The Athletic NBA Daily – Saturday Slam N’ Jam

Episode: Rookie Preview + 2026 NBA Draft Introduction
Date: October 18, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht & Alex Spears
Guest: Bryce Simon (Game Theory Podcast, Pistons Pulse)

Episode Overview

This episode features a lively discussion on the incoming NBA rookie class and a preview of the top prospects for the 2026 NBA Draft. Andrew and Alex are joined by Bryce Simon, known for his deep-dive scouting reports and draft analysis. The trio covers rookie expectations, contextual evaluations post-draft, deep cut second-rounders, and bold predictions — all capped with a dynamic trivia showdown.

Rookie Class: Expectations, Evaluations, and Context

How to Evaluate Preseason Performance

• Defining “Real” Basketball in Preseason
  • Bryce: “I watch for like the first half of the [preseason] game. When those guys are on the court, I really feel like I can take something from it. … I feel like I have a lot of notes.” (05:12)
  • Differentiates between preseason, Summer League, and “March basketball” for tanking teams (04:26).
  • “Those March games can really trick you if you don’t realize the context of what some of those players are playing in.” (05:48)

Rookies in the Right Context: Case Studies

• Ace Bailey (Utah Jazz)

  • Bryce: “Ace in Utah was a good context for him. … Will Hardy runs good stuff, he would use Ace in the right way. … He’s not going to be asked to put the ball on the deck a whole lot and self-create.” (06:26)
  • On ceiling: “My favorite term right now is ‘advantage exploiter’… If Ace can do those things, then yeah, it’s OK to be a primarily off-the-ball scorer… Can he be a 20+ scorer in this type of role? Absolutely.” (07:47)

• Late First / Second Rounder Shoutouts

  • Nick Clifford: Bryce had him higher than drafted, thinks he can be a “versatile two-way wing… but playing him at the four is maybe a little bit much.” (09:24)
  • Jace Richardson (Orlando): “Has looked really good — who knows, but he’s doing all the big guy things [Orlando] will need, seems he’s going to get an opportunity.” (10:44)
  • Ryan Renner (Charlotte): “He just did all of the big guy things that Charlotte will need and it seems like he’s going to get an opportunity there.” (10:44)

• Prospects in Poor Fit

  • Trey Johnson (Washington): “It’d be nice if [Washington] would find easier attempts for him… Not have him do things at such a high level of difficulty to score.” (11:21)
  • No standouts yet for poor context, but watchlist developing.

Unique Rookie Roles

• Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)

  • Dallas experiments with him at point guard.
  • Bryce: “That’s a big ask of any rookie… Cooper was able to take that [full-court pressure], get the ball down the floor, and he actually attacked the paint.” (12:31)
  • Bold Prediction: “Cooper will be the seventh unanimous Rookie of the Year, but he will be the first to not lead [rookies] in points per game.” (14:04)

• Dylan Harper (Sacramento)

  • “Really impressed with the defensive end… He plays with real nuance. But I was a little concerned how much he wasn’t using his right hand.” (15:36)
  • “In the NBA, a split second matters — having to bring that second hand on the ball or give away to the defense what you’re doing with the ball matters.” (16:03)

Forgotten First-Rounders & Rotational Depth

Nikola Topić (Oklahoma City Thunder)

• “True on-ball guard, primary initiator … can break down the defense, uses eye manipulation, one of the best ball screen operators in the class. The questions: explosiveness and jump shot… Defensive questions too.” (17:56)
• Role uncertain with Thunder’s guard depth (AJ Mitchell, Cason Wallace).
• “AJ Mitchell is good at basketball and… are you better off getting [Topić] somewhere else and getting something in return?” (19:47)

DaRon Holmes (Denver Nuggets)

• “Really good at Summer League… but in preseason, Denver’s playing their rotation, Holmes hasn’t got a whole lot of minutes. Still think eventually he plays an important role.” (22:23)

Rookie Watchlist: Outside the Lottery

• Hugo Gonzalez (Boston): “He had a sweet spin move and finish. Athletic, plays with a ton of energy. … Will Boston lean into their young players?” (24:09)
• Brooklyn’s Mix: “Must-watch for someone like me… so many on-ball guys, just want to see how it plays out. Drake Powell, Cam Thomas, Michael Porter Jr. — team will be must-watch for dynamics.” (25:36)
• Young Hansen (Portland): “Offensive skill level is real. Can he stay on the floor defensively? We’ll find out.” (27:22)
• Chris Youngblood (Oklahoma City): Standout at Summer League, but, “you guys have 15 guys averaging 7.5 points in preseason!” (26:23)

