The White American Draft | Group Chat

Summary

The Ringer NBA Show: Episode Summary

Title: The White American Draft | Group Chat
Host/Authors: Justin Varier, Wosny Lambre (Big Woz), and Isaiah
Release Date: March 10, 2025
Description: In this episode of Group Chat on The Ringer NBA Show, hosts Justin Varier, Wosny Lambre (Big Woz), and guest Isaiah delve into the controversial and humorous concept of "The White American Draft." They engage in a spirited discussion about the representation of white players in the NBA, analyzing current talents and predicting future stars through a mock drafting session.

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Introduction to The White American Draft

The episode opens with a brief introduction by Justin Varier (00:00), followed by a light-hearted exchange about the absence of regular host Rob Mahoney due to his attendance at an early-day wedding (00:00). To fill in, the producer Isaiah joins the conversation, setting the stage for a follow-up discussion to the previous year's "The Great White American Draft."

Justin Varier:
"Just, I believe he's doing what like a Boy Meets World watch along series?... (00:00)

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The Concept and Purpose Behind The White American Draft

The hosts explain the premise of the draft: selecting exclusively white American NBA players, complemented by two European white players per team, mirroring the Euroleague's approach to naturalized players.

Wosny Lambre (Big Woz):
"...I have this theory that the NBA would just be way more popular if we had good white guys. Better white guys, I should say." (02:30)

Big Woz articulates his belief that increasing the number of quality white players in the NBA could boost the league's popularity, referencing legendary players like Larry Bird and Jerry West as ideal prototypes.

Justin Varier:
"We're on the dawn of a new era... there's not a lot of heft at the top of the draft." (04:20)

Justin expresses excitement about the draft, noting the perceived scarcity of top-tier White American talent and the need to approach the draft strategically.

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Drafting Session: Round by Round Analysis

The core of the episode revolves around the mock drafting process, where each host selects players based on their performance, potential, and fit within their envisioned teams.

First Round Picks

• Justin Varier (Justin) selects Nikola Jokic as his number one pick, emphasizing Jokic's MVP-caliber performance and unassailable status as the top pick.

  Justin Varier:
  "...Jokic is clear and no inarguable number one pick in this draft." (07:55)

• Wosny Lambre (Big Woz) trusts his second pick to be Luka Doncic, citing his consistent high-level play despite recent performance dips.

  Big Woz:
  "...it's obvious that he's the best player in the league of all backgrounds." (08:34)

• Isaiah chooses Franz Wagner as his number three pick, recognizing him as the best available wing player despite the draft's limited depth at that position.

  Isaiah:
  "That's where I have to go. And then I get picked four as well." (15:30)

Subsequent Rounds and Strategic Selections

The hosts continue selecting players for their teams, often discussing the strengths and weaknesses of their choices. Key discussions include:

• Injuries and Team Dynamics: The impact of injuries on players like Luka Doncic and the Celtics' defensive prowess led by Al Horford is a recurring theme.

  Justin Varier:
  "...Luka's mobility... is concerning for the rest of the season." (09:43)

• Defense vs. Offense Balance: Big Woz emphasizes the need for defensively capable centers, while Justin focuses on building a team around Jokic's playmaking abilities.

  Big Woz:
  "I need defenders around what he's doing on the ball, three and D type of guys." (22:00)

  Justin Varier:
  "...I want chat, first and foremost to be that nice front court balance." (21:17)

• Roster Construction: The selection of players like Chet Holmgren, Christian Brown, and Sam Houser illustrates each host's unique approach to team building, balancing shooting, defense, and playmaking.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Justin Varier on Player Selection: "Jokic clear and no inarguable number one pick in this draft." (07:55)

• Big Woz on Luka Doncic: "It's obvious that he's the best player in the league of all backgrounds." (08:34)

• Big Woz on NBA Popularity: "I have this theory that the NBA would just be way more popular if we had good white guys." (02:30)

• Justin Varier on Draft Strategy: "I think we have to do full rotation. I think we have to go 10 deep in this." (37:00)

• Big Woz on Defensive Needs: "I need defenders around what he's doing on the ball, three and D type of guys." (22:00)

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Analysis of Key Players and Team Dynamics

Throughout the draft, the hosts analyze how selected players would fit into their teams:

• Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic: Central to Justin and Big Woz's strategies, both players serve as the backbone around which other team members are constructed.

• Franz Wagner and Chet Holmgren: Chosen for their versatility and potential impact on both offense and defense, highlighting the hosts' focus on balanced team structures.

• Sam Houser and Christian Brown: Their selections underscore the importance placed on shooting and defense, respectively, catering to each team's specific needs.

Wosny Lambre:
"They're combining that with a freaking continuity and a cohesion that's just like Bruh." (12:42)

Big Woz praises the Celtics' cohesive defensive strategy, contrasting it with the less defensively robust teams.

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Concluding Thoughts and Team Overviews

As the draft session concludes, each host reflects on their team compositions, considering their strengths and potential weaknesses.

• Justin's Team:
  Built around Nikola Jokic, with shooters like Tyler Hero and Austin Reeves, and defensive backup from Brandon Pajemski. His strategy centers on maximizing Jokic's playmaking while ensuring sufficient shooting and defensive cover.

• Big Woz's Team:
  Anchored by Luka Doncic and Lowry Markkanen, complemented by Alex Caruso and Christian Brown for defense. Focuses on creating a defensively strong and shooting-heavy lineup.

• Isaiah's Team:
  Features Franz Wagner and Chet Holmgren as key players, with Shen Gun and Peyton Pritchard enhancing the wing and guard positions. Emphasizes playmaking and shooting balance.

Justin Varier:
"I feel pretty good about that." (59:52)

Wosny Lambre:
"They have a vision. Oh, the guard. I see the identity." (59:02)

Isaiah:
"I was going to take them at four. I was going to take one of them at four." (21:11)

The hosts express satisfaction with their team builds, recognizing both the potential and the challenges that lie ahead in their mock draft.

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Final Remarks

The episode concludes with a humorous nod to iconic American anthems and a tease for future episodes featuring Rob Mahoney (62:09). The hosts acknowledge the playful and satirical nature of the "White American Draft," understanding it as both a commentary and a lighthearted exploration of player representation in the NBA.

Wosny Lambre (Big Woz):
"You gotta make the pain happy." (48:22)

Justin Varier:
"We took this semi seriously, but I would encourage our listeners... have the Hulk Hogan theme song playing in the background." (61:37)

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Conclusion:
This episode of Group Chat offers an entertaining and thought-provoking mock draft focused on white American NBA players. Through strategic selections and insightful commentary, Justin, Big Woz, and Isaiah explore the dynamics of team building, player roles, and the broader implications of player representation in professional basketball. Whether taken as satire or serious analysis, the discussion provides valuable perspectives for NBA enthusiasts and casual fans alike.

Transcript

[Justin Varier]

This episode is brought to you by patron. 100% additive free tequila. When it comes to ingredients, Patron doesn't need to play games. That's why their tequila is crafted with 100% Weber Blue Agave water and thyme. No sweeteners, no added extracts, no secrets, just 100% additive free tequila. Visit patron tequila.com to learn more. The perfect way to enjoy Patron is responsibly Copyright 2025, imported by the Patron Spirits Company Coral Gables, Florida. Tequila 40% Alcoh by volume. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Basketball fans know that a great assist can change the game. And there's no greater assist than one from State Farm. State Farm is here to help you navigate the right coverage for your home car and more. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. State Farm, Bloomington, Illinois. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability and eligibility vary by state. Hello and welcome to Group chat. I am Justin Varier. And joining me as always, big wise, we don't have Rob Mahoney on today's pod. I believe he's doing what like a Boy Meets world watch along series? Is that what he's prepping for? Just him and Minkus?

