NBA Predictions: Lakers ALL-IN? Nuggets disrespect, Celtics & Thunder top threats | Hoops Tonight
Jason Timpf is joined by The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie to break down the biggest contenders ahead of the NBA season. Jason and Sam discuss whether the Celtics and Thunder have separated themselves as the top tier of teams, if Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are receiving too much disrespect, whether Luka Doncic and the Mavericks are legitimate threats for the title, how LeBron James and the Lakers will fare with JJ Redick as their new head coach, and much more!
Timeline:
00:00 – Are Grizzlies title contenders?
08:45 – Why Celtics & Thunder are top tier
12:30 – Knicks ready to take leap?
19:30 – Nuggets getting too much disrespect?
29:00 – Why Timberwolves are Sam’s 3rd best team
43:15 – Are Mavericks serious threat?
52:50 – Lakers & JJ Redick
01:03:10 – Will Bucks reach full potential?
01:10:04 – Suns offense finally clicking?
01:18:25 – Philadelphia 76ers
01:19:50 – Indiana Pacers
01:25:10 – Check out Sam’s work!
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46 Comments
Lebron going tp Miami is basically luka teaming with Anthony Edwards Anthony davis and tyler hero 😂 yet he kisses his behind 😂
That you so thoroughly do chapters on your videos puts you above much of the competition. It's noticed and greatly appreciated.
29:00 yea….if Joker shoots 45% from 3 on volume he is the best player. But he has literally never done this. His best 3 shooting season more than 5 years ago was 39% which is still great for a big. He is still the best player in the league but if Luka shot 45% from 3 with his game on his volume he would be the best too…..
Thank-you Kevin without you jason wouldve ignored suns until the next time lebron pkays agoants them
no way, Celtic's TOP 8 rotation blows the Wolves away. Horford, Pritchard, Hauser
more Celtic disrespect noted
How do I send in mail bag questions?
Lebron kyrie and love Cavs teams were never 28th or 29th in the league in defense that’s a crazy take
Dude hates Minny so mucn he had MInnesota as 7th in his contenders list, probably has the Lakers and the Warriors ahead of the Wolves since he adores them.
Yes,it can be a disrespect that by losing a "cornerstone" Djj Dallas went from Finals to "maybe a threat "
As Mavs fan,i am confident Mavs are better team,50 wins and Wcf is a floor for me
Idk which is worse
Jason having Denver at 2 or this guy having the Wolves at 3
lol. There’s no way to get an honest Lakers opinion on this channel.
How is it possible that you can be higher on dallas going into the playoffs last year than right now. It doesnt make sense at all
I've agreed with you all summer that people are writing Denver off too quickly. I do think their depth could become an issue, but their starters are still great. Think Murray will be back to his old self, and if they're healthy I think they'll be there.
Fun fact: Luka is overall 72% from the floor WHEN GUARDED BY AARON GORDON!
This is by far the best preseason analysis I've watched this year. Jason, you're grasp of the game and how you use the advanced stats is a thing of beauty. Sam, as a Minnesotan that is excited about the KAT trade, you've got me so much more hopeful hearing your assessment given your insights. Thanks!
Hopefully warriors can be more of a topic this season.
All the warriors fans in the chat wildin’… yall are in for a loooong painful season… 😂
17:55 … Middleton is still in the league? 😂😂😂 why do we even continue to say this dudes name
I think a Mavs top 8 of Luka, Kyrie, Klay, PJ, Lively, Gafford, Quentin Grimes, and Naji Marshall is 100% a better team than last year. On top of that you have a pretty deep bench of guards that will be competing for minutes between Hardy, Dinwiddie, and Exum. Which in terms of talking third string options, is a very strong selection.
I feel like people are forgetting that there were two versions of the Mavs last year- the 2023 version with Grant Williams, Dwight Powell splitting minutes with Lively etc. and then the team that we know of that went to the finals that was put together like two months before the playoffs. They still got to 50 wins despite all that and lots of injuries.
This current roster I listed is in theory a better version of the team that made the finals, but with an entire year to gel, not just 2 months.
