The Bill Simmons Podcast — November 26, 2025

Episode: An NBA Scoring Boom, NFL Holiday Picks, 'Landman' Is on Fire, the Return of 'Stranger Things,' and the Future of TV
Guests: Kirk Goldsberry, Joe House, Chris Ryan, Zoe Simmons

Overview

Bill Simmons hosts an extra-stuffed pre-Thanksgiving “megapod,” covering:

• The NBA’s wild scoring boom and stylistic shifts (w/ Kirk Goldsberry)
• NFL Thanksgiving and Black Friday picks (w/ Joe House)
• The Philly sports scene, the hit show 'Landman', and the state of TV (w/ Chris Ryan)
• Generational TV through the lens of 'Stranger Things' and more (w/ Zoe Simmons)

The episode is dense with NBA analysis (stats, trends, trade ideas), lively banter about current TV, generational media shifts, and an enthusiastic discussion of Thanksgiving cuisine.

1. NBA Scoring Boom and Evolving Styles

With Kirk Goldsberry
Starts ~[02:51]

Main Discussion Points

• Historic Scoring Numbers:

  • NBA teams averaging 117 points/game, the highest since the 1960s.

    “We haven’t seen scoring like this since before the three-point line existed.” — Goldsberry [03:13]

• Assist Trend:

  • Multiple teams averaging 29–30 assists/game.

    “I thought that was kind of exciting.” — Simmons [03:36]

• What's Driving the Increase?

  • Efficient shot selection (“shot selection revolution”)
  • More stretch bigs and deep rosters
  • Elevated tempo, teams pressing full-court more often
  • But… the main factor this year is fouls and free throws:
    • Teams are hitting 3+ more FT per game than last year, accounting for almost the full scoring bump.

    “Almost all of the scoring increase is explained by a 3.1 per game free throw made increase…” — Goldsberry [05:17]

• Superstars Gaming the System:

  • Luka Doncic averages 12.5 FT attempts/game, drawing more fouls than any player in the tracking era.

    “He’s drawing over nine fouls per game himself, highest ever in the player tracking era.” — Goldsberry [06:37]

Fouls & Defense

• Hand-checking, “handsiness” and 94-foot pressure are up after teams used the Indiana blueprint from last year’s playoffs.
• Referee “points of emphasis” on calling more contact — particularly to benefit drivers and shooters.
• The entire league is deeper—almost every team runs 10+ playable guys.

Style Shift: Four-Year Draft Clusters

• Recent drafts are stacked (Edwards, Maxey, Halliburton, Bain, etc.), accelerating the influx of real contributors.
• Each new draft class brings new signature moves and style preferences, reshaping the league (e.g., floaters, step-backs vs elbow jumpers).

The Press Returns:

• NBA Full-Court Pressure:
  • Press possessions up sharply in 2025–26 (40+/game vs. just 26 two years ago).

  “You’re seeing everybody pick up in the backcourt… It tires these guys out too.” — Goldsberry [15:25]

• The biggest adopters: Blazers, Celtics, Suns.
• Lakers don’t do it — their personnel (Reaves/Luka) can’t sustain pressure.
• Teams are using scrappy depth and pesty defenses to disrupt top-end talent and slow down early offense.

2. The NBA’s Wild, Wide-Open East and Stylistic Oddities

Starts ~[20:05]

2025–26 Eastern Conference Parity

• “Most open east in a decade or two,” per Goldsberry.
• No clear favorite: Cavs, Knicks, Pistons all in the top tier; Orlando and Atlanta as wild cards.
• Detroit, especially, is surging, with defense, paint play, and a thriving Cunningham-Duren pick-and-roll, though shooting is a concern.

Miami’s No-Screen Offense

• Heat ball movement revolution:
  • Miami setting the fewest screens per possession in decades, focusing on quick ball movement, early attacks, and run & gun pace—drawn like football’s run-and-shoot offense.

  “They’re setting fewer screens than any team has in the player tracking era by a wide margin.” — Goldsberry [29:06]

• Bam Adebayo’s screen-setting is way down, but Miami’s still scoring — could be even better with Herro and Bam back fully healthy.
• Spoelstra praised for adaptability: reimagining team style as stars/norms change.

