First Time All Stars with You Know Ball

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily – "First Time All Stars with You Know Ball"

Episode Information:

• Title: First Time All Stars with You Know Ball
• Release Date: August 2, 2025
• Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, Esfandiar Baraheni
• Guests: Trill Bro Dude and Sam Sheehan from the "You Know Ball" podcast
• Segment Highlight: Selection of First-Time NBA All-Stars

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1. Introduction to the Episode

The episode kicks off with host Alex Spears introducing the special segment, "Saturday Slam and Jam," featuring guests Trill Bro Dude and Sam Sheehan from the "You Know Ball" podcast. The primary focus of this episode is to select potential first-time NBA All-Stars for the upcoming season, with a particular emphasis on players from the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.

2. Team Expectations: Philadelphia 76ers

Key Discussion Points:

• Season Realism: Trill Bro Dude and Sam Sheehan discuss what a successful season would look like for the 76ers, emphasizing player health and team performance.
• Joel Embiid and Paul George: Concerns about their health are paramount, with hopes that Embiid can play 45-50 games and George around 60 games ([02:42]).
• Young Core Development: Focus on the growth of Jared McCain, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecomb, viewing them as the future stars of the franchise ([04:35]).

Notable Quote: Sam Sheehan reflects on the season's challenges:

"A successful season to me for the Sixers basically looks like, can I just get 45 to 50 games of Joel Embiid, 60 games of a normal Paul George, and can we be a top five or six seed in the east with the young guys looking like they're taking steps in their development?" ([04:35])

3. Team Expectations: Boston Celtics

Key Discussion Points:

• Performance Goals: The Celtics' potential for a top-tier Eastern Conference seed is debated, with considerations about player injuries and team dynamics.
• Injury Impact: The health of key players like Jalen Brown and Derrick White is crucial for the team's success ([06:29]).
• Strategic Moves: Discussions include potential trades and the impact of new additions like Cam Boozer or AJ Debenga ([08:00]).

Notable Quote: Sam Sheehan shares his perspective on rooting for the Celtics:

"I'm just looking forward to seeing the young guys really ball out next year." ([06:07])

4. First Time All-Star Draft

Segment Overview: The core segment involves a mock draft where Alex Spears, Trill Bro Dude, and Sam Sheehan select their picks for first-time NBA All-Stars. The selection process uses a snake draft format, allowing each participant to choose players based on their potential impact and performance.

Selected Players and Justifications:

1. Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic) – Pick 1

   • Justification: Wagner's consistent performance and efficiency make him a strong candidate for All-Star consideration.
   • Quote:

     "He’s consistently at the top of those boards. He has a lot of things going for him going into next season." ([17:35])

2. Desmond Bane (Orlando Magic) – Pick 2

   • Justification: Bane's high efficiency and role in the Magic's ascent as contenders position him as an All-Star threat.
   • Quote:

     "Desmond Bain is going to benefit from efficiency statistics and he'll get a large amount of credit from the NBA media sphere." ([20:34])

3. Josh Giddey (Chicago Bulls) – Pick 3

   • Justification: Giddey's impressive counting stats and potential for triple-doubles make him a standout candidate.
   • Quote:

     "He's almost averaging a triple double. He's got to be in the All Star Game." ([40:12])

4. Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets) – Pick 5

   • Justification: Thompson's defensive prowess and improving offensive game could earn him All-Star recognition.
   • Quote:

     "Amen is going to rack up regular season wins and one of Shangun or Durant getting bumped for a little bit." ([25:22])

5. Vijay Zubac (Clippers) – Pick 6

   • Justification: Zubac's defensive impact and consistency make him a strong candidate, especially with Clippers' improved team dynamics.
   • Quote:

     "Zubac is another guy that is somewhat of a coach's favorite nerd favorite." ([28:36])

6. Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) – Pick 8

   • Justification: If Denver secures a dominant regular season, Murray's performance could thrust him into All-Star conversations.
   • Quote:

     "This is the year when Jamal Murray rises up and stops riding the coattails of the playoffs." ([45:30])

7. Derek White (Celtics) – Pick 10

   • Justification: White's efficiency and defensive skills, coupled with the Celtics' roster dynamics, could earn him an All-Star spot.
   • Quote:

     "He's shooting like 17 times a game and has good efficiency numbers." ([46:19])

8. Denny Abdia (Portland Trailblazers) – Pick 11

   • Justification: Abdia's scoring ability, especially in a revamped Blazers lineup, positions him as a potential All-Star.
   • Quote:

     "Denny Abdia averaged 19 points, 10 boards, and five blocks in 20 games post All Star break." ([50:17])

9. Chet Holmgren (Thunder) – Pick 9

   • Justification: Holmgren's defensive prowess and potential for offensive growth make him a valuable All-Star pick.
   • Quote:

     "Chet is destined to be an all-star at some point and he's got the game for it." ([33:19])

10. Cooper Flag (Dallas Mavericks) – Pick 7

    • Justification: As a young and promising player, Flag's versatility and impact on defense could earn him All-Star honors.
    • Quote:

      "Cooper Flag is going to be a huge part of that [defense]." ([34:48])

11. Cam Thomas (Brooklyn Nets) – Pick 12

    • Justification: Thomas's scoring volume and potential shooting improvements could make him a contender for the All-Star game.
    • Quote:

      "Cam Thomas shoots way above his head from three and is one of the best mid-range shooters and creators." ([55:41])

Notable Quotes:

• Alex Spears on Franz Wagner:

  "I just think we will get to a point where it's obvious they deserve two all stars and the question will be more about could they get three all stars." ([17:35])

• Sam Sheehan on Desmond Bane:

  "He is one of the best interior defenders, rim protectors in the NBA over the last handful of years." ([27:25])

5. Trivia Segment

The episode features an engaging trivia segment where hosts and guests answer questions related to the Celtics and Sixers. Despite a strong start by the "You Know Ball" team, challenges arose with difficult questions about historical player performances and specific playoff games.

Highlights:

• First Question: Identifying players who have played at least 150 games for both the Celtics and Sixers. Correct Answer: Evan Turner ([65:59]).
• Second Question: Naming all 20 players since 2010 who played for both teams. The participants successfully identified several, including Drew Holiday, Al Horford, Mike Mascala, Jarvis Varnado, and Greg Monroe ([74:16]).
• Final Questions: Focused on specific game statistics and player nicknames, highlighting the depth of knowledge required for NBA trivia.

Notable Quote: Alex Spears humorously remarks on the complexity of the trivia:

"We have to pick on guys that we're kind of betting on as pet projects." ([75:30])

6. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reflect on the unpredictability of their mock All-Star draft and acknowledge that the true outcome will only be revealed once the NBA season unfolds. They encourage listeners to stay tuned and engage with the content through surveys and continued podcast episodes.

Closing Insights:

• Uncertainty of Predictions: The hosts emphasize the speculative nature of their selections, acknowledging that actual All-Star outcomes may vary.
• Engagement with Fans: Encouragement for listeners to participate in surveys and share feedback to enhance future episodes.

Notable Quote: Alex Spears concludes with a light-hearted take on their draft predictions:

"We'll know who won if Cam Thomas is an All Star in February." ([59:54])

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Summary Overview: In this lively and informative episode of The Athletic NBA Daily, hosts Alex Spears, alongside guests Trill Bro Dude and Sam Sheehan from the You Know Ball podcast, delve deep into the dynamics of the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics' upcoming NBA seasons. Through a mock First Time All-Star draft, they highlight emerging talents poised for recognition while engaging in a challenging trivia segment that tests their NBA knowledge. The episode balances insightful analysis with playful banter, making it both entertaining and valuable for NBA enthusiasts looking to stay ahead of the season's potential breakout stars.

Transcript

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[Alex Spears]

Yes, yes, we are going to do First Time All Stars, which is kind of the main event of today's show. But I did. As long as we have you on, I'd like to ask about your teams. So Trill, we'll start with you. And same question to both of you. The Sixers, they've had a entertaining summer so far. So far. What for you personally, what would be like a realistic, successful season for the Philadelphia 76ers this year? And this is your opinion, not necessarily what other people want for the Sixers so.

[Sam Sheehan]

Well, we've had successful seasons. Everyone on this podcast, you guys being Thunder fans and having your championship. The Celtics won a championship a year ago for Sam, and then our successful season is, you know, keeping our pick in the draft. So pretty much all equal across the board there. I would say, you know, that was the thing that we dreaded this entire season, obviously, along with the health of Joel Embiid and Paul George. So luckily, we'll be facing that again next year, but at least we have VJ Edgecomb to go with it. But honestly, a successful season to me for the Sixers basically looks like, can I just get 45 to 50 games of Joel Embiid, 60 games of a normal Paul George, and can we be, you know, a top five or six seed in the east with the young guys looking like they're taking steps in their development? My things that I'm really looking forward to this upcoming season are the young guys, just because I've kind of already in my mind accepted that this window is pretty much over the Joel Embiid era. And I am kind of looking towards the future now. I obviously want Joel to be healthy and playing. I'm skeptical that that could really happen this season and then moving forward as well. So I'm really rooting for Jared McCain, Tyrese Maxey, Vijay Edgecomb, and the young core that they're starting to build right now because Vijay was awesome in summer league. McCain was arguably the best rookie in the NBA before he got hurt last year, and Maxi had a weird season, but kind of figured it out before got injured. And so I guess what it would look like to me is like a top five or six seed in the east, at least a competitive playoff series in the first round, and then an all NBA leap from maxi with one of McCander. VJ looking like a clear future star as well.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. Yeah. As weird as it's been, I. I will say I've listened to some of these podcasts who are ranking, like, the teams with the worst futures, and Philly always gets put, like, near the bottom. And I just don't. I get it. We all get it because of those contracts, but Maxi, McCain and Edgecomb, like, there's so many teams that would have loved to have that as a young core going forward. Forget the contracts. Like, there's so many teams right now who are bad, who would love to have those three as a young core. So it's not all bad.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, that's the thing is, like, I feel like while I. While I obviously am mourning the window that we just had because. Especially because Joel just We don't know if he's going to be the same ever again. It's not looking super optimistic, especially after that piece that was just written in espn. I feel like they've done a good job in the last two years of pivoting for another window. Whether that's a championship window is a different question, but at least a competitive window, you know, a year to three years from now when those contracts are winding down from Paul George and Joel Embiid. And honestly it's, it's really been since 2023 because two years ago all we had was maxi and now we have a handful of young guys and it feels like they've really taken advantage of being, you know, under expectations the last two years and nailing the draft, which is ultimately what it comes down to for opening windows and extending window. So, you know, my hope is that they can actually extend it, but I'm just looking forward to seeing the young guys really ball out next year.