[Big Woz]

You know, I'm pretty sure he's out there being an intrepid reporter for the editorial side. Just inside of theringer.com. you know what I mean?

[Justin Varier]

We're all one crew here, you know, One crew. No, I think he actually had a wedding to get to. A Monday.

[Big Woz]

Oh, yes, wedding.

[Justin Varier]

Early day wedding. So no Rob today. But we have in his stead an expert in the field that we were about to embark upon. Our producer, producer Jose. What's up, Isaiah?

[Isaiah]

What's up? What's up? Excited feeling for Optida.

[Justin Varier]

Yes. Yes. So we are doing a follow up to last year's gangbuster live show podcast. The Great White American Draft. Or maybe I shouldn't call it the Great White American Draft. Just the White American Draft.

[Big Woz]

They're great at my eyes.

[Justin Varier]

Thank you. We appreciate that. Isaiah, you are now based in Boston and so we felt like you would have the requisite expertise to participate.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, a lot of guys from. From Boston on the big board, so. Yeah, I think.

[Big Woz]

Yes, yes, that's right.

[Justin Varier]

And we should know upfront this is not a Celtic city like plug of any sort. We are not affiliated with that documentary. It just so happens that there are a lot of white guys from Boston. And so Isaiah is going to fill in. From Rob here was this is. This is your great event of the year. This is one of Your. Your banner construction. So how do you feel about doing this yet again?

[Big Woz]

I'm happy. And the reason why you say that, just for listeners who don't understand, is that I have this theory that the NBA would just be way more popular if we had good white guys. Better white guys, I should say. And so I'm always on the lookout for the next great truly transcendent white player in the mold of Larry Bird and Havlicek. Notice all these guys are Celtics and, well, Jerry west, you know, of. Of yesteryear. Like, I'm always on the lookout for the next great white player. And so this is something of great interest to me because I don't. I happen to not think it's messed up that a 65% white country would want to see white Hoopers. Like, I don't think there's anything wrong with that, honestly.

[Justin Varier]

Well, I mean, we are on the precipice of a new dawn in that regard because Cooper Flag will be joining the NBA next year. Do you already have your scouts out there or is he just sure fire going to be at the top of this draft next year?

[Big Woz]

100% he's going to be at the top of the draft. I tend to not pay attention to this draft board stuff until June, literally on a normal basis. But because Cooper Flag had so much buzz as an AAU guy, high school guy, I was like, oh, I wonder if he's going to go to Duke and actually fulfill that. By all indications, he's exceeded all expectations and looks like legitimately the next great NBA player. So it's really exciting.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah, we're on the dawn of a new era, I guess, or at least when it comes to this bat shit insane project that we're embarking upon for the second time for whatever reason. But I'm excited, if only because I think it does speak to the lack of depth of this type of player. I guess I feel like I'm just tripping over landmines here. But we'll just get into it this year. We'll do it a little bit differently, I think, because there's not, as was kind of alluded to, a lot of heft at the top of the draft. Not a lot of all star players these days. And so Rob actually suggested we do things a little differently this year. This year, in addition to drafting only white American NBA players, we each get two European white players, almost in the same way that the Euroleague does. By naturalizing just players from abroad. They get two spots for players who just aren't citizens of that country. And so, yes, and I think this.

[Big Woz]

Is important, too, to get just, like, just only kind of serious here in that I think the white European. I think the reason why we have a dearth of white American players in the NBA, and I have done no peer reviewed research on this, guys, but I think there's just a general sense out in our country that basketball is a quote unquote, black sport. So I think a lot of white guys that would be perfectly good athletes and become perfectly good NBA players are being like, ah, I'd rather not play basketball because that's considered to be what black people do, or whatever. And so because of that, we've seen artificial depression of great white players in the NBA. But what I would say is that we look at our European white brethren as proof that this doesn't have to be the case. Like white American men. Look at your European counterparts and understand that there's greatness within you. Embrace it and become our next great NBA players. Guys, that's my spiel to the white American male community.

[Isaiah]

Fellas, Keith's got a great. That's hilarious.

[Justin Varier]

And I agree with Woz and have no notes. All right, why don't we get into the draft here? Isaiah, do you have the order for us?

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I'm going to spin it live. Let's see. Spinning. First up. Justin, too. You are first pick.

[Big Woz]

I love this. I love this. Yeah. Who's your first pick, Justin?

[Isaiah]

Oh, wait.

[Big Woz]

Do you want to go? We're only allowed to pick €2 because, like, at a certain point, we want to highlight some of the great white American plays. If we allow euros like these, quite frankly, these guys are going to be pretty down the list. Yes, Our fellow countrymen. And so we. We've limited ourselves to €2 per team.

[Justin Varier]

I think we should talk about it at a certain point when we pick the first American player. Like, how many other euros would have gone before we actually got to that player? I also think there's a little bit of strategy up top, just in the way that you use your €2 players.

[Isaiah]

I would agree.

[Justin Varier]

Who's. Who's going to go number two?

[Isaiah]

Woz is two.

[Justin Varier]

Was this too? Okay, so unfortunately, Isaiah gets the third spot in a draft. Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. I'll put my. My pickup for trade if anyone wants to put an offer out there.

[Big Woz]

No, we're not trading. We want to hear you say who your number one pick is. Justin, I think.

[Justin Varier]

I think there's only one choice here, and it's not Denny Abdi. As much as I'd like to add him to my team, I think it is Nikola Jokic the not forerunner for MVP anymore because after Sunday's game, Shay Gilgeous Alexander had that big old win against the Denver Nuggets bright and early in the morning. Unfortunately, Jokic's 30, 20, 20 game just kind of got pushed aside because it happened earlier in the weekend. But I think we're not doing contracts, we're not doing like, who you building from this point forward. It's just we're just drafting teams and so Jokic clear and no inarguable number one pick in this draft.

[Big Woz]

Yeah, I don't think we need to even harp on this. Like, it's obvious that he's the best player in the league of all backgrounds. And so the idea that he wouldn't be number one here is crazy. So it makes sense my number two is going to be just as obvious. It's Luka Doncic. Luka to Don Juka Doncic still one of the best players, top 10, top five players in the league. Didn't look it against Boston, I tell you that freaking much. I know he looked like a pumpkin against Al Horford, but still my number one pick here today.

[Justin Varier]

Well, how are you feeling about Luca right now? Because as you mentioned, we saw the Lakers go against the Celtics. LeBron going to be out for at least one to two weeks. I don't know what to think of that injury because he says one to two weeks, but seems like it might have been more serious when it first got started. Talked about they don't have a center. Jackson Hayes isn't playing tonight, so it's going to look pretty dire for a couple maybe rest of the season run here. What do you think?

[Big Woz]

I think Luca again, I noted to you guys even early on in the trade in our little group chat that he just doesn't look quick. He's not. And again, in the best of times, it's not like he's out, you know, quicking people with an insane first step. It's his pace, it's his change in pace to sort of start and stop, but he's getting by people all the time. And when you're Lukas sized and you have his footwork, you get a guy, even an Al Horford on your hip, you get any kind of angle on him, it's over. Right. Like that's what we've seen when Luka was right in the past. And since he's come back for the Lakers, it's been all jump shots. You can look up his paint scoring, it's not there. Like he's not getting to the Cup. He's making, you know, his nice turnaround, sort of Dirk ish foul line shot where he kind of elbows the guy, turns around, does the one legged fade away, which is really good at. Obviously he has the step back three, but he's not supplementing that with getting to the cup, getting guys on his hip, getting to the line hasn't been doing that since he came back. And Boston, I think quite smartly was like, look, we're sending minimal help. You gotta beat the guy that's in front of you. And he just straight up could not do that yesterday or Saturday, whenever it was. And so, yeah, I think you should be worried about Luca's mobility. Man on the ball against bigger guys and beating switches going forward. If you're the Lakers, it's just most teams just aren't as defensively talented as Boston is and you don't really have to worry about it as much. But it was a glaring weakness on Saturday for me.

