Klay Thompson gives Ja Morant a wakeup call

Summary

---

The Athletic NBA Daily – November 24, 2025

Episode: Klay Thompson gives Ja Morant a wakeup call
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, Esfandiar Baraheni

---

Overview

This episode centers on recapping a packed NBA weekend, highlighting classic games, surprise team streaks, standout player developments, and, most notably, Klay Thompson’s pointed public remarks toward Ja Morant after a heated Mavericks-Grizzlies clash. The hosts blend sharp analysis and humor, diving into the narratives shaping the NBA while unpacking player and team trajectories.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Nuggets vs. Rockets: A Western Conference Classic

[02:50–09:21]

• The Game: Friday night’s Nuggets-Rockets clash is called “one of the best games of the season” and a potential playoff preview.
• Denver’s Clutch Execution: Hosts agree that “there probably isn’t a team that I trust more than the Denver Nuggets in clutch situations.” (Esfandiar, 03:25)
  • Jamal Murray’s late-game heroics: crucial defensive stop on Kevin Durant, followed by aggressive offense. Murray is averaging career highs across the board.
• Reed Sheppard’s Emergence:
  • Initially doubted, Sheppard is finding his NBA niche after an underwhelming rookie campaign.
  • Recent surge: Last 8 games – 26 minutes, 16.5 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 53% from three, 67.5% on twos. -- “He’s turned himself into this incredibly efficient scorer and the defense is coming along.” (Dave, 06:43)
  • Sheppard showcases valuable off-ball movement and has a budding two-man game with Alperen Şengün, drawing comparisons to Steph Curry’s synergy with Draymond Green.
  • Opportunity looms as Kevin Durant, out for personal reasons, likely opens a starting spot for Sheppard.

Teams on a Roll: Pistons, Thunder, Raptors

[09:21–13:50]

• Pistons: Noted for a 12-game winning streak, Jaden Ivey’s return, and deepening roster.
• Thunder: 17–1, on a nine-game tear, seeking redemption after a lone loss to Portland.
• Raptors:
  • First team into NBA Cup knockout round; on a 7-game streak after beating Wizards and Nets.
  • Statistical dominance: “Number one half-court offense in the NBA” (Esfandiar, 11:01), top fast-break points, high efficiency on drives, top five in assists and points in the paint.
  • Significant turnaround after a 1–4 start; internal development, unselfish play, and Darko Rajaković’s system are cited as key factors.
  • “If they were going to win the number of games you were saying, then [Coach Rajaković] had to [be Coach of the Year].” (Dave, 13:50)

Cavs vs. Clippers & Chris Paul’s Farewell

[18:09–25:53]

• Cavs Outpace Clippers:
  • Donovan Mitchell dominates (“dancing on those guys”—Dave, 18:16) in a game without Jarrett Allen.
  • Naquan Tomlin impresses as a long, energetic presence. “He is all arms…just extendo arms. He’s got great energy.” (Zena, 20:06)
  • Clippers’ age and lack of energy are repeatedly noted; Kawhi looks like himself, but entire squad appears “just…sad to me.” (Dave, 19:14)
• Chris Paul’s Retirement Announcement:
  • Paul receives standing ovation in Cleveland. Praised as possibly the fourth-greatest point guard ever behind Steph, Magic, and (per Esfandiar’s Canadian bias) Steve Nash.
  • “It’s a closing chapter of a particular type of point guard play…He really was the gold standard of how to run a team, how to organize a team, how to tell people to get into spots. He was the maestro of the pick and roll.” (Zena, 22:27)
  • Paul’s all-time accolades: 12× All-Star, 11× All-NBA, 9× All-Defensive, impactful in every era and situation.