[Alex Spears]

So flipping now to the Celtics, who have also had an eventful summer. Sam, I know you've been watching tiktoks of Jared Solinger passes, outlet passes. So you've been having a good summer. It sounds like what for you, what would a realistically successful season look like for the Boston Celtics?

[Andrew]

So we have a three point plan here. You know, all, all great plans start with, you know, a checklist. Okay, so, so number one is that Derek White gets all his podcasting out of the way this season, that he's bored of it by the time next season comes around time to podcast right now so he can, you know, do whatever he wants there and you know, get bored of it. You know, I think we're all podcasters, we know how tough it is and you know that it's probably the hardest job in the world, you know, besides like fireman and like teacher. So that's what they say up there. Number two, the other thing is not losing a second round pick due to DNPs for soreness for Jalen Brown and Derrick White throughout the year. I don't know, no tampering losses for second round picks I think would be great. And then, yeah, Cam Boozer or AJ Debenza on the team come, uh, next year. So I very realistic, you know, I'll draft Amari William. Well, we'll get to our first time all all Stars later on. So I don't know. I mean I'm, I'm doing a bit but like, realistically, I mean, I think I, I think this is kind of a no lose situation for the Celtics. I mean, I think the. Honestly, I think the worst case scenario would be them, like, being in the play in. Realistically. I mean, I think if they're like, in like the like 4, 5, 6 range and Jason Tatums comes back, I think people will feel like Celtics might have, like a puncher's chance. I don't really like that. I don't want to rush Jason Tatum back, but, like, as long as the expectations are managed, I think that's fine. And then on the other side of the coin, I mean, I think if the Celtics are as bad as expected and could really kind of get down there and like, lose enough games to, you know, have a competitive lottery pick, I think the east is too abysmal and the Celtics still that kind of have enough talent, depending on how many games Jalen Brown and Derrick White play, that I. I do think that they are probably more likely to be like a 36 to 40 win team. And that's probably not going to be good enough for them to be in the mix for any of these. I mean, we just saw it with the Mavericks. I mean, it is a draft lottery, so, like, you can't get a top pick when you're one of these teams. The odds are flatter. You know, it's not likely, but it can happen. I. I think that I would just. I would like to see the Celtics lean into whatever direction, you know, time may come, because I think that, you know, whatever happens, we're not really going to know where this team is in the east until we're about halfway through the season. And I'd like to see the Celtics, you know, either trade guys away to really get worse and, like, shut Derrick White and Jalen Brown down or to, you know, if they're, you know, good enough and competitive enough, just, you know, if it's not going to be worth it to tank, like, yeah, why not give yourself a puncher's chance if, like, for whatever reason, Jayson Tatum comes back and, like, it's fine.

[Alex Spears]

I can hear it in your voice, though. I can hear you want to be a draft sicko this season.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Oh, yeah. There's no chance that you want them to win?

[Andrew]

No, no.

[Sam Sheehan]

But I just had it. And honestly, I just felt at home. You know what I mean? Like, the Sixers contending, Not really for me. Maybe they were always fake contenders, but the stress of all of it, I'm. You guys just went to two game sevens. I know your team won the title, but sitting. How nice was it? Just sitting back watching all the other teams in the playoffs, and then you got a top three pick. You're chilling. And we. We had to at least worry about losing our pickup. Sam's gonna love this upcoming season if the Celtics are bad. That's. He knows deep down that's what he really wants.

[Andrew]

I. Look, I. I'm just gonna say nobody knows. Well, you know, Alex and Andrew, you guys know one of the worst things that can happen to your team is winning an NBA championship. We really are like the worst, you know, you know, the most impoverished fans here. So it's true.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

You guys. You guys don't know how hard we have it, so it'll be nice to kind of have some of those expectations.

[Sam Sheehan]

Takes years off your life.

[Trill Bro Dude]

If. If healthy. Are they better or worse than the Bulls?

[Andrew]

I think better than the Bulls. I'm.

[Sam Sheehan]

I'm.

[Andrew]

I know, I know. It's very popular to like, like, juice the Bulls. I think the Bulls are a team that is going to.

[Trill Bro Dude]

It's popular to juice the Bulls.

[Andrew]

I feel like we're heading.

[Alex Spears]

Are people juicing them?

[Sam Sheehan]

I think juicing the Bulls, people are juicing the Hawks. That's the Juice. This offseason.

[Andrew]

There's a lot of people.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I'm juicing the Hawks. Yeah.

[Andrew]

Were there like some early lines or something like that? I saw people like talking about, like, hammering the Bulls over at like 36 wins. And it's like, yeah, that is like a. That's an over. But I'm seeing, like, people talking about them, like, just not being in the play in tournament and stuff like that. I'm like, I don't like, they'll win games, I feel like. But I also. The other thing is that I think when you have Josh Giddey as a huge staple of your team, things are going to immediately fall apart for you in the playoffs. As I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here about the playoffs.

[Trill Bro Dude]

We saw it. We've seen it. Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Okay, enough about your loser teams. Let's pick some All Stars. All right, so this is something me and Andrew do every year. We try to predict who are going to be the first time All Stars in the upcoming season. And you might think, oh, there probably aren't that many. But I went back to 1997, and since 1997, on average, there are six. Actually over six first time All Stars per season. Just last season, we had six. Kate Cunningham, Tyler Herro, Jalen Williams, Evan Mobley, Victor Weminyama, and Alperin Shengoon. And even at a time when everyone's saying, oh my gosh, the league is so deep, oh my gosh, we have to expand. Even in the last five years, we're averaging over five first time All Stars per season. So this does happen, which is kind of crazy because you look at the rosters and you look at who didn't make it last year, which I'm going to show you right now on our screen. First of all, in the east, yes, you have Jason Tatum and Damian Lillard falling out, obviously. And in the west you have Kyrie Irving falling out. But some previous All Stars that didn't make it last year that will have a shot. Paulo Banchero, Luca Doncic, Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, John Morant, Zion, Tyrese Maxey, Julius Randall, Paul George, Scotty Barnes, Bam Adebayo. Even with all those names, we still feel pretty good that there's going to be like four to five first time All Stars. So before we jump into the draft itself, I did want to ask you to, as you were kind of coming up with your big board, were there any league wide, like bigger league wide trends that were influencing your choices?

[Sam Sheehan]

I feel like it's, whenever I do these exercises, it's always harder to find first time guards for me because the guard position feels like it's always stacked because obviously a lot of teams run their offense through guards and then they're also high volume scorers. Those are the guys that tend to be guys that make the All Star game on a regular basis. There's also plenty of multi time all Stars as you have up here, who are pretty much shoe ins as long as they're healthy. So I tend to personally look for forwards and wings that might fall into this a little bit easier just because I feel like as Sam says on the podcast all the time, there's like 10 good wings in the entire NBA.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's, that's a great point. And that's, that's a way to go about it. Now the way we're going to do this is a snake drift, okay? And I'm going to let you all choose your position because it's a snake draft. So like the person who picks one, they're gonna get the first, eighth and ninth pick. Person who picks fourth is gonna get four, five and 12. Now I'm gonna let you two pick first, but to decide who, which of you get to pick first, I do have a special trivia question just for you. So Trill, I'm gonna give you first stab at this. What is combined Career high and points for Tyrese Maxey and Marcus Smart. Now before you answer, you can make Sam answer first and you go higher, lower, or you can answer first and then Sam will go higher and lower. So this is. If you took Tyrese Maxey's career high game points and added it.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Alex Spears]

To Marcus Smart's career high gaming points, what would you get? What number would that be?

[Sam Sheehan]

I. I have a general idea of what Maxis is. I have no idea for Marcus Smart. So I'm just gonna. I'll guess it because that's more fun.

[Alex Spears]

Okay. Okay.

[Sam Sheehan]

I'm going to say their combined career high would be 80. I think Maxi had a 50 point game and I'm going to guess that Marcus Smart at one point had like a 38 or 40 point game. So I'll say 89.

[Alex Spears]

All right. Sam, would you like to go higher or lower?

[Andrew]

I will be going lower. I believe it is 79 points.

[Alex Spears]

Trill, you got it exactly correct. It is 89. 52 for Maxi, 37 for Marcus Smart. So, Trill, wow, what a start. Where would you like to. Where would you like to draft from which position?

[Sam Sheehan]

Originally I was going to say first, but now that I see that it's a snake draft, I'll go four. I'll double up at the end there.

[Alex Spears]

So Trill's gonna go for Sam. Where would you like to go?

[Andrew]

Let me, let me take number two.

[Alex Spears]

I'll.

[Andrew]

I'll take number two.

[Alex Spears]

Number two. Andrew, I'm gonna give you the selection. Would you like three or one?

[Trill Bro Dude]

I'll take three.

[Alex Spears]

Come on. All right, so you guys are making me draft first? Yeah. Fine.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I know you.

[Alex Spears]

Not a big deal. Not a big deal. I'm confident. Here we go. All right. So with the first pick in the first time all star draft, I am going with one, Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic. And the pitch here is pretty simple. 1. If you just look at his counting stats from last year, very good. Already at 24, 6 and 5. Now, did he shoot under 30 from 3? Yeah, he did okay. And was he just as bad on catching shoots as he was on pull up threes? Yeah, he was okay. But there was one bright spot which is he's been pretty good from the corners his entire career outside of the two years ago. And maybe his three point shot diet changes with Desmond Bain coming in, Ty Jones coming in. Those two guys took a combined 11 threes per game last year. And we all remember that stretch he had in December when Paula was out. During a 17 game stretch, he averaged 28, 6 and 6 and a half. Getting to the line 6.6 times per game and had eight 30 point games. I feel like the Magic are a shoe in to at least be, let's say home court advantage team, but I think they could be even better than that and I just think we will get to a point where it's obvious they deserve two all stars and the question will be more about could they get three all stars. So I'm going with Franz. Did anyone else have Franz as their, their number one pick?

[Sam Sheehan]

I did.

[Alex Spears]

All right.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Oh, hey.

[Sam Sheehan]

It seems obvious, right? Like he had the thing that Franz has going for him. Former high pick, gonna be on a good team already is statistically productive, like you pointed out. And then also on top of that, the analytics nerds love him. He's consistently at the top of those boards. So he has, he has a lot of things going for him going into next season.

[Andrew]

Wings will be a disaster in the east too. Like no Jason Tatum, like some of the other guys. It's much more competitive in the west as far as Wings are concerned. So like, yeah, I, I think Franz.

