Can Wemby’s Spurs win title? Warriors next move, Jaylen Brown MVP case, KD’s weakness | NBA Mailbag
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Jason answers mailbag questions from subscribers on topics including where Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) and Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) fit in the NBA MVP race alongside Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC Thunder), what Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors should do next, whether De’Aaron Fox is good enough to help lead the Spurs to a title this year, Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets’ issues, what the Utah Jazz should do this summer, and more.
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Timeline
0:00 – Start
0:40 – MVP Race
8:26 – What Warriors should do next
15:28 – Dubs inconsistency
17:52 – Does Jokic make triple doubles look too easy
19:57 – Houston Rockets problems
22:22 – Rockets vs. Timberwolves
24:40 – De’Aaron Fox’s upside
29:32 – Wemby’s skill level
32:58 – Can Spurs win the title
34:05 – Recycled coaches
38:35 – Thunder’s weakness
39:28 – Jazz next steps
43:10 – Do I want to get into coaching
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43 Comments
Go spurs go
I don't think wemby has a case right now.
He's shown ever since the second half of his rookie season that he can be the best player if he's playing well but he doesn't sustain that level throughout a whole season.
Really, the only reason you would say wemby has a case is because of the star status/potential
In my opinion it's just people trying to jump the gun with that claim.
I think offensively he's lacking mainly in the decision making. He makes the games more difficult than it should be for himself.
He's probably a top 5 player. I don't think he has a case for best player in the world.
I know I have to turn down the volume anytime I click on your videos. Always coming in way too hyped up… Lol ššš
Since when did having a claim to bitw become a criteria for mvp. Lot of guys won without that box checked
Also using on/off to define value just as bad as your 1 number impact metrics. Hypocrite lol
GS is a bad spot for Giannas bc the star your pairing up with will at max play another two years and we will forsure see decline. On top of that what GS will have to give up will leave that team decimated. Giannas if traded wants to go somewhere to sign a big extension why go to GS with an aging stuff in the far far tougher conference and you have to play teams like Minnesota, Houston, San Antonio, OKC, and LA. It doesnāt make sense for his long time career especially if he keeps getting hurt, Giannas wants to be on a team with young rising talent not an aging one who doors are closed on competing. This Giannas to GS does seem forced bc for Ginnas it makes no sense for GS, Milwaukee, and Steph sure it makes sense but more people want this trade to maybe give Steph another chance at a title run and thatās a steeeep maybe as we can see now Giannas likes to be in one spot for a longtime idk how going to a āold and desperateā team is the best option for HIS future. On top of that two even Miami can give Milwaukee a better package and who doesnāt want to go to Miami and have Spo as a coach even if Giannas goes to GS Steve Kerr could end up retiring after this year or next it makes no sense for him. For these organizations and Steph sure but this aināt a last hoorah for GA itās a last hoorah for GS and Steph so I think if people think more along that side it makes sense why GS isnāt a preferred destination for him but it is for the media.
Ime would be a greatttt coach for Cleveland and Atkinson would be a good coach for Houston.
Timeout Jason. Why does Victor need to prove what he can do in the postseason to win a regular season award? I think what people are doing generally is moving the goalposts to fit their choice for MVP.
The spurs team is stacked . And thunder play 11/12 people a night . You can make the argument brown does more with less . Feels like the brand and reputation is what makes the mvp. How many minutes does wemby play a night . ?
Another episode of Wemby Tonight!!! So Excited!!
Fox has been good this year. The hell? The worst thing he could do is be super high usage. We need a 4th quarter guy. And the contracts line up ..
Wemby is now the MVP favorite! Well deserved!!!
People include defensive impact in SGA vs Luka but they donāt wanna talk when it comes to Wembanyama
"I tapped that too" that kid did not get ra**d and I'm pretty sure he had no regret.
That said, I don't believe the mayor should go unpunished and I don't believe what she did is morally okay.
Luka has LeBron and Reaves.. Jaylen Brown clears Luka this season
If Jaylen brown was European heād be a lock for mvp
Also your logic for the Pistons also apply to the thunder they win games based on the increased effort and physicality of their defense.
It is so frustrating that people insist a player needs to have had success in the playoffs to win a regular season award. No one can explain why, except to say that thatās always how itās been done. Some traditions are nonsensical and should be abandoned, this is one of them.
I do love your show, but the award is called Most Valuable Player, not Most Valuable Best in World Best on Best Team Player. It sounds kind of ridiculous when you give three distinct criteria for the MVP and one of them is the literal name of the award. It begs the question, why the other two?
Idk how people see what Wemby does and just say itās because he 7ā4. I forgot average fans arenāt that smart but come on.
