The Bill Simmons Podcast

Episode: Boston Does L.A., Honeymoon Harden, a Denver Hiccup, and a Kawhi Deep Dive
Date: February 23, 2026
Guests: Zach Lowe

Episode Overview

Bill Simmons is joined by Zach Lowe in a sprawling, high-energy NBA discussion following the Celtics’ win over the Lakers. The conversation weaves through immediate league trends—contender dynamics, MVP and All-NBA debates, clutch stat breakdowns, the ongoing “Honeymoon Harden” era in Cleveland, Denver’s recent woes, and a deep dive into Kawhi Leonard’s enigmatic career. The episode is rich with stats, insight, and signature tangents that make the podcast a must-listen for hardcore NBA fans.

Celtics-Lakers Breakdown – State of Two Franchises

[02:44–07:31]

• Simmons sets the scene, dissecting Boston’s team-oriented flow and juxtaposing that with the Lakers’ clumsiness.

  • "You have a Celtic team that is basically built around these three guys, one of whom is an MVP candidate ... and then a bunch of dudes who try hard." — Simmons [02:53]
  • Celtics win: "There's a spirit to them ... they're pulling for each other. They're used to each other."
  • Lakers: “When they're bad, it looks really bad. ... It's a lot of, like, taking turns stuff ... it feels really clumsy and it's surprising to me.” — Bill [05:41]

• Zach Lowe diagnoses the Lakers’ flaws:

  • "All of their losses are double digit losses, which is why it feels so much worse... The defense was going to be a problem with LeBron, Luca and Reeves all together." [04:01]
  • "Sometimes they just exist on their own islands within the offense... Reeves was invisible for three quarters." [04:30]
  • On Deandre Ayton: "It's just every other game, JJ's just like, can I just play none of my centers?" [05:17]

• Celtics bench:

  • “The Celtics can just bring in their dragons off the bench, right? It's like hey, have you met Hugo Gonzalez?” — Bill [07:11]
  • On effort: “Everybody in that team fights.” [07:31]

Jalen Brown, MVP & All-NBA Race

[07:33–19:19]

• Jalen Brown’s Consistency:

  • “He's been so consistent...over 50% of his games he's had 30 points. ... He hasn't had those wild 63 or 58-point games. ... He's always between 27 and 33.” — Bill [07:33]
  • “There's a really interesting first-team All-NBA convo brewing.” [08:31]

• Zach’s All-NBA Candidates:

  • SGA, Jokic, Wemby, Cade, Edwards, Mitchell: “I would have both [Mitchell and Edwards] over Jalen Brown. ... [Jalen]'s right in that sort of tier... probably a little bit above Brunson.” — Zach [09:05]
  • “If one or two of those guys falls out because they don't hit 65 games, we're staring at complete chaos.” [10:32]

• Wembanyama's Status:

  • “He's at least battling for ... that 3, 4, 5 area [in league hierarchy].” — Bill [10:59]
  • “5 is the floor...I probably would still have Giannis 3 when healthy.” — Zach [10:59–11:08]

• Clutch Stats Matter:

  • “Last five minutes of close games, Cade: 49% from the floor...the Pistons are plus 49 in those minutes. Monster Clutch season.” — Zach [12:39]
  • Luka’s surprising lack of clutch attempts compared to Chris Middleton: “That’s how few clutch minutes the Lakers have actually played. It’s a really remarkable stat.” [13:23]

• Jalen vs. Mitchell Debate:

  • Zach: “I feel like I'm taking crazy pills on Donovan Mitchell. ... To me, it’s just a perception thing.” [14:37]
  • Bill counters: “It’s the week to week consistency that we throw away... durability...I always value.” [16:43]
  • Bill: “The part that I never really fully thought Jalen had until this year was a sense of the rhythm of the game.” [17:34]

Rockets, Reed Shepard, and Young Teams

[22:38–26:37]

• Simmons and Lowe discuss the Rockets’ crunch time issues and Udoka’s hesitance to play Reed Shepherd.

