Sean Derenthal (@OdetoOden), head of the Stepien website and the Stepien NBA Draft podcast, joins to break down two of the best offensive prospects in the draft. We chat about how their very different brands of success might translate, and the challenges (and benefits) of building a team with and around them. I personally learned more in this episode than perhaps any other. Sean's work helped inspire me to give this podcast a shot, and he is among the very best there is. Please subscribe and che...
Jul 09, 2021•1 hr 42 min
It's all in the title. Predicting the redemptive Finals we deserve after an injury filled playoffs. Enjoy!
Jul 06, 2021•57 min
I go solo celebrating the Suns and examining the narratives surrounding their run and Chris Paul's career. I hit on a couple lessons the playoffs have retaught me regarding draft analysis, and then hit on the situations in Portland and Philadelphia and what the paths forward should look like. Enjoy!
Jul 03, 2021•1 hr 20 min
For my 50th episode, I am honored to be joined by @cjmarchesani, of the Stepien and rollcallsportsnet.com, to go in on no less than 6 prospects that he believes will be steals within the first round. And only one of them will be drafted in the lottery. In case you've forgotten, the 2021 draft is the deepest draft ever. Enjoy!
Jun 29, 2021•1 hr 52 min
I react to last night's Draft lottery with my first room on Halftime. We talk Pistons, Warriors, draft and trade philosophy, and lottery prospects, both younger asnd league ready. Enjoy!
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Part 2 of the first round mock draft with Lee Branscome, aka @WhichCarolina. The lottery dropped last week, thi sis the rest of round 1. Enjoy!
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 47 min
With a franchise-defining game 6 on the horizon, I go headfirst into Hawks-Sixers with my buddy, and King Hooper Xs and Os expert, Dario Speedwagon. We discuss how this series, wild even by this year's standards, has gotten to here, and what to expect in elimination games from a franchise staring at different paths to a title and turmoil. Enjoy!
Jun 18, 2021•1 hr 21 min
With the lotto around the corner, I dip my toes into the content tsunami of mock drafts. First ever guest Lee Branscome of the @WhichCarolina podcast makes his triumphant return as we simulate the lottery and go for it. The lotto took...awhile, so stay tuned for part 2! Enjoy!
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 47 min
I go moderately deep on my favorite second round playoff series, Jazz-Clippers. I give Xs and Os, a new prediction, and an extended appreciation of Donovan Mitchell, a star the NBA is slow to realize they have on their hands. Come for the analysis, stay for the promo I cut on the NBA's marketing department. Enjoy!
Jun 12, 2021•48 min
Your guy and mine, Bryce Hendricks, aka @BryceHendrick14, joins to try and place two giant, skilled forwards in the upcoming 2021 draft. How do a 6'11 ultra athlete like Kai Jones and 6'11 ballhandler like Vrenz Bleijenbergh both typify where the league is going and challenge the vision of those scouting and drafting them? Enjoy!
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, aka @jakelfischer, stops by to talk about his new book, an inside look on the 2013, 2014, and 2015 NBA drafts, and how the debate on "tanking" continues to shape and change the league. A wonderful discussion on the the Process Sixers, the Celtics, the Magic, the Suns, and the front office characters that defined the NBA's last decade. Follow Jake, pick up his book, and enjoy!
Jun 07, 2021•52 min
In the deepest NBA draft year ever, I empty my brain on the prospects that I have ranked as "lottery worthy," meaning those that *could* merit a top 14 selection. I have 24. I probably could have gone to 40. This draft is the future of the NBA and it's breaking my brain. Is unloading my brain a good podcast idea? Let's find out! Enjoy!
Jun 03, 2021•1 hr 32 min
I take a pause from the Xs and Os of the playoffs to examine Jayson Tatum, a superstar in plain sight with 90 points in his last two games, and attempt to place his first 4 eventful years in Boston in historical context. I'm joined by my friend Greg (sp?), my personal foremost authority on all things Celtics. Then, we quickly hit on each of the series knotted at 2: Lakers-Suns, Clippers-Mavs, and Nuggets-Blazers. Enjoy!
Jun 01, 2021•1 hr 31 min
40 episodes in, and Chucking Darts gets back to its roots with a prospect episode with the incredible Richard Stayman, aka @MavsDraft. Richard has been chucking since he literally learned to read, and has worked his way into becoming a professional scout and draft analyst for Locked On NBA Draft, a podcast that he hosts every Tuesday. We speak about three very interesting 6'5 guards: lotto hopeful James Bouknight (Richard is very high on him, myself less so), hyper-efficient Joel Ayayi, and tale...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 3 min
I hit on a very fun first weekend of the NBA playoffs, inclduing what game 1 surprises hold trends that should persist throughout the series. "I've seen enough!"...these games are good.
May 24, 2021•43 min
On the heels of a fantastic play in finale between the Grizzlies and Warriors, I pay my respects to both clubs, defend the baby Grizz, and move on to my thoughts on the first round series and the playoffs as a whole. Enjoy!
May 22, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Celebration time! I am joined by pro's pro Mark Schindler, aka @mschindlerNBA, to celebrate the 2020 rookie class in style. We go through our (4) All Rookie teams and give out as much love to this memorable class as we possibly can. So much, in fact, that we barely get into the First Annual Dart Awards, but I'm counting it anyway. Enjoy!