4:44
How can anyone say that about Fox that was wrong
Never heard of fans crying about a players contract like Fox
Fox is better than Brunson wtf are yall talking about
Brunson isnāt better than Fox and would not fit with Wemby
I would take Fox over Brunson
Mailbag – hey jason great show! Do you think Orlando should fire coach mosely and hire michael malone. Although they havent been healthy for the last few years, as someone who has watched all their games this year, their offensive process especially in the clutch is non existent and is costing them positions in the standings. Do you think Malone could bring his championship experience and offensive principles to the team to help them move up in the east? Thanks love the mailbags
The Fox slander is horrible. Fox hasnāt had a chance to show how good he can be in playoffs yet because he was on a garbage team organization for so long , letās see how he does this postseason before you judge him so loen
Iād rather have Fox over Brunson and Luka and sga he plays faster and more explosive and better team ball
Seriously? Why are the warriors inconsistent? They have 3 players that wasnāt in the nba 2 months ago
The other question is to me victor should not have victor is The other question is to me victor should not have victor is already proven his The other question is to me victor should not have victor is already proven his worth He should be in the MVP at that discussion absolutely And his playoff experience should not be a criteria
NBA Mailbag: Do you think Luka has peaked? It's clear his game still leaves meat on the bone so there is room for him to take another step but he's 27 and he has been playing pro basketball 14 years which is as long as AD. My point being that even for a typical legends career we'd expect them to plateau around this time so this optimism and discussion around Lukas potential seems misguided to me, there's not a world to me where Luka only has 2 turnovers a game and competes consistently on defense.
I don't know why people thought Boston wouldn't be good this season.. yes they were down a superstar..but I still strongly felt they'd be a top 4 seed coz it's the east they're in.
I wish Jokic looked different, and looked like he is struggling to do what he does, it would really help him get the award he cares nothing about
All you have to do is look at the Defensive rating stats to see the impact Wemby has on his Spurs team. With Wemby on the floor weāre elite defensively.
Without Wemby on the floor weāre solid defensively thanks to now being able to play Luke Kornet at Center.
Last year before getting Kornet, we were bad defensively last year when Wemby wasnāt on the floor.
We have a good scoring offense but most of our wins come from our work on defense and itās predicated on Wemby anchoring that defense.
Thatās because we are undersized on our frontline. Weāre starting 6ā-5ā or 6ā-6ā athletic guards at the SF and PF spots of out necessity because we donāt have super athletic bigs other than Wemby. We have athletic guards. Because of this lack of size on the frontline, Wemby is literally playing a one man zone patrolling the whole painted area on defense.
i loved your breakdown of the MVP criteria. that's the most consistent and sensible explanation i've heard. it's a crime against basketball that in the year of our lord 2026 Mike Wilson still has an MVP vote. wish guys like you who actually watch the games and think about these things critically had more say in these award conversations.
As a Spurs fan, I donāt understand the DeāAaron Fox hate. Heās a solid defender that can get steals. He averages almost 7 assists/game sharing ball handling responsibilities with Steph Castle and even Dylan Harper. He would easily be averaging 10 assists a game if he was the primary ball handler for his team like Cade is for Detroit.
DeāAaron Fox is a Top 10 PG in this league.
He is so talented offensively with the potential to take over a game when he senses the team needs him to, to win a game since he can score in bunches from 3, the mid range and by zooming past his defender for a layup with his elite speed.
The 5ā8 guy not being impressed by Wembyās skill legit made me lol.
My concern is our lack of athletic size on the front line. We donāt have a bunch of athletic 6ā-10ā or 6ā-11ā bigs like Minnesota or Houston which means weāll asking Harrison Barnes, Carter Bryant and Julian Champagnie which are 6ā-6ā or 6ā-7ā to have to guard taller guys on the frontline. We can get away with it with OKC because they have a bunch of guards like we do but Denver, Houston and Minnesota have more length than we do right now.
Thatās the main weakness I think we need to overcome and that I think opposing teams will try to attack in the playoffs.
That udoka tweet though š
it is ignorant to say boston celtics have been better when jaylen brown doesnt play. its insane . so iguess following that logic the celtics would be the number one seed if jaylen brown didnt play this season just because of mazzoula coaching ? jaylen brown plays against the starters ! does anyone think they thunder without jaylen brown?
Wemby is the MVP because of what he does on defense but more importantly the Spurs would not be where they are without him. The MVP is given to the player who has the greatest impact on their teams success. If OKC didnāt have SGA they would still be a great team
the Jokic disrespect is insane
Everyone is forgetting Wemby plays 5 +minutes less per game than the other mvp candidates but still has the greater impact than them all
Mailbag: If you were building a starting 5 out of a single position group, with just active players and the goal to win as many regular season games as possible, which position would you take and which players would you select to round out an ideal starting 5?
(Since positions can vary, I'm going off of their primary basketball reference listing)
Just for fun I'm going PF:
1. Scottie Barnes
2. Jaden McDaniels
3. Lauri Markkanen
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo
5. Chet Holmgren