Klay Thompson’s Wake-Up Call to Ja Morant

[25:55–29:41]

• Ja’s Trash Talk vs. Klay’s Resume:
  • Context: Ja Morant calls Klay Thompson a “bum” during Mavericks-Grizzlies game.
  • Hosts rebuff Ja: “Number one, Klay Thompson, objectively not a bum. I’m sorry, Ja. Four time champion…one of the greatest shooters ever.” (Dave, 26:07)
  • Zena notes: Klay’s played more games since his return from injury than Ja has in recent years.
• Generational Clash:
  • Zena references a viral tweet: “This argument between Ja Morant and Klay Thompson is the perfect Gen Z–Millennial battle.” (27:11)
• Klay’s Quote (from postgame):

  “We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he’s just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way. We need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there. When you’re a star, it comes with a great responsibility.” (Klay Thompson, quoted by Dave, 27:44)

  • Hosts note the Spider-Man reference—“With great power comes great responsibility” (Dave, 27:53)—as an example of “killing him with kindness.”
• Hosts’ Reaction:
  • Esfandiar: “What is there left to be…redeeming from the Ja Morant side? … The off the court stuff has limited his ability…and he clearly…has struggled to be the same player he once was.” (28:21)
  • Zena: “Everything that Klay said—he wasn’t coming at him personally…He was saying, we expect more of you, bro. It makes me think of America’s Next Top Model…‘We were all rooting for you.’” (28:55)

Pop Culture Parallels

[29:19–29:41]

• Dave: “It’s like Star Wars, Episode III, when Obi-Wan says to Anakin, ‘You were the chosen one…’”
• The show’s blend of sports analysis and pop culture makes it a unique daily listen.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Nuggets in crunch time:

  “In a clutch situation, there probably isn’t a team that I trust more than the Denver Nuggets.”
  —Esfandiar ([03:25])

• On Reed Sheppard’s progression:

  “He’s turned himself into this incredibly efficient scorer and the defense is coming along.”
  —Dave ([06:43])

• On Raptors’ offensive leap:

  “The Raptors had the number one half-court offense in the NBA. That is amazing.”
  —Esfandiar ([11:01])

• On Chris Paul’s legacy:

  “He really was the gold standard of how to run a team, how to organize a team…He was the maestro of the pick and roll.”
  —Zena ([22:27])

• Klay Thompson’s words to Ja Morant:

  “We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he’s just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way. We need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there. When you’re a star, it comes with a great responsibility.”
  —Klay Thompson (quoted by Dave, [27:44])

• Pop culture fun:

  “It’s like episode three, Star Wars, Episode three, when Obi Wan says to Anakin, ‘you were the chosen one.’”
  —Dave ([29:19])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:06] Episode content begins
• [02:50–09:21] Nuggets vs. Rockets, Reed Sheppard’s rise
• [09:21–13:50] Team streaks: Pistons, Thunder, Raptors
• [18:09–20:56] Cavs vs. Clippers, Naquan Tomlin’s impact
• [20:56–25:53] Chris Paul’s career, point guard legacies
• [25:55–29:41] Klay Thompson vs. Ja Morant, generational themes, Klay’s “wake-up call”

---

Final Thoughts

This brisk episode blends stats-focused breakdowns, player development insights, and sharp commentary on generational NBA beefs. From the Rockets’ up-and-comers to Raptors optimism and the Clippers’ twilight, the hosts keep things dynamic, punctuated by Klay Thompson’s mic-drop Spidey quote on Ja Morant—a masterclass in NBA veteran wisdom delivered with grace.

---

Transcript

[A]

Hi, this is Robert Mase from the Athletic and today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile. You know how the holidays can get with all the shopping, spending and stress between games, travel and everything else. It's a busy season for all of us. Boost Mobile is making it easy to treat yourself and your wallet. When you bring your own device and switch to the $25 Unlimited plan, you get unlimited talk, text and data for just $25 a month with no trade ins, no contracts and no hassle. So while you're checking everything else off your list, you don't forget to put your own name on it too, because simplifying things is always a good game plan. Visit boostmobile.com to start saving. After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 per month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.

[B]

Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Ah, really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See CapitalOne.com Bank Capital One NA Member FDIC.

[C]

Hey, Andrew Schlecht here. Black Friday game day is coming to prime with an epic day of live sports. Black Friday football is back with the Chicago Bears taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at 3pm Eastern followed by an Emirates NBA cup double header. Bucks Knicks at 7pm and Mavs Lakers at 10pm and the whole day starts with the Capital One skins game as four elite PGA golfers meet with $4 million on the line. Black Friday game day the Capital One skins game at 9am Bears Eagles NFL action at 3pm and the final night of the Emirates NBA Cup Group play with bucks Knicks at 7 and Mavs Lakers at 10 only on Prime.