[Sam Sheehan]

Is, was like kind of with a bullet.

[Andrew]

Like I, I, I, I thought kind of two is where you started having choices in this draft, which is why I wanted to go.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, so you're thinking two is where the draft starts, as they say. Yes, pick number two. Well, Sam, that's very exciting because you have picked number two. So who would you like to choose? The second overall pick.

[Andrew]

I'm going to go out on a little bit of a limb here because there's like three or four guys. I had three or four guys in the mix here.

[Sam Sheehan]

Peyton Pritchard, come on down. I'm going to start us off with.

[Andrew]

Two Orlando Magic and I'm going to select Desmond Bane as my second.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Oh, okay. Okay.

[Alex Spears]

I feel, Wow.

[Andrew]

I hear me out on this. I feel like the, I'm a big believer in the Magic and I'm a big believer in narratives especially. I think that all star wise, you know, I know it is not heavily influenced by the media, but is heavily influenced by fan vote and you know, the media do get their like, little say. I do think that Desmond Bain is going to be, I think that they're going to want to reward the Orlando Magic and I know that he would be the third beneficiary of that, obviously behind Paulo Banchero and Franz Wagner. But I think that he's also going to benefit from efficiency statistics and I think that he's going to get a Large amount of credit from the, the NBA, like, media sphere for the improvement that I think is coming. And I think their leap into legitimate contenderhood. And I do think they are going to be a legitimate contender just by virtue of being one of the three best teams in the East. And I think that the offensive impact that he's going to bring, he might not have the points per game that we're kind of used to seeing out of like All Stars and some of this stuff, but I think the high efficiency, the fact that he is a high impact player, and I think that Franz and Paulo might continue. They, they've had these issues where they do kind of continue to have efficiency issues, you know what I'm saying? So I wouldn't be surprised to see them kind of go to Desmond Bain in the second unit in some of these other cases. I know it's like a little bit of a stretch, but I do think that given injuries to some of the other, Some of these other guys I think are very injury susceptible that I had, like, in this range. I think Desmond Bain's like kind of an iron man most seasons. So I'm, I'm, I'm, I, I decided to go Desmond Bain here, even though it's a little bit of a reach.

[Alex Spears]

Do you all think that, or, or I guess what do you think would need to be their record, I mean, or, or like, would they need to be like number one in the East?

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, we saw the Cavs last year get. We saw the Cavs get three last year, which was the first time, if I remember correctly. I think that was the first time since the Jazz got three when they added in Mike Conley last second.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Which was a good trivia question.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah. That. Well, that I remember discussing this last year because Celtics fans, and maybe rightfully so, because, you know, they never get what they want, were complaining that the year before when they were also dominant in the regular season, they did not get three all stars and the Cavs did last year. So it will be interesting to see. I think part of the injury thing makes Bane a possibility. I think like Sam said, I mean, one of Paulo or Franz getting injured means that he's more likely to get up there. The only thing that's really holding him back is the, is the guards are so good. But, you know, it's. He. We've said time and time again with him, if he weren't in the west, he probably would have made at least one all star game so far in his career, at least. But in consideration.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, yeah. Okay. Andrew. Two Magic players gone. Where are you going?

[Trill Bro Dude]

I think the media is going to love the Magic so much. I'm taking Jalen Suggs. No, I'm just kidding. I'm going to. I'm going to take Jaylen Johnson.

[Alex Spears]

Damn.

[Trill Bro Dude]

From the Atlanta Hawks. His stat line. He only played 36 games last year, but he averaged 19, 10 and 5. I mean, that is just insane.

[Alex Spears]

And I think they're almost at like prime Josh Smith numbers, which was one of my favorite players growing up in fantasy. Yeah, if he just bumps his blocks per game a little bit, he'll be at Josh Smith numbers.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I mean, he was at a steal and a half and a block a game too. And he wasn't even shooting that well from three. And I just think this guy, like, it wouldn't be shocking if we get to February and he's healthy and he's 2010 and five with a steal and a block and a half. Like that wouldn't be crazy. And like, then he's just a shoe in, like. I just think he's an obvious all star. If he stays healthy and I think like they're going to have better spacing. I think they're going to be a better team. And I think Jalen Johnson was their best player when he was healthy. And so for me, I think it's pretty easily Jalen Johnson.

[Sam Sheehan]

I wanted to take him. I'm mad you took him.

[Alex Spears]

I think narrative well trail. The good news is you get two picks.

[Sam Sheehan]

Two, baby. Back to back. Yeah. So I'm going to go with one that is obvious. I shouldn't say obvious.

[Andrew]

He.

[Sam Sheehan]

He's going to be higher up people's boards on this and then I'm going to go with one that's a little bit spicier. So the first one I'll go with is there were two guys I was picking between both former high picks. I won't say the one I'm not making, but Amen Thompson from the Rockets is the guy. The thing with guys like Jalen Johnson and Amen Thompson is I wonder how much of the volume scoring does it need to go up? How much does the usage need to go up? Because they did just swap out Jalen Green for Kevin Durant with the Rockets and they obviously are going to run a lot of offense through Shangoon and Kevin Durant. Having said that, I think the, the long term upside of the Houston Rockets is basically tied to how good Amen Thompson gets on offense. And right now, while he's one of the best transition players in the NBA. He's actually fairly effective off the ball despite the inability to shoot and he's already one of the best defenders in the NBA. The half court offense for both him and Jalen Johnson is something I look at going into next year that determines how high their ceiling actually can be. Because if you look at these kind of players that kind of steadily progress in the way that Amenta Thompson has, even though he kind of already, because of the defensive utility, had an impact instantly in the NBA. I think Amen is a guy that is going to slowly get better on offense and in year three or four is usually around the time that these kind of guys pop, high field guys, super athletes. And I think that Amen and the Rockets are going to win a ton of games next year. Like if there's a team in the west other than the Thunder that is likely to even be in the conversation for three All Stars, it's probably the Rockets who I think are just going to rack up regular season wins and one of Shangun or Durant getting bumped for a little bit. Although Durant has a massive buffer because he's an all time player and those guys just tend to get voted into the All Star game. I wouldn't be shocked if they get three and I also wouldn't be shocked if he just gets it over Sengun.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, one thing I think you have going for you is that people just want to talk about Amen. Like if you listen to any podcast this season, if they were talking about the Rockets, they were going to mention Amen. Like there would be some times where people just wouldn't even mention Sengun. Like people are, I mean for good reason. Like his athleticism alone makes him a very like entertaining player to watch. But I, I, I just think people are going to want Amin Thompson to be an All Star. And if you look at his post All Star break stat line, like if he just improves the, the scoring a little bit, I think it will be like obvious by the time we get to All Star.

[Sam Sheehan]

Definitely nerd favorite. Podcast favorite Sean Hyken says Prestige zone guy for sure.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah, yeah, he's just a cool player too. And Sengun is as good as he is. He's not a cool player. Like he just moves too weird. You know, he's harder to talk about. It's very obvious. Like Amen's athleticism just like pops so much. There's like okay, that's very cool. I like that.

[Sam Sheehan]

Definitely.

[Alex Spears]

Okay. Trill, you said you promised us a spicy pick with the fifth all right.

[Sam Sheehan]

So the first one was, you know, obviously kind of on the trajectory to become an All Star. And Amen. Also the teacher's pet factor. I talk about a lot with All Star Games. The bench players are the ones that are voted in by the coaches. And most of these guys that will be picking probably won't be starters. So I'm going to go with another guy in the west, actually. And I'm going to go with Zubotch on the Clippers. Little wow. Not Jalen Green. No, not the biggest Jaylee Green fan in the world. But here's why I'm gonna say, I know this is a little spicy. I had it. I had it a little bit further down my board. But since Sam. Sam went spicy to start, I had to one up him. So here's the thing about Zubotra. Zubotz, not flashy at all by any means, but has consistently been one of the better interior defenders, rim protectors in the NBA over the last handful of years. And then combined with, you know, these point of attack guys that they can throw at teams led them to a top defense last year. And ever since they got James Harden, he's very clearly been one of the 10 best centers in the NBA. And I actually looked at the west centers and I was like, I just talked about Shangun. Like I think Shanghun probably makes it if the Rockets are good, but I don't think it's a guarantee. And then you're looking at guys like Wemby, Chet and those that mold of player. And obviously Wemby's a lock if he's healthy. But it feels like Zubac is someone who once again, another guy that is somewhat of a coach's favorite nerd favorite. When the coaches are voting for bench guys, I think that he's going to be at the front of a lot of people's minds if they're a top three or four seed in the West. And I wouldn't be shocked if both him and James Harden get it. And I think that Zubac is very clearly the second most important player on the Clippers because Kawhi just is not like reliable anymore. And honestly probably should have been in the conversation last year, but he got the bump at the end of the year. He got some all NBA votes from some media members. I think there's a chance.

[Alex Spears]

There's a chance. And in your favor, I do have a stat which is that of the top 14 players in EPM last season, Zubots was the only healthy player that did not make The All Star game. But the reason I ended up moving him down my list was I think a lot of the excitement about Zubots last season was about his improved scoring. You know he got up until like around 17 points per game. Part of that was Kawhi not starting the season and them just needing someone else to score. So if you have Kawhi coming back and you've added in Bradley Beal and John Collins, like for sure, how realistic is it for Zubots to score 17 again and if he's more closer to like 14 per game, is that going to be enough for people to get like excited about him as an all star candidate?

[Sam Sheehan]

Definitely. And any but any big that plays with James Harden is just going to get easy spoon fed looks that they can run a bunch of offense through. And like yeah they lost, they added Bradley Beal, but they also lost Norm Powell who is a similar level of volume scorer at this point in his career. The John Collins thing is definitely an interesting wrinkle. I don't really think of him as a creator Kawhi's availability. But if we're, if we're going long shot guys here. Yeah, I mean like you said he was one of the most impactful players in the NBA last year and I, I buy the Clippers being a very good regular season team.

[Alex Spears]

And Sam, he was number four on your big board. Is that, is that correct?