[Justin Varier]

No one also takes it as personally as Jaylen Brown. That covers.

[Big Woz]

He seemed like so many times like embarrassing this kid.

[Justin Varier]

But there was a. There was a sizzle reel that someone put out about Luca a couple of years ago, might even have been last year or the year before that, where he was not only getting to the rim, but also dunking on people. And I was like, oh, shit. I forgot that he still has it in his bag. Just because we've seen pretty much all this season he's been dealing with the strain and so. And now he's dealing with what seems to be a back issue. He was grimacing before the game. That's always never a good sign. So it might be a slog for the rest of the season. And honestly, this is what we kind of expected when he first got traded there. I think when you saw the combination of him and LeBron in practice, everyone started to get wild fantasies about what they could do this season. I still think that they could be pretty good in the playoffs. Watching that Celtics game, it reminded me that I actually think their deficiencies will be exposed more in the playoffs because of their lack of depth, because their lack of center rotation and also the defense. I think you started to see some of the seams in that game where it's just like, oh, you really have to try as hard as humanly possible in order to make this work. But they have been trying of late and that's why they've been so good defensively but also I think a lot of their strengths are going to be highlighted in a playoff series. And so it's, it's a kind of a big give and take. But like, LeBron is now hurt and now Luka. I don't know if they'll get 100% Luka this season. It's something we have to factor in when we're talking about the Western Conference race.

[Big Woz]

It's almost like Nico Harrison had a point to all the freaking armchair GMs out there. This guy. Look, no, I'm not saying he believes he's right. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying he's not a complete and utter kernel of information idiot. He's not a complete and utter idiot for his thoughts on moving on from Luca. And again, we gotta talk about the Celtics here. And I know we're getting away from the draft, but it matters. Like, it's not just that they have defensive talent. It's not that they have a. Just have a collective iq. All of these guys are not just athletically gifted, physically imposing defenders. These guys are smart defenders. Nowhere to be at all times. Three, they're combining that with a freaking continuity and a cohesion that's just like Bruh. Like, this is just the exact worst recipe for somebody who's not completely dialed in and locked in and feeling 100%. And I would say that there's not a team in the NBA that could get within 80% of what the Celtics can do when they're at their best defensively. Like, that's just my opinion. So it's not something to panic about. But God damn, you got to hate that Celtics matchup for the Lakers, man.

[Justin Varier]

I was watching Al Horford guarding Luka in that game. I'm like, it's been like a decade since he's played in Atlanta. Like, that was the heyday of Al Horford making All Star games regularly. The Whatever 60 Win Hawks team where they ran a play in the All Star game, and everyone's like, this is the magic of team success and having a lock solid starting five. Just watching him be able to move with Luke and I, obviously Luka was a little hobbled, so Al could use his heft a little bit more. But the fact that he's still doing this at his age is absolutely incredible. Part of the reason why I was a little bit not down on the Celtics, but I thought that they could be beaten in this year's title race is because Kristaps again injured. And so what was going to happen With Al, eventually he was going to fall off, but the fact that he's playing at this level, I mean, it's tough to really pick against him at this point, even though as we're recording this, the Cavs look absolutely incredible. They're winning 14 in a row, but the Celtics just have another level. And, like, even Derek White in that game was getting picked on by LeBron James. I don't know if a lot of teams have a guy like LeBron James, including in the Eastern Conference, in order to do that, in order to take advantage of White size. And so, yeah, I felt really good about the Celtics coming out of that game. I did not feel as good about J.J. redick's light mustache. I don't know if you guys saw this.

[Big Woz]

He's coming for your crown.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I thought about you when I saw it.

[Justin Varier]

Seems like he seems like he's trying to pilot something. And I just want to say I see him the mustachioed just round the council has had a meeting, and I don't feel good about his candidacy. He's not allowed in the mustache crew.

[Big Woz]

He seems to be waging a cold war against you through the media, through his TV appearances, at every single turn. And I personally am here for all of it.

[Justin Varier]

I might have to go with the soul patch. Just the counter. All right, why don't we get to number three, Isaiah? Who do you like at number three?

[Isaiah]

Yeah. So three feels easy to me. That's Franz Wagner. I just think he's by far the next best guy on the board.

[Big Woz]

So you didn't hem and haul. You didn't think to yourself, ah, like, there's somebody else I could take here? No, no.

[Isaiah]

Especially because the wing position is pretty dark in this draft.

[Justin Varier]

It's pretty dark, ironically.

[Isaiah]

Pretty dark.

[Justin Varier]

Yes.

[Isaiah]

Ye. And so I just think, like, not only is he the best player, but he's by far the best wing. And so, yeah, that's where I have to go. And then I get picked four as well.

[Big Woz]

Yes.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah, I think we got to do snake draft because third pick was.

[Isaiah]

Was tough. This is where, like, I like definitely him and Han a little bit. I think I got to go best available, though. I actually. Yeah, fine. I'm taking Chad Holmes.

[Justin Varier]

Okay.

[Isaiah]

Damn it. Yeah, there's. There's guards that I don't think will be there by my next pick, but I think Chet's the best guy available.

[Big Woz]

I like that.

[Justin Varier]

Woz, how does it feel to have Chet flying off the board?

[Big Woz]

It's tough for me because I thought he might go with the better Euro here.

[Justin Varier]

That's right.

[Big Woz]

But I understand if you want some better roster balance. Speaking of Luka and the Mavericks, the roster imbalance over there. I understand the Chet pick. Is it my turn to pick?

[Justin Varier]

Yep.

[Big Woz]

Since Justin went first, I'm going to go with Lowry Markkanen, he's going to be my, my, my second pick All Star last year. A bit of a step back this year, but I think it's been by design by the Jazz, to be quite honest with you. Uh, I think this guy is legit. I, I think he's a legitimate high level winning player. What he does on the perimeter at his size is crazy. And he's not some minus defender man like this guy will get after you on defense. I'm not saying he's like, you know, Andre Karolenko or something like that to Harken back to one of the great white heroes of, of yesteryear, but he's not a complete zero on defense. And what, he's so dynamic offensively and you can easily play him around, you know, a Luka Doncic, a high possession soaking up kind of wing play and he just fits in so seamlessly to that. So Larry Markkanen is my second pick here.

[Justin Varier]

Okay. I like that pick, especially as a compliment to Luca because Sengun is still on the board. And so for me, Jokic and, and to have baby Jokic would, would not work. And so it not only is a good pick, I think, but I also think it makes it more complicated for me down here and even, maybe even Isaiah, because Franz is good of a creator. He is. The shot is still coming along. There aren't a lot of shooters, surprisingly enough, on this Euro board. And no.

[Big Woz]

Which later in years past, I think for two questions. Just, just rules. We should have got this out of the way at the top, but just rules based questions. One, Josh Giddey, as an Australian is a white Euro, right?

[Justin Varier]

Yeah. I think he's got an accent.

[Big Woz]

We gotta give him that. Okay.

[Isaiah]

There were a couple guys I was curious about, actually.