  • “I think if they don't do it, they are a crossoff team for the playoffs. I don't see it happening.” — Bill [25:29]
  • On team dissonance: “Reed Shepard and Amen Thompson are born to play fast... the rest of the team just doesn’t play like that.” — Zach [26:09]

• KD’s struggles: “This has not been a great Kevin Durant week ... probably in the maybe worst three.” — Bill [27:00]

The Celtics’ Outlook & Tatum’s Return

[27:07–29:37]

• Vucevic trade: “I haven’t been wowed. ... But as the two part with Tatum, it still makes sense.” — Bill [27:13]
• Tatum status: “Are you getting nervous about Tatum coming back?” — Zach [27:54]
  • “No, because if he doesn't feel good about coming back, I don't want him to come back.” — Bill [28:09]
• Missoula’s press conferences: “[He] will stare at that dude until the PR guy’s like, all right, next.” — Zach [29:03]

East Playoff Picture & Home Court

[32:33–35:00]

• “Does home court matter as much as it used to?” — Bill [34:10]

  • “It probably gets outranked now by matchups ... If there's a pathway to the conference finals that is easier ... that trumps home court.” — Zach [34:10]

• Detroit’s maturity and team cohesion is praised:

  • “They're more polished than they have any right to be ... that'll carry into the playoffs.” — Zach [36:06]

Cleveland Cavaliers: Honeymoon Harden Era

[39:01–44:52]

• Cavs’ dangerous ceiling:
  • “They always have now somebody ... really, really good with the ball for 48 minutes. ... Harden’s averaging 24, 10 and 5 and shooting 48% from 3.” — Bill [39:54]
  • “The ceiling for Cleveland is the highest [in the East].” — Bill [40:31]
• “Honeymoon Harden” as facilitator:
  • “It's almost like the name should be Jimmy. … Jimmy Honeymoon Harden. That's how he starts on all these teams.” — Bill [43:33]
  • “I think he actually has the ability to make life easier for Donovan Mitchell than Darius Garland did.” — Zach [43:52]
• Caution for the playoffs:
  • “There will be a playoff series where maybe he can do James Harden things. But Honeymoon Harden’s a pretty potent thing.” — Bill [41:52]

Denver’s Recent Hiccup and the Western Mess

[45:30–51:37]

• “They're a .500 team for 32 games now.” — Bill [45:39]

• Problems with injuries (Jokic, Gordon out), defense, and clutch stats.

  • “There's almost no limit to how small you can play against the Nuggets ... no one to punish your smaller guards on the block ... The defense just hasn't been good all year.” — Zach [47:04]
  • “Cam Johnson, like, everyone's around. I was like, oh, there's Cam Johnson. ... I just forgot he was out there.” — Bill [49:43]

• Door A/Door B metaphor:

  • “Door A is, god damn it, why didn’t I realize that when Gordon came back this team was going to be a championship team... Door B is, they were telling us all season what they were.” — Bill [51:49]

OKC, San Antonio, the Contenders, and the West v East

[53:06–65:28]

• San Antonio’s potential:

  • “I do think they could win three straight playoff rounds in the West ... I wouldn't dismiss it as just small sample size theater.” — Zach [61:34]

• “We have a thing against the Thunder. ... They just had the Thunder a little flustered.” — Zach, on San Antonio’s edge vs OKC. [61:34]

• West versus East Top Four:

  • “Are we sure the west is still better than the east?” — Bill [64:13]
  • Both agree OKC is #1, then Denver, Detroit, Spurs next.

On The Record: LeBron’s Future, Steve Kerr, and Draft Uncertainty

[65:36–72:32]

• Bill predicts:
  • LeBron won’t go to Cleveland: “I think it's going to be Golden State. ... They actually need him.” [66:48]
  • Steve Kerr might step away if not LeBron: “If they don't get LeBron, I think this is it for Steve Kerr.” [68:12]
  • Darren Peterson may not go first in the draft: “There's just too much weirdness with this Kansas thing ... teams value competitiveness too much.” [70:21]

DEEP DIVE: The Kawhi Leonard Enigma

[75:07–105:00]

