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Cranjis McBasketball (Tim) and Krishna Narsu stop by to dissect their new LEBRON metric. We discuss role types, coaching impact, stabilizing the noise in data and 3 points shooting and a ton more. Thanks to @crumpledJumper, Kostya Medvedosky (@kmedved) and Kevin Ferrigan (@NBACouchside) for input in these areas that we discuss. Follow Tim @Tim_NBA and Krishna @knarsu3. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball and by signing up at getshuffle.app/thinkingbasketball and clipping a segment of the podcast.

What exactly is “feel” in basketball? What do we mean when we talk about “basketball IQ?” Evan Zaucha from Premium Hoops draws on his neuroscience background to dig deeper into feel on the basketball court: we discuss reaction time, pattern recognition, chunking information and more, including how to develop this and how it changes in younger versus older players. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball and get 10 free meals including free shipping at www.hellofresh.com/thinkingbasketball/10

What are the characteristics of great defensive teams historically? Are they all built around rim protectors and interior defenders? How great can a defense be without a great defender? How do coaches fit into this? I go through the most successful regular season defenses to try and answer some of these question...and confuse Andrew Lang and Grant Long! Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball and get $10 off at Hello Fresh by going to www.hellofresh.com/thinkingbasketball10

The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann returns to continue our meta discussions about innovation and creativity in basketball, this time through the lens of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird...as well the historical tracing of comparisons like LaMelo Ball vs. Pete Maravich or Shaq evolving into Giannis. Follow Kyle @jkylemann & support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball.

The Athletic's Dave DuFour returns for our semi-annual preview episode. It's impossible to top last year's extravaganza, but we take a measured approach at guessing what the heck is going to happen in this unique NBA season. Follow Dave @DaveDuFourNBA, support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball and get $90 off at Hello Fresh by going to www.hellofresh.com/thinkingbasketball90

What should we look for when we watch games? How does our basketball concepts influence what stats we produce and what we're interested in measuring? This is a natural follow up to the Tyranny of Quantifiable (from Episode 3: “The Problem with Analytics”), where what we measure influences our thoughts, but our thoughts influence what we measure. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

I discuss Golden State's future outlook with Klay Thompson's injury and Steph Curry's return, along with the new Bucks roster after trading for Jrue Holiday. Additional trades in this episode: Chris Paul to Phoenix, Dennis Schroder to the Lakers, Danny Green and Seth Curry to Philadelphia and Robert Covington to Portland. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball and get $90 off at Hello Fresh by going to www.hellofresh.com/thinkingbasketball90

Who are the best passers in the NBA? In this episode I dive in to discuss the game's best passers and the difficulty in balanced a variety of strengths and weaknesses that make this tricky to unpack. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the $1/month offer (limited time) of the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketball

I try to take down the idea of the “first option” and replace it with a new framework for thinking about player hierarchies. Also thoughts on the Lakers wrapping up the 2020 title and Daryl Morey's impact after stepping down in Houston. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the $1/month offer (limited time) of the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketball

Former Bucks Director of Analytics and Athletic writer Seth Partnow joins to discuss his upcoming book, The Finals MVP, defensive versatility in the playoffs and more (including Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis on defense and building around centers). Follow Seth on twitter @SethPartnow. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the $1/month offer (through Oct. 9) of the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketball

Has the big man really gone away on offense? Or have they just moved beyond the post up? In this episode, I lay out ways to build strong offenses around five different archetypes of modern big men, including huge playoff stars like Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic. And what does this mean for drafting big man prospects going forward? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the $1/month offer (through Oct. 9) of the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketball

There are lots of takeaways from the bubble, but is the biggest lesson how much we struggle with evaluating players/teams in small sample seasons? With a unique experiment on our hands, how much has jumping to the playoffs in a “new” season influenced our perceptions? And how much can we confidently conclude about players and teams in these small samples? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the $1/month offer (through Oct. 9) of the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketball

In a meandering free association exercise, I explore some of the new playoff narratives developing in the social media age – how big are “capital-M” Moments? What should we make of the Bucks and Giannis or Pascal Siakam and the Raptors? And what exactly is the “backwards” approach to basketball? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the free trial & discount of the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketballpod

Coach Gibson Pyper from Half Court Hoops joins to deep dive into the matchups of the 2020 NBA playoffs. We discuss Giannis guarding Jimmy Butler, the Bucks approach to Miami, the success of the Celtics, Harden vs. Paul and the crazy Nuggets-Jazz series along with some Anthony Davis and Lakers-Clippers thoughts. Follow Gibson @halfcourthoops and support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the free trial & discount of the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketballpod

The Athletic's Dave DuFour stops by to preview the bubble playoffs. We discuss what to make of the Lakers, challengers to the Bucks, whether Dave is still out on the Clippers and the new look Denver Nuggets. Follow Dave @DaveDuFourNBA and support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the free trial at the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketballpod

Former Nets assistant coach Steve Jones returns to the show for the NBA return in the Orlando bubble. We discuss how the environment helps and hurts certain players and teams, and what possible surprises are in store. Follow Steve @stevejones20 and support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. Check out the free trial at the Athletic at http://www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketballpod

SBNation alum Mike Prada stops by to discuss the most influential NBA team of the last 75 years. How have the Curry Warriors, Jordan Bulls, Bad Boys Pistons and more influenced the game over the years? Mike and I bounce through a number of candidates, exploring the key concepts that have held (and evolved) over the decades...And while we agree on the most influential team ever, we also end up disagreeing over them. Follow Mike @MikePradaNBA and support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Former NBA video coordinator Mo Dakhil joins to discuss the first ever Thinking Basketball Defensive Awards. We look at the best defenders in a number of key categories and discuss defensive superlatives in a more granular, qualitative approach than the typical All-Defensive team ballot. He also forces me to design trophies for each award. Follow Mo at @MoDakhil_NBA and support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

In the 5th episode of the Great Debates series, ESPN's Andre Snellings helps me size up three of the greatest defenders in NBA history, all with distinctly different offensive games. How successful were these players on both ends? Was Robinson better off playing more like Russell? And how would each of them look today? Follow Andre at @ProfessorDrz and support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann returns to discuss creativity and basketball innovation in the midst of his “Ball the Right Moves” video series. We discuss crossovers, Kenny Sailors and the jump shot, Michael Jordan's bendy package and why Kyle's wrists are so sore. We also discuss the mystique of pre-NBA Arvydas Sabonis. Follow him at @jkylemann and support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball