The Zach Lowe Show — "Drafting the Best Games Left in the NBA Season"

Date: February 19, 2026
Hosts: Zach Lowe (A), Howard Beck (B)
Podcast: The Ringer

Episode Overview

This lively episode marks Zach Lowe’s first show after the NBA’s All-Star break. With guest Howard Beck, the focus shifts away from tanking talk and toward anticipation, as the pair “draft” the ten most intriguing games left in the regular NBA season. The episode features banter about league drama, key injuries affecting playoff and award races, and a first stab at rough All-NBA and MVP ballots, all delivered in Zach and Howard’s signature insightful but wry tone.

Key Discussion Points

1. Setting Up the Game Draft

• Rationale: Zach expresses fatigue with tanking chatter and aims to highlight the league’s best matchups down the stretch.

  "All the tanking discussion, all the focus on the poop teams... Let's focus on the heavyweight clashes that are coming." — [A] (01:00)

• Draft Rules:
  • 5 games each, teams can only be picked once per host.
  • Goal: Identify the most anticipated, competitive games left on the NBA calendar.

2. The Draft: Most Anticipated NBA Games

Howard’s (B) Picks

(first pick, then alternating with Zach)

1. Jayson Tatum’s Return Game (Date TBD):

   • Cited as “the most fascinating or consequential late season comeback in recent history. Like no analog for this…” (B, 09:02)
   • Context: Celtics contending at the top of the East without Tatum, his chemistry upon reentry is highly anticipated.

2. Warriors @ Hawks, March 21

   • Jonathan Kuminga “revenge game,” intrigue over how Kaminga will be featured against his former team and his relationship with Steve Kerr.
   • “There’s just a lot of intrigue for a player who, yes, we have all spent way, way, way, way too much time spilling ink and digital ink on ...” (B, 20:50)

3. Thunder @ Nuggets, April 10

   • Possible MVP-deciding game between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
   • “This may be a final look at Shea vs. Jokic... their potentially final showdown until Western Conference finals.” (B, 25:00)

4. Mavericks @ Hornets, March 3

   • Cooper Flagg vs. Con Knueppel, Rookie of the Year race highlight.
   • “Low key, super close Rookie of the year race, I believe... Statistically, this is actually a dead heat.” (B, 32:26)

5. Cavaliers @ Grizzlies, April 6

   • Context over game: Possible Ja Morant’s last home game in Memphis.
   • “This might be John Morant’s last home game in Memphis.” (B, 40:33)

Zach’s (A) Picks

1. Knicks @ Cavaliers, February 24

   • “This is a potential conference finals game...two teams that sort of need to prove things to themselves, their fans, Detroit, everybody else.” (A, 14:15)

2. Spurs vs. Nuggets, March 12 (San Antonio)

   • Wembanyama vs. Jokic matchup, No. 2/3 seeds in the West.
   • “What else could I possibly ask for...in a League Pass or probably national TV game?” (A, 23:34)

3. Lakers @ Suns, February 26

   • Significant playoff/play-in positioning, LeBron vs. Dillon Brooks dynamic.
   • “DEFCON 1 level stakes because the Suns have been better than the Lakers... We have Jalen Green potentially being healthy...” (A, 29:15)

4. Timberwolves vs. Rockets, March 25 (Minnesota)

   • Playoff implication match for two “big, physical” teams, both with something major to prove.

5. Hornets @ Pistons, April 10

   • “Brawl rematch” after a heated previous contest, could have major playoff/play-in seeding impact.
   • “Rematch. That’s it. That’s the whole sales job. Brawl. Rematch.” (A, 47:42)

3. Draft Debate & Notable Exchanges

• Constant needling between hosts about the “rules,” with Howard pushing for contextual or narrative picks (like Tatum’s return, Morant’s last home game), and Zach skewing more classic/competitive.
  • "Just a terrible job by you all the way around. Just an absolutely..." — [A] (40:33)
• Agreement on the health caveats that surround late-season picks—concern over resting stars, injuries, and tanking spoiling matchups.

4. Awards Races: All-NBA and MVP Snapshots

All-NBA Ballots

Rough First Team Debate (notable for the lack of consensus after SGA, Jokic, Wemby):

• Both hosts have SGA, Jokic, Wembanyama; after that, divergence:
  • Zach: Adds Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic (subject to change among other elite guards)
  • Howard: Goes with Cade Cunningham, Jaylen Brown
  • Discussion centers on who’s truly deserving given statistical arguments, team impact, and the newly impactful 65-game eligibility rule.

Second/Third Team:

• Both discuss Maxey, Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brown, Kawhi, Durant, Jamal Murray, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Johnson, James Harden, and Steph Curry.
• Actual picks revealed to be highly fluid, with Zach favoring “excellence” especially for All-NBA (even if games played are just over the minimum), and more strict for MVP.