The defensive concerns are also way overblown in my opinion. Obviously it won’t be good with Luka Klay and Kyrie all together but it’s not like they’re gonna be out there 48 minutes. Literally just switch Klay in with Naji Marshall five minutes into the game or something and you have, in theory, pretty much the same exact lineup as last year or at least very close to it. Plus Grimes is a massive defensive upgrade over Josh Green. Any lineup that has Grimes – Naji or PJ – Lively or Gafford will be completely fine defensively, not lockdown or anything but pretty much the best you can do with Luka and Kyrie as your main stars. You could also do something wonky like Luka – Grimes – Naji – PJ – Lively and at that would clamp a decent amount of teams in the league. Comparing them to the 28th defense in the league- even if it wasn’t an exact comparison, is still kind of crazy to me
Mailbeg :
Hey Jason love the show and been following you for the past few years and I love it that you are going into the grid and grinds of every team during the season
I'm curious about your perspective on the matter : Out of the players are about to make a push for a championship who do you think has the best chance and a championship would be more impactful for ?
Steph or lebron's 5th
Gannis, Tatum / jokic 2nd
Or Luka/ant 1st ?
I can see the debate going either way for each player and team
OKC is quickly becoming overrated. They haven't even got past 2nd round. Yes, they upgraded parts of their roster, but this version of the team is yet to be seen.
Biggest Jokic fan but he's never shot 40% from 3. 45% if Steph like
I guess the Mavs are gonna get to prove everyone wrong yet again this season. It blows my mind how Jason thinks the Mavs defense is going to fall off of a cliff. The vast majority of the team is the exact same from last season and the new pieces are direct upgrades. Even if their defense is untenable with Klay starting they can just swap him out for Naji and they're right back to being a top tier defense. There is literally no chance that the Mavs are going to be a bad defensive team. They're either going to be a great defense or a mediocre defense.
Ant can’t play pg for large minutes
Ant is a prototype SG… forcing him to take on more pg duties is idiotic.
I VEHEMENTLY disagree with Jason when it comes to his matchup predictions for Jokic. Lively would have won RotY if not for Wemby, and both he and Gafford are phenominal paint-protectors. The Denver glaze needs to end.
😂 you and these lakers. Lakers are the same team from last year and didn't have a chance. What makes you think they have a "chance" this year. The warriors have a significantly better team. They should be in over the grizzlies and lakers 😂
Thanks!
The mavs disrespect continues
Thanks!
Lakers <<< Warriors
TOO much disrespect towards Dallas!
OKC had great injury luck and Dallas had terrible injury luck last season. Dallas was the #2 team in the league after the trade deadline and that was after dropping a couple games at the end where they rested their starters. If Dallas stays healthy and Kidd doesn't experiment too much with the lineups I think Dallas might top OKC in the West. Still worried about beating Boston, but they might have enough now to beat them with Klay and a Derrick Lively 2nd year leap.
Relax with this OKC shit
I’m a Knicks fan and have no hate towards OKC but in my opinion they are overrated. They are a really good team but not to be on Bostons level. They don’t even have a second superstar. They can be beat by Sac, Nuggets, Mavs and Wolves
Thank you for making my point – 1 made 3 by Joker and they take down dream team -#2. Nobody can guard him.
Love it when people base Boston’s success on a guy who didn’t play 80% of the title run
Knicks fans talking like they did anything 😂😂😂 bums
this guy sam has some bad takes imo
Memphis should have no problem matching Eddy and Ja, Go back to showtime Lakers approach, play as fast as possible and if no opening, then dump it down to the center in the half court.
I feel like nobody considers Miami a serious playoff basketball team. Factor in the hunger and competitiveness that Spoelstra preaches thru the locker room, and the depth and “chip on the shoulder”ness of the team. Miami should be a top 5-6 east team. And I think they match up VERY WELL with NY
Denver will be fine is the wishful thinking pal.
We need a Boston vs Denver Finals. We were robbed of it in 2023 when Tatum went down in Game 7 and in 2024 when Denver choked their 20-pt lead vs Minnie. This is the year to settle it
Jason and hating on the Mavs? SAY IT AINT SO! Hate gimmick is so predictable now.
Yall putting the Lakers in your grouping of having a shot at a title is very generous.
To be honest, not including Indiana in the list of contenders I think is not valid at this point after last season and what they did. They got to the in season tournament finals and they also made it to the Eastern conference finals. They got even better by adding Pascal Siakam and this season Benedict Mathurin is also back.