The Ringer NBA Show: Group Chat

Episode: "The NBA’s Late Leapers. Plus, Trae Young’s Exit Plan and the Big Three Hornets."
Release Date: January 8, 2026
Hosts: Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, J. Kyle Mann

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into three main themes:

1. The Trae Young trade rumors and what his possible exit means for the Washington Wizards’ young core.
2. An in-depth look at the Charlotte Hornets’ trio of Lamelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Con Knipple, and whether this “Big Three” signals real progress.
3. A spirited roundtable on NBA “late leapers” — players who are making significant developmental jumps later than expected, including Anthony Black (Magic), Keyonte George (Jazz), and Donovan Clingan (Blazers).

1. Trae Young Trade Rumors: What Should the Wizards Do?

[04:00–16:00]

Key Discussion Points:

• Trae Young’s Trade Market: The only serious rumored suitor for Young is the Wizards, as most rebuilding teams don’t need another ball-dominant guard.

  • Rob Mahoney: “The only team that seems to have its hand up right now is the Washington Wizards.” [04:19]

• Wizards’ Roster Fit and Player Development:

  • Justin and Rob debate if adding Young helps or hurts player growth. Trey could help role players like Bilal Coulibaly find easier shots, but might suppress upside for possible stars.
  • Justin Verrier: “If your goal is to turn Bilal Koulibaly into the best version of a role player he can be, putting him alongside Trae is good.... But if you want Ball Koulibaly to be someone who's ever knocking on the door of stardom, I think playing with Trae is not the path you want.” [07:53]

• The Front Office Angle and Fan Restlessness:

  • The Wizards’ dilemma: keep tanking or satiate a fanbase starved for relevance after eight straight years of lottery picks.
  • Rob Mahoney: “I do have to wonder at a certain point... are people starting to get itchy fingers wanting at the very least, like a semblance of competitive basketball out there?” [11:04]

• CJ McCollum’s Influence vs. Trae’s Potential Impact:

  • The hosts note McCollum already “takes a lot of shots” and plays heavy on-ball minutes, so is Young actually an upgrade?

• Notable Moment:

  • J. Kyle (on Trae’s play style): “We need the Wizards to be more of a Montessori where we teach these guys to be self-sufficient a little bit. Whereas... we're gonna have Trae Young maybe even literally chew Bilal Koulibaly's food for him.” [09:12]

2. Big Three Hornets: Are Lamelo, Miller, and Knipple for Real?

[16:00–30:00]

Key Discussion Points:

• Charlotte’s Breakthrough:

  • The trio is 9–6 when playing together and recently notched a signature win over OKC.
  • Rob Mahoney: “They have been pretty good... when Lamelo, Brandon Miller and Con Knipple all play together, they're nine and six this season.” [16:51]

• Offensive Synergy & Scheme Innovation:

  • The group’s ability as tall, multi-positional, live-dribble shooters creates unique matchup issues—mirroring Boston’s model, but with a younger twist.
  • J. Kyle Mann: “When you have... Miller, Knipple and Lamelo... they can all three pass on the move. They're all very dynamic shooters... and they're all tall. That's the interesting thing.” [18:34]

• Brandon Miller’s Growth:

  • Miller's return from injury and newfound edge—including posterizing Kyle Kuzma—shows All-Star flashes.
  • Rob Mahoney: “He’s come back from this most recent injury and seems to be playing with a little bit more of an edge. Almost like he’s just coasting off the vibes of nearly ending Kyle Kuzma’s life...” [21:19]

• The Need for a Big Man:

  • The Hornets’ offensive engine is clear, but a rim-protecting, versatile big remains the missing piece.
  • J. Kyle Mann: “Are they... a legitimate big away from this really flowing into something… would we say that’s right?” [22:56]

• Lamelo’s Adaptability:

  • Clear that Knipple’s emergence allows Lamelo to be less heliocentric (“Trey Young–like”) and more a chaotic off-ball elevator.
  • Justin Verrier: “Everything you just laid out about Lamello... also strikes me as the ultimate praise for Khan Canipple and how quickly he's just become a steady hand for an offense." [25:49]

• Draft Targets:

  • Early brainstorming on what type of big the Hornets should target to elevate their lineup: a “hub big” with playmaking chops to pair with Miller and Knipple.

• Notable Moment:

  • J. Kyle (on Miller): “He feels like the get out of jail free card for this offense and Khan feels like the flow initiation element and Lamelo is just sort of like the chaotic elevator of the group.” [21:54]

3. Late Leapers: Players Making Big Mid-Career Jumps

[32:17–66:25]

Anthony Black (Orlando Magic)

• “Killer Bees” Trio:

  • Black’s aggression, improved shooting (47% in last 10 games on catch-and-shoot), and relentless downhill play have established a promising synergy with Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane.
  • Justin Verrier: “He’s... making his own flow and that’s an important elevation... now he's kind of making his own flow and that's an important elevation for a lot of young players.” [33:26]
  • J. Kyle Mann: “He just has a nastiness to him... you start, you're just seeing him get to the rim...” [34:30]

• Positional Versatility and the New “Athlete” Guard:

  • Discussion of NBA’s trend toward big, bendy non-traditional guards who aren’t true point guards but are “problem solvers.”
  • Rob Mahoney: “There feels like this little kind of crew of guys... the Amen Thompson types, the Stefan Castle types, who are point guards in name only, but they're like really just athletes.” [35:48]

• Orlando’s Roster Math:

  • Black’s growth creates looming, tough extension decisions (Suggs/Franz/Paolo/Black).
  • Rob Mahoney: “With their top four, they're committed to $155 million... Black on his own right is probably due for a hefty pay raise.” [40:23]

• Giannis Trade Hypothetical:

  • Wild scenario: Would you trade Paolo Banchero for Giannis if contracts allowed? The hosts have fun with the thought exercise but acknowledge fit and floor spacing remain issues.