[Andrew]

Yeah, I, similarly to Trill, I, I, I took a look at the west centers and I was like huh.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Who'S, who's, who's going to be here? And I think that injury stuff, so much of this stuff is kind of dictated by injuries too. I think you've definitely got a good point. I mean I think that you know, John Collins, the scoring punch is going to be there. Chris Paul, I, I think kind of facilitating things like with John Colin, like that's going to be an interesting wrinkle how much he plays and some of this stuff. Bradley Beals eight points a game. He's going to bring to the table, I think like a very interesting wrinkle. So you know it's really, there's a lot of things to like look at with the Clippers but I, I like Zubotch and I also think guys tend to get a little, a little more juice and like a little more votes when they're coming off an all NBA year, you know what I'm saying? Like I think people feel a little more comfortable like coaches especially and like media members kind of putting those guys in like the all Star team if they've been an all NBA caliber player like Zubac was, and I think he kind of broke that seal, is like, yes, I've arrived. I'm like a good player. So I think if he's close, he'll get the nod over someone like, yeah, player, center X. Like if Walker Kessler really balls out or something like that, you know, like.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. And I, I will say on a team full of guys who you expect to miss like 20 to 30 games per year, you do feel pretty confident that like Zubots is going to play pretty much every game. I mean played 80 games last year. So he at least will be there if they do sustain some injuries.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Andrew, pick number six. Still some good names on the board.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I'm going to take chat.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I would have if you didn't.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah, I, I think that you look at his first 10 games and he was healthy and not, I really think the last half of the season when he came back, he was still in recovery mode. You know, he is funny. Like he and I in the locker room even like compared like I had torn my ACL this past year and like we talked a lot about like recovery throughout the season and like he like was talking about like how hard it was like to get back just the muscle in his leg because of the atrophy from just having to lay in bed for so long for that hip to heal. And so I just don't think he was ever really 100% and he still played really well throughout the playoffs. And so I think he's gonna be feeling really good by the time we get to the regular season. And then I just think the defense stuff I think was just undeniable, you know, this season. I mean, guy shot 54% against him in the restricted area this year, which is just crazy. I mean the defense alone. But if he's anywhere close to where he was when he started the season, if he's like 16 points, nine boards, two assists, two and a half blocks, I mean the guy is, I, I think he's destined to be an all star at some point and he's got the game for it. He works super hard. Like he's a guy that's in the gym all the time. And so I, I think that he eventually is going to make an all star team. And you know, coming off the championship, I think the Thunder have a good chance to get three guys. And I think that Chet, as long as he stays healthy and doesn't have another very weird injury, I think that he'll be an All Star.

[Andrew]

I'm going to be honest, I. The only reason I didn't take Chat number two is because I. The injury stuff, like, I, I think if it's healthy, he walks into this one like for, basically for free. I, I don't, I don't see any way, if Chet's remotely normal that he doesn't make this All Star team. I think the media is ready to give it to him. I think that coming out, like you said, coming off a championship year, I think it's a freebie. And I think the defensive metrics, like you said, he was injured last year and he still had all of these defensive metrics kind of like pop out. I have my own doubts about kind of Chet the creator and Chet the scorer. Particularly, like in high leverage situations. It doesn't really matter for All Star stuff, you know what I'm saying? Like, being in the right.

[Sam Sheehan]

I would have taken Chad if I wasn't trying to get spicy.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

I think I, I think Chat is. I think Chat probably besides Franz. I think if, if you could tell me, if you could guarantee me Chat's gonna be healthy next year, I would have had him in the same tier as Franz as like a guy that I feel like is almost kind of almost a lock given, like, his situation, if he's gonna play, like, normally.

[Alex Spears]

So. So, Sam, come back around to you. Pick seven, your second pick. You took Desmond Bain in the first round. Who would you like to take now?

[Trill Bro Dude]

Boy.

[Andrew]

Okay. Is it time? I think it's time.

[Alex Spears]

Is it time? I think I know what you're gonna.

[Andrew]

Say, so people might know. I'm, I, I'm. I'm from Maine. And there's. There's a gentleman. There's a young gentleman who's entered the league from Maine this year.

[Sam Sheehan]

Wow.

[Andrew]

His name is Cooper Flag. And there's a lot of. I, I've seen a lot of talk about Cooper Flag, about how the Dallas Mavericks won't be good, about how, like, even if they are good, like, Anthony Davis is going to be the lock All Star for that team. Like, you know that he's kind of a Swiss army knife type player. He's not really going to excel at any like, one thing necessarily, maybe besides defense. So, like, you know, is he really going to get like an All Star and like a really tough West? Here's what I say. I say yes. I believe in him more than anything in my entire life. He's my son.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Andrew]

Adult son. And so you might ask yourself, Sam, you're On a athletic podcast, you have to justify this with some sort of underlying stats data. I'm gonna say that right now he's really charting high. I don't know. We track this at the, you know, ball podcast. Swag. Swag. His swag numbers. It's a regression formula pioneered by, like, a lot of these guys, and he's projecting really high in swag for this upcoming year. To be honest, I really just don't think Cooper's, like, afraid. And I do think that while Dallas, like, does not have guards, I do think that they are going to be alarmingly good at defense this year. And I, I think that Cooper Flag is going to be a huge part of that. I think that he is going to be more ready than people are kind of expecting for him. Honestly. What it kind of reminds me of, and I know that they're, like, very different players, but it kind of reminds me of, like, when Luka Doncic was coming in the league and everyone was like, yeah, he's, like, really good, like, but we'll, like, kind of see how he handles it.

[Sam Sheehan]

Didn't make the All Star team as a rookie, by the way.

[Andrew]

Okay, that's fine.

[Sam Sheehan]

He didn't have just. The last one who did was Blake Griffin.

[Trill Bro Dude]

So it was Blake.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, Yeah, I was gonna say. I, I, I. To be fair, though, I think the last player that was probably this caliber of prospect, non Wemby category, because Wemby. Wemby had a slow start to his career, but by the end of his rookie season was definitely all star caliber, was one of Ben Simmons or Zion, and both of those guys were injured their rookie seasons. So if you're making the pro flag argument, you just think he's going to be healthy and figure it out pretty quickly, which there's definitely a world where that's the case. And he very, very obviously, with Anthony Davis's health record, will get all of the credit if, if they end up being even, like, remotely decent. You get the number one overall pick bump, too, which consistently gets guys into the All Star game maybe even a year earlier than they should.

[Andrew]

And I just think the way he plays, like, you know, turbo athletes, too, like, and, like, guys that, like, kind of have, like, loud plays. I think there's going to be a lot of weak side blocks. I think there's going to be, like, stuff like that. I, I think that he's going to, like, pop on, like, a lot of, like, there's going to be a lot of dads who really like Cooper Flag. Let me put it that way. So, like, we're going to see. We're going to see some interesting things. And I just feel like at this point in the draft, I'm starting to feel after Chet came off the board, I also feel like we're kind of going down a tier and we do have to kind of pick on guys that we're kind of betting on as pet projects. And I very strongly believe in Cooper flag as like a. Not a generational prospect, but probably the best prospect we've seen since Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis before that.

[Sam Sheehan]

So Wemby.

[Andrew]

Well, you know.

[Sam Sheehan]

I was like, webby's up there. Also, many people are saying the second best recent Duke prospect behind Jared McCain.

[Andrew]

I've heard that.

[Sam Sheehan]

That's facts.

[Alex Spears]

Yes. So many people. I was looking at the rookies who made the All Star game because I did bump Cooper got up to 8 on my board and they were mostly older, you know, Blake Griffin, 21. Yao Ming, 22. Tim Duncan, 21. Grant Hill, 22. The youngest was Shaq, who was 20. And then Kobe was the youngest All Star ever in his second season, 19 years, 168 days. Cooper, he'll turn 19 in December. So he would be the youngest All Star ever by about 100 days. But you know, Kobe did it at that age. So it's not like unprecedented. I mean, it would be. He would be the youngest because he's a rookie. Yeah, but. But it, it's.

[Sam Sheehan]

But also he won. He was the. The best player in College at 18. And that was also unprecedented.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

I don't think it's a crazy pick, especially because I kind of agree with you that Dallas, like, what if Dallas is just one of the west teams that gets like the easier first half schedule and they just end up like around the six seed and it's like. And. And maybe Anthony Davis is like in and out of the lineup a little bit, but they're still able to hold it together. Like, yeah, you could imagine that scenario pretty quickly. I feel like where Cooper could be.

[Sam Sheehan]

A realistic All Star, then maybe Nico will sell high at the deadline and trade him.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Boston Celtic, I've heard you could do miracles on the Dallas Mavericks.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah, if he. If he was coming off an acl, I would put him as a lock to make the All Star team. Complete lock.

[Alex Spears]

Okay, so I have two picks in a row. First, I'm going to go with one I actually feel pretty good about, which is about his All Star chances. Josh Giddey for the Chicago Bulls Post All Star break You feel good?

[Trill Bro Dude]

Okay, let's go.

[Alex Spears]

Let's do this. Here's my.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I am so pumped to hear this.

[Sam Sheehan]

Wow.

[Alex Spears]

Post all star break. 21, 11 and 9 on 50, 46, 81. Now I get it. Some of that is Mickey Mouse. He's not going to shoot 46% from three. But the thing that I do think was real post All Star break is that his usage went from 20 to 25. Once Zach Levine got out of there, it really became Josh Giddey's team. And that team is probably going to be 500 again. They started last year 8 and 13, and then they finished 31 30. If he's putting up those types of stats and I don't like 21, 11, 9, let's just say it was like 19, 10 and 9. Like, I think that's like, very believable for Josh Giddy if he's. If he's getting close to triple double. I think this could be like, a smaller version of the, like, Westbrook MVP thing, obviously for a much lesser award, but just where people will see him putting up these counting stats and be like, well, he has to be. You got to take the guy. He's almost averaging a triple double. He's got to be in the All Star Game. Especially if the Bulls are just kind of like around where they're usually at. Like, if they're at the seventh or eighth seed, let's say. Yeah, I think it will be a very. He'll be a very popular pick simply because of his counting stats, which I do believe will be there now. Like, yes, there will be smarter people talking about, like, oh, this guy's terrible at defense. Like, I don't. I don't know if this is a winning player, stuff like that. But I think the counting stats will rule over all of that because they will be so eye popping. Because I'm expecting somewhat of a continuation counting stat wise, not necessarily percentage wise, from his post All Star break run.

[Sam Sheehan]

De Shante Murray from the spurs, we talked about that on a recent podcast, would probably be the closest analog to that. The year that he made the All Star team, where they were just like, dejante, go Cook. And he had all these crazy counting stats, but when you dug a little bit deeper, you were like, yeah, this is a little fake. But people like dejante. And once again, I've said it before, and I say it again, like, I really do think that draft pick bias is, like, such a huge thing when it comes to determining these things, because they think that the draft process is, like, infallible. And that if a. If a guy got traded or if a guy got picked in the top, would you guys take him at 6? I think in 20, 21 6?

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah.

