The Ringer NBA Show: Group Chat

Episode: The Dark-Horse MVP Race, Mathurin’s Moment, and More Takeaways About Actual Basketball
Date: February 24, 2026
Hosts: Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, J. Kyle Mann

Episode Overview

This episode of Group Chat dives into the post-All-Star break stretch of the NBA season, with a particular focus on the rapidly evolving and tumultuous MVP race. The trio explores the impact of the NBA's games played requirements on MVP eligibility, offers deep analysis of key candidates and dark horses, and discusses recent breakout performances—most notably by Ben Mathurin. The episode is packed with sharp banter, memorable moments, and honest takes on both league trends and specific players. The second half touches on rising young talents, team construction pivots, and a uniquely hilarious gym story to close.

Table of Contents

1. The MVP Race: Drama, Eligibility & Asterisks
2. Philosophical & Structural Issues with the MVP Criteria
3. Dark Horses and Candidate Breakdown
4. Team Context, Playoff Readiness, and Individual Impact
5. Ben Mathurin’s Moment & Player Quantum Leaps
6. Comparisons: Maturin vs. Shaden Sharp
7. Cavs, Harden’s Influence, and Frontcourt Dilemmas
8. Cade Cunningham’s Emergence and the Pistons’ Arc
9. Team USA Hypotheticals and Best American in the NBA
10. Breakout Role Players, Cam Thomas, and the Trickledown
11. Memorable & Funny Moments
12. Timestamps & Notable Quotes

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1. The MVP Race: Drama, Eligibility & Asterisks

• Main theme: Post-All-Star, the MVP field is suddenly wide-open due to the NBA’s 65-game eligibility rule. Several favorites (Jokic, SGA, Wemby, Luka) are on the brink of ineligibility.
• Big questions: Should teams risk players’ health for an award? Will an MVP with "an asterisk" spark backlash and future rule changes?
• Implications: Teams and the league might face disastrous playoff consequences if stars push through injuries just to qualify.
• Quote:
  • Justin: "I think it's already a worst-case scenario where we could be affixing an asterisk to whoever wins this award in like an actual sense before." [05:17]

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2. Philosophical & Structural Issues with MVP Criteria

• Discussions on how the 65-game rule may backfire:
  • Justin: “If the backlash is loud enough...Adam Silver’s been willing to change things again and again.”
  • Rob argues these technicalities distort and cheapen the award: “These rules are fake and meaningless and I don’t know why we’re like so beholden to them. But here we are trying to figure out how to give Cade Cunningham the MVP.” [04:52]
• Will NBA reverse the rule if chaos continues?
  • Consensus: If top stars are ineligible, “uproar” and handwringing will ensue.

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3. Dark Horses and Candidate Breakdown

• Primary names analyzed:
  • Jokic, SGA, Wemby, Luka, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jalen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Kawhi Leonard.
• Wemby’s Bid:
  • Rob: “Wemby’s already missed 14 games. He’s a borderline candidate at this point, himself.” [13:44]
  • Kyle: “Wemby's at the same games played as Jokic at 42. So it's like there. ... Wimby's dominance over Cade and those other guys...I really appreciate what Kade and Jalen have done.” [18:52]
• Jalen Brown: Could force a compelling conversation if Celtics finish strong.
• Kawhi’s late run:
  • Justin: “He openly admitted that the Clipper season is basically over, which was fucking hilarious...But then he goes out and scores 37 last night...If we’re just going by, like, January 1st on, probably the best player in the league.” [29:22]
• Luka discourse:
  • Justin: “If I had an actual ballot, I wouldn’t vote for him just because he’s crying. Just diverts like double digit possessions on a given basis.” [19:24]

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4. Team Context, Playoff Readiness, and Individual Impact

• Who raises a team’s floor? Offensive vs. defensive anchors.
  • Kyle: “You need to be a floor raiser...You're a force multiplier on offense like a Jokic, or, you know, Shea's really evolved in that sense. Cade does check that.”
• Playoff Implications: Will injuries now shape not just the MVP but the postseason hierarchy?
• How team success matters:
  • Justin: “How much of the case for both of those top two guys, though, is affixed to the team result...”

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5. Ben Mathurin’s Moment & Player Quantum Leaps

• Mathurin as trade coup for the Clippers:
  • Rob: “Ben Mathurin, as a scorer just kind of rules. Like, he’s awesome to watch. He’s a bulldog when he wants to be post All Star break. He’s leading the league in free throw attempts because he’s just driving and driving and driving.” [58:06]
• Unlocking a new context after a trade: Mathurin looks like a piece with star upside due to his physicality and aggression, especially as a secondary creator next to Kawhi.

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6. Comparisons: Matherin vs. Shaden Sharp

• Hosts debate the value and ceiling of each player:
  • Rob: “Shaden to me is still more likely to be a star than Ben Mathurin is. But Ben Matherin has already proven he can be useful to teams competing at the highest levels.” [64:12]
  • Justin: “Matherin has the higher floor, Sharp has the higher ceiling...If he had that sort of mentality with his athleticism...things just come so easy to him.” [66:17]
  • Notable agreement: Matherin is more of a sure thing, but Sharp could reach a higher peak (if everything comes together).

