The Athletic NBA Daily — Slam N’ Jam: Nuggets in the Clutch, Llamas, and Grizzlies Week

Date: December 13, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht & Alex Spears
Guest: Keith Parish (Grits and Grinds / Fastbreak Breakfast)

Episode Overview

This high-energy episode of the Saturday Slam N’ Jam features a recap of a wild NBA week, a breakdown of the league's big stories and stats, the “Good/Bad/What” segment (where the hosts share surprising stats, troubling team trends, and odd headlines), and a deep dive into the Memphis Grizzlies’ fortunes with special guest Keith Parish. Notable topics include the NBA Cup semifinals, clutch struggles from past champions, wild stat leaderboards, Portland’s new offensive focal point, Keldon Johnson's llama aspirations, and the ever-quirky “Wheel of Fandom”—this week, spotlighting Memphis’ rollercoaster season.

NBA Weekly Recap & Standouts

(03:14 - 08:05)

• The NBA Cup Final Four is set: Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks (East) and Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs (West).

  • Despite losing Franz Wagner to injury, Orlando overcame Miami with Desmond Bane scoring 37.
  • Knicks handled Toronto easily for their first Vegas trip.
  • OKC crushed Phoenix by 49, marking their 16th straight win; they’re 24-1, matching the 2016 Warriors.
  • Spurs, sans Wemby (9-3 without him), booked a spot in Vegas, and Steph Castle had a standout 30-10-6 line.
  • Wembanyama’s return is possible for the semifinals.

• Eastern Conference standings are tightly packed: seeds 3 to 9 separated by a single game. The Celtics surged but fell to Milwaukee, the Magic continue to impress, and teams like Toronto, Miami, and Cleveland are in slides.

• Derrick Queen ("this guy's pretty good") had a historic 33-10-10-4 game as a rookie for the Pels.

• (Notable Quote)
  Alex: “The East playoff spots appear to be completely up for grabs.”

The Good, The Bad, & The What

(08:13 - 25:27)

Good

• Andrew’s “Good” — Corner 3-Point Shooting

  • Best high-volume NBA corner 3 shooters so far:

    • OG Anunoby (48%)
    • Harrison Barnes (47%)
    • Noah Clowney (50%)
    • Nickeil Alexander-Walker (50%)
    • Max Christie (53%) — “The Goat right now.” (09:35)

  • “Those are your best corner three point shooters so far this season…” (09:46)

• Alex’s “Good” — Deni Avdija & Free Throws

  • Deni Avdija’s aggressive driving: Led NBA in drives per game and averaged 16.8 FTA over a five-game stretch, joining Harden, Embiid, Giannis, and Luka on a rare list.

  • (Notable Quote)
    Alex: “I think the focus should be on the way he’s using his size and strength as a big wing to get to the rim and get to the line.” (11:19)

Bad

• Andrew’s “Bad” — Clutch Struggles for Contenders

  • Brooklyn has the worst clutch net rating (minus-43.1), but shockingly, the Denver Nuggets are second-worst (minus-40.6), with woeful clutch offense/defense splits.

  • Knicks and Cavaliers join them at the bottom of the clutch standings.

  • (Notable Reaction)
    Andrew: “That’s not a team that I would have predicted to have one of the worst net ratings in the clutch.” (13:36)

• Alex’s “Bad” — The ‘Tyler Herro Problem’ in Miami

  • Miami’s losing streak coincides with Herro’s return; many blame Herro, but net ratings with him on-court are positive.

  • Blame falls on bench regression and a sharp swing in opponent 3-point shooting (“three-point variance involves a lot of luck”).

  • Miami is installing a new offense so reintegration challenges are expected.

  • (Notable Quote)
    Alex: “Maybe LeBatard is right and Hero does end up getting traded. Maybe just doesn’t fit with this new style... But I think the early returns have been better than the win-loss record might suggest.” (17:16)

What

• Andrew’s “What” — Clippers’ Oddities

  • Tyronn Lue postgame access confusion: Team claimed no media was present, but reporters dispute it.

  • Harden-Zubac duo has a -2.9 net rating, down 13 points from last season (“I don't quite understand what the difference is for those guys this season compared to last.”)

  • (Notable Moment)
    Keith Parish (as recounted by Andrew): “Hard for me to believe that the Clippers would ever want to cover anything up and lie about it.” (19:51)

• Alex’s “What” — Keldon Johnson’s Llama Ambition

  • Spurs’ Keldon Johnson says he’d buy a llama with NBA Cup winnings for his ranch (already holds goats, cows, horses, donkey, chickens).

  • Alex argues for therapy llamas on NBA benches.

