The Athletic NBA Daily – Saturday Slam n’ Jam

Episode Title: Contending Spurs + Who wants Ja Morant?
Release Date: January 9, 2026
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht (A), Alex Spears (C), Special Guest: Jared Weiss (D)

Episode Overview

This week’s Saturday Slam n’ Jam dives deep into two of the NBA’s biggest stories: the San Antonio Spurs’ emergence as legit contenders, and the market (or lack thereof) for former All-Star Ja Morant. The hosts recap the week’s top stories, debate NBA trends and player performances, and spin the Wheel of Fandom—this week landing on a Bucks deep dive. Jared Weiss of The Athletic joins for a thorough explainer on why and how the Spurs are winning, with trivia and oddball NBA discussion rounding out the show.

Key Segments, Insights & Highlights

[02:06] Weekly NBA Roundup

Main Topics:

• First Trade of the NBA Season:

  • Trae Young traded from Atlanta Hawks to Washington Wizards for C.J. McCollum (expiring) and Corey Kispert.
  • No draft picks involved; Hawks reportedly tried (jokingly) to acquire Wizards’ beat writer Josh Robbins.
  • Quote: “Robbins tweeted after the deal that he would be surprised if Trae plays much, if at all the remainder of the season for the Wizards.” (C, 02:35)
  • Hawks now eyeing Anthony Davis: “Every team in the East believes they're an Anthony Davis away from making the Finals.” (C, 03:05)

• Detroit Pistons’ Surge:

  • Returned to winning, now 28-9, first in the East. Cade Cunningham with standout performances.
  • Notably beat the Knicks: “Cade had 29 and 13 assists. Jayden Ivey put up his highest scoring game of the season, scoring 16 off the bench.” (C, 03:40)
  • Knicks are reeling but stabilized with a Clippers win.

• Clippers Rolling:

  • Now 7-2 in last 9; Kawhi averaging 34/8/4, shooting 50/38/94, and tallied his first career 50-point game.
  • Jerick Jones Jr. injury a setback.

• OKC Thunder’s Rough Patch:

  • After a 24-1 start, Thunder are only 7-6 since, with offensive rating dropping to 18th.
  • “Even with some blowout wins during the stretch, the Thunder’s offense has plummeted...” (C, 05:56)

• Boston Celtics Streak:

  • 13 wins in last 17; Jalen Brown’s 50-point game.
  • Peyton Watson of Denver shines with Jokic out.

• NBA Milestones:

  • Anthony Edwards: 10,000 career points (third youngest)
  • Rick Carlisle: 1,000th win as a coach
  • Shams reporting Grizzlies are entertaining offers for Ja Morant.

[08:23] Ja Morant Trade Rumors Reaction

• Quote: “We might be talking about Ja Morant trades later, and I promise you it's not entertaining at all. There's nothing entertaining about it.” (B)
• Hosts discuss the strangeness of Morant only being a two-time All-Star.

Good, Bad, What: Weekly Hosts’ Picks

[09:18] The Good

• Andrew (B): Boston Celtics—Derrick White and Namias Keita

  • Derrick White’s elite defense: “He's 10th in total blocks so far this season... 26th in steals... 21 points, five boards, five assists, a steal, and nearly two blocks per game over last 15.” (B)
  • Chemistry without a traditional big, Keita’s emergence: “With Keita and Derrick White on the court... plus 23.4 in limited possessions.” (B, 09:53)
  • Memorable moment: Derrick White’s 7-block game, tying his own record. (C, 11:20)

• Alex (C): Raptors’ RJ Barrett

  • “The Raptors are 16 and 6 when RJ Barrett plays… their half court offense is 11 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the court—that differential is in the 96th percentile.” (C, 13:38)
  • Barrett’s massive improvement on floaters (now shooting 50% from 3–10 ft vs 39-42% prior years), developing a real counter for defenders.

[16:14] The Bad

• Andrew (B): NBA Free Throw Discourse & Denny Avdija

  • Avdija leads league in drives; free throw conversation online is “the bad” due to incessant ‘free throw merchant’ complaints.
  • Quote (on the discourse): “I just feel like every time that I get online I just get a little bit dumber having to read it.” (B, 21:59)
  • Memorable moment: “If you don’t make your free throws, then it’s cool actually.” (C, 23:49)

• Alex (C): Sacramento Kings’ Unexpected Tank

  • Kings now have worst point differential in the league: “Minus 11.7—only five teams in NBA history have finished with a worse point differential.” (C, 25:07)
  • Calls Kings’ 2026 campaign “the greatest secret tank in NBA history.”

[27:21] The What

• Andrew (B): Who Wants Ja Morant?

  • “I don’t know what Ja Morant does well anymore. He hasn't made the All Star team since 22-23… three years left on his contract.” (B, 28:53)
  • Compares Morant’s decline and contract inflexibility to Trae Young.
  • Dissects potential (but unlikely) trade destinations: Sacramento, Toronto, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Miami.
  • Quote: “The reports are that there are teams interested... maybe teams are calling to ask how many draft picks Memphis will give up to get off the contract.” (B, 38:10)
  • Alex echoes this rarity: “You have to imagine such an incredible future based on no recent evidence with Ja Morant...” (C, 31:56)

• Alex (C): OKC’s Loss to the Hornets

  • “What happened this week in OKC does not happen to great teams... This Hornets win is legitimately one of the most shocking results in recent NBA history.” (C, 43:56)
  • Provides historic context—only four games like it in 20 years, most with extenuating circumstances.