Contradictions & Trade Speculation

• Fun digression: Would Domantas Sabonis fit as a passing hub in Miami’s up-tempo system better than Bam? “Just as a concept!”
• Miami’s lack of a top-25 star might limit how far this can go — but Spoelstra “plays different ways… This is just one of the more innovative things we’re seeing this season.” — Goldsberry [32:18]

Houston’s Outlier Offense

• Rockets: No threes, all offensive glass:
  • Last in three-point attempts, first in rebounding/offensive boards, #1 offense due to overwhelming volume of efficient second-chance points.

  "They’re reminding us you can build the number one offense with brute force inside and grabbing rebounds from your opponents." — Goldsberry [37:44]

• Praise for Reed Sheppard as a promising spark plug alongside VanVleet and Sengun.

Battle of Bigs & Parity

• Golden State and Dallas: Both teams need to make moves, especially Dallas (front-line logjam; need for a guard), and the Warriors (need rebounding/size, e.g. Gafford trade floated).
• The league is “too old for this shit” at the top — teams like the Warriors and Clippers can’t keep up with the physical edge and youthful, 20-something hunger.

OKC’s Historic Record Pace

• Thunder: Record net rating (+16), implied win odds for 74+ games at 10%.

  “OKC is plus 880 to break the wins record on FanDuel. Is that more realistic than the Wizards breaking loss record?” — Simmons [50:41] "The Thunder have had the easiest schedule so far, but, with no Jalen Williams, they keep rolling..."

• Discussion of whether records are easier to break now that more teams tank or field less-than-full-strength lineups.
  • Simmons: “Go look at the '96 Bulls. That league sucked that year… that’s one of the reasons it happened.” [55:16]

3. Most Disappointing NBA Stars of the 21st Century

Starts ~[60:38]

• Simmons & House riff on “who’s the most disappointing star” (excluding pure injury cases):
  • Ben Simmons (consensus #1), Ja Morant (already “on the list”), Zion (“just hasn’t taken care of body”), Darko Milicic (“maybe he was ahead of his time”), Andrew Bynum (“body and brain”), Steve Francis, Baron Davis, O.J. Mayo, Vince Carter (for not capitalizing on early trajectory), and more.
  • “I always felt like Baron Davis should have been awesome… he had the big game element.” — Simmons [68:11]

4. All-Time NBA Point Guards: The Modern List

Starts ~[71:01]

• Top 5 (uncontroversial): Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, Oscar Robertson, Bob Cousy, Isiah Thomas
• Next five: Chris Paul, John Stockton, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Walt Frazier
• Notable “lost to time” candidates: Tony Parker (underrated), Gary Payton (“toughest cut”), Allen Iverson (“not a point guard”), SGA (is he a PG? What is a PG anymore?).

“The definition [of point guard] is growing. Mo Cheeks isn’t walking through that door ever again...” — Goldsberry [75:02]

• Future positional arguments: Positions are blurred — the game is moving to “guards/wings/bigs.” SGA’s already being assessed for pyramid-level status.

5. NFL Thanksgiving & Black Friday Picks

Bill Simmons and House
Starts ~[80:57]

• Main Games and Notes:

  • Browns +6.5 vs Niners at home (“Home Browns are like a different team — the 33rd NFL team.”)
  • Packers +2.5 vs Lions (House’s Turkey Leg Lock; expects outright Packers win)
  • Giants +7.5 vs Patriots (Pats’ injuries, O-line concerns, line too high)
  • Eagles/Cowboys/Parlays: Parlayed with Moneylines and spreads (“Eagles as Moneyline anchor”)
  • Bengals +7 vs Ravens (Burrow and Chase back, too many points)
  • General approach: Cautious, looking for smart teaser combinations instead of just taking sides with hooks.

• House’s Thanksgiving Food Power Rankings:

  1. Dark meat turkey (“the bird butter… I would put my face in it if I could”) [107:22]
  2. Sausage stuffing (“gotta be moist, big chunks of sausage”), then gravy as a crucial “glue guy”
  3. Sweet potato pie is #1 dessert.
  • Both lament “rolls” as extraneous, unnecessary calories.