[Big Woz]

One of them Sabonis, we counted him as American because of Rob last year. But like he's a Euro, right?

[Justin Varier]

I think you made that decision.

[Isaiah]

I think, I think born in the States, I believe.

[Justin Varier]

Right. He is born in the States.

[Big Woz]

You know what? He's born in America. Okay.

[Justin Varier]

And I think, I think legal precedents suggest that we have to now make him an American this year. Are there any other guys on the fence here?

[Big Woz]

Over here?

[Justin Varier]

Yesterday I found myself Googling, is X player white more than I really wish I had. Yeah.

[Big Woz]

But there's a couple of these guys that I was just gonna try to sneak on in. And if anybody questioned it, we do the research on live on air. But yeah, there's a couple of guys where, you know, are we doing. What's the. What's the. Was Dred Scott the fucking drop in the bucket? I forget which case it was where. It's just like, even if you're 1 8th Negro, you can't count as white. So we'll see how that goes going forward.

[Justin Varier]

All right, I'll let you guys set the roll on that one. Man, this is a tough pick because I think the depth at American big is pretty shallow, but a lot of those guys aren't going to work next to Jokic. And so to have any sort of, like, front core combination at the top of the draft would be hard for me to choose. I'm going to go. Ah, man.

[Big Woz]

He said, oh, man, this is.

[Justin Varier]

This is really tough. I'm going to go American, and I'm going to go with Tyler Hero just to dip into the. To the top of the wing situation.

[Isaiah]

Okay.

[Justin Varier]

I need a guy who could shoot playing off of. Off of Jokic. And I get another pick right after this, right?

[Isaiah]

Yeah.

[Justin Varier]

I'm going twice. Oh, this is. This is beautiful. I'm actually going to go. I'm just going to take the entire top of my wing board here. I'm going to also go with Austin Reeves.

[Isaiah]

No way. Wow. I thought I'd get one of those guys. That's crazy.

[Justin Varier]

I think it falls off pretty markedly right after there. And so to get the two, probably only two white American creators to play off of Jokic, I'm feeling good about my team.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I was. I was going to take them at four. I was going to take one of them at four. That's what I was thinking about because I knew the fall off is steep.

[Big Woz]

Okay, so is it my turn now?

[Justin Varier]

It is. You're in the middle.

[Big Woz]

Okay, I've got. See, that's the thing. When you have Luka, you've got ball handling, you've got distribution. Now I need some. Oh, I know what I'm doing. Okay. I need some defense up here. I'm gonna go with Caruso. Crusanity.

[Isaiah]

Okay.

[Justin Varier]

Wow, Caruso. That's pretty high for a guy who might be shooting 30 from the floor.

[Big Woz]

It doesn't matter. Doesn't matter.

[Justin Varier]

Okay.

[Big Woz]

All his shots will be wide ass open, and I can live with that. I just watch the Denver game. It's like, what if he makes one of three? That's good. It's fine of completely. Nobody near you. Wide open shots. We just asked one of three, brother, and that's fine. So, yeah, Caruso going to shore up my back court and wing defense. And so I like. I like having Caruso here.

[Justin Varier]

Okay. I like that pick.

[Big Woz]

Not worried about the big man position at all.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, this is going to be a tough spot. I really wanted a guard. I guess I'm gonna have to go. I think I'm gonna go double big here and go Shengoon.

[Justin Varier]

I think that makes sense.

[Big Woz]

Hadn't used your euro yet.

[Justin Varier]

The second euro. Yeah.

[Big Woz]

Second euro.

[Isaiah]

Yeah. So I think. I think I'm going Shangu for that. So Chet and Shengoon in Franz is my front court. I think that can. Wow, that's pretty good. Yeah, I think it can work. I think I might have to get my guy.

[Big Woz]

I think.

[Isaiah]

I think I'm getting Pritchard paid.

[Big Woz]

Paid Pritchard. That's a smart, smart, smart pickup.

[Justin Varier]

Okay. What it's like the vibe for Pritchard right now in Boston. Is he like. Is he on par with like Tatum in terms of celebrities?

[Isaiah]

I think the statues. Yeah. Gotta be on the way, I think.

[Justin Varier]

Okay.

[Isaiah]

Especially like, I have a friend who was at the game when he dropped 40. Like, just absurd. Um, the idea that they traded smart and this guy was able to just fill in and be just way better is not something I think anybody saw coming.

[Big Woz]

It's crazy.

[Isaiah]

And so he's been one of the best players on the team this year. He's been unbelievable.

[Justin Varier]

So what's like the celebrity Boston rankings if we were to do them right now, Is it Tom Brady, Jason Tatum, Peyton Pritchard or.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, it's probably. Probably about right.

[Justin Varier]

You might.

[Isaiah]

You might mix in a brewing maybe. Oh, Marshawn's now gone and so probably posture knocks probably in there. But yeah, it's. That's about it. Derek White is pretty damn famous as well.

[Justin Varier]

Really?

[Isaiah]

He's like insanely loved here. Yeah, he's every. He's like most people's like, they're like not Taymor Brown favorite player is Derek White.

[Big Woz]

Yeah.

[Justin Varier]

It would be Celtics over Patriots right now. Even like Drake is just too anonymous right now.

[Big Woz]

The page. But the Patriots are like horrible.

[Isaiah]

Yeah. The promise. The Patriots are terrible. Yeah. Drake, they're not even like mediocre, but yeah, they're just terrible. Drake May is very well loved because he's. He actually looks like he'll be good, but. Yes. So it's Coming off a title, they're just, they're just definitely higher up.

[Big Woz]

Payton Pritchard is just the perfect. And like, yeah, he's just a cocky little man.

[Isaiah]

Incredible, incredible city. And not really get noticed though. Like he's a 6 foot 1 white guy. I think I just saw him walk into the store right now. I could have. Who knows?

[Big Woz]

Yeah, you wouldn't be able to tell. Yeah, just be another homie from Southie.

[Isaiah]

Literally. Yeah.

[Big Woz]

Scalabrini said like he, he's pretty sure that Peyton Pritchard thinks within himself that he's better than Steph Curry. Like that's how he carries himself. That's his attitude that he brings to the game, that he's just like nobody fucking with him.

[Isaiah]

Watch the Tatum buzzer beater dunk at the end of the half. Tatum has already beat his guy to the rim and Peyton is just jumping up and down screaming for the basketball at the three point line like he 100%, 100% probably thinks he's better than secondary guys. Insane. It's great.

[Big Woz]

Love that.

[Justin Varier]

One of the best parts about the tourney is when an underdog takes down a powerhouse. And right now those upsets can get even better. Because all this week on FanDuel, if your underdog bet wins, you'll land even more winnings with a profit boost. This is your chance to ride with the long shots, the scrappy teams, the ones that refuse to go quietly. And so my underdog pick for today's slate in the NBA that's on Monday actually isn't really a total underdog as a team. I think we expected to be at the top of the east, but went through some injuries and has been struggling as a result. I like the Orlando Magic plus four and a half in Houston against the Rockets. Why? Well, the Rockets themselves are now dealing with some injuries. Men. Thompson is going to be out for a little bit in addition to some other guys. And so I think Paulo is starting to come back into form. You're starting to see the old Magic start to show themselves. So four and a half, not a huge spread, but I like the Magic in this one. They have more to play for it, especially because I think the Rockets kind of are where they are in the standings. So give me the magic plus four and a half in Houston. If you've been waiting to join FanDuel, there's no better time. The app is easy to use and when you win, you'll get paid instantly. Just visit FanDuel.com Ringer MBA to download America's number one sportsbook today and back your dog of the day with a profit boost because after all, anything can happen in March. Must be 21 plus and present in select states or 18 plus and present in DC. Opt in required wager of at least plus 100 odds. Required bonus issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens. Restrictions apply including any token expiration and max wager amount. See [e-mail] gambling problem. Call 1-800-gambler or visit rg-help.com all right, w you're up with your fourth pick.