[Sam Sheehan]

That will be in his favor. Like, that is literally always the case when it comes to these things.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I'm proud of you, Alex. Good job.

[Alex Spears]

Wow. Thanks. Okay. I get to go back to back, and this is where my big board just falls off a cliff. So I'm going to go with a pick that I feel like we pick every year. It never happens. It's probably not going to happen again.

[Trill Bro Dude]

But you're going to do it. I'm going to banana in the tailpipe.

[Alex Spears]

I'm going to take Jamal Murray. Now, here's the pitch. Denver, have they really had a truly great team yet. Now, two years ago, they won 57 games. Yes, that's a very good team. But coming into the All Star break, that team was fourth in the West. Okay. They were not like a dominant team at that point in the season. They actually went 216 post all star break to get to 57 wins. They haven't really had a dominant team during the Jokic era, where people are just like, wow, we got to give Denver two All Stars. And that's kind of been the thing with Jokic's entire career. Oh, my gosh. Never played with All Stars until Russell Westbrook. This year, with their additions, I feel like there's a chance that we see a dominant Denver regular season team in a way that we haven't seen before. And if that happened and listen, I think it could be Denver, I think it could be Houston, I think it could be OKC as the team that just like grabs the one seed during the early part of the season. But if it is Denver and they're like the clear one seed and maybe they have like a three game lead on whoever's number two, I think there will be a push to get a second nugget into the All Star game. Now, it's very hard for it to be Jamal Murray because if healthy, Shea, Steph, Anthony, Edwards, Luca, like, there's your four guards. You're done. And so you would have to make it as one of the two wild card spots. So it would be. It would probably honestly be an injury replacement if it happened. But if it was going to happen, I feel like this is the year it would happen because Denver just seems to be a much deeper team and are better prepared for the regular season. And so that's why I'm going to Jamal Murray.

[Andrew]

I think it sounds logic. I really do. Like, I think that I, I, I'm just going to be honest. There's a lot of talk about Houston. I'm going to be picking Denver to be a top two seed of some flavor. I think they're the primary competition for the Thunder in the west, to be totally honest. And I, I think I was looking at both him and Aaron Gordon for similar reasons because, you know, I think that they will be good enough. To your point, they've never really blown the doors off anyone. I think the year they won the title, they won what, 53 games over the course of the season or something like that. Like it's, it's not. They've never had this dominant team. They've always kind of been jokic merchants. You know, Murray himself was kind of in and you know, he's had injuries up and down and we have a like joke on our podcast because, you know, playoff Jamal Murray, we say he has to prove it in the regular season for us to take him seriously.

[Sam Sheehan]

Still waiting.

[Andrew]

We're still waiting on that. Maybe this is the year when, you.

[Sam Sheehan]

Know, we need a full year. Jamal.

[Andrew]

No, this is the year when Jamal Murray rises up and stops, you know, riding the coattails of the playoffs and finally proves it. When it matters. When the, when the lights are brightest in Charlotte at 8:30pm on a Tuesday night.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, anyone can hit game winning shots in the playoffs against the Lakers and LeBron. Yeah, you know, it's, it's, it's a.

[Andrew]

Different thing when you look across the court and you know, you've got to see a Plumly brother there in the Charlotte.

[Alex Spears]

Different.

[Andrew]

That's a different type of experience.

[Alex Spears]

So Sam, will you be going with Aaron Gordon or do you have a different pick? I will not. Final selection number 10.

[Andrew]

I will not be going with Aaron Gordon. I'm kind of surprised this guy is still here kind of given history. I'm going to take Derek White.

[Alex Spears]

Okay. Okay.

[Andrew]

I think that he is, yeah, that's right. Right now I think that the Celtics are obviously a mess. I think Jalen Brown is going to have a last two years of Kobe type season where he just kind of gets to do what he wants. But I think Derrick White has been kind of in this mix. He hasn't been like a serious all star contender, but like he's been a, also ran like he's been a guy that like Zach, when Zach Lowe at the end of his podcast is like running through like the list of guys. I looked at Derrick White, I Took a look at Derrick White, like, you know, and you.

[Trill Bro Dude]

You.

[Andrew]

That's happened for, like, two seasons now, like, at this point. And I think that, yeah, if the Celtics. There's not a lot of. It's, like, gonna be the scoring. It's gonna be him. It's gonna be Peyton Pritchard, it's gonna be, you know, Jalen Brown. You know, I don't think the Celtics might not be in the position to get two all stars, but I think if, like, if the Celtics are, like. I don't know if they're like, the six seed or the five seed or something like that, and it's like, everyone's, like, loved Derek White for, like, a bunch of reasons. And he's, you know, he's shooting, like, you know, 17 times a game or something in this, like, offense, and he's got, like, good efficiency numbers. Like, the defense is there. Somebody's hurt somewhere. I could see him being, like, an injury replacement, like, type guy and kind of like a backfill is sort of a. Hey, like, we see you. We. You're an NBA champion. We, like, recognize you. Like, you've. You've done this, like, with the efficiency. I think that, you know, again, we're. We're pretty deep in the draft at this point. I think a lot of these guys are not likely to make it, but I think that it's a solid bet given the injuries and the fact that, like, he's just going to have a lot of raw numbers just by virtue of how desolate, like, the Celtics roster is. So. And I think that he's got a lot of fans in the media who I think will, you know, if given the opportunity, you know, I think would want to give that to him. And I think if there's an injury replacement and Adam Silver's got to pick somebody, I mean, I think Derek White, you know, let's just say you got a lot of Celtics fans get. Get some more eyeballs on the game, you know, so everyone knows how unfair the league is to the Lakers and Celtics fans and the Knicks fans.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Sam Sheehan]

BMM will do their hardest next year to get that. Derek, the. The nice.

[Alex Spears]

You.

[Sam Sheehan]

You did also forget the nice guy factor. Yes, I talked about teacher's pet. This is. While this is no slander, I love Drew. Drew was always the main beneficiary of this, where it was like, if it came down to Harden versus Drew like it did two years ago, Drew was getting the bump from the coaches. Like, coaches love Derrick White. He will. He will definitely get the benefit of.

[Andrew]

The doubt, you also forgot the other most important factor representation for all of us NBA fans out there. For his receding hairline. We want to see a man with a receiving hairline. LeBron is kind of phasing out of the All Star game. We need a new receding hairline king.

[Sam Sheehan]

Absolutely.

[Andrew]

Somebody who resist the wiles of getting on a jet to Turkey and getting the transplants. And Derek. Derek will stand strong. He will. He will be our new hairline king. Our receding hairline king.

[Alex Spears]

So. All right Andrew, we are deep in the weeds at this point. Your final pick, number 11. What name are you going to say then?

[Trill Bro Dude]

The name I am going to say is Denny Abdia from the Portland Trailblazers. In 20 games post All Star break last year, 23, nine and five for Denny, which feels like a lot. I don't know, they can get back to that. He was shooting 41 from 3 and 50% from the field during that stretch as well. No Anthony Simons here who's taking all the shots is a question that you have to ask yourself. And so I feel pretty good about taking Denny Abdia.

[Alex Spears]

I actually have a stat for you Andrew, real quick. So the, the loss of Simons and Ayton. 40% of the 20 point games scored by Blazers last season came from Anthony Simons, deandre Ayton and this player who's also still not or also not on the Blazers. Do you know who it would be? Simons, Ayton and.

[Trill Bro Dude]

And I don't know.

[Alex Spears]

It was Delano Banton of course who had nine 20 point games.

[Trill Bro Dude]

No way.

[Alex Spears]

He had the same amount as deandre Aiden, which is why I had to include him in the stat but.

[Sam Sheehan]

Amazing.

[Trill Bro Dude]

No way.

[Alex Spears]

Just the point that like they lost a ton of scoring and so I don't know, I, I know you said like his stats seem a little inflated just because it's like Danny optia has really scored 19 a game. I think it could go up just because who is going to score on this team? Trill, what were you going to say?

[Sam Sheehan]

I was going to say he's one of the few players on this list that is just the best player on his team. Like yeah, like right now I don't really think that it's super debatable that there's anyone in 2025 who's much better than him on the Blazers. Whereas if you look at the rest of the players in this list, mostly second and third options, you can make arguments for guys like Gideon Flag. But yeah, he's really the only one that like if you're like running down rosters, you're like, oh, he's probably their best player.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. Like I want to believe that Shaden Sharp could be their best player, but I know that he is not. I want to.

[Sam Sheehan]

I love Shane Sharp but he currently is not close. But like the idea of him is so tantalizing. I'm just hoping that I'm not, you know, Lucy with the football with him.

[Andrew]

I'm, I'm writing under trolls yearbook photo in our Shade and Sharp fan club thing. Do not believe his lies. Like it's momentum.

[Sam Sheehan]

I've always loved Shaden Sharp but he, he, he, he. The production has not caught up to the highlights is all I'll say.

[Alex Spears]

But the thing is that like he's such a good finisher around the rim. He's really good in the mid range. He shot, shot 47 or something on long mid range shots. It's just the three pointer which was supposed to be his whole thing and he's just never, when he was young. Yeah, he's just never been able to come a three point shooter. Yes, I, I agree. I'm still like very in on Shane Sharp.

[Sam Sheehan]

Totally. I actually thought he showed some playmaking flashes as well last year. Not consistent with the assist stuff. But I think that Hanson Young might or Young Hanson. I apologize.

[Andrew]

Speaking of which, are you a man or a man?

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, look, I considered it. I considered it. I'll be honest. I considered taking him. I saw that Alex had included him on the roster of potential picks. I wanted to get spicy, but I just said to Sam if he, if he made the case for Cooper Cooper flag and I shot that down. I'm not feeling super confident about Young Hanson making it as a rookie. Although it would be absolutely electric for Young Hanson to do that. I mean it would be the.

[Alex Spears]

I didn't mention that I had sent you guys this like list that was I think fairly exhaustive. But yeah, with just a bunch of names of guys who definitely won't make it. But I will say to my credit, I did take Kyle Kuzma's name off the list.

[Sam Sheehan]

Finally. He's graduated.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Thank you.

[Alex Spears]

Even I couldn't imagine the scenario.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Okay, I will say that you did put Young Hanson's name with an exclamation point in there.

[Alex Spears]

I was just trying to get some.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Hype going for I was feeling pretty good when I read it.

[Andrew]

My eyes were doing drawn to it. And let me just say if I had ended up in the fourth spot where Trill is I would be selecting him with the 12th pick strictly on hype and vibes.