[D]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for November 24, 2025. I'm Dave DeFore here with Esperaheny and Zena Keda. Coming up, the Nuggets and the Rockets gave us a classic on Friday. We want to get into that a little bit. We've got some teams streaking, including the Raptors which S50 win. Yes and we're going to talk about what Clay had to say about Ja. Good morning everybody. What's up guys? How's it going?

[E]

What up?

[D]

What up? Happy pretty good weekend NBA cup we're going to get to the Raptors in a few because they are the first team to move on to the knockout round. I know S is extremely excited.

[F]

Well, look, I, I appreciate all teams who respect the cup, you know.

[D]

That's right. And yeah, they clearly do. But before that, guys, I want to jump into Nuggets Rockets game from Friday night. I mean this is a again, two of the best teams in the West. Like we're hoping we're going to get a playoff series, you know, between these two teams. Obviously Oklahoma City now, right now head and shoulders above everybody, but yeah, just a classic game like this has been probably one of the best games of the season. We've talked a little bit about the quality here lately with the injuries and just kind of things feeling a little bit sluggish and sloggy. But man, this was a great game.

[F]

Yeah, I thought the especially like down the stretch, the clutch stuff from both of those teams, you could really see like what kind of offense both teams wanted to run. But obviously I think. I don't know how you guys feel, but in a clutch situation, there probably isn't a team that I trust more than the Denver Nuggets.

[G]

Right.

[F]

They just, they have such a tried and true system. And I thought you look at Jamal Murray and the plays that he made down the stretch. He blocked Kevin Durant on one end, goes and attacks the basket, finishes with a layup. I was looking this up during the weekend, but he's averaging a career high in points, rebounds, assists and true shooting percentage. Like this is this. It's a career start for Jamal, a guy who's never made the all star team. And I know we'll talk about their injuries in a couple minutes, but overall this is a guy who can carry them more often. I think the depth that they have allows him to lean into that kind of like bench lineup stuff that he does and he's been awesome. So he executed down the stretch and I think the Nuggets overall just out executed the Rockets.

[E]

Yeah, the Nuggets being able to snap that five game winning streak was pretty big. I thought it was cool to see Reed Shepherd. I mean we know this guy came in the league last year and a lot of folks expectations of him were a little dashed. There wasn't quite a space for him to fit amongst all these athletes. His shot wasn't the same that we had seen at Kentucky and now we're starting to see him starting to roll. You know, there's been a few games recently coming into that one that I'm like Reed, Stefan Shepard like Being able to shoot behind screens, pulling up from deep, I mean, the off ball movement getting into his shot, you saw that on display against a very good defensive effort from Denver. I mean, they've got some lengths even with Christian Brown out. Of course Aaron Gordon not finishing that game, but like Peyton Watson was chasing folks around, Jamal Murray was chasing them around and he was still being able to find the spots overall. But it was, it was a great effort, I think from the Houston side. And I think this win for Denver like really does tell you, okay, we don't quite have the same depth that we, we need, but we're able to close it out. And as said, who else could you trust to be able to win a game like that without some of the most connective tissue players like an Aaron Gordon and Christian Brown available to you?

[F]

It's so funny because the, the Kings ended up beating the Nuggets the day after Russell Westbrook revenge game. And, and honestly, Russ kind of out executed them in the fourth quarter. It's kind of like, you know, it's just funny because we talk about the, the Rockets game and they out executed in the clutch and then the day after it ends up being the complete opposite case.

[D]

I mean, Jokic is human. I, I do. Like we, we've got probably forget that sometimes, especially down the stretch of games because you know, he's gonna, he's going to get the basketball and he somehow still makes something happen. I'm glad you brought up Reed Shepherd. All right. I want to talk about him a little bit because to your point, a lot of people coming into this year were just doubtful that this guy was going to really be an NBA player. And you know, this is like a number three pick in a draft. Like this is not just, it's more of a James Wiseman type of situation. You know, I would say like the public sentiment, but he's really figured it out to start this year and especially the last eight games, all double digit scoring games. You know, last eight games he's playing 26 minutes a night, 16 and a half points a game, three assists, two steals, shooting 53% from three and 67 and a half percent on twos. He's turned himself into this incredibly efficient scorer and the defense is coming along. So I mean his role, I think we're going to see it increase as the season goes on. Like we've talked about how this team has needed a point guard, they needed more guard depth. But, but we, we found out on Sunday that KD is going to miss a couple Games coming up due to some family stuff. And it got me thinking, hey, this is a huge opportunity for Reed shepherd who probably moves into the starting lineup, but I mean, who knows what he's going to do with it.