[Big Woz]

I'm going defense again. Defense again. I got Luka Doncic. I need defenders around what he's doing on the ball, three and D type of guys. And that's why I'm getting the great Christian Brown. Almost called him Braun. I know, I know he changed his name, but Christian Brown to the team. I'm loving this team by the way.

[Justin Varier]

So I have to point out here that we have gone basically through four rounds at this point. I still have to make my fourth pick. We have not picked a Manusa bonus in part because I think tactically he wouldn't fit on my team. And I also think he's now tough to fit onto Isaiah's team and I think was just has a full no go zone on him.

[Big Woz]

I like centers that can actually help me on defense. I get it. He's a, he's a fucking dynamite rebounder, you know, and he deserves credit for that for being his size and being that good at rebounding. But my center has to contribute to my defense. Period. It's not like I get it like he plays his ass off. He plays really hard. He seems like a great freaking guy, you know, and I bet you all of his teammates love him. But like no, not for me. Not my type of center. Make big men big again.

[Justin Varier]

I also think this speaks to perhaps the problem with trading him because it sounds like the way the Kings are going, allegedly he's going to talk with the organization about his future there. But I do wonder, like he seems like the perfect type of player the Kings need because he will get them into the play and mix. As long as he's going to be.

[Big Woz]

There, expect prime if not content in contention so long as he's there. And I think there's, I think there's a value to that for a franchise that missed 17 playoffs in a row or whatever the hell it was that they have a respectable team out there. But to me, like when I look at the centers that are still on the Board. For me, this guy's. No, he doesn't rate for me. No. I need defense.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah. So I think it's going to be tough to even try to move on for him. I'm just looking at teams across the league. You really have to orient everything you're doing around bringing out the best of them, which, to the King's credit, they did right. They. They got rid of Halburn, which ultimately proved to be a mistake, but they brought out the best in Sabonis by playing him at center, basically punting defense. And they got to the point where they were in the first round series where they were threatening the Warriors. But I just don't know where he goes from here. Like, I was thinking about it in terms of the Trailblazers who probably won't be in the mix for a big draft pick in this coming draft. Maybe not even the top 10 the way they're playing right now. They actually played the Pistons pretty well last night and it's like, okay, if you can't draft a star, you got to trade your picks for one. And I think Sabonus, considering the history with Arvidas, like, oh, maybe he would make some sense, but like trying to glom him onto a roster which doesn't have the shooting first and foremost, but then you also have to punt your defense and then you're also just like aspiring to the play in. It's just he's a tough one and so I personally can't pick him unless I'm going to bring him off the bench with Jokic already in house. And so, man, I don't know where he's going to go here. And we're going to.

[Isaiah]

I didn't want to play my Kings. Yeah. I just didn't want to play him at the four. I just would have preferred Chengun at the four over. Over him if I was being honest.

[Big Woz]

And I had Larry at my four. Four, man. So it's tough.

[Isaiah]

Yeah.

[Justin Varier]

So I'm at a position now where you guys have both drafted your two Euros. So Wise has Luca and Lowry, Isaiah has Franz and Shen Gun, which means I don't actually have to pick a Euro until the end of the draft. And so I am in the catbird seat where I could basically wait to pick either. I would say it's Kristaps or Denny would. Would be my two picks. I think. I think Josh Giddy, a guy from Australia being naturalized as a Euro, also has to be there. Just giving my. My love for him.

[Big Woz]

I don't know if Chris could conceivably play the four next to Jokic.

[Isaiah]

They go double big.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah, they can go double big. He could stretch. I don't love the injury history and so that would be a concern. I don't know how many times they would be able to, to, to be in the same court together, but I'll get that later. So next picks I'm going to go. Let's see here. I'm going to go with Pajemski.

[Isaiah]

Okay.

[Big Woz]

I like that.

[Justin Varier]

Despite Steve Kerr's ire, I feel like we bring him in house, get him under the Yokich wing, and all of a sudden he'll be a little bit more in line, maybe won't be doing too many Steph sort of things out there on the court. And then after that, again, the wing depth is quite, quite dire at this point. I'll go Dante diving Genzo just to keep loading up on shooters.

[Isaiah]

That's good.

[Big Woz]

Dante, I definitely considered above Christian Brown just because he has more juice on the ball, like way more juice on the ball. But Christian Brown's just a more tenacious defender, way more athletic. And so, yeah, I'm a defensive minded, hard nose, blue collar kind of guy. I had to get Christian Brown on my team. But Dante definitely, definitely thought about him.

[Justin Varier]

All right, Wise, you're up with your. What is this? Your.

[Big Woz]

Yeah, I'm going to finally take a center here.

[Justin Varier]

Okay.

[Big Woz]

And Walker Kessler as my big. He's going to be my center.

[Justin Varier]

So you're loading up on jazz players right now. How do you feel about that?

[Big Woz]

They're two like, players that I actually like. Yeah, I'm happy to do that.

[Justin Varier]

Following Danny Ainge's lead.

[Big Woz]

I like these two guys.

[Justin Varier]

One of the great proprietors of the great American, great white American in the NBA right now.

[Big Woz]

So, I mean, he's one of the pioneers. You gotta think like he was Peyton pritchard in the freaking 80s, you feel me, on those Celtics teams. And so like he was a mad person. People don't like. Cause he played on the Suns after that. And that's like my first memories of Danny Ainge was him as a Suns player. But then you go back and you learn about the role that he played on the 80s Celtics. And it's like, oh, the guy cursing out Pat Riley, talking shit to Pat Riley out in the press or whatever. This all makes a lot of sense.

[Justin Varier]

All right, Isaiah, you're up with your number fifth pick.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, so it's, it's thin. I need like a two or a three. I'm gonna have to go. Grayson Allen.

[Big Woz]

Yeah.

[Justin Varier]

Okay.

[Big Woz]

One of the best guys.

[Isaiah]

I don't have a euro. Yeah, I don't have a euro. Like, I would go bogey, but I don't have a euro. So.

[Justin Varier]

Really, in the. He's from the Joe Harris school of, like, shoots close to 50% from 3. We all go wild about how good of a shooter he is, and then he gets a little bit down to earth. Then we're in the 40s, like, you know, dipping below right around the 40 mark. Then it's like, oh, yeah, what. What else can this guy do? Oh, he can't play defense. It's like, oh, it doesn't really pass the ball that well. It's just like, okay. No, he feels like he's having a Joe Harris season for the Suns right now.

[Isaiah]

I. I think he gets asked to do too much on the defensive end is why he's, like, egregious. He, like, has to be like their best perimeter guy, which is like.

[Big Woz]

He's just not absurd.

[Isaiah]

Yeah. And so I'm hope, like, I mean, my two guards are Prickshirt and Grayson. It's not like, tremendous point of attack, but they'll play hard and got chat at the rim. So I'm hoping that that covers it up. And Franz is solid, so I think it'll. I think it'll be okay.

[Justin Varier]

Okay.

[Isaiah]

But I like the shooting.

[Justin Varier]

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[Isaiah]

For details because I think he'll get.

[Justin Varier]

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[Isaiah]

I think I got 10 names.

[Big Woz]

Do we? Yeah, I. I think there's some honorable mentions. I got some, but we're getting. Yeah, we're getting down to the bone here. But there's still some good NBA players left.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

[Justin Varier]

There's going to be a real dog fight for Sam Houser in like the 9th and 10th.