Keyonte George (Utah Jazz)

• Surging Sophomore:

  • Last 15 games: 27/7/5 on great shooting and 8 FTs per game; “Tyrese Maxey numbers.”
  • Rob Mahoney: “Keonte George... 27.7 and 5 on really good shooting percentages and almost 8 free throws a game.” [45:13]

• Improved Shot Selection and Consistency:

  • Credit to George’s sports psychology work—he’s now “more dialed in than ever.”
  • Rob Mahoney: “He made a concerted effort to work on his mental health... if you're looking at the change between last year to this year, it does feel like he's more dialed in than ever before.” [47:47]

• Attack Mentality and Craft:

  • Routinely gets to the rim (“less chaos, more discernment”), attacks midrange like Brunson/Fox, and leverages creative off-ball play in Hardy’s offense.
  • Justin Verrier: “It's about focus. Right. It's about like how do you zero out distractions, how do you move on from one play to the next... consistently good decisions... that's just telling me his focus has greatly improved.” [49:47]

Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers)

• Emergence as a Starting-Caliber NBA Big:

  • At nearly 7’3”, 7’6.75” wingspan, Clingan has become an elite offensive rebounder and shot-blocker in heavy minutes.
  • Rob Mahoney: “He’s playing 30 minutes a game since this over the past 12 games... if not the best offensive rebounder in the league, he's definitely in like the elite upper crust.” [54:02]

• Developing Stretch Game:

  • Hitting 53% of his threes over last 12 games (“one Mississippi” shooting cadence), showing new dimensions.
  • Justin Verrier: “Well, he's fucking panning these shots. Like they are not like, oh, rim in. Oh, it looks kind of ugly. Like he's just drilling threes.” [55:35]

• Pedigree, Swagger, and the Next Step:

  • Clingan shows “swagger” and edge reminiscent of his UConn days.
  • Rob Mahoney: “This is a guy at UConn that played with legitimate swagger. Like he had like the terror squad like chain going.” [62:05]

• Role and Fit:

  • The hosts discuss whether Clingan and recently drafted Young can coexist as Portland’s big men of the future.

• Notable Moment:

  • J. Kyle Mann (on Clingan): “He looks like an int if we’re being honest... but he definitely has some of that MF in him.” [63:48]

4. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Hornets' offensive potential:

  • Justin Verrier: “The formula is a lot like Boston's formula, which is all those guys handling the ball, shoot a fuck ton of threes and clean up as many misses as you possibly can on the offensive glass." [19:59]

• On young guards and NBA evolution:

  • Rob Mahoney: "You don't need to be the walk-it-up floor general to be a point guard anymore. You can be Amen Thompson and be kind of a different sort of problem solver." [36:52]

• On player growth focus:

  • Justin Verrier: “That's kind of what I want for a lot of these guys who, yeah, may not ever be multi time all stars in their own right, but can they be all stars for six seconds?" [12:08]

• On Anthony Black's shooting improvement:

  • J. Kyle Mann: “I think what's happening is when he's catching the ball, I think you're just removing that moment of where there can be, like, mechanical disruption... he flows right into it.” [39:28]

5. Structure & Timestamps For Key Segments

• Trae Young & Wizards: [04:00–16:00]
• Hornets Big Three Analysis: [16:00–30:00]
• Late Leapers Deep Dive:
  • Anthony Black (Magic): [32:17–43:00]
  • Keyonte George (Jazz): [44:45–52:00]
  • Donovan Clingan (Blazers): [52:24–66:25]

6. Closing Banter and Personality

A staple of the pod: the banter is both smart and playful, loaded with NBA “sicko” details and self-aware metaphors. Discussions branch from on-court mechanics to draft fits to personality quirks. The trio’s familiarity—and gentle ribbing—bring an extra layer for fans.

• Justin Verrier on the hosts’ competitiveness: “I want to do all that stuff and I want to fucking win. And it drives me insane when other people don't care, like if it's. If it's a winner. Stay on situation. What are we doing here?” [66:01]
• J. Kyle Mann: “I have mellowed out a little bit, but I'm a pretty intense competitor. You wouldn't think so. I get that from people sometimes, but I actually kind of. I have to tone it down.”

Final Thoughts

This Group Chat episode is a quintessential deep cut for NBA nerds: a sharp, witty, and highly technical roundtable about league-wide developmental trends, rebuilding philosophies, and the evolution of basketball archetypes. The hosts’ unapologetic, often contrarian takes on player growth and team building are enriched by their chemistry and years of shared basketball watching.

Whether you care about the Wizards’ existential questions, the Hornets’ shifty shooters, or the rise of bendy, “not-a-point-guard” creators, this episode distills the pivot points shaping the next NBA era.

For the full episode (including video), catch The Ringer NBA Show on Spotify or, moving forward, on Netflix.