[F]

Yeah, he's done such a good job of like taking advantage of the advantages that KD and Sengun can create. So attack and closeouts being this weapon as a catch and shoot threat. And look, the Rockets are at the bottom of the league when it comes to three point attempts. Like the reason they are or were the number one offense for such a long time to start the season was the fact that they are a battering ram on the offensive glass KD and Shangun can execute. But now they have this weapon who. You know, you mentioned the 53% from 3. I think that's the main number here. With Reed, it's like that opens up everything else for him. He can now attack closeouts, get into his floater bag, finish around the basket. He can make plays out of that area too. So overall, the fact that his shot is falling, it's opening up so many more opportunities for him. And I agree with you, like he, he probably should start and the better he is, I think it, it opens up more opportunities for him to expand his role on this team. Be a starting point guard for them in the future. Right?

[E]

Yeah. As you're hitting it right, like it's that number 53% but it's also how he's getting those shots as well. When you look at you Houston, there's a lot of one on one. I'm not saying that it's a lot of ISO necessarily, but how they get their shots is going up against a defender as opposed to a lot of movement shooting. And that's what Reed brings. He gives a different vibe to the Houston Rockets for the fact that he can catch and shoot, he can be off ball, he can be running screens. I personally would love to see him move into the starting lineup and see what happens when he's setting picks for his wings and setting picks for Alpern. Like how much he might get forgotten about because we see him get forgotten about in transition, which he also scores well in. Right. And just being able to get into that, that starting lineup and creating a different wrinkle to the way that they move typically with Alperin being the one that is the hub of their offense. What if it's Reed shepherd screening for that hub and opening things out, you know, for the movement of the Houston offense overall?

[D]

Yeah, I do. I think him and And Alper and Shingoon have this nice little two man game where, you know, Reed's kind of playing hide and go seek around Shangun and getting himself open. And it's just like Steph, it's Draymond and it's, you know, when, when the doubles start to come to Reed, because they will. I mean, that's the next step in this. He's got the guys like Durant and Shangoon to give it up to. So anyway, that'll be something to watch this week. Also, guys, we've got three teams streaking. We're only going to talk about one of them. The pistons won their 12th straight over the weekend.

[F]

They've been awesome.

[D]

They are great.

[F]

Jaden Ivy came back too. That's a big deal for them.

[D]

That's right.

[F]

Yeah.

[D]

So they, they got some depth back. The Thunder are a machine. They've won nine straight. They're 17 and one. They got, they got their lick back on the Trailblazers. The one team that beat them, they. It was a bad one. But S. That should count as two.

[F]

Wins, by the way. The way they just beat them.

[D]

S up in Toronto, you guys, we got some stuff happening. Number one, they pick up the win on Friday, become the first team to move into the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup. So congratulations to the Raptors. But they also, look, they get the Washington Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets back to back and not back to back nights. They had a day off in between. They're now up to seven straight wins. S. Give me the numbers because look, this team is better than I thought they were going to be. I. I feel like they might be better than you thought they were going to be, especially right now because this seems to have happened pretty fast. And I, I mean, I don't know, man. Like, this team looks like it's going to be a home court playoff team. It's weird.

[F]

It is weird because, look, they started out the season one and four and I came on here and talked about how terrible they look defensively and it's completely flipped. A lot of that, like we mentioned earlier, is Scotty Barnes playing all defense level basketball. But the surprising thing I think to all of us is the fact that on Saturday when I checked, the Raptors had the number one half court offense in the NBA. That is amazing. And it is amazing. And I think a lot of people, including a lot of fans who are listening to this, are like, how are they getting that done? One, they're very unselfish. They have a bunch of guys who can get to a bucket. So it's RJ Barrett who can score 20 on night. Brandon Ingram doing the same thing. Scotty Barnes, Emmanuel Quickley, even Jakob Hurdle can do that. So they have a lot of options offensively. On top of that, a big credit to Darko or Jakubic who's leaning into like, hey, 0.5 basketball. We're running a lot of things out of the like pinch post area to create for Ingram, to create for Scotty. Working to create these mismatches for these guys and then work around them. You mentioned the seven game win streak. Do you know when the last time the Raptors had a seven game win streak was? I'll give it to you.

