The Ringer NBA Show – "Is This Anything? Philly’s Edgelords, the Unstoppa-Bulls, and More Early Trends."

Date: October 29, 2025
Hosts: Justin Verrier (A), Rob Mahoney (B), J. Kyle Mann (C)
Summary prepared for listeners who want the full NBA Group Chat experience—without the ads or fluff.

Main Theme

This episode dives into the hottest early trends of the 2025-26 NBA season, using the recurring “Is This Anything?” format—a playful homage to both Letterman and the Orlando Magic broadcast. The crew dissects surprising team starts (the Sixers’ hyper offense, the Bulls’ clean execution), exploding individual stat lines, and evolving styles of play league-wide. Expect a blend of sharp analysis, dry humor, and classic Ringer banter.

Episode Breakdown

1. Halloween Banter & Intro [00:00–02:01]

• The pod opens with the crew’s Halloween plans (and Justin’s combustibly cheap basketball costume), quickly veering into meta commentary about modern costumes and jokes within jokes.
• Memorable Moment:
  "He burned alive in a $3 basketball costume. He died as he lived." — J. Kyle Mann [01:19]

2. Major Topic #1: Philadelphia’s Fast Start – "The Edgelords" [03:11–15:59]

What’s Happening in Philly?

• Philadelphia “Edgelords”: 76ers start 4-0, scoring 517 points in their first 4 games (most since 1991 except for a recent Miami outburst).
• They’re piling up points without playing fast—their offense thrives on efficiency, not pace.
  • “They are just piling up points through pure efficiency, through pure dominance, through these guys just kind of like exercising their will over the course of the game. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm fucking terrified.” — Rob [04:40]

Bifurcated Identity

• Conflicting Styles: With Embiid on the floor, the team slows and expectations drag; without him, the young core runs wild.
  • “You can just feel like the vibe whenever [Embiid]’s on the floor, the ball's not moving as fast. ... And you have these guys that are just kind of like pent up stallions who just want to run.” — Kyle [06:03]
• Embiid’s effectiveness is still there, but he looks resigned to stretch-big status.

Tyrese Maxey’s Ascendance

• Maxey’s Leap: Now so explosive and dependable it’s shocking when he fails.
  • “He’s kind of tipped for me from being a guy who has all of this explosive potential to—I am now just kind of actively shocked when he doesn’t get to his spot, when he doesn’t get the shot he wants.” — Rob [08:10]
• Teammates like VJ Edgecombe (whose name sparks running jokes), Grimes, and McCain round out a backcourt that’s “getting more fun by the day.” Bona anchors defense intermittently.
• Big Picture: The Sixers’ offense is real, Maxey’s leap is real, but the team identity is muddy—caught between young, fun, and semi-tragic (Embiid future uncertain).

Vet vs. Young Core Friction

• Justin likens the team to early-’90s Celtics post-Bird era: a transition of power on the fly.
• Quote: "They're probably closer... to what the Wizards have going on, where we're just finding things out about this team.” — Justin [13:58]
  • Rob mildly pushes back: “That feels a little disrespectful to Philly. Like they are more competitive than Washington.” [15:05]

3. League Trend: 40-Point Games Boom [17:27–24:51]

• Stat: Through 7 days: 16 forty-point games (vs. just 5 at this point last year).
• Overall pace is fastest since 1985-86; more fouls (+4.5/team), but three-point attempts are actually down. Offensive efficiency is basically flat.
  • Analysis: More stars forced to do more (injuries/depth), more fouls, and top guys handling unprecedented offensive loads.
  • “It's never been easier to get 10 threes up in a game and it's never been easier to walk to the free throw line for 10, 15, 20, 25 attempts in some cases.” — Rob [18:31]
• Foul Grifting Evolution: Modern creators manipulate deceleration and contact at an elite level.
  • “These guys have just gotten so good and at practice so much at, you know, driving to the basket and, like, someone's touching me, I stop—not necessarily the Trae Young thing, but they’ve gotten really good at creating those types of fouls.” — Kyle [20:00]
• State of the League:
  • “The creators are a little bit ahead of the defenders and they're very far ahead of the officiating in terms of what they can manipulate and create.” — Rob [24:51]

4. Individual Spotlight: Jamal Murray – Now Mr. October? [24:51–32:42]

• Jamal Murray starts the season sharp and aggressive—finally showing Playoff Murray form from the jump.
• Jokic’s Approval: Jokic defers more when Murray is cooking—maybe a barometer for how Denver’s pecking order will look all year.
  • “Nobody wants this version of Jamal Murray more than Nikola Jokic does.” — Rob [30:20]
• Murray’s targets (e.g., Bones Hyland, Dillingham) may be weaker defenders, but his attacking mindset is a net positive.
• Jokic himself appears content, occasionally "fighting for his life" in his jersey, but perhaps pacing himself for the grind ahead—offering a little “spooky season” humor.