[Sam Sheehan]

So here's the thing. I would love to do that and it would be great for everyone if we got a new market like China that fast to listen to our podcast for the pod. Yeah, so I. I'm gonna go with. I. I have a few guys listed left here that I think are much better chances of making the All Star game than this guy. But I want to go with the funniest possible outcome. Okay, so can I just read off some of the guys I'm not going to take, even though I think so. The guys I had left on my board were Trey Murphy, Miles Turner, Brandon Miller, Mikhail Bridges, just because of the Knicks hype there. Jared McCain Deandre Ayton, Lakers. Yeah, this is. This isn't my super long shots category. This. These Last few Jared McCain DeAndre and Santi Aldama, my guy. That's a super long shot. Keep in mind, these are super long shot. I'm just telling you. I'm telling you. Look at Santiago. Santi Aldama's numbers without John Moran on the court last year are borderline all star level. But jaw if Ja plays, then they that he has no chance.

[Andrew]

Heard it here first, folks. Aggregate this trill, bro. Dude says Santiago Lock all star this year.

[Trill Bro Dude]

You. You heard it here first. You heard it here. Only here. Will you ever hear it.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yes, exactly. I've got these. These are my super long shots. You guys already took a few of them, so I had giddy in this category as well. A little bit higher. I'm gonna. I also had written down here, if we're going super long shots, Peyton Pritchard and Matas Fuselis, I don't think either of them are going to be making it. But super long shots, we're going here. But I'm gonna go with the funniest possible outcome. This player is currently still a free agent.

[Alex Spears]

Wow.

[Trill Bro Dude]

No, you're not.

[Alex Spears]

Who?

[Sam Sheehan]

I am going with one Cameron Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets. I am going with Ben Simmons. Well, Ben Simmons has made all star teams.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I was going to say. Yeah, exactly.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah. No, no. So I'm going with Cam Thomas for this reason and this reason alone. Everything the Brooklyn Nets do is just to drive their fans absolutely insane. And in a season where it feels as though they have pretty much tank proofed the team in a way that they. It felt like they were doing last year, but they might have gone even further in that direction this year. And I believe, if I remember correctly, this is one of the last years where they, they control their pick. Unprotected, they have it and then it goes back to Houston the following year, I think for one year. And Cam Thomas, who might take the qualifying offer in free agency, is a volume scorer. Who. Does he pass the basketball? No. Does he play defense? No. But the game is about a bucket. And the funniest possible thing is that Cam Thomas shoots way above his head from three. Honestly, the argument for this would be it would be like Tyler Hero last year where Tyler Hero was kind of written off. It was kind of like I myself included, you know, was just thought of as a six man, but ultimately is one of the best shooters in the NBA. And Cam, while he isn't the best three point shooter, can get hot for stretches and is one of the best mid range shooters and creators in the NBA. Does he do a whole lot else? No, but I just think it would be the funniest possible outcome if Cam Thomas absolutely balled out after accepting the qualifying offer this upcoming season. And then the Nets are stuck in a position where it might mess up their draft pick. And then on top of messing up their draft pick, it also could make it so that they have to pay him a lot of money a year from now. So that's just the funniest possible outcome to me, which is why I had to select it. Also, there are not a lot of guys on that team are going to want to take shots other than him and mpj. So.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Trill Bro Dude]

And the comp, the comp here is d' Angelo Russell.

[Sam Sheehan]

That's also a good one. On the nest.

[Alex Spears]

Yes.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Doing this 2018, 2019, you look back years and years ago, it's like, wait, how, like what happened? Like how did he make the all star team? I feel like that that's the trajectory we're looking at here.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah. And it's. If I remember correctly, he had the nerds were saying at the time. The reason why his stats were so crazy was because he was shooting like 55 to 60% from floater range, which he had never done in his career and he only did for that half a season. Yeah. And it made him incredibly efficient and it made him one of the top like volume scorers and playmakers in the NBA. And Cam Thomas gonna have the ball a lot, a lot of connective guys around him this year. All we need is just a large heater from him for him to get some all star buzz. And once again I'm going funniest possible outcome. But I have a, I still have a hard time seeing it, but I would just. I would just love to see that.

[Alex Spears]

Hey, you know, at this point in the draft, you're not finding a 24 point per game score.

[Sam Sheehan]

You know, every stat I see about Cam Thomas is like every other player who's ever done this as a scorer was like a Hall of Famer. And then it's Cam Thomas. And then everyone's like, yeah, but he sucks. And I'm like, he.

[Alex Spears]

He.

[Sam Sheehan]

Ultimately, it there is no answer to the question, is Cam Thomas good or bad? He is just Cam Thomas.

[Andrew]

No.

[Alex Spears]

This would be the biggest KOC victory ever. Well, okay, so that brings us the end of the first time All Star draft. I got Franz Wagner, Josh Giddy, Jamal Murray, Sam took Desmond Bain, Cooper Flagg, Derek White, Andrew took Jalen Johnson, Chet Holmgren, Denny Abdia, and Trill took Amen Thompson, Avitza Zubots, and Cam Thomas. And guess what? Listen. A lot of podcasts do drafts and it's all fake because it doesn't really matter. There's no way to know who won this time. We'll know who won if Cam Thomas is an All Star in February. I don't care. Even if I nailed all my picks, Trill will be the winner.

[Andrew]

It's like the Golden Snitch. Yeah, it's like catching the.

[Trill Bro Dude]

It is.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Like, it's just. The game is over.

[Trill Bro Dude]

It's absolutely.

[Sam Sheehan]

Or. Or a point.

[Andrew]

It's a millennial reference for you zoomers listening to this. Harry Potter was a book series that.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Was in Harry Potter. You ever heard of it? Come on.

[Alex Spears]

All right, we're going to take a break and when we come back, we're going to do some trivia.

[Trill Bro Dude]

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[Alex Spears]

You switch to Boost Mobile.

[Sam Sheehan]

Wait, that's the actual fire alarm. We need to go visit your nearest Boost Mobile store for full offer details. Apple Intelligence requires iOS 18.1 or later.

[Alex Spears]

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[Sam Sheehan]

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[Alex Spears]

You closed the books and it went fine.

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[Alex Spears]

And we're back and it's time to play some Andrew versus the Beat, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head against the Beat Raider, in this time, in this case, an entire podcast. Andrew's battling an entire podcast this week, the, you know, Ball podcast featuring Trill Bro dude and Sam Sheehan. Now, in honor of you both being here, I've come up with eight trivia questions where each question involves both the Celtics and the Sixers, your two favorite teams. So it should be a lot of fun. You both should, I mean, theoretically, two brains together, both of your teams, you should, should go eight for eight, I'd say on this. So we'll see if that happens. So you know, Ball, you're gonna start, you're gonna pick a number between one and eight. If you get it right, you'll get at least two Points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one. We'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So, you know, Ball, to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight. Do you guys both have a shared lucky number by chance?

[Sam Sheehan]

What numbers? Marcus. Smart. Sound. So let's go. Let's go. Three. Because Allen Iverson.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Okay.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, that's good. I like that. Okay. There are only two players in NBA history to play at least 150 games for both the Celtics and the Sixers franchise. Who are they? And you do get one point per correct answer.

[Sam Sheehan]

So how many games was it?

[Alex Spears]

150.

[Sam Sheehan]

Okay. All right. Is there an obvious one, Sam? Oh, I think there is one.

[Andrew]

I'm. I'm running through my head. I don't. Al Horford and Amir Johnson did not play enough games.

[Sam Sheehan]

No, Amir Johnson was going to be my guess, but played enough games. Okay. Dana Barrows. How many seasons did he play for the. I think Celtics.

[Andrew]

Played enough for the Celtics, I think.

[Sam Sheehan]

Okay. He definitely played enough for the Sixers, I'm almost positive. So I'm gonna go. Dana Barrows.

[Alex Spears]

That is correct for one.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Alex Spears]

Very nice. Great start. Can you get the other name?

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, I think you're. I don't know if Amir Johnson played it. How many seasons did he play for the Celtics? Yeah, he only played, like, two for the Sixers, too.

[Andrew]

I don't think. I don't think he was healthy enough. He played a decent amount for the Celtics, but that's, like, right on the line, so I. I really don't think that's it. Yabu obviously did not for.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, no, neither of them.

[Andrew]

Probably an 80s guy, if we want to go back far enough, but that's.

[Sam Sheehan]

I don't know. 80s guys that would be on both teams, unfortunately. Let's. I guess we'll just go with Amir Johnson, then, just because that's the closest that I can think. Let's say Amir Johnson.

[Alex Spears]

That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal one point.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Is it. Is it Evan Turner?

[Alex Spears]

It is Evan Turner.

[Sam Sheehan]

How did we not know that?

[Andrew]

He only played two seasons, but I guess he was kind of an iron man, like, for the cell.

[Sam Sheehan]

Great shout.

[Alex Spears]

I knew that would upset you when you guys.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Andrew]

That's really tough.

[Sam Sheehan]

Well, I blacked out a lot of Evan Turner Sixers, so.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. All right, Andrew, board is yours.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Number one.

[Alex Spears]

Number one. This is going to be a fun one. There have been 20 players who have played at least one game for both The Celtics and Sixers since 2010, and we're going to name them all. So how this works is Andrew will give me a name. Then, you know, Ball will give me a name. We'll go back and forth to one of you stumbles. So we've already named. Some of the names are out there. So, Andrew, where would you like to start?

[Trill Bro Dude]

Drew Holiday.

[Alex Spears]

Drew Holiday. That is correct. Uno.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Ball.

[Sam Sheehan]

We'll go Al Horford.

[Alex Spears]

Al Horford. That is correct. Back to Andrew.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Oh, boy. Since what year?

[Alex Spears]

2010.

[Trill Bro Dude]

2010.

[Alex Spears]

10.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Goodness.

[Alex Spears]

We literally just named a bunch of names.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Why are you acting so put out?

[Alex Spears]

I'm just trying to think.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Mike. Pascala.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, you're just trying to flex on people by saying Mike Mascala. Yeah, that's correct. Okay, you know, ball, we'll go with Gershon.

[Andrew]

Yabu Sale.

[Alex Spears]

That is correct. Back to Andrew.

[Trill Bro Dude]

What about Josh Richardson?

[Alex Spears]

Oh, my gosh. Andrew, you're playing with fire. Yes, that is correct.

[Sam Sheehan]

We'll go. Well, actually, you know, we'll say Amir Johnson.

[Alex Spears]

Amir Johnson. That is correct. One of the names we said. Andrew. You could have just.

[Sam Sheehan]

I have another one. Sam.

[Alex Spears]

Instead of saying Mike Mascala. Okay, back to Andrew. You should have saved Mike Moscala.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I can't say names. I just think of.