[D]

Over a decade, right?

[F]

A decade. February of 2022. It has been a very long time since they've won seven in a row. On top of the fact that like They've now won 11 of their 12. Their offense looks better than even I expected, thinking this team was going to win 45 plus games. They're really figuring things out now. We'll see. Because they've also, as you guys know, have had a pretty easy schedule, right? Washington, Brooklyn, taking care of business is part of becoming a good team. But once the schedule gets a little bit harder now that's where the test is to see if they can really stick in the Eastern Conference where they are. But they built themselves a good cushion.

[E]

Listen, the Toronto Raptors, I mean the writing was on the wall. They were just straight athletes last year. It was discombobulated, but it was just athleticism out on the floor. But now you're seeing them win the games using that athleticism, right? You're talking number one, fast points, fast break points per game in the league. They're also number one in the amount of field goal percentage that they can get off of drives. Just beating their defender one on one, get into the basket. They're top five in points in the paint. Like this is all remnants of the fact that they're just stupidly athletic. They run really fast, they can get to their spots and they've got some good ball handlers. They're also top five in their passing. You talk about the assist, 30 assists per game. When you're athletic, you're benevolent and you're willing to run and you're playing good defense. Like yeah, I can absolutely see the Raptors getting home court advantage.

[F]

I will just say I did call the shot of like maybe Darko gets into coach of the year conversations.

[D]

Look, I mean I told you if they were going to win the number of games you were saying then he had to.

[F]

Right, Right.

[D]

The internal development. Zena, can I ask you what if. What if you were athletic and malevant? You know, like, what if what. What if they were. What if they were evil? Like, would. Would that work better for basketball?

[F]

Actually, yeah.

[D]

Dylan Brooks. Maybe we should ask him. I don't know. Guys. Stick around after the break. Clippers keep it going. The Clippers are old.

[C]

Hey, Andrew Schlecht here. Black Friday game day is coming to prime and it'll be an epic day of live sports. Black Friday football is at the center of it all with the Chicago Bears taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at 3pm Eastern. That's followed by the final night of the Emirates NBA cup group play and a doubleheader starting with Bucks and Knicks at 7pm and Mavericks and Lakers at 10pm but the whole day starts with the return of the Capital One skins game as four elite PGA golfers face off with $4 million on the line. Black Friday game day tees off with Capital One skins game at 9am Eastern before the big bears Eagles football game at 3pm and it all culminates with a double dose of Emirates NBA cup action featuring Bucs, Knicks at 7pm and Mavs Lakers at 10pm Only on Prime.

[G]

Aura frames are an incredible way to stay connected with your family, whether you live across town or across the country. And what a perfect holiday gift to give someone you love. Maybe your family is like mine. We live in one state, my parents, brothers and sisters live in a different state and my wife's family is in a third state. Oftentimes we want to share pictures of my daughter with her grandparents but don't want to post them to social media and we know they just get lost in text messages. Enter Aura we can upload pictures and videos directly to the Aura digital frame whenever we want and take them down whenever we want just as easily. With Aura, you get unlimited free photos and video. Just download the app and connect to Wi Fi. You can preload photos before your gift arrives so the frame is ready to go when your loved one opens the box. You can share photos and videos directly from your phone. It's so easy and every frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag. For a limited time. Visit auraframes.com and get $45 off Aura's best selling Carver mat frames named number one by wire cutter by using promo code athletic NBA at checkout. That's a U R A frames.com promo code athletic MBA this exclusive black Friday Cyber Monday deal is their best of the year, so order now before it ends. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply.