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7. Cavs, Harden’s Influence, and Frontcourt Dilemmas

• Harden’s arrival empowers Allen, changes Cavs’ offensive look; Mobley’s fit remains awkward.
  • Justin: “At a certain point, do we need to just like completely just deal with this front court all of a sudden?”
  • Rob: “I think they pretty clearly don’t have alternatives to do that right now. You can’t just diminish an Evan Mobley’s role and have just wave Evan Mobley.”
• Dynamic lineups & defensive trade-offs: Cleveland’s hinge is whether Mobley-Allen can coexist as the frontline in big games.

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8. Cade Cunningham’s Emergence and the Pistons’ Arc

• Signature ‘Heisman moment:’
  • Cade’s destruction of the Knicks cements him as an American centerpiece and bolsters his dark-horse MVP profile.
  • Justin: “Absolutely Heisman moment, like, sort of thing where it’s just like, if we think the race is going to be close...that was the type of like, this is a big game, I showed up and just absolutely decimated one of our top competitors that matters.” [47:24]
• Superstar modulation:
  • Rob: “That’s really kind of one of the distinguishing marks of like a guy who not only is like a superstar, but understands his superstardom...modulates based on what his team needs and actually can fill a void.” [51:40]
• Is he the best American in the NBA right now?
  • Justin: “Is he the best American player in the league right now? I did feel like it was probably a backdoor bad case for his MVP case because he was basically admitting, like, oh, if these guys are healthy, it's probably not me.” [51:40]

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9. Team USA Hypotheticals and Best American in the NBA

• If you’re building Team USA’s backcourt right now, is it Cade and Ant (Edwards)?
  • Kyle: “Ant and Cade together could play together in a USA backcourt.” [55:14]
• Defensive, shooting, and fit arguments among top American guards (Booker, Brunson, Brown, Maxey, Mitchell, etc.).
• Steph, even on “crutches,” gets respect.

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10. Breakout Role Players, Cam Thomas, and Trickledown

• Cam Thomas as Bucks’ microwave scorer:
  • Justin: “Cam Thomas, perhaps, like, because I’m the ultimate Zaga, and I do like players that other people don't like...clearly the microwave off the bench. I will take 20 shots a game, somehow, scorer is a type that is valuable to a certain team.” [70:52]
  • Rob: “This has been one of the first times in basically Cam’s entire career where his team has been better with him on the court.”
• Theory: Good teams can’t keep all drafted talent. Role players like Usman Jang, Pete Nance, and Cam Thomas break out on lottery teams due to playing time vacuums.

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11. Memorable & Funny Moments

• Running jokes:
  • "Bitch punts": Justin and crew invent advanced stats for Luka Doncic’s defensive efforts (or lack thereof) due to his arguing with referees. [21:13]
  • “Stat nerds as crate diggers”: The hosts liken modern analytics nerds to vinyl crate-diggers of a previous era. [35:16]
• Delightfully random:
  • Extended digression on pool etiquette, gym horrors, "poop in the pool," and bathhouse aversion.
    • Kyle: “One of the games I play at my gym is just this: Don’t see old balls. That’s one of the real challenging games I play. It’s like Frogger.” [75:44]
    • All: Extended riff on public pools, poop, and lifeguards in chaos, closing the episode out on a memorable, signature Group Chat note.

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12. Timestamps & Notable Quotes

| Timestamp | Segment/Quote | Speaker |
|-----------|---------------|---------|
| 03:45-09:00 | The MVP race’s eligibility crisis; “we could be affixing an asterisk…” | Justin |
| 12:09 | “Are we valuing Wimby correctly in this MVP conversation?” | Kyle |
| 19:24 | “If I had an actual ballot, I wouldn’t vote for [Luka] just because he’s crying. Just diverts like double digit possessions...” | Justin |
| 21:13 | Bitch punts advanced stat: "Start tracking the amount of points that Luka punts by bitching...It would probably shock you..." | Justin |
| 27:44 | “Jokic is just like rolling out the finger paints and just letting guys be who they want to be...” | Justin |
| 29:19 | “Kawhi’s a fucking killer right now...probably the best player in the league since January 1st.” | Justin |
| 47:24 | Cade’s Heisman moment: “Absolutely Heisman moment...that was the type of like, this is a big game, I showed up and just absolutely decimated one of our top competitors...” | Justin |
| 58:06 | “Ben Mathurin, as a scorer just kind of rules. He’s awesome to watch. He’s a bulldog…” | Rob |
| 62:32 | “The Clippers definitely reset...at the right time.” | Justin |
| 66:17 | Comparing Mathurin & Sharp: “Matherin has the higher floor, Sharp has the higher ceiling...He just doesn't have the sort of like dog in him...” | Justin |
| 69:19 | “His poise, just like putting the ball on the floor, shoulder into a guy, hitting a little floater in the lane is impressive in and of itself.” | Rob (re: Yannick) |
| 70:52 | “I have a thing for Cam Thomas...the microwave off the bench...” | Justin |
| 75:44-79:59 | Gym/Pool story & bathhouse riffing | Kyle, all |

Overall Takeaways

• The MVP race is wide open and arguably compromised, with eligibility rules putting top candidates at risk and raising the specter of an asterisk.
• Intense debate about player "value" and team context, with hosts digging into both numbers and narratives.
• Young players and fringe contributors can transform situations with a change of team, context, or coaching.
• Signature moments matter (e.g., Cade's “Heisman game”), but so do team arcs and systems.
• Plenty of humor and personality set this pod’s analysis apart—from statistical inventions to gym horror stories.

This episode is essential listening (or reading) for staying sharp on the state of the MVP race, understanding rising player arcs, and enjoying the best NBA podcast banter around.