[Isaiah]

I'm excited. I think it might be sooner for being.

[Justin Varier]

Isaiah. Why don't you go with your sixth pick?

[Isaiah]

Yeah, let's see. Six pick off the bench. I think I'll go Sabonis in American.

[Big Woz]

Cool.

[Justin Varier]

Sabonis is American officially.

[Isaiah]

Oh, yeah. All right. Yeah. Sabonis then. Yeah.

[Big Woz]

And so. Okay. Yeah, that's an excellent, excellent pick.

[Isaiah]

Shout out King Span.

[Big Woz]

Yeah, not at the. Starters are rounded out.

[Justin Varier]

He's so are. Are you bringing him off the bench in this construction?

[Isaiah]

Yeah, he's not going to love that, but yeah, yeah, he's coming off the bench.

[Big Woz]

Yeah, that's an excellent bench pick. So it's my turn here.

[Justin Varier]

Yes, you're in the middle.

[Big Woz]

Is Ty Jerome White?

[Justin Varier]

No, he is not. In fact, he's one of the people that I did research in advance of this draft.

[Isaiah]

I found this out.

[Big Woz]

Mixed race.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I believe so.

[Justin Varier]

I think we should not talk about this any further.

[Big Woz]

So the Blake Griffin category then. For me, technically, yeah.

[Isaiah]

Zay Hardenstein category, I think is how I am.

[Big Woz]

Yeah. This is easy then, because I have no fucking shooting on my team. I gotta go Sam Houser here.

[Isaiah]

I knew he had to go sooner. I knew he had to go soon.

[Big Woz]

No, I have to because he is still fits in with my defensive credo. You can't just isolate on Sam Houser and that you're going to destroy him. That's not going to happen. And so not. Look, not calling the guy Scottie Pippen, but the shooting. The defense can mix and match him in my starting lineup if I want to get take Caruso out or Christian Brown out or crunch time lineups if I need just a little bit more shooting off the bench. Yeah. Sam Houser, come on down. Come home to papa.

[Justin Varier]

Where's. Okay, since we're talking about Celtics hierarchy, where is Sam Houser? Isaiah in the ranks?

[Isaiah]

Sam's an interesting one because he was really rough at the start of the year, so I think, like, his credibility took a hit. But he's definitely like, back up. But definitely not. Definitely not in that, like, elite tier of. Of guys in Boston. For sure. Definitely well liked. Yeah, definitely well liked for sure, though. Yeah.

[Justin Varier]

Okay. All right. So I'm up with my sixth pick again. I do not need to take a European because I can just wait on that for my last pick, which gives me a nice little advantage.

[Big Woz]

There's not a single Euro on this list. Aside from maybe Chris Staps that I'm just like, oh, I would love to have them on my team.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I think there's a couple.

[Big Woz]

There's a couple that I like, but I'm not like, oh no.

[Justin Varier]

Right.

[Isaiah]

My time is definitely be getting Vasily.

[Big Woz]

Me Chitch won't be on my team. Oh, no.

[Justin Varier]

I might have to take him just for. Just for posterity's sake. Yeah. I'll be honest, I'm going to keep looking at the wing department and I'm going to go with Grady's dick, who might have gone a little under the radar here. I honestly think he would have maybe been a better shooter than. Than your guy Hauser out there. Obviously hasn't had the same.

[Big Woz]

I don't know about all that, but.

[Justin Varier]

Sure, well, he's a better prospect. I would say. Definitely has.

[Big Woz]

Definitely a prospect. He's got more ball skills. He's. Yeah, he's definitely a more well rounded player.

[Justin Varier]

Let's say definitely definitely hasn't had the same second half. I. I think that a lot of people were expected just because he popped off earlier in the season. Him and RJ Barrett had a nice thing going. Looks like he was going to be more than just the shooter, which I think people were excited about also. Pretty long and the dick jokes just write themselves at that point. But I like him because I'm basically just adding as many shooters as humanly possible. Maybe not necessarily defense. I do think I could, I could use some def on this team, but shooting around Yokage, I think is just going to be a formula that leads us to the best offense of these three teams. And I don't have a center or at the very least someone who could back up Jokic at this point. So I'm going to dip into the center mix finally here and I'm going to go with Donovan Clingan. I knew he was my guy.

[Big Woz]

Portland.

[Isaiah]

I knew. Yeah, I knew a Portland guy.

[Big Woz]

Portland brother.

[Justin Varier]

Portland brother. My. My Yukon brother. I got to say I've been dinging him earlier this season because he put on a little bit of weight this season and it was pretty. Pretty noticeable and affecting some of his movements. I saw him last night before the Pistons game. He's noticeably cut some weight and he's moving a lot better. As a result of that. He still can't play like just a full allotment of minutes. They were in a pretty tight one last night against the Pistons and Chauncey still leaned on Jabari Walker and Dwap Reith in that game, including Dwarf Reef, who missed like. Like seven threes. That could have easily got them back in that. But I just like the potential giant shot blocker. And he's the classic. Like, if he plays 18 minutes behind Jokic, we could finally soak up some of those non Jokic minutes and have at least be a net neutral on that end. So I like the pick.

[Big Woz]

Is it my turn?

[Justin Varier]

You're up. Yep.

[Big Woz]

Corey Kispert, Eastern Washington's own, is off of my board.

[Justin Varier]

It's a tough one again.

[Big Woz]

Size shooting 37% from three. You know, just a little bit of physicality there. I know he's basically an anonymous NBA player because he's played on horrible teams basically since he's been drafted. But the guy can't hoop. And theoretically I probably should have picked him over Sam Houser, but, you know, I'm a. I'm a slut for the big teams in the NBA, and so I picked Houser. But, yeah, Corey Kispert coming off of my board.

[Justin Varier]

Okay.

[Big Woz]

I'm liking my wing rotation here, y'all.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah, so you have Caruso, Brown, and Kispert. Oh, and Hauser.

[Big Woz]

And Hauser. Don't forget Hauser, brother.

[Isaiah]

Please don't. Please don't.

[Justin Varier]

A lot of hard nose.

[Big Woz]

We are scrappy as all hell. Back alley with my team, brother.

[Justin Varier]

That's right. Isaiah, who do you have?

[Isaiah]

I'm going to go upside. This guy was born in America. Matas Bozealis.

[Big Woz]

Okay.

[Justin Varier]

He wasn't even on my board. I completely forgot about him. I like this guy.

[Big Woz]

Lucky, lucky week. He's lucky the court saved his birthright citizenship or else he would have been out of here.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, he's played pretty well lately, especially since they traded Levine. So I think. I think him coming off the bench is going to be good.

[Justin Varier]

And then my scouts overlooked him. I didn't even have him on my board because I just took last year's list and just added the guys I know who have come into the league.

[Isaiah]

Since I was scouring every team.

[Big Woz]

So can I tell you how I did my.

[Justin Varier]

Please.

[Big Woz]

My big boy.

[Isaiah]

This is good. Yeah.

[Big Woz]

ESPN.com roster page for each team. They have a picture next to each guy's name. So I'm just scrolling like, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.

[Justin Varier]

No.

[Big Woz]

Oh, damn.

[Justin Varier]

So literal. Racial profiling brothers trap.

[Big Woz]

I'm like a state trooper on the highway. I just gotta. I just gotta see his skin color go by me and I just snap them up. Yeah.

[Justin Varier]

Okay. So Bazelles flew under the radar. I do like him as a Long.

[Isaiah]

Term prospect and then another prospect. I'll take Reed Shepherd.