[C]

Nobody knows your money goals better than you. Robinhood puts you in control of your money with tools that work as hard as you do, locking in on every opening, beating your pr, beating it again. Channel that drive into your money. Robinhood puts you in control of your money Trade stocks and ETFs, options, futures and crypto all on one platform. You can now build and execute your own trades from a desktop with Robinhood Legends advanced tools or take advantage of the new Robinhood strategies with a tailored portfolio managed by a team of experts. You expect more from yourself. Expect more from your money. Get started [e-mail] yourmoney again, that's robinhood.com yourmoney your money, your move all investments involve risk, including loss of principal options. Futures and crypto trading carry significant risk. It may not suit all investors. Securities offered through Robinhood Financial LLC member SIPC Futures trading is offered by Robinhood Derivatives LLC and Not SPIC or FDIC Protected Crypto offers the Robinhood Crypto LLC nmls.id 1702840 Not FDIC or SBIC Protected Portfolio Management offered by Robinhood Strategies and SEC registered advisor.

[D]

Guys, did you catch Cavs Clippers Sunday?

[E]

Some of I caught the back half of it.

[D]

Yeah. Donovan Mitchell just was dancing on those guys. Yeah, the Cavs right now. You know, look, they're, they're, they didn't have Jared Allen out there. They got Naquan Tomlin though and they with Evan Mobley at the five nwan Tomlin flying around out there. Donovan Mitchell just tap, literally tap dancing just to every single bucket he wanted. Guys, I, we're thinking about Chris Paul and this is now his going to be his final season. He announced over the weekend. 21st season in the NBA and every single Clipper looks like they were right there the whole time with him. I mean it was just, it was an awful display for a team that already like they just, we know that they're old. They're the oldest team in the NBA. Kawhi Leonard came back, he looked just like Kawhi. But once again guys, it's a, it's a matter of how long like how many games can he give him. You know James Harden had an amazing performance the other night, the 55 point game, amazing.

[F]

But they needed all of them to.

[D]

Beat the every single point. I don't know guys, the Clippers have just gotten sad to me.

[E]

There's one play I watched in that game where Kawhi Leonard gets to the basket and he does that very like quintessential Kawhi Leonard two step, covers a lot of ground. Kind of gazelle like goes up for the lay and Evan Mobley comes out of nowhere and goes, get the F out of here. It was so disrespectful. Then he goes back down the other end and dunks and it was just like a snapshot of just how old the Clippers looked in that moment. And you talk about, I mean, Donovan Mitchell was Euro stepping wide. Step in like whatever dance move you want to talk about all over them. But it was Naquan Tomlin that. I've had my eye on him in several games. How do I him since you know his name in the G League, in the summer league. Like he is all arms. Like it's.

[F]

He really is.

[E]

Yeah, just extendo arms.

[F]

He's kind of like the, the. The. What's it called, that little thing at garage sale.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

If you. You could put him in, you know, the Cloverfield monster. Like he's kind of like. Because he is so long and he's. And he's.

[E]

And he's got energy, great energy. He has such a great effort now. He had his first three in that game and that's been probably the issue in his game is just like he needs a little bit more finesse on the offensive end. But like, man, you want to talk about a boost, especially with this inconsistency with the roster that, you know, the Cavs have had. You know that this guy is going to just inject energy into your defense. Like that's exactly what the Cavs need. Shout out Naquan Tomlinson. Shout out all the guys that are taking advantage of their moments in the.

[F]

Sun of the injuries was good too.

[D]

On Sunday. The Cavs are figuring out, you know, this is an experimental year for them. You know, I've been comparing it to the year that Milwaukee won the title. Yeah, you know, they've been good regular season team for a few years now. They've got to take this regular season and figure out what they have and what they can do. And you know, the injuries have. Have thrown some curveballs at them, but man, they, they're finding guys, they're finding out some stuff. But for the Clippers guys, I want to. I want to start with Chris Paul. Okay. This is going to be his last season. He did play on Sunday a little bit. I thought the Cleveland crowd gave him a really nice ovation. You know, class act, right?

[F]

Yeah.

[D]

Chris Paul, who was 13th on the athletics top 25 of the quarter century and the readers voted in 14th, so, you know, I think we all kind of agree this is one of the best players to play in the last 25 years of the NBA, was widely regarded. I mean, he's one of the best point guards.

[F]

I think he's like third or fourth, you know, depending on how much you like Isaiah Thomas. I think that's, that's the conversation you gotta have.