[46:31] Deep Dive: Wheel of Fandom—San Antonio Spurs

Special Guest: Jared Weiss, The Athletic

Spurs’ Recent Dominance

• Beating OKC 3-0 in Season Series
  • “These games against the Thunder, they should count as double or triple wins for the Spurs... It kind of vaulted them into this contender conversation.” (B, 47:44)
  • Weiss: Victor Wembanyama's role is “icing on the cake… not the spongeiness of the cake.” (D, 48:20)
  • The matchups are revealing: “I think this is going to be a very definitive statement here. Either the Spurs just have some sort of voodoo hex over the Thunder, or the Thunder... remind everybody they're the champs.” (D, 49:25)

Spurs’ Weaknesses and Adjustments

• Post-OKC Letdown:

  • “When they're not winning, they had some really bad shooting nights... missing tons of wide-open shots.” (D, 50:14)
  • Emphasis on cautious management of Wembanyama’s minutes; team depth tested with Victor out or limited.

• Wembanyama’s Offensive Fit:

  • “He’s so focused on his versatility, they don’t run offense through him that often... He doesn’t have a lot of go-to signature things.” (D, 50:42)
  • Spurs seeking more reliable halfcourt ‘bread-and-butter’ star actions.

Spurs Backcourt: Fox, Castle & Harper

• Surprising Gelling, Ball Movement
  • “After the first few weeks… once Victor went out… their ball movement was so good... They focus on the flow rather than forcing it to Victor in the post.” (D, 52:36)
  • Castle and Fox “take turns being really good every night... Castle's been getting like seven assists a game... Fox is the engine offensively.” (D, 53:45)
  • Dylan Harper’s defense and transition impact stand out.

[54:41] Dylan Harper’s Development Areas

• Needs to Add:
  • “Just wide open shooting, but also just his mid range game—can he establish it?” (D, 55:02)
  • Needs to develop more self-creation when he can’t get all the way to the rim in transition.

[56:08] The Dunk Father, Wemby, and the 9'9" Kick

• Weiss’ viral story connects Wembanyama’s insane pre-game kick to the net with France’s “Dunk Father,” Godorziani, who holds the (unofficial) world record for highest net kick (9'9").
  • “I asked [Wemby] after the game, ‘Are you going to beat this record?’ and he said with total nonchalance, ‘Oh, I'm confident I could beat that. Of course, I'm Victor Wembanyama.’” (D, 56:36)
  • Ziani tested Wemby in training and told him: “There's nothing I can teach you. You are an animal like me.” (D, 59:37)

[61:07] Spurs Trivia: Andrew vs. The Beat (Jared Weiss)

• Fun rapid-fire session with Spurs-centric trivia; standouts include:
  • Tim Duncan, Victor Wembanyama, and Steph Castle among rare Spurs rookies to average double-digit points.
  • Only “Lunch Lady” and “Big Body” are actual Basketball Reference nicknames; “Earthworm Him” was a show invention.
    • Memorable banter: Hosts brainstorm who deserves the “Earthworm Him” nickname, naming Jeremy Sochan and even Chet Holmgren as candidates.

[75:22] Next Week’s Wheel of Fandom: Milwaukee Bucks

• Bucks face a brutal upcoming schedule and have been shaky of late: “Their only solid win lately was Boston... They aren't that good right now.” (C, 76:55)
• Expect in-depth Bucks talk and an interview with Eric Nehm next Saturday.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “Every team in the East believes they're an Anthony Davis away from making the Finals.” — C (03:05)
• “Derrick White... He's 10th in total blocks so far this season… has just kind of glued this entire team together.” — B (09:18)
• “The Raptors are 16 and 6 when RJ Barrett plays. …Their half court offense is 11 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on.” — C (13:38)
• “I just feel like every time that I get online I just get a little bit dumber having to read it.” — B, on NBA free throw discourse (21:59)
• “I don’t know what Ja Morant does well anymore. He hasn't made the All Star team since 22-23.” — B (28:53)
• “What happened this week in OKC does not happen to great teams... This Hornets win is legitimately one of the most shocking results in recent NBA history.” — C (43:56)
• “These games against the Thunder, they should count as like double or triple wins for the spurs... It kind of vaulted them into this contender conversation.” — B (47:44)
• “He was the icing on the cake rather than the sponginess of the cake.” — D, on Wemby’s impact (48:20)
• “I asked [Wemby] after the game, ‘Are you going to beat this record?’ and he said… ‘Oh, I'm confident I could beat that. Of course, I'm Victor Wembanyama.’” — D (56:36)

Episode Structure / Timestamps

• 00:00–02:06 | Ads & opening (skipped)
• 02:06–08:23 | NBA news roundup
• 08:23–16:11 | “Good, Bad, What”—weekly highlights
• 16:14–44:25 | Deep dives & player trends, Ja Morant trade debate
• 44:52–46:31 | Brief ad break (skipped)
• 46:31–61:07 | Spurs segment with Jared Weiss
• 61:07–75:22 | Spurs trivia battle
• 75:22–79:19 | Wheel of Fandom (next week: Bucks) / show close

Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• Spurs are winning with depth, defense, and smart integration of young stars.
• Ja Morant’s trade value has plummeted; teams may only take his contract with extra incentive.
• Barrett’s Toronto impact is massive, while Derrick White’s defense is holding Boston’s floor.
• NBA “discourse” on topics like free throws often misses historical context and nuances.
• OKC’s loss to Charlotte was among the most bizarre upsets in recent memory.
• The anime-level athleticism of Wembanyama continues to inspire awe (and wild stories).

This episode is a comprehensive, lively NBA roundtable, blending serious analysis, historical context, quirky stats, trivia, and relatable fan banter—fitting both hard-core and casual hoops followers.