What has been the most underwhelming thing about the 2022 season and why is it Russell Westbrook? In today's episode, Jez is joined by Thom to break down the Milwaukee Bucks recent win over the Warriors and their season in general, the 5 most overwhelming things about the season so far and the five most underwhelming things about the season. As always buy the domain name from me plz!

If you thought last episode had star power, then get ready to have stars shoot out of your mouth for our episode on Chaotic Artists. When you talk about the greatest scoreres in NBA history, these four letters have to be at the top of the list; MJ & KD. Others in this archetype include: Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard Chaotic Artist types are generally almost impossible to stop one-on-one, due to their highly creative mind and propensity to shoot whilst being heavily guarded. These players also tend to work best as being the focal point of a clutch offence, and have the most ways to hurt defenses that play  a man-to-man  defence. They often need to have a system built to slow them down.

If you have been hearing a lot of talk about Ja Morant and Russell Westbrook, then look no further than this podcast.  Today, I am talking about what makes Ja so much better, and why Russ is struggling. Whether you like the Memphis Grizzlies or the LA Lakers, I think this is a good episode to listen to while you drop a deuce.

Perhaps the creativity Archetype that has the most storied lineup, Order Artists create chances for themselves and other constantly. With names like Magic Johnson, Lebron James, Steph Curry and Larry Bird in the lineup, it's hard to think this isn't the best archetype. In this episode, I break down how Steph and Larry exemplify this style of play Order Artists are a powerful group, and tend to be a great first option. Typically effective with and without the ball, their strength lies in utilising speed, strength and intelligence to get open before they shoot. Being highly creative, they can cause damage when plays are broken down, or by innovating and intuiting an unorthodox shot release or offensive move.

Why does Rudy Gobert cop so much hate?  In today's episode, I break it down, and why you might hate other stars. I also talk about JJ Reddick's conversation with John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks, when they talk about Nikola Jokic's patience. I link it back to last episode where I compared him to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Hosted by: Jez F.M 

Why is Kevin Durant currently not a Warrior? Why did he never seem fulfilled by the championships in the bay? It may seem like a complicated question, but weirdly, I think philosophy has the answer. Take a listen to this little nugget of an episode to look at why I think Kevin Durant left the Warriors, and at a broader level, why player empowerment is bound to implode. This episode features a look at Robert Nozick's "The Experience Machine" for those interested in further readings/Youtube holes to fall down. Full Transcript: The clock winds down. The buzzer sounds. You have just won your second NBA finals. You see LeBron and the Cavs, utterly defeated in five games, walk to their locker room, and you see a mass of people fill the floor to set up for the celebrations and trophy ceremony. Your team mates are holding you and jumping around screaming and smiling. This should be the best moment of your life. But it's not. Kevin Durant going to the Warriors is the perfect example of Robert Nozick's concept of the 'experience machine'. The idea of the experience machine is that you are told that you can have whatever life you want, you just have to experience it in a machine. Once you are in there, you won't know that you are in the machine. And everything will feel like it would in real life, only all the things that make life painful won't be in there. The concept, which takes it root in trying to disprove hedonism as a viable approach to living one's life, is a powerful argument against a life of only pleasure. Nozick ultimately concludes that given the decision, no one would enter the experience machine, because living a life in a pod (no matter what you achieve therein) is far less satisfying than winning against the chaos of the real world. I guess Nozick didn't expect Kevin Durant to come along. The experience that KD had was a very clear cut version of this in real life. By leaving a team that was almost guaranteed to win the championship each year, he proved Nozick right; that simply having the experience isn't the same as earning the experience. It would have been the same thing if MJ had of just joined the Monstars instead of beating them in Space Jam. You see, not only did the Warriors win 2 championship rings with KD in tow, but they never really experienced hardship. They cruised through most rounds of the playoffs, and so really got to look at life inside the experience machine. However, in contrast to KD being in the experience machine, there were 3 players on the team that were not in the experience machine. Draymond, Klay and Steph. They took the alternative route. They, by KD's side the entire time, were living the Experience machine life, but they didn't have to enter the machine. They had lived through losing, trials and tribulations as a group, and so earning their championships wasn't the experience machine. They really did