[D]

Okay, so. So magic and stuff. I think it's Steph and then it's Magic and then it's Steve Nash. Oh, okay. It's Chris Paul.

[F]

Okay, I'm down. I'm. As my Canadian thing, I'm okay with rocking with Steve Nash ahead of Chris Paul. I have no issues with that.

[D]

Yeah, so maybe the fourth best point guard of all time. It was debatable. I don't know, guys, let us know on YouTube. Let us know in the comments.

[E]

But yeah, you included Magic in there. I could, yes.

[D]

Magic number two.

[E]

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

[F]

Oh, oh, I see what you're doing there, Dave. With Magic behind stuff.

[D]

Yeah, he's behind Steph.

[F]

Okay.

[D]

All the time.

[E]

Okay, okay. It's a closing chapter of a particular type of point guard play.

[D]

Yeah.

[E]

You know, he really was the gold standard of how to run a team, how to organize a team, how to tell people to get into spots. He was the maestro of the pick and roll. Right. We know Lob City because of the things that Chris Paul was able to do with those high flying athletes. And he controlled pace. He was a leader. He. I mean, nowadays now we've got point guards that are scorers first. And I think Chris Paul is one of those last players that are organizers first and then can also score. I love watching him play. Of course, I am a Demon Deacon and so I always have a little bit of respect for that as well. But just he was so reliable. He was always available, which is always important. But you talk about just great basketball iq, new angles, knew how to play the game within the game. Mentally too. He used to mess with guys mentally more than anything.

[F]

I think that's what people will remember a lot is like the Chris Paul shenanigans, you know, of being an annoyance. Being an annoyance, like, hey, his jersey's untucked. You got to give him a warning.

[D]

The junk.

[F]

Yeah, exactly. Like people will remember that part. But to your point, Xena, like go and watch his Hornets highlights. Go and watch when he was an MVP caliber player. When he was one of the fastest players on the court operating in that mid range area, he lifted a team with David west at its second best player and Tyson Chandler to a second seed in a really, really stacked Western Conference. Like that's how good of a player Chris Paul was in his peak. And then he transitioned to that Clippers era where, you know, I have a very good team around me. You could argue they're, they're one of the bigger what if that Clippers group, one of the bigger what ifs over the last 10 years of what could have happened if Blake stayed healthy, if those guys kept kind of like knocking on the door. So I know Chris Paul never won a championship, But I thought J.J. redick put it really well. There's some guys who never win championships and are complete winners and there are guys who have won championships and know nothing about winning.

[D]

Right.

[F]

And Chris Paul is one the first guy.

[E]

So 12 time all star, 11 time all NBA, nine time all defensive team. Like, want to make sure we get those stats out there.

[F]

100, yeah.

[E]

Small guards to impact the game in that way.

[D]

I think a lot about that series that New Orleans played against the Lakers 2011 playoffs. And you talk about a guy like just trying to gut out wins. Remember he had a knee issue that he was playing through. I mean that was like a lot warrior basketball. Right. Like the stuff that we think about like with Tyrese Halliburton last year playing through the injury and I mean Chris Paul was just a gamer and I mean, could have had his career cut short. Remember this was a guy that we thought of as being like extremely injury prone. Like, like the knee issues, we thought.

[F]

The hamstring with the Rockets. Right. That was a thing for a long time too.

[D]

And injuries did like kind of color his career. Especially like getting hurt in the playoffs, you know, feels like he's broken his hand I don't know how many times. Yeah, but a lot of bad luck. But like we know luck play the, one of the bigger roles in every single player in their career whether or not they win a championship. If you're on a team that's good enough, is everyone going to stay healthy? I mean, yeah, I don't know. But Chris Paul. Yeah. Fourth best point guard ever. I, I think that's.

[F]

Yeah, I'm happy with that. I'm happy with that.

[D]

Not bad. Where we put John Morant as far as point guards in the NBA. Where would you rank him right now?