  • (Notable Funny Quote)
    Alex: “What if every team had a therapy llama on staff?... You’re telling me we can’t find one more seat for a llama in a quarter zip?” (23:17)

  • Andrew: “And pay them in llamas.” (25:28)

Memphis Grizzlies Deep Dive (w/ Keith Parish)

(32:10 - 50:21)

• The “Wheel of Fandom” randomly landed on the Grizzlies, but Keith brands it a “Twilight Zone-style curse,” as major Grizzlies news always follows his appearance (34:35).
• Zach Edey out for 4+ weeks; was crucial for the recent 7–2 run (up to 9th in West). Offense is 25th; defense up to 13th.
• Edey’s improvement: “He seemed to be moving faster… he was catching every pass thrown to him… making his hook shots… doing post moves to the left and right. All of that was a big improvement.” (35:47)
• Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s struggles:
  • “Jaren’s play has been very concerning… his scoring is way low, defensive impact is very low, offensive fouls are at career-high levels.” (37:46)
  • Jaren performs much better with Edey on court (+6.6), but -13.8 net with Edey off.
• Cedric Coward emerges:
  • Fluid mid-range game; compared jokingly to MJ/Kawhi: “He’s a Michael Jordan, Kawhi Michael Jordan type player, if you will. So yeah, Cedric’s been really fun.” (40:53)
• Unlikely Point Guards:
  • Vince Williams Jr. and Cam Spencer are holding down primary ball-handler duties out of necessity—and excelling.
  • Williams Jr.: “He’s doing sort of a throwback Rajon Rondo style—‘I’m not going to shoot at all, just get rebounds and assists.’” (41:22)
  • Cam Spencer: “He is way better than Luke Kennard… an aggressive offensive player, high in free throw and 3-point percentage, high-volume shooter, backup point guard.” (44:10)
• Team-building outlook
  • Keith: “Sell high on Edey… Zach Edey and Cedric Coward are very good… Listless Jaren and Listless Ja—I don’t know what you do with those guys. I honestly think you play this year out… try to make the play-in… build around Cedric and Zach.” (46:06)
• Outlook for the next four weeks
  • Keith is (cautiously) more optimistic than early in the season due to improved roles for Jalen Wells, healthy Vince, and favorable schedule. “The beginning of the year was a lot of people learning new rules with a new coach, a new coaching staff… They’ve lost all the good teams, beaten all the bad teams… with Ja coming back, I am more optimistic.” (48:54)

Trivia: "Andrew vs. The Beat" — Grizzlies Edition

(50:22 - 63:28)

A lively Grizzlies trivia competition between Andrew and Keith featuring:

• Zach Edey’s monster rebounding night (last to do it: Jonas Valanciunas, 51:07)
• Franchise record-holders (Mike Miller: most games with 6+ threes, 51:52)
• Difficult stat questions, including rebounding rates, high-assist games, and “every player played college in the U.S.” trivia (Toronto Raptors as an answer—“a little cute question,” 59:01)
• On-court/off-court impact metrics (Santi Aldama as Memphis' biggest offensive swing, 61:06)
• Final challenge: Naming players with 30+ threes and 20+ blocks this year (Andrew wins with Jay Huff, 61:54)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Keldon Johnson's Llama Plan
  Alex: “If more players gave answers like Keldon Johnson did… What if every team had a therapy llama on staff?” (23:17)
• On Denver’s clutch woes
  Andrew: "That’s not a team that I would have predicted to have one of the worst net ratings in the clutch." (13:36)
• On the power (curse) of the Wheel of Fandom
  Keith: “I feel like there’s some negative Twilight Zone style curse that has now accompanied the Wheel of Fandom.” (34:56)

Segment Timestamps

• NBA Weekly Recap & Standouts – 03:14–08:05
• Good/Bad/What Segment – 08:13–25:27
• Keldon Johnson/Llama Segment – 23:12–25:30
• Memphis Grizzlies Deep Dive: With Keith Parish – 32:10–50:21
• Trivia: Andrew vs. The Beat – Grizzlies Edition – 50:22–63:28

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The hosts maintain their signature blend of sharp statistical insights, irreverent humor, and informal camaraderie, making for an episode that’s both informative and entertaining—ideal for NBA nerds and casual fans alike. The detailed breakdowns (e.g., clutch stats, sharp rookie spotlights, unexpected stat leaderboard oddities) are offset by light moments such as the llama dreams and the trivia face-off.

Key episode themes: The unpredictability of team fortunes (especially Memphis), how small sample sizes can mislead (Miami/Herro, Denver clutch), the rise of unheralded contributors, and that, yes, sometimes NBA players just want llamas.

Recommended for:
Listeners seeking a fast, stats-savvy, fun wrap-up of NBA storylines, and fans of the ever-turbulent Memphis Grizzlies.