Kawhi’s Unique Career Trajectory

• “The weirdest career of anyone in the top 40 for me ... He’s been the most enigmatic, quiet, strangest player to figure out that we've had.” — Bill [75:03]
• Striking stats:
  • Finals MVP and DPOY before making an All-Star team.
  • Finals MVP on two teams, but has played just 766 regular-season games in 15 years (~50 per season).
• Playoff résumé:
  • “His playoff run from 2019 to 2021 is the best great player case for him ... 30 points, nine rebounds, five assists a game.” — Bill [79:26]
  • The “Shot” vs. Philly: “Probably the most famous non-final shot ever.” [81:01]
  • Playoff company: “LeBron, Jordan, Kareem, Shaq, West, Durant, Kawhi, Nowitzki, Olajuwon – that's the whole list [with 5,000+ playoff minutes, 21+ PPG, 23+ PER].” — Zach [103:13]

As a Defender

• “For me, it’s [Kawhi] and Pippen as the best perimeter defenders I’ve ever seen.” — Bill [82:07]
  • Zach: “Pete Kawhi was maybe a little scarier than Scottie just by this much – stronger, immovable.” [83:15]
  • Kawhi’s signature: “He would just decide to take the ball.” — Bill [83:22]

Biggest What-Ifs

• 2017 WCF: “Steps on Zaza’s foot ... conceivable he could take them [Golden State] on by himself.” — Bill [85:10]
• Clippers alternate universe: “Why didn't you just go to the Clippers, have all the picks, have the young players and just take some time to try to figure it out...” — Bill [88:12]

Legacy, Evolution, and Mystery

• His improvements: “If you go and watch Kawhi in like 2013 and watch the Kawhi now, it’s like it’s a different human being.” — Bill [96:36]
• Zach: “Jaylen Brown has not become as good as Pete Kawhi Leonard, but he's developed in a similar way ... breadth of his game has taken them to places where it didn't appear it could have gone back then.” [98:44]
• Secrets: “If you went around the league and said, give me your three best off-the-court Kawhi stories, how many could you actually get from people?” — Bill [105:03], Zach: “I don’t really know him. We don’t talk much.” [105:26]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lakers’ Dysfunction:
  “When they're bad, it looks really bad.” – Bill Simmons [02:53]
• On Jalen Brown’s Ascendancy:
  “The part that I never really fully thought Jalen had until this year was a sense of the rhythm of the game.” – Bill Simmons [17:39]
• On Honeymoon Harden:
  “He's like a basketball chameleon and he just becomes like a different version of himself overnight. ... It's almost like the name should be Jimmy. ... Jimmy Honeymoon Harden.” – Bill Simmons [43:33]
• On Kawhi’s Enigma:
  “Even now, 15 years in, nobody knows anything about him.” – Bill Simmons [105:21]
• On NBA Playoffs:
  “You almost forget it as you get distant from when the playoffs fade away ... It's really, really hard to win four playoff series.” – Zach Lowe [64:13]

Additional Segments & Tidbits

• Discussion of playoff seeding, home court value in modern NBA.
• Rockets’ and Magic’s stalled development.
• Steve Kerr’s possible departure.
• College basketball draft uncertainty around Darren Peterson.
• Quick Olympic hockey detour, praise for the Hughes brothers and their athletic lineage.

Timestamps of Key Sections

• [02:44] – Celtics-Lakers deep dive and state of Lakers
• [07:33] – Jalen Brown as MVP/All-NBA Candidate
• [12:39] – Clutch Stat debate (Cade, Luka, Maxey)
• [17:34] – Jalen’s offensive evolution
• [22:38] – Rockets 4th quarter struggles/Reed Shepherd talk
• [27:13] – New Celtics additions and Tatum’s looming return
• [34:10] – East Playoff Picture/Home court importance
• [39:01] – Cleveland "Honeymoon Harden" and team ceiling
• [45:30] – Denver’s struggles and injuries
• [53:06] – San Antonio & OKC as rising Western threats
• [64:13] – West vs East: Who’s deeper at the top?
• [65:36] – On the Record: LeBron, Steve Kerr, NBA Draft
• [75:07] – Kawhi Leonard Career Deep Dive
• [105:03] – Kawhi’s mystique and off-court invisibility

Final Thoughts

This episode is quintessential Simmons-Lowe: loaded with dense analysis, league context, strong opinions, and quirky observations. The deep dive into Kawhi Leonard’s career highlights the uniqueness and ambiguity of his legacy, while the real-time breakdown of current contenders, player evolution, and looming free agency and coaching storylines set the stage for a wild stretch run in both conferences. Even for new listeners, this is a thorough catch-up on all NBA narratives as spring approaches.