[Alex Spears]

Okay, your turn.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Does Jaden Springer count?

[Alex Spears]

Damn it. Yeah. Jaden Spring accounts.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Okay.

[Alex Spears]

All right, back to, you know, ball.

[Sam Sheehan]

That was my. My guess.

[Andrew]

Jared Bayless play for the.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yes, he did. When? When did he play for the Celtics, Sam?

[Andrew]

It was 2000. It was after 2010 for sure.

[Sam Sheehan]

Then there you go. Bayless is definitely. Yep.

[Alex Spears]

That is correct. Jared Bayless.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Jerry Bayless.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yep.

[Alex Spears]

We once upon a time wanted him over Russell Westbrook.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah, we did.

[Alex Spears]

In the draft.

[Sam Sheehan]

There might be two players added to this list, by the way, soon, and that have not played for the Celtics yet.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, that's exciting. Little tease for our listeners.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah. Golly. How many more are left?

[Alex Spears]

A ton. There were 20.

[Trill Bro Dude]

20?

[Alex Spears]

You can't already be asking me how many names are left. You've only done eight. There's 12 left.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Dude, I'm doing okay.

[Sam Sheehan]

Okay.

[Alex Spears]

Aggressively matter at Andrew.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I know you're getting so mad at me for asking very simple questions. Goodness. Did we say Evan Turner? Am I allowed to say Evan Turner again?

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, you can say Evan Turner. Yes. Evan Turner.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Evan Turner.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. Okay, back to, you know, ball.

[Sam Sheehan]

Wait, what? I thought he already said Evan Turner.

[Andrew]

No, it was the answer to the last question, and then we didn't.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, I've been bolding them.

[Sam Sheehan]

We Got caught. We blanked.

[Andrew]

Yeah, we got caught.

[Sam Sheehan]

We got caught. Oh, my God.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, you guys don't need Evan Turner. I'm sure you know all these names.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah. Sam, can you think of someone who's in mutual here?

[Andrew]

Because there was a. There was. I know that there is somebody stuck in the giant roster churn that was the, like, 20 process. Sixers, 2018 Celtics. So, like. No, no.

[Sam Sheehan]

Jay Crowder.

[Andrew]

No. Did Marcus Morris. Marcus Morris played for you guys?

[Sam Sheehan]

Yes, he did. He did. Yeah. Marcus Morris. Let's go. Marcus Morris.

[Alex Spears]

That is correct.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Marcus Morris.

[Alex Spears]

Marcus Morris. Andrew, back to you.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Alex Spears]

Is it starting to get dicey for you, Andrew? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is. There's still some names here. Some guys you'll be like, oh, oh, yeah.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Goodness.

[Andrew]

I've got another one.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Troll did. Okay. Okay. This might seem crazy. I think he played for the Celtics, like, for a very small, small amount of time, but I'm not crazy confident about it. I don't know if it's just a white guy in a Celtics jersey that I'm thinking of. Nick Stauskis.

[Alex Spears]

Yes, he did. Yep. Yes.

[Andrew]

That's a deep cut.

[Sam Sheehan]

Wow. Good one.

[Andrew]

I will go with beloved both by Sixers and Celtics fan base. Greg Monroe.

[Sam Sheehan]

Oh, yes.

[Alex Spears]

Yes. Greg Monroe. Probably. Probably biggest name left on the board.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Greg Monroe.

[Sam Sheehan]

Forgot about that one. That was incredibly impressive for both of you.

[Alex Spears]

Didn't Greg Monroe take the qualifying offer?

[Trill Bro Dude]

I was just about to say a qualifying offer King here. Greg Monroe, he was the.

[Andrew]

I correct me. I. Not 100 on this. I think he was the last player to do that.

[Sam Sheehan]

No. Miles Bridges.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah.

[Sam Sheehan]

Which was for other reasons, but. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you're. You are correct that I believe he. It was. He was the last one before.

[Trill Bro Dude]

The last one to take it normally.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, exactly.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yes.

[Alex Spears]

Andrew, back to you.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I feel like I'm cooked. I feel like I'm completely done.

[Alex Spears]

You want to just throw out a name?

[Trill Bro Dude]

I mean, I feel like I don't. I don't know if I even have a name.

[Alex Spears]

You don't even have to.

[Trill Bro Dude]

To contribute.

[Alex Spears]

Okay. How about just an NBA player?

[Trill Bro Dude]

Lonnie Walker.

[Alex Spears]

Lonnie Walker. No.

[Sam Sheehan]

No, he never played a game for the Celtics. He was only in training camp.

[Andrew]

That was a really good.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Dang.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, he played a preseason game, but not a regular season game.

[Andrew]

Did Jameer Nelson ever play for you guys?

[Sam Sheehan]

I don't think he officially did, actually. Yeah. No, that was. Jesus Christ. He was St. Joe's guy.

[Alex Spears]

But did you have any other names in the chamber?

[Andrew]

I Was thinking one of my. Was one of my.

[Sam Sheehan]

Ish Smith. Did he ever play for the Celtics?

[Alex Spears]

No. But he shouldn't.

[Trill Bro Dude]

No.

[Sam Sheehan]

Okay. Yeah. If he played for everyone, that's why I said.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Yeah.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah. I'm trying to. I'm trying. There was one last process Sixers.

[Alex Spears]

There was a player who played for the Celtics last season.

[Sam Sheehan]

Oh, o' Shea Preset.

[Alex Spears]

O' Shea Brissette.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah. He was one of the guys that we just brought in at the end of last season.

[Alex Spears]

A draft pick that Bill Simmons was very excited about on the night of the draft.

[Sam Sheehan]

Oh, he did. We had him during the process. Yeah. Wow. The other games, did Isaiah Cannon ever play for the Celtics, Sam?

[Alex Spears]

Don't believe he did.

[Andrew]

I do. I don't think we ever officially had Michael Carter Williams.

[Sam Sheehan]

No, no.

[Andrew]

Austin.

[Alex Spears]

You guys got the point, by the way.

[Sam Sheehan]

Okay.

[Alex Spears]

The other names. Vincent Poirier.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, I would have.

[Andrew]

Big Vince.

[Sam Sheehan]

I honestly totally forgot he ever played for the Sixers. And that wasn't that long ago.

[Trill Bro Dude]

He was signed to all three of our teams.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, he was.

[Alex Spears]

We.

[Sam Sheehan]

We got him from you guys in there. Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Xavier Silas. Demetrius Jackson Johnson. Now, here's one you'll remember. Phil Pressy.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

And Jarvis Varnado.

[Trill Bro Dude]

That I didn't state.

[Sam Sheehan]

I don't remember him.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I would never have gotten that one.

[Alex Spears]

But okay, you know, ball. You're now up 2 to 1, and you have control of the board.

[Sam Sheehan]

All right, Sam, I'll let you pick.

[Andrew]

Let's go with eight. Lucky number eight.

[Alex Spears]

Question number eight. Oh, this is pretty good for you guys if you can. If you can lock in. Who are the last two NBA players to play for both Boston and Philadelphia in the same season? And you get one point per correct answer.

[Sam Sheehan]

Oh, this is Sam.

[Alex Spears]

Did.

[Sam Sheehan]

Did o' Shea percent start last season with you guys? Yes or no?

[Andrew]

I don't think he did.

[Sam Sheehan]

Okay, well, then Jaden Springer is definitely an answer, because Jaden Springer, we traded you him at the deadline. That's, like, the only recent trade I can think of. So we'll go Jaden Springer. Yeah, for one.

[Alex Spears]

The other name.

[Sam Sheehan]

Oh, is it Greg Monroe?

[Alex Spears]

That is right. Two points for, you know.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Okay. Four to one lead. Andrew boy is yours. You guys, your first three questions you picked were all of the, like, guys who played on both teams. So no more of that. Okay.

[Trill Bro Dude]

All right, number two.

[Alex Spears]

Question number two. All right, Andrew. In the 2018 playoffs, the Sixers and Celtics met in the second round. In game three, Marco Bellanelli hit an apparent three pointer at the end of regulation. To win the game, the Sixers dropped confetti. Everyone was celebrating, but replay would show that Bellanelli's feet were on the line. Then the Sixers would go on to lose in overtime. The Celtics starters in that game, Jason Tatum, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, and these two players. One point per correct answer. 2018, game three. Just bring up the box score in your mind.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Okay. Tell. Say. Say it one more time. Who am I trying to name?

[Alex Spears]

Who are the people I'm trying. Final two starters for the Celtics, Game 3, 2018, second round against the Sixers. So Jason Tatum, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, they were. Okay, you're naming the two other players.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Oh, there's. I mean, there's an obvious one, but that makes me feel weird that he's not there. What about Rosier?

[Alex Spears]

Terry Rozier. That is one. Andrew, can you get the other name?

[Trill Bro Dude]

God. Feels like he should have been in the lineup, but I feel like I'm having to choose between. Well, they like to start Horford at the 4. I. I'll go Marcus Morris, but I don't feel good about that. Marcus Morris.

[Alex Spears]

That is incorrect. You know, Ball. You have a chance to steal one point.

[Sam Sheehan]

Jalen Brown, Right? Sam.

[Andrew]

I was gonna say. I thought it was.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

I wondered if he was, like, banged up for that season because he puts third. He puts 30 on LeBron in game two in the, like, the very next series. So I know he's like, I'm a caliber of starter, like, in that time. So I. I feel it's either.

[Sam Sheehan]

It's either Daniel Tight. Was it Daniel Tice in your roach? Yeah, it's either Daniel Tice because of. Indeed. Or it's Jalen Brown.

[Andrew]

Yeah. And, yeah, it might have been, like, a weird. The fact that Jalen Brown's not there is getting in my head. You know what I'm saying? Like, I feel like.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I know that's. I feel that's the twist.

[Andrew]

I feel like it wouldn't have been a question like that.

[Sam Sheehan]

I can't imagine Jalen Brown coming off the bench. I don't think he missed a game in that series.

[Andrew]

Yeah. And this was Marcus. Honestly, I would have guessed Marcus Morris, to be total honest.

[Sam Sheehan]

This was year two for Jalen in the NBA. Did he come off the bench during year two?

[Andrew]

This is the hospital. Celtics. So Kyrie Irving is hurt. Gordon Hayward is hurt. Terry. This is a lot of heavy lifting by Terry Rosier and Marcus Morris in these.

[Sam Sheehan]

All right, I'm gonna let you guess.

[Andrew]

Boy, and I'm. It's I'm gonna feel bad if I get this wrong because I think we.