[Big Woz]

Ah, that hurt me. I thought I was going to get Reed. He is.

[Isaiah]

I forgot about him. Just saw him again. I said, yeah, that's my guy.

[Big Woz]

Yeah. Wow.

[Justin Varier]

This draft class just loaded with American whites. And I don't think it's a coincidence that this draft class, widely regarded as one of the worst in recent memory.

[Isaiah]

They work hard, though.

[Justin Varier]

All right. I like those upside picks. Those are good.

[Big Woz]

Ooh, it's my turn here. Oh, I know. I'm taking. I'm taking T.J. mcConnell.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah, I knew that.

[Isaiah]

Be your guy.

[Big Woz]

I actually need some. Some ball handling outside of luka doncic. And TJ McConnell can provide that change of pace again. Grit harder.

[Isaiah]

He might be the last one. He might be the last ball handler, like, who's amazing.

[Big Woz]

There's one more quasi handler up there. You don't want to trust him full time, but he's still there.

[Isaiah]

Okay.

[Justin Varier]

Okay. So TJ was what won you the draft in Indianapolis?

[Big Woz]

Well, I mean, hometown, you know, that was home cooking for sure, but.

[Justin Varier]

But you were the only one. I have to give you credit for noticing that. And pouncing upon it where we were all just, like, deep in the weeds.

[Big Woz]

Where it's just like, you gotta play.

[Justin Varier]

Together, like, dude, this and that. But we were. We were live show noobs where you were.

[Big Woz]

You gotta make the pain happy. All right, so how many plays do I have? One, two, three. You have eight, five, six, seven. Okay, all right, so you're eight.

[Justin Varier]

So we only have. You guys only have two more. I have three more here. I am going to go with Max. Truce. Because. Come on.

[Isaiah]

Come on.

[Big Woz]

I thought she was going with him the last pick, but that was smart. Got to get Max.

[Justin Varier]

I'll be honest, my defense is looking quite ragged at this point. And so if Schutz might have to. If not start, then be my sixth man or the guy we turn to in crunch time, because we'll need somebody to play nominal four for this team. I guess at this point, it's between him and Grady Dick. Or we'll just go four Wings and say, fucking Jokic.

[Big Woz]

You got to play the ball around.

[Isaiah]

Yeah.

[Justin Varier]

And I'm just going to keep loading up on shooters here and this most recent draft class. And another white American from this. I got to go. Dalton connect.

[Isaiah]

Yeah.

[Justin Varier]

Steal him from Wise.

[Big Woz]

He was. He was. Yeah, he was definitely somebody I was looking at.

[Justin Varier]

Not sure he's, like, really acquitted himself totally. But, like, I mean, especially considering his age, I think people Were expecting him to make more of an instant impact, but good shooter. I do think he will be really good in a bench role, so I like him. If anything, he might be playing 40 minutes tonight with all the injuries the Lakers have.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, okay.

[Big Woz]

That hurt me. I'm going to get a center with my very last pick, so here I can be a little bit more freaky with it. I definitely need a third ball handler. I don't want to be like the Knicks, where I'm just relying on, you know, Deuce McBride who can't dribble for shit, and Campaign, who's just like, bro, you don't want to really do that. All right, So I need. I need a third ball handler who is respectable. And I'm going with Luke Kennard.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I was wondering if that was what you were talking about.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah.

[Big Woz]

Luke Canard, to me, is the last credible ball handler on the list. Like, literally. Still a good shooter. Still a good shooter. The defense has gotten better since the days where he was in the, like, bottom three in the NBA and defense.

[Justin Varier]

That's true.

[Big Woz]

Still not what you want, but I admire the improvement, the self improvement. So Luke Canard, come on down, is my third ball handler. And a lot of days he's probably going to handle over TJ if we're being real. But in the playoffs, I can prioritize. Do I want more defense? Do I want more shooting? Do I want more, you know, go the other team in the technical fouls. You know, it just depends on what I need in any given individual matchup. And so, yeah, Luke Canard, come on down.

[Justin Varier]

Optionality is what you're saying.

[Big Woz]

Yeah. And there's no way Zay picks three centers here, obviously, so I got. I still got backup centers left in the whole as that.

[Justin Varier]

You have your last two picks here?

[Isaiah]

Yeah, Yeah. I think I'm good at the big man position with. With Chad Sengun, Sabonis.

[Big Woz]

That's a great, great big rotation.

[Isaiah]

So I'm probably. I probably need another wing.

[Justin Varier]

It's getting pretty dire. It's.

[Isaiah]

It's not great. They're not necessarily what I. What I love here. I'll take Dean Wade.

[Big Woz]

Okay.

[Isaiah]

It's not really what I want. Necessari. He can shoot it. He's good size. He can play to four.

[Justin Varier]

Do you like him more than Sam Merrill from. From the Cavs collection?

[Isaiah]

I actually forgot about Merrill. I actually forgot about Merrill.

[Justin Varier]

Oh, there you go.

[Isaiah]

I'm not gonna take him. But I did forget about him, actually. And my last pick. I could do a fun One. Or I could do somebody who would actually play. I don't know.

[Justin Varier]

This is your team, man.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I think. I think I'll do a fun one. I'll take Mac McClung.

[Justin Varier]

Not on my board.

[Big Woz]

Not on my board either.

[Justin Varier]

Does he qualify? Are we doing two way spots?

[Big Woz]

Yeah.

[Isaiah]

If not, I'll take AJ Green, but.

[Big Woz]

Yeah, if you stick that guy into five dunk contests in a row. I'm sorry, he has to at least qualify at this point. Give me a break.

[Justin Varier]

Well, your other. You were suggesting A.J. green might be your other one? He's definitely someone out there. Milk Jordan just looked at A.J.

[Big Woz]

Green for sure.

[Isaiah]

Dropped like 50 on my school. And I saw him in college and was like, huh, that guy seems really freaking good. And then he got to me. I'm like, I see. I get it now. This wasn't enough.

[Justin Varier]

He gave it to the Bonnies.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, it was bad. It was crazy.

[Big Woz]

In College, he dropped 50 on St. Bonneville.

[Isaiah]

Something like that. At least 40. It was crazy.

[Justin Varier]

Crazy. What did Woj have to say about that?

[Isaiah]

I should text him and see. He probably wasn't happy, but I sure wasn't. Yeah, it was a tough one.

[Justin Varier]

This is pre his GM range, so.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, it is. Yeah.

[Big Woz]

Okay. My last pick is gonna be a big. Okay, I'm looking at either Cornette J. Huff or Luka Garza. Garza's American, right?

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I think so. I can double check.

[Justin Varier]

I think so. Why don't you check Isaiah?

[Isaiah]

I'm looking right now. Let's see. Look. Garza. He's born in dc.

[Big Woz]

Okay.

[Justin Varier]

Jesus.

[Big Woz]

Born in America. Born in the usa.

[Isaiah]

Yeah. American and Bosnian. So, Yeah, I think you're good.

[Justin Varier]

Okay, but wait, so. But we decided last draft that Haquez is not. Right. Hawkes is. Despite being an LA kid. But he's born in la, right?

[Big Woz]

But he's Mexican.

[Justin Varier]

I don't know.

[Isaiah]

He was born in la.

[Justin Varier]

I think Hawkeye should have.

[Isaiah]

Is an American available.

[Justin Varier]

But I believe we ruled him out last draft and so we don't have to.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, I didn't even think about him. Yeah, bro, he's definitely American.

[Justin Varier]

What are we doing? I don't know.