May 17, 2021•1 hr 40 min
PD Web, aka @abovethebreak3, is changing the face and language of NBA scouting, one innovative report at a time. He joins me to help eulogize the misnomer of the '3 and D' forward, a player that every NBA team thinks they want but very few can intelligently define. We take a crack at more specifically defining NBA wing roles, how to maximize each, and where some notable 2021 NBA draft wings might land. Follow PD and enjoy!
May 13, 2021•1 hr 21 min
I break out my first 3 person episode with a doozy: I host a bonus episode of the @ProspectPod, for my money the best draft podcast of last year's cycle. Alex Brown (@ahbanalytics) of Advance Pro Basketball and Ethan Piechota (@ethanpiechota) join to drop darts on three hyped preseason prosepcts whose stocks have fluctuated this year: Josh Christopher, Marcus Bagley, and Ziaire Williams. Enjoy, and follow these brilliant bball minds!
May 12, 2021•1 hr 26 min
Rudy Gobert went 27th. Clint Capela went 25th. Giannis (!!) went 15th. Who will be next? Today I am joined by the most underrated voice on Draft Twitter, @DraftPow, to discuss the most underrated prospect archetype, hyperathletic defensive bigs. We talk on Usman Garuba, Isaiah Jackson, Ariel Hukporti, and Ibou Badji, players who can make the difference between winning or losing a championship if they develop the right way. Don't be caught in the dark, catch up on these guys and enjoy this one!...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 40 min
I continue my look at the contenders in the wide open Western Conference with the Phoenix Suns, everyone's favorite team to congratulate and politely write off. Will Valley Boy SPring become Valley Boy Summer? Enjoy!
May 03, 2021•55 min
After 31 for the dartheads, it's 1 for me. Today one of my best friends and original supporters, @thefutureprez, to chop it up about his flailing Dallas Mavericks. We break down their rollercoaster season, and discuss why certain simple but not obvious lineup decisions might turn things around quickly. Respect all NBA players from Wurzburg, Germany. Enjoy!
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Today I check in on three rookies that have gone somewhat under the radar nationally, but have impressed me tremendously: Kira Lewis Jr., Desmond Bane, and Isaiah Stewart. I take Ws on the first two, and L (for love) on the latter, and allow myself to dream on how their skills might morph and blossom. A fun solo pod. Enjoy!
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 4 min
I'm thrilled to be joined by draft machine and future GM Derek Murray, aka @dmurrayNBA to talk some flamethrowing prospects who have rocketed up boards from fringe draft consideration to first round looks: Chris Duarte Tre Mann, and Trey Murphy III. Derek is a wealth of information, merging traditional scouting experience with analytical rigor in his two jobs at basketballnews.com and Sports Info Solutions, and we have a great time going back and forth on these three names that will only get hot...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Today I'm joined by the exceptionally talented and gracious Evan Zaucha, aka @EZ_Hoops of Premium Hoops and Sense and Scalability! We go around the world twice for his favorite team, the Chicago Bulls. We talk their new construction with Nikola Vucevic, how they might emulate the Denver Nuggets, and go out of our way to praise Pat Williams in light of Evan's groundbreaking article on basketball feel. Enjoy, and follow Evan on all his platforms!
Apr 01, 2021•57 min
I chuck my dart onto the cluttered board of Trade Deadline Reactions. Because why not? Enjoy! PS I like the Bulls.
Mar 26, 2021•58 min
I'm lucky enough to be joined by Nate Grubel, co-founder of Draft Deeper, a public scouting service run as professionally as any you'll find. We go over and compare 4 guards likely to go in the first round in 2021: the two possibly leading Baylor to the National title, the leading freshman scorer in the country, and possibly the most creative playmaker in the draft. Enjoy!
Mar 24, 2021•1 hr 50 min
I am lucky enough to be joined by Mike Gribanov, who for years has been one of the most innovative and insightful draft analysts anywhere. We talk about two prospects on higher seeded teams - Max Abmas on Oral Roberts and Bones Hyland on VCU - who are among the very best shooters in the country, what makes them so special, and why there may be an NBA future for them that did not exist a few years ago. Follow Mike at @mikegrib8, his work is consistently excellent. Enjoy!
Mar 19, 2021•48 min
I ring in March Madness with some bracket picks and a focus on 3 legitimate NBA prospects who I think could carry their lower seeded teams to the Final Four: James Bouknight of Uconn, Tre Mann of Florida, and Matt Mitchell of San Diego St. Enjoy!
Mar 17, 2021•58 min
The CDU (Chucking Darts Universe) expands once more as I am joined by Stacy Patton, aka @StacyPatton89, of the Strickland! Stacy, a member of the foremost website and podcast covering the New York Knickerbockers, and I discuss his article breaking down what makes a championship power forward, review its application to Patrick Williams and Aleksej Pokusevki, and apply it to 2021 forwards Scottie Barnes, Jalen Johnson, Corey Kispert, and Franz Wagner. Enjoy! WARNING - Poku. Discretion advised....
Mar 14, 2021•1 hr 29 min