Notable All-NBA Quotes:

• “Sga, Jokic, and Wembanyama are pretty much locked in... his per-minute impact is so large...” — (A, 55:53)
• “I just don’t really get the argument that those other guys [Cade/Jaylen Brown] are just de facto better than [Mitchell]...” — (A, 56:48)
• “We used to say... 'best 15 players'... Now, I don’t care anymore about the [positions]. They said go positionless, I’m going positionless.” — (B, 60:15)

MVP Race

• Both hosts agree:
  • 1-2: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic (in that order, as of now)
  • Big Gap before 3/4/5 (mentioning Cade, Wemby, Jalen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards)
• Strong arguments about why SGA is ahead—crazy efficiency, two-way play, durability.
  • “Shea to me is the MVP...there’s just no weak spot in his game at all on either end of the floor.” — (A, 79:15)
  • “10 more games is a lot of freaking games... the value is in playing.” — (B, 79:43)
• Giannis is out of the running due to games played; heavy discussion on the impact of the 65-game rule.

5. The State of the NBA: Crises, Scandals, and the Future

• Howard recaps his recent Ringer piece highlighting the convergence of scandals for the NBA: tanking, load management, cap circumvention, federal investigations.
  • “There have never been more ongoing crises...there’s just so much going on.” — (B, 86:43)
• Zach pushes on the league’s lack of will to shorten seasons due to financial cost—“Everyone knows the season is too long. No one is willing to make any financial sacrifice to correct that.”
• They acknowledge Adam Silver is not necessarily failing, but has never had more to juggle.

Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• “[It’s] time to say the three most anticipated words in niche basketball podcasting: What up, Beck!” — [A], 02:54
• “Non denial-denial. And it would have been very easy to just say ‘this one wasn’t me’... Not very believable.” — [B], 03:41 (on Durant burner drama)
• “It’s a good pick, even though it’s a fake pick. I will allow it.” — [A], 10:27 (on Tatum’s return)
• “You got some catching up to do.” — [A], 24:19 (after Beck’s early draft choices)
• “Dylan Brooks is our best shot... LeBron turns into Isaiah Stewart for five minutes...” — [A], 31:26
• “Just a terrible job by you all the way around.” — [A], 40:33 (on Beck’s Ja Morant pick)
• “This is the most clogged All-NBA ballot I think I’ve ever done.” — [A], ~74:49
• “Please—for a seven man ballot. Baseball has...a seven or nine man ballot... gives you a chance to acknowledge more guys...” — [B], 83:26
• “You are the right kind of person to write this piece [on Silver and NBA’s crises]... put it in historical context.” — [A], 89:38

Important Segment Timestamps

• Game Draft Rules and Set-Up: 05:16–08:48
• Howard’s “Pick” — Tatum’s Return: 08:48–10:27
• Zach’s 1st Pick (Knicks/Cavs): 10:27–14:51
• Warriors/Hawks (Kuminga): 19:54–21:08
• Spurs/Nuggets (Wemby/Jokic): 23:16–24:19
• Thunder/Nuggets (SGA/Jokic): 25:31–26:43
• Lakers/Suns: 29:53–31:26
• Rookie Race: Hornets/Mavs: 32:01–34:19
• Grizzlies/Cavs (Morant): 40:16–41:48
• Pistons/Hornets — Brawl Rematch: 47:10–47:45
• Awards Races Start: 52:22
• All-NBA Debate: 54:04–74:49
• MVP Debate: 78:14–84:40
• State of NBA/Tanking/Silver’s Challenges: 85:17–89:38

Tone and Style

• The show is high-energy, witty, and (as always) loaded with deep NBA observations and stat references, but also self-aware and prone to brief tangents. Zach and Howard operate as frenemies during the draft, delighting in poking fun at each other’s picks and sports arguments.
• They shift naturally between granular game breakdowns and big-picture NBA business, always keeping it conversational and sprinkled with dry humor.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is a must-listen for listeners searching for both basketball nerdery and the “narrative” fun of NBA drama. Zach and Howard not only review the schedule’s remaining gems but also debate awards in a year where new rules, injuries, and unexpected dynamos have upended every assumption. With sharp, friendly antagonism, they guide the audience through the best remaining NBA games and lay early groundwork for where the MVP and All-NBA races are trending—while offering candid takes on the league's many controversies and Silver’s challenging moment as commissioner.

If you love a mix of deep analysis and personality, this episode is for you.

For more, check The Ringer and tune in Tuesdays and Thursdays for new episodes of The Zach Lowe Show.