[Big Woz]

What are we doing with this? I'm gonna go. Yeah. I gotta keep the theme of defense alive. Luke Cornette, crimprotecting, big backup, big off the bench.

[Isaiah]

Legendary Nick.

[Big Woz]

Huh?

[Isaiah]

Legendary Nick.

[Big Woz]

Legendary Nick. Once a Nick, always a Nick.

[Justin Varier]

That's right. I'll be honest.

[Big Woz]

That's my squad.

[Justin Varier]

I. I'm stunned that he plays such a pivotal role for Such a good team. Like, obviously when he gets on the court and playoff situations, it's not ideal, but the fact that like he could hold his own in these regular season games. He could. Basically Porzingis isn't there. Like, he's, he's like a solid ass good player. And I'm just like.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, he used to stink, but now he's like, he's a great screener. He's a really good passer from like the free throw line spot. Like, he makes quick decisions there and like he rebounds pretty decent and like can block a shot.

[Big Woz]

That's all it takes is the third big body.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, literally.

[Justin Varier]

People mocked when they he did the cornet contest. I see a lot of guys in the league, I seen like Evan Mobley can't get out to a shooter all of a sudden jumping up in the paint trying to do that. I don't know if it works at all. But that is a signature moment for Luca and so I'm excited for him. I have the last pick in the draft. I still have one European slot right now, and so I could probably talk through some of the options. Kristaps, I think is probably the best player on the board. A little bit worried about the fit issues. I think Jokic, of all people could probably make that work easily. Porzingis is just a shooter. I think Denny Abdia is pretty interesting, not only because of my Portland bias, but I also think he's the type of versatile in between player that Jokic can just breathe Another level two in his career. And I've watched him. I think he's actually been quite good. He's a top 100 player on the ringers rankings right now, in part because he does this wild thing where he just has no breaks, drives into the rim as if he's just ready to run into the crowd. And because of that reckless abandon, I think a lot of good things happen. The defense collapses and he hits guys on the kickouts there. So I really like Denny Vucevich. Has to be on the list here. Josh Giddy, as we mentioned, also has to be here, but I'm pretty deep in the. In the back.

[Big Woz]

She's not on my list.

[Isaiah]

He didn't make my list.

[Big Woz]

Definitely be on the list.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah. Has to be up there as well. That's a good one.

[Big Woz]

I put Jovic up there, although I knew he wasn't going to be nobody's topic.

[Isaiah]

Forgot about him. Actually.

[Justin Varier]

I'm going to go with Avia just because I like the potential there. I know I'll probably no.

[Big Woz]

Chris Stabs.

[Justin Varier]

Yeah, I think. I think I'll hear from some people about the unicorn.

[Big Woz]

This man was the unicorn, yo. I remember we used to fight about him and Karl Towns. It was like a five year fight with him and Karl Towns. And now it's just like, I don't know, everybody's just kind of accepted that they're both their own player, have their strengths and their weaknesses and have just moved on.

[Justin Varier]

I think he might have been the original unicorn. Like when Phil started talking about this and we started writing articles about this, I think he was the poster child for unicorns. It's just funny, like now everybody coming into the league has a three point shot if you're that big. Chip being first and foremost the prime example of that. So you're right, but I feel bad about it. But I also think Abdia can start in a way that puts Jokic at his natural position, keeps him at center, allows him to still be big while the rest of the perimeter defenders do their thing. So just to go through the teams in totality, right here, my team is Nikola Jokic, Tyler Hero, Austin Reeves, Brandon Pajemski, Dante Divincenzo on the bench, Grady, Dick Donovan clinging, Max Stru, Stalton connect, and Denny Abdia, who will probably start. So just the facts of that in there was his team. Luka Doncic, Lori Markkanen, Alex Caruso, Christian Brown, Walker Kessler, Sam houser, Corey Kisper, TJ McConnell, Luke Canard and Luke Cornett.

[Big Woz]

Isaiah, squad boy.

[Justin Varier]

It's a squad. I don't know. Not a lot of athleticism. I would say in that squad.

[Big Woz]

They can guard.

[Isaiah]

You can guard. Yeah.

[Big Woz]

The shooting is here. You have a vision. Oh, the guard.

[Isaiah]

I see the identity. I see the identity.

[Justin Varier]

Isaiah is Franz Wagner, Chet Holmgren, Alpern Shen, Goon, Peyton Pritchard, Grayson Allen, Demonic opponent, 6th round draft pick. Feeling good about that one. Mattis Bozealis, Reed Shepherd. Two good recent rookies back to back, Dean Wade and Mac McClung, who at the very least will get you another dunk contest guy.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, those are the.

[Justin Varier]

The teams. Maybe we put this up to a vote for, for some of the social media people to see who won this. I'll be honest, I feel fucking good. But I also think I got Jokic, which is like a massive advantage in this case. But then I corner the market on guys who can actually dribble, pass and shoot. And so I feel like. I feel pretty good about that.

[Big Woz]

Yeah. My team is heavily dependent upon Luka Doncic, calf muscle not snapping in half. That is for sure. It is heliocentric as all fuck, but shit, man, he's 25 years old, and that's going to be his job on this team.

[Justin Varier]

Isaiah, how are you feeling?

[Isaiah]

I like my team, especially, like, at the third pick. I'm not getting a top five player in the NBA, but I think, Yeah, I think I ended up with a good team, though. I think Chet's gotta come in ready to work.

[Big Woz]

Shoulder a burden. Yeah.

[Isaiah]

Defensively, it's. It's not gonna be ideal, I don't think, because, like, my guards are, like, six two, but I think I've got enough shooting. I think I got some athletes off the bench. And like Sabonis, I think, is just gonna be an unbelievable six man. I just think he's gonna come in and dominate second units.

[Big Woz]

Yes.

[Isaiah]

And I think I have plenty of playmaking. Like, I think guys are gonna get open shots. I don't think there's this. I don't think I have a single guy who can't pass. So I was gonna be all right.

[Justin Varier]

I was saying maybe Grayson coming in. Don't rely on that.

[Isaiah]

Yeah, he can't pass.

[Justin Varier]

I came into the draft thinking that Chet was going to be the swing player in this because I. I think he's very clearly the best white American player. And so whomever was going to jump ahead and get him before they dipped into their second Euro, I think was going to have a major advantage, in part because he's also one of the few players on this board in the front court who could meld with a lot of the. The bigger players that we have here. And so if I have Jokic, I want chat, first and foremost to be that nice front court balance. And so getting him and then Shen Goon, I thought was. Was pretty inspired. So those are the teams.

[Big Woz]

And look, we took this semi seriously, but I would encourage our listeners while they're listening to this pod to also have the Hulk Hogan theme song music coming in. Da da da da na I am a real American Fight for the rights of every man. You gotta be playing that while you listen to this podcast, man. Or at least have it on in the background. Just to look at Hogan ripping his T shirt off and being a real American.

[Justin Varier]

I think that's the drop for next year. We used Eminem for the. For the live one. I think it's Woz singing I am a real American.

[Isaiah]

I'll cut that for next year's draft.

[Justin Varier]

If we aren't fired before then. All right. Why don't we wrap it there. Isaiah, thank you for joining us for part two of the American draft.

[Isaiah]

Exciting. I was excited to do it. It was great.

[Justin Varier]

Yes. Thank you to Isaiah, also on production. And thank you to Ben Cruz on the video side of things. We'll be back on Thursday with Rob to bring back a semblance of normalcy. We will talk to you then. Must be 21 + and present in select states. For Kansas in affiliation with with Kansas Star Casino or 18 plus and present in D.C. gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.orgchatincut or visit mdg.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or 800-32755 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPE.