The Zach Lowe Show: Zach’s Random Questions One Week Into the NBA Season (w/ Kirk Goldsberry)

Date: October 27, 2025
Theme: Wide-ranging, rapid-fire NBA questions and overreactions one week into the new season: Early impressions, big leaps, rookie shake-ups, alarming weaknesses, surprise teams, and off-court scandals.

Episode Overview

Zach Lowe, now hosting at The Ringer, is joined by colleague and stats guru Kurt Goldsberry for a classic early-season binge recap. With both analysts admittedly sleep-deprived from wall-to-wall NBA viewing, Lowe fires off his “10 random questions” of the week—ranging from Victor Wembanyama-mania to which rookies and young stars are impressing, potential panic spots, and reactions to the gambling scandals making off-court headlines.

Main Discussion Points & Key Insights

1. How Close Is Victor Wembanyama to Being the NBA’s Best Player?

[05:39 - 18:43]

• Goldsberry’s take: Wemby is "a lot closer than I, or I think anybody, anticipated" to being the best player in the world. Opening performances, especially vs. the Mavericks and Pelicans, have been jaw-dropping:
  “He is much closer to being the best player in the world than I anticipated at the beginning of Year 3.” (05:59, Goldsberry)

• Eye-popping stats: In three games:

  • 33 PPG, 13 RPG, 6 BPG, 57% shooting
  • More blocks than most entire teams, “if he were a team” he’d rank 6th in blocks (07:26)
  • Player Efficiency Rating: 43.5 (08:46)

• Qualitative shift: His offense is “living in the paint” (fewer fadeaways, more dunks), defense is Jedi-level—owning the entire paint, scaring drivers, covering multiple actions (10:19+).

• Lowe, grounding the hype:
  “Is he close to being the best player in the league? Yeah...but you’ve got to play a couple of seasons before you really vault past those guys.” (12:05)
  Still, “he’s a top five player at minimum right now for the Spurs.” (18:43)

• Comparison: Giannis is “playing at an MVP level” but “has to be prime Shaq” just to keep the Bucks afloat. Spurs have depth—Wemby is making an immediate, All-NBA impact.

Notable Moments:

• Lowe’s “Jedi” analogy for Wemby’s paint defense (11:00)
• Goldsberry: “Dad blocks...Zion learned the hard way.” (13:25)

2. Biggest Leap Among ‘Second-Tier’ Stars?

[19:17 - 29:15]

Lowe nominates Tyrese Maxey, Austin Reaves, Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Chet Holmgren, Alperen Sengun, and LaMelo Ball.

• Goldsberry’s pick: Tyrese Maxey (“The most significant jump in the context of the [weak] Eastern Conference…He’s the face of the Sixers now.”) (22:08)

• Why Maxey? 34 PPG, energy, leadership, and a chance to shift the identity of the Sixers.

• Honorable Mentions:

  • Austin Reaves (massive free-throw-line game during LeBron/Luka absence)
  • Chet Holmgren (rising as a true two-way force for the Thunder)

Notable Quote:

• "If we come through the end of this season and it’s like, alright, this guy’s a legit 25 and 7...plus [Luka], that’s a good building block for the Lakers." (24:53, Lowe)

• Chet’s case: “NBA puberty”—key jump in shooting and defense, already a foundational piece for a championship team (27:00)

• LaMelo, hope or hype?: Lowe is still in; Goldsberry is officially “out”—cites defense and mental lapses.

  • “He started on third base...for me it’s really frustrating, because it’s the easiest stuff he has to master.” (28:18, Goldsberry)

3. Is Rookie of the Year (ROTY) Now Wide Open?

[31:00 - 38:12]

• Goldsberry: Yes, Cooper Flagg still the favorite, but “two or three guys have crashed the party.”

  • Vijay Edgecombe (Sixers): “biggest move” in betting odds.
  • Cedric Coward (“The Target Scout guy”): Efficient, powerful wing for Memphis, showing real “older guy advantage.”
  • Dylan Harper and Steph Castle (Spurs): Already contributing; "a good problem to have" for San Antonio's backcourt.

• Lowe: “It's a marathon not a sprint.” Cites impressive starts from Trey Johnson (Wizards), Jeremiah Fears, and others.

• Goldsberry: Praises rookie class across the board, highlights rookie culture and defensive anchor potential (Steph Castle/Luke Kornet).

4. Most Alarming Rotation Hole?

[41:11 - 47:54]

• Goldsberry’s pick: Hawks depth—coined as thin and injury-prone; bench quickly exposed without Jalen Johnson/Porzingis/Risaché.

• Other nominations (Lowe):

  • Point guard issues in Houston, Dallas, Minnesota.
  • Orlando’s shaky bench/wing depth.
  • Portland’s center scramble.