2026 NBA Draft Preview

Big Picture Takeaways

• “It is kind of a three-player… race for [the] number one pick.” (31:17)
  • Consensus Top 3: Darren Peterson, Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa.
  • “Felt good for seven or eight picks in the mock draft. Then it’s filling out the lottery — biggest room to go and find players is the back end.” (31:17)

Top Prospect Breakdowns

Darren Peterson (Kansas)

• Archetype: “On-ball creator, two-way type — does a little bit of everything… Great communicator, under control, plays with pace, good teammate, defends.” (33:05)
• “He has off-ball guard size and measurables.” (33:58)
• Question: “How high level is the scoring?” (34:51)

Cam Boozer (Duke)

• Archetype: “Face-up forward. Love his versatility — can face up, go off the dribble, post up, catch and shoot, attack closeouts, ball screen, off-ball cuts.” (35:58)
• “Below-the-rim finisher, not super explosive. ... Does that limit ceiling?” (36:40)

AJ Dybantsa (BYU)

• Archetype: “True two-way wing — prototypical NBA long athletic wing, can get his shot, play off ball, and ideally defend.” (37:30)
• “Tools and flashes are there defensively, but it’s been a little hit and miss.”
• At BYU: Team shoots a lot of threes; curious how much on-ball vs. off-ball role he gets. (38:38)

Memorable Quotes & Fun Moments

• On fitting second-rounders in the NBA:
  • “Why not just sign another guard?” – Bryce, sarcastically addressing teams with crowded positions. (09:50)
• On “Advantage Exploiters”:
  • “My favorite term right now is ‘advantage exploiter’… It involves knocking down shots, attacking closeouts, making good passing decisions.” (07:47)
• Rookie Trivia Banter:
  • “I just gave you the opportunity of a lifetime: 5 points available to you.” – Andrew, raising the stakes on a trivia question (46:14)
  • “That is a threat.” – Bryce, on the back-and-forth trivia game (51:44)
• On Cooper Flagg:
  • “He will be the seventh unanimous Rookie of the Year, but the first to not lead rookies in points per game.” (14:04)

Notable Timestamps

• Preseason Realness/Context: 04:26–06:07
• Ace Bailey deep dive: 06:26–09:07
• Nick Clifford/Late First-Rounders: 09:17–10:35
• Cooper Flagg as PG & Bold Prediction: 12:13–15:17
• Dylan Harper Breakdown: 15:22–17:07
• Nikola Topić & Thunder’s backcourt conundrum: 17:25–22:10
• Holmes in Denver; Non-lottery rookies of interest: 22:20–27:22
• Young Hansen/Portland outlook: 27:19–29:02
• 2026 Class Top 3 Introduction: 30:57–32:44
• Peterson, Boozer, Dybantsa breakdowns: 33:05–39:26
• Notable quotes, trivia banter: 44:05–65:07

Trivia Showdown: “Andrew vs. The Beat”

• Structure: 8 questions; focused on rookie class, preseason stats, player names, and NCAA trivia.
• Highlights:
  • High-scoring rookies in preseason, three-letter first names in the draft, rookie trivia, and playful banter over obscure player knowledge.
  • Memorable back and forth: “Andrew finally got back on the winning side of the ledger.” (78:44)
  • Bryce: “I hate this game so much.” (79:27)

Closing Remarks

• Recommendation: Listen to the Game Theory podcast and subscribe to their Substack for deep NBA draft content.
• Hosts sign off: “We’ll be back every Saturday for the rest of the season.”

Key Takeaways

• Context Matters: The right roster and scheme context is crucial for a rookie’s development and evaluation.
• Rookie Standouts/Worries: Ace Bailey and Cooper Flagg are early standouts. Context concerns exist for players like Trey Johnson.
• 2026 Draft is Top-Heavy Early: Peterson, Boozer, and Dybantsa are early favorites, but there is room for late risers in the class.
• Lively, Informed Banter: Expert scouting analysis is balanced with humor, trivia, and deep NBA fan energy.

For more in-depth draft coverage and expert scouting breakdowns, catch more from Bryce on Game Theory and Pistons Pulse podcasts.

All ad reads and sponsor segments have been omitted from this summary.