5. The “Unstoppa-Bulls”: Has Chicago Figured It Out? [34:13–47:50]

• Bulls start 3-0, #1 in defense, #5 in assists, and are "just a fun watch": big athletes who can pass and defend, not star-driven.
  • “You were right, Justin.” — Rob [35:46]
  • “They're the most committed team to moving the ball early in the season. … a good way to compensate for the fact that if you're going to play a bunch of like iffy shooters at the same time, there's gotta be some sleight of hand in there.” — Rob [36:00]
• Ball Movement: Dead last in dribble pull-up jumpers; they get to the rim and play as a squad. Young guys (Dosunmu, Tre Jones, modest Bouzelis) step up.
• Vucevic’s Redemption: Rebounding/ending possessions drives their success, and Justin relishes being vindicated as one of just two voters putting Vucevic in the Ringer Top 100 [40:01].
• Schedule has been soft, and three-point defense is likely to regress—but Bulls actually know who they are.
• Deeper Question: Can a team built around a non-pull-up point (like Giddey) ever be more than a “40-degree day” (reference to “The Wire”)?
  • “There's just like a cycle that you automatically put yourself into with the roster construction of a non-dribble pull-up shooter…” — Kyle [43:11]
• Bench & Rotation: They’re deep, play with energy, and Billy Donovan cycles through eight guys playing 20+ minutes per game [41:09].

6. Fast Note: Modest Bouzelis’ Athleticism [48:03–50:38]

• Bouzelis provides athletic pop as a slasher, with flashes of brilliance but shooting remains a swing skill for his long-term development.

7. Major Topic: Knicks’ Reinvention—Volume Three-Point Shooting [51:10–60:49]

• Style Shift: Knicks go from 27th to 3rd in three-point attempts. They run more fluid offense, speed up the pace, and move the ball (Mike Brown’s influence).
  • "We're seeing teams that are coming in with a deal of continuity and also just like a resolve and understanding that, like, hey, we don’t have that guy and we need to find a way to cut and triangulate." — Rob [36:00, referencing Miami/Chicago but applies to Knicks too]
• Benefits and Pain: The growing pains are visible. Some stars (Cat, OG) adapting well, others (Josh Hart) less so.
• The point-of-attack defense in the league is way up—teams pressure lead handlers full-court more often than ever [55:28], which means teams need the “decision-making democratization.”
• OG Anunoby’s volume is up, though not yet efficient; Josh Hart’s fit is under scrutiny due to spacing issues.
  • "Josh Hart’s lack thereof in terms of spacing... is part of that formula." — Rob [58:39]
• Bench Depth: Knicks finally use their bench—eight players with meaningful minutes in the first four games (vs. a shallow rotation last year) [60:44].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If this is how I go, I die doing what I love, truly—talking to my guys, wearing a big old basketball costume.” — Justin [01:12]
• “I think the biggest difference Rob is this feels like a Maxey team more than it does an Embiid team now.” — Justin [12:21]
• "They are at the foot of a mountain right now, dare I say a Rocky Mountain..." — Kyle, on the Nuggets [31:39]
• "Don't nobody got shit to say about a 40 degree day—the Bulls have a lot of 40 degree day years." — Kyle [38:10]
• “We're just finding things out about this team. ... This is more of a young-leaning team where like, if things, good things happen, you should be proud of that. But I wouldn't get over your skis and start thinking about ... Joel Embiid.” — Justin [13:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Philly Edgelords/Maxey vs. Embiid discussion: [03:11–15:59]
• 40-point game trend league-wide: [17:27–24:51]
• Jamal Murray & Nuggets offense: [24:51–32:42]
• Unstoppa-Bulls analysis: [34:13–47:50]
• Knicks’ reinvention & three-point surge: [51:10–60:49]

Final Thoughts

The pod is a snapshot of the league’s October weirdness: high scores, stars doing everything, teams racing to figure out their identity, and “vibes” both thrilling and bizarre. The analysts’ tone is smart, self-awarely nerdy, and just irreverent enough to make the basketball takes pop.

For full context—they close with quick Halloween plans [62:17–end]. No NBA content after that.