6. Philly Sports & Contemporary TV

With Chris Ryan
Starts ~[120:42]

• Sixers: Maxi’s leap (“minutes are crazy… clear All-NBA guy now; most beloved Philly athlete already”)
• Edgecombe as a tremendous rookie complement; Darryl Morey gets props for a well-constructed switch-up.
• The tank/injury debate: “I think it’s too late to tank — you can’t shut down Maxi.”
• Celtics: Simmons is fatalistic, CR assures him things could still click if Tatum returns.

Philly NFL

• Eagles are 8–3 but “miserable”; reminiscent of Pats teams that won but didn’t pass the “eye test.”

TV Show Lightning Round

• Landman Season 2: Demi Moore shines; “Ali Larder 12-minute dinner scenes are weird and I love them”
• Beast in Me: A strong binge
• The new TV paradigm: So many streaming services, content heavily fragmented, expensive, “is NBA being marketed to the 1%?”
• TV business talk: What disruption comes from the Warner/Paramount/Apple/Amazon/HBO shakeouts?

“TV is getting back to being TV again, post-COVID and post-strikes… the pit’s coming back, Taylor Sheridan shows come back yearly.” — CR [158:28]

• Comedy’s disappearing from both TV and movies; writers now skip sitcoms to be their own bosses via podcasting and standup.

7. Generational TV and the Stranger Things Event

With Zoe Simmons
Starts ~[170:42]

• ‘Stranger Things’ as a rare “unifying text” for Gen Z — everyone remembers where/when they saw it, girls and guys, parents and kids.
• Nostalgia is key: “It makes you feel nostalgic for something you never experienced.”
• Explains Stranger Things: The plot, “Eleven” as the hero, why the wait for new seasons built anticipation and deepened attachment.
• Streaming culture preferences: Weekly releases build community and anticipation; binge-drops (Netflix) might dilute that.
• Tell Me Lies, “The Summer I Turned Pretty”, and “I Love LA” are other touchstone shows, each with its own appeal (easy watch, dark/real, regional satire).

Notable Quotes & Moments

On the NBA’s Scoring Boom:

“Unfortunately almost all of the scoring increase is explained by a 3.1 per game free throw made increase for each team in every game.” — Kirk Goldsberry [05:17]

On Miami’s Non-Pick Offense:

“They’re setting fewer screens than any team has in decades... just going, trying to get downhill while the defense is still backpedaling.” — Goldsberry & Simmons [29:33]

On NBA Parity and Depth:

“We have 12 guys who can play 25 minutes right now. These four year draft clusters, they really do hand off the future of the league.” — Simmons [14:13]

On Thanksgiving Food:

“Dark meat… that’s the bird butter. That’s what I want. I’d put my face in it if I could.” — Joe House [107:22]

On the Future of TV:

“TV is getting back to being TV again… post-strikes, you’re starting to see the pith coming back, Taylor Sheridan shows drop seasonally again.” — Chris Ryan [158:28]

Key Timestamps

• [02:51] NBA scoring trends, fouls, free throws, new styles (w/ Goldsberry)
• [15:25] Full court press and its NBA reemergence
• [20:05] The open Eastern Conference race; Miami’s offense
• [37:44] Houston’s jaw-dropping rebounding offense
• [50:41] OKC's historic win pace discussion
• [60:38] Most disappointing NBA stars (w/ House)
• [71:01] Greatest modern point guards debate
• [80:57] NFL Thanksgiving picks & House’s food power rankings
• [120:42] Philly sports, Landman, contemporary TV (w/ Chris Ryan)
• [170:42] Zoe Simmons on the cultural impact of ‘Stranger Things’ and Gen Z TV

Original Show Tone

Conversational, data-nerd heavy, discursive, self-deprecating, nostalgic, affectionate toward sports and pop culture, snarky, warm, and family-friendly with the holiday angle.

Summary Takeaway

An epic, multi-hour podcast that serves as a snapshot of current sports and culture obsessions: NBA tactical evolution, NFL betting (and eating) strategies, media business shakeups, generational TV shifts, and a multi-generational, deeply personal love for the communal aspects of sports, food, and binge-worthy shows. One of the richer “megapods” with both stats and soul.

For anyone who hasn’t listened: This episode helps you catch every important vibe, stat, controversy, and food opinion from Thanksgiving Week 2025.