• Lowe’s ultimate choice: Timberwolves’ point guard spot: “Mike Conley being benched, playing 46 minutes through three games, and they’re using Bones Hyland over Dillingham…That feels like a spot that’s just not good enough.” (45:27)

• Goldsberry: “To be the best team in the West, you need to have a great point guard. And Minnesota simply might not have any point guard.” (47:12)

5. Do You Like the New ‘Heaves Don’t Count’ Rule?

[49:11 - 51:16]

• Goldsberry: Hates it—calls it “grade inflation” for three-point shooters; ruins statistical context and analytic integrity.
• Lowe: Conflicted—hates the cowardice the old rules encouraged, but admits “the new rule is working and I like the heaves and they’re fun.”

6. Early Panic: Magic or Mavericks?

[51:16 - 62:42]

• Goldsberry: More concerned about Orlando—key stat: Magic managed just “15 points on jump shots” vs. Chicago, a continuation of last year’s fatal flaw (can’t shoot, even after adding Desmond Bane).

  • “This team has a clear red flag... They can't shoot. They have conference finals expectations and they can't shoot.” (52:53)

• Lowe: More worried about Dallas. Offense lacks identity, bigs not dominating, shallow and inconsistent backcourt, Kyrie still out; “If Luka goes 32-10-10 and they’re still 8 games under .500—could get ugly.”

• Mavericks “put the bar wherever is convenient,” but this doesn’t look like a team whose window is open or whose plan is working.

7. Are the Bulls...Maybe Good?!

[64:38 - 67:05]

• Goldsberry: “No, I like the world when Chicago is good... but I don't think the offense is anywhere near good enough.” (65:05)
• Lowe: “They play really hard and really fast... they might be a .500 team. But ultimately, no, not good.”

8. Sad Gap Year Watch: Pacers or Celtics?

[67:09 - 71:36]

• Goldsberry: More depressed by the Celtics; “hard to watch” after such high recent standards.
  Boston’s frontcourt depth a clear issue; relying on new roles for Derrick White and Jalen Brown, Tatum’s absence looms large.
• Lowe: Agrees; both Pacers and Celtics seem sapped of identity and competitiveness. "I've been watching them and like, man... it feels like that. It's been a long time since it's felt like this for the Celtics." (70:36)

9. NBA’s Off-Court Scandals: Gambling Indictments for Rozier and Billups

[71:55 - 84:30]

• NBA’s biggest stories “off the court, and they're not good.” Lowe reads through the Rozier indictment; clear distinction between “sharing injury news for gambling purposes” (severe) and normal player chatter (inevitable).
• Betting scandals spark existential questions: Should player props exist? Does tanking’s embrace of losing create more risk?
• Both agree: League faces a “crucible moment.” Goldsberry: “The integrity and the public perception of the integrity of an average NBA game has gotten dinged in the last week, and that's just sad.” (84:02)
• NBA begins reviewing injury reporting, betting education, and prop bet oversight.

10. Rapid-Fire News & Notes

[85:57 - 87:33]

• Anthony Edwards out two weeks (right hamstring). Wolves “real team? Find a way to stay afloat.”
• More minutes/opportunity for Terence Shannon Jr.
• Goldsberry working on features on Wemby and Cooper Flagg.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Wemby is “a Jedi recognizing his powers on defense.” (Lowe, 11:00)
• “Dad blocks,” comparing Wemby blocking Zion to a backyard dunk session (Goldsberry, 13:25)
• LaMelo on third base: “He’s started on third base. Like he’s a great player. And for me, it's really frustrating because it's the easiest stuff.” (28:18, Goldsberry)
• On Orlando: “Not only did the Magic lose at home to the Bulls...they scored 15 points on jump shots. That is the single lowest total in that category since December 2023.” (52:13, Goldsberry)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [05:39] How close is Wemby to “best player alive” status?
• [19:17] Biggest “leap” among younger stars
• [31:00] Is Rookie of the Year wide open?
• [41:11] Most alarming rotation hole?
• [49:11] Thoughts on the ‘heaves’ stat rule
• [51:16] Magic vs. Mavericks: More concerning start?
• [64:38] Are the Bulls...really good?
• [67:09] Saddest ‘gap year’—Pacers or Celtics?
• [71:55] Gambling indictments & NBA’s existential risk
• [85:57] Anthony Edwards injury and Minnesota’s point guard dilemma

Episode Tone & Style

• Lively, slightly frazzled, classic Zach Lowe blend of detailed stats, humor, and big-picture perspective.
• Goldsberry’s blend of data and spicy takes (“grade inflation,” dad blocks, LaMelo skepticism) complementing.
• Willingness to overreact in fun, but both underline the importance of “sample size theater”—still, the trends and issues for teams and the league feel urgent.

Summary

If you want to understand what’s resonating and what’s worrying after a wild first week of the NBA season, this is a must-listen. Wemby’s stardom, Maxey’s leap, a live ROTY race, and the shadow of off-court scandal make for a loaded episode, full of classic Zach Lowe deep dives and Goldsberry’s statistical flare.

For more, follow The Zach Lowe Show each Monday and Thursday on The Ringer.