Ayo Dosunmu, Anthony Black, Steph Castle, Brandon Miller, Jalen Green.

• “The spirit of the question is: Who could be a difference maker next season? These guys [Sarr, Watson] might be it.” – Co-host Andrew, [39:32]

2. Deep Dive: Oklahoma City Thunder

Wheel of Fandom Feature Team
[45:11–55:29]
Guest: Ryland Stiles

Thunder Injury Update & Depth

• No SGA, J-Dub, or AJ Mitchell; McCain and Isaiah Joe stepping up as key shot creators.
  • “Jared McCain’s shooting gravity is the first thing that jumps out... he fits right in as a spacer with the elite creators.” – Ryland, [47:20]

Isaiah Joe’s Advanced Development

• More than just a shooter: improved movement, playmaking, defensive competitiveness.

Cason Wallace’s Growth

• Solidifying his shooting; recent stretch shows more on-ball juice.
  • “He’s almost by being too simple... become more advanced offensively.” – Ryland, [51:30]

Chet Holmgren’s Offensive Ceiling

• Struggled to ramp up shot volume even with stars out—needs offseason skill work, especially on-ball creation.
  • “He’s like the duck in those oil commercials... waiting for Don soap to wash him off and let him spread his wings.” – Ryland, [52:02]
  • “He just doesn’t have a go-to offensive move yet. But it’s coming.” – Co-host Andrew, [54:00]

Playoff Outlook, Health-Permitting

• OKC much more versatile offensively in halfcourt; added floor spacing and secondary creators (McCain, Joe, AJ Mitchell).
  • “Biggest upgrade: a halfcourt offense with creativity even in the non-Shai minutes. More ways to get Shea the ball in dangerous spots, more options for Chet as finisher.” – Ryland, [55:29]

3. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Detroit’s Elite Wins:
  “Nine teams have had a better point differential against top 10 opponents than Detroit since ‘03–‘04. Seven made the Finals. Five won it all.” – Andrew, [16:19]

• On Jaden Ivey’s DNP and the 2022 Class: “We were talking about how the Pistons now have this 'fire and ice' element with Cade and Jaden Ivey and that just never came to fruition… this class just has not shaped up to be what we thought it would be.” – Co-host Andrew, [21:34]

• On Thunder’s Player Growth: “Jared McCain’s ability to shoot… you can envision how he could allow Shai and J-Dub… even more space to create.” – Ryland, [47:20]

  "Chet's like the duck in those oil commercials… waiting for the Don soap to come and wash him up and let him spread his wings." – Ryland, [52:02]

• On Philadelphia 76ers: “Bring back the real Daryl Morey, because this man is an imposter.” – Andrew, [27:29]

4. Thunder Trivia ("Andrew vs. The Beat")

[57:18–84:04]

• Fun, competitive Thunder-themed trivia between Andrew and Ryland.
• Topics: clutch shot leaders, tanking era rosters, players with most dunks, defensive impact stats, corner three attempts, and more.
• Notable moment: Ryland, after an early deficit, makes a tongue-in-cheek tanking joke referencing the current lottery system and generational draft.
• Memorable line:
  “Chet Holmgren has 96 dunks this season. Who was the last Thunder player with 100+ dunks?”
  • Answer: Nerlens Noel.
  • “There’s not a lot of dunkers; they’ve literally not drafted any real dunkers!” – Co-host Andrew, [73:55]

5. Timestamps for Key Segments

• All-Star Recap & Weekly Storylines: [02:53–10:49]
• Good/Bad/What Segment: [11:09–42:30]
• Leap Team Picks: [29:22–42:30]
• Thunder Deep Dive (with Ryland Stiles): [45:11–55:29]
• Thunder Trivia – Andrew vs. The Beat: [57:18–84:04]
• Next Week’s Wheel of Fandom Reveal (Dallas Mavericks): [84:04–end]

6. Overall Episode Tone & Flow

• Conversational, Statistical, and Analytical: Mixes deep-dive stats (Pistons’ giant-killer record) with quick humor and personal anecdotes.
• Engaged Debate: Particularly lively in “Good/Bad/What” as hosts differ on Philly, joke about drafting, and playfully accuse each other of “tanking” in Leap Team selections.
• Thunder Section: Both hosts and guest display deep knowledge and enthusiasm about player development, while acknowledging present limitations and future upside.

This episode provides a comprehensive, insightful, and entertaining breakdown of both the league’s big picture and specific team development—especially for Thunder fans—but is packed with stats and takes useful for any NBA fan chasing February/March storylines and future breakout candidates.