[F]

Man, at one point he was like third or second. And now can you even get him 10.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. A bit of a drop off for Ja. I mean, just, he just doesn't play very much. And I thought that Klay Thompson's comments about John Morant from the incident in their game, the Mavericks and the Grizzlies the other night, look, number one, Klay Thompson, objectively not a bum. I'm sorry, Ja. Four time champion. I mean, this guy, like, and he missed two seasons in his prime. One of the greatest shooters ever. Like, you just don't really get to call that guy a bum.

[E]

And you also, statistically, you can't. He's played more games than Ja has played since he came back from his injury. You're not. No, no, no. I love. There was a one quote worldwide Rob, that said that this argument between Ja Morant and Klay Thompson is the perfect Gen Z millennial battle. In Gen Z, calling out people that are working, they're trying to work, putting in the time, et et cetera, while not working, calling them out for, quote, unquote, being a bum. Meanwhile, millennials putting in the work even past the time and past the, the ability, maybe you could say for. For Klay Thompson in terms of the injuries that he's had, but like still producing, they get 20 something points. The night that Ja was calling him a bum. I mean, this is. It's such a silly conversation that Ja would even have that now I do know it goes deeper than what we saw in this situation, right? Of course. It's the Rock.

[F]

Yeah. They've had a beef for a long time.

[E]

They've had a beef for a time. So we're seeing some things unravel that had a little bit more depth to it, but. Come on, Ja. Come on, J. Come on.

[D]

I want to say four rings.

[E]

Come on.

[D]

The way that Clay did this. Okay, now this is masterful. Clay, like really thought about this when he said I want to quote him. We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he's just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way. We need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there. When you're a star, it comes with a great responsibility. Dropped a Spider man quote on him. You hate to see that go to waste. Like, bless his heart, Clay really, like, this is, this is again, like Clay is the best, right? Like, yeah, the one of the nicer guys that. That you hear about in the NBA. And man, I. This is killing him with kindness here, guys.

[F]

Man, it's just like, what is there left to be? Like Redeeming from the John Moran side. Like, the injuries don't let him get on the court. The off the court stuff has limited his ability to get on the court as well. He clearly, over the last couple years, has struggled to be the same player he once was.

[C]

Right.

[F]

20, 21, jaw, 2022. Like, how do you move forward from this? Because I don't know. I think Clay was 100% right. What is the next step for jaw?

[C]

Right.

[D]

Right.

[E]

And that's why it hit so hard.

[D]

Yeah.

[E]

Because everything that Clay said wasn't. He didn't. He wasn't coming at him personally. You know, he wasn't calling him a bum in that way. He was. He was saying, we expect more of you, bro. It makes me think of America's next top model When Tyra Banks was looking at that model and said, we were all rooting for you, we were rooting. That. That's how I felt. That's okay.

[D]

Let me translate this.

[F]

That's a great, great reference.

[D]

Okay. It's like episode three, Star Wars, Episode three, when Obi Wan says to Anakin, you were the chosen one.

[F]

You were the chosen one. You were sent to destroy the Sith, not join them. Sorry.

[D]

I don't know if we could get two comparisons to be as far away from each other. But that's why you listen to the NBA Daily. You don't get that anywhere else.

[B]

That's right.

[D]

All right, that's gonna do it for the show, guys. Thank you to Xena, Keda and Esperahenny. I'm Dave Duford. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

[H]

Take control of the numbers and supercharge your small business with Xero. That's X E R O. With our easy to use accounting software with automation and reporting features, you'll spend less time on manual tasks and more time understanding how your business is doing. 87% of surveyed US customers agree Xero helps improve financial visibility. Search Xero with an x or visit xero.comacast to start your 30 day free trial. Conditions apply. If you're a custodial supervisor at a local high school, you know that cleanliness is key and that the best place to get cleaning supplies is from Grainger. Grainger helps you stay fully stocked on the products you trust, from paper towels and disinfectants to floor scrubbers. Plus, you can rely on Grainger for easy reordering so you never run out of what you need. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[I]

If you love to travel, Capital One has a rewards credit card that's perfect for you. With the Capital One Venture X card, you earn unlimited double miles on everything you buy. Plus, you get premium benefits at a collection of luxury hotels when you book on Capital One Travel. And with Venture X, you get access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. Open up a world of travel possibilities with a Capital One Venture X card. What's in your wallet?

[B]

Terms apply. Lounge access is subject to change. See capitalone.com for details.