[Sam Sheehan]

Got a big lead. You can. You can. You can let it fly.

[Andrew]

You know, I do kind of. You know what? Let's. I'm just gonna say Jalen Brown, because he must have. He must have been injured. Like, the only way is if he was injured, but let's just say Jalen Brown.

[Alex Spears]

So Jalen Brown played. Started 70 of a possible 70 regular season games. In the playoffs, however, only started 15 of a possible 18 games. He missed. He did actually didn't miss three. He came off the bench in this game, played 29 minutes.

[Sam Sheehan]

Wow.

[Alex Spears]

But did not start because they needed to start one Aaron Baines.

[Andrew]

That's right.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Sam Sheehan]

I conflated white pigs in my head.

[Andrew]

So mad at myself.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Andrew]

All of Australia.

[Sam Sheehan]

God.

[Andrew]

You only. Only Aaron Baines when you had Tommy Hindsight. I. I got so mad when we traded him. I, like, banished that from my mind to like, keep me.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Andrew]

Again later. Because we traded him, and then that same draft we traded that. It was like, the 30th pick to, like. We signed Enos Cantor, setting up the Desmond Bain, like, trading away the Desmond Bain pick to, like, dumb Cantor. And it just. It was a travesty of events because we traded him to Phoenix that, like, next off season, like, as part of, like, the Kemba swaps and everything like that. And we basically dumped him. I'm very annoyed that I got that wrong. I'm sorry.

[Alex Spears]

Well, I apologize for bringing up such a traumatic memory for you. I didn't mean to do that. The good news is you guys are still. Still up 4 to 2, and you have control of the board.

[Sam Sheehan]

All right, we'll go with five.

[Alex Spears]

Question number five. Who led the Celtics and Sixers in total blocks last season? So you get one point per correct answer. So I need the guy who led the Sixers in total blocks and the guy who led the Celtics in total blocks.

[Sam Sheehan]

So you need Sixers first.

[Alex Spears]

Either one. Either one. Up to you.

[Sam Sheehan]

So, Sam, you would probably know this because we were such a nightmare last year. This is not gonna be easy for me.

[Andrew]

I. I'm pretty sure our answer is Derrick White.

[Alex Spears]

That is correct.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yes.

[Alex Spears]

For one point, the Sixers pick. Who would you like to go with there? A lot of options. They played a lot of guys.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah, I'll go with Adam Bona. I don't feel super confident about it. I just feel like he's a shot blocker. He played a decent amount of games. I. I'm just riffing Here.

[Alex Spears]

Well, it was a good riff because you got it right. And you guys are now up six to two. Andrew, three questions left.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I'll go number four.

[Alex Spears]

Question number four. One of the NBA players who played for both Celtics and Sixers is Mike Maskala. Speak of the devil. What is Mascala's career high in points? Now, Andrew, you get to choose who answers first. You can answer first and YKB can go higher, lower, or you can YKB answer first and you go higher, lower. However, as a reminder, if they got it exactly correct, they would get a bonus point.

[Trill Bro Dude]

26.

[Alex Spears]

All right, so Andrew's gonna go 26. He set the bar 26. Do you guys think Masala hit more than that or under?

[Sam Sheehan]

Higher, Higher.

[Alex Spears]

Andrew, you were within one point of the correct answer, and the correct answer was 27, which means gets the point.

[Sam Sheehan]

That's brutal.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Horrible.

[Alex Spears]

That's really tough.

[Trill Bro Dude]

That's horrible.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, man. You know so well.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Okay, I do.

[Alex Spears]

One of my guys commanding lead seven to two. Two questions remain.

[Sam Sheehan]

Let's go with six.

[Alex Spears]

Probably. Actually, these are these last two questions. My favorite questions. Question six. The last time the Celtics and Sixers met in the Playoffs was a seven game series in 2023. Name the player for each team that played the fewest minutes in that series. One point per correct answer. So they played in that series, but they played the fewest minutes of anyone on the roster. One for the Celtics, one for the Sixers.

[Sam Sheehan]

All right, let me. I think. All right, so we're counting garbage time then.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, yeah. Oh, this is cleaning the glass.

[Sam Sheehan]

No, there were. Okay, so there were a few. There were a few garbage time games in that series. I think The Sixers blew out the Celtics in one game, the Celtics blew out the Sixers in another game. So it's going to be a deeper bench guy for each team. Sam.

[Andrew]

Yeah. 2018. I'm trying to think of.

[Sam Sheehan]

Of who. No, 2023, right? Is that 2023?

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Oh, yeah.

[Sam Sheehan]

I'm sorry. The season we. The UNO series that we lost, but I still call the UNO series.

[Alex Spears]

Shoot.

[Sam Sheehan]

Damn. I'm having a hard time even thinking who was at the end of our bench that year.

[Andrew]

I'm kind of losing it because everybody. It kind of resets like the next year, you know?

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Like you kind of.

[Sam Sheehan]

All right, I'll guess. For the Sixers. I'm gonna guess Montrez Harrell.

[Alex Spears]

Montrez Harrell. That is incorrect. Andrew.

[Sam Sheehan]

I don't even know if he was on the team that year. It might have been the Year before. I think it was the year before. I just blanked.

[Trill Bro Dude]

I'll guess Moose for the Celtics.

[Alex Spears]

Also wrong.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Keep bringing up Moose.

[Alex Spears]

Any other names you guys want to throw out? Just for fun?

[Trill Bro Dude]

Just for fun.

[Sam Sheehan]

Well, I was gonna say Daniel House, but he had that game five where he was awesome. So.

[Alex Spears]

He was close. He was second.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Second.

[Sam Sheehan]

Okay. We had already waived Isaiah Joe at that point, so that would have two.

[Andrew]

Way players allowed to play at this point.

[Sam Sheehan]

No, not in the playoffs. You can't play two way players in the playoffs.

[Andrew]

So. Yeah. So it wouldn't have been.

[Sam Sheehan]

Yeah.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Shake.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, Andrew. Mike McCall was also second fewest for the close.

[Sam Sheehan]

Very close. So think about those garbage units, Sam. That's because.

[Andrew]

I'm gonna be honest, that seems like.

[Sam Sheehan]

That was because we caught it. Pop. Pop the cork. So that was. That would have also been close on that.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Shake Milton.

[Alex Spears]

Such a legend.

[Sam Sheehan]

Shake was a good guess.

[Alex Spears]

He was third. He played 14 minutes in that series. Correct answers. Nope.

[Andrew]

No, he wasn't on that team.

[Alex Spears]

He did not play. Correct answer for the Sixers. Dwayne Dedman. Favorite NBA podcast, Circle. I knew we 15.

[Sam Sheehan]

I knew we had a wash big. I just didn't know which wash big. I was like, it's one of Montrez Harrow. But DeAndre Jordan was already on the Nuggets that point between Deadman, of course. Daryl Morey does that. Does that every deadline.

[Alex Spears]

And for the Celtics, this would have been a very impressive poll. Justin. Justin Champagne.

[Sam Sheehan]

I almost said. I almost said the other Champagne, but we had cut him that season, so. Yeah. Wow, that's crazy.

[Alex Spears]

All right, Andrew's final question to you can't win, but you could come within three. So. Okay, not close. This means nothing. Which of the following is not a Basketball Reference official nickname for a player who played on the Celtics or Sixers last season? Okay, so I'm going to give you five nicknames. Four of them appear on Basketball Reference. One of them does not. Those nicknames are P. Rabbit, D.J. paulie G. Unicornet, the Drewth, and Mad Maxi. Unfortunately, only one of those isn't real. I will read them again. P Rabbit, DJ Paulie G. Unicornet, the Druth, and Mad Maxi.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Oh, my gosh. DJ Polly G.

[Alex Spears]

Oh. Andrew coming in, closing off with two points to get him to four points. Final score seven to four. Wow. Congrats to no Ball. Wow.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Wow.

[Andrew]

Genuinely very impressive from Andrew though, because we had two people on. On our side. So, like, if you double Andrew's points to.

[Sam Sheehan]

There you go.

[Alex Spears]

You actually would have won that's a great point.

[Sam Sheehan]

Sam. Shut up.

[Trill Bro Dude]

Thank you guys.

[Sam Sheehan]

Thanks for making me feel my records on the line here on Saturday. Slamming jam.

[Trill Bro Dude]

That's right. Hey, go listen to the, you know, Ball podcast. It's a very fun show. If you just love NBA content and you like guys that think about the NBA differently, which I really enjoy it. I really enjoy the show. It's very good. I suggest you go listen to the, you know, Ball podcast. It's very fun. Thank you to Trill and to Sam for joining the show. If you would please in the description of the podcast we have our survey. This is the really the last week that we're going to have that survey up. If you would please take the survey, tell us what you liked about the show, tell us what you did not like about the show. We'd really, really appreciate that if you take the time to do that. So it's in the description of the podcast. It's been in the description of the podcast last couple weeks, so be sure you go check that out. Hope you guys have a great weekend and we will talk to you guys again in two weeks.

[Sam Sheehan]

Thanks for having us.

[Alex Spears]

Hi, I'm Derek Lassen, host of the Athletic Football Show. This episode is brought to you by Boost Mobile, offering reliable nationwide coverage backed by a 30 day money back guarantee. Love your service or get your money back, no questions asked. Boost Mobile offers the same nationwide coverage, network speed and service consumers are used to, but at more affordable prices. Why would you pay more if you don't have to? Boost Mobile also understands that change can be scary, which is why they allow you to try their service risk free for 30 days. And if you're not happy, you can get your money back. So start saving on wireless today with Boost Mobile's unlimited plans starting at just $25 a month. Visit your nearest Boost Mobile store or find us online@boost mobile.com After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. Customers who cancel with the 30 days of activation will have Boost service fees refunded, activation fees if applicable, and phone.

[Sam Sheehan]

Payments will not be refunded.

[Alex Spears]

The Boost Mobile network, together with their roaming partners, covers 98% of the US population.

[Sam Sheehan]

5G speeds are not available in all areas.

[Alex Spears]

Man, look at that return King, man. Oh wow. Emotional King of the Hill is back. They got a Bob's in the airport now. Oh, that's Boba. World has changed. Dad, Bobby wants to bring that new girl over for dinner the Vegas what the hell am I supposed to feed her? Can't we just put some grass in a bowl?

[Sam Sheehan]

From Mike Judge and Greg Daniels Ready.

[Trill Bro Dude]

To make some memories, dad?

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[Sam Sheehan]

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[Andrew]

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[Sam Sheehan]

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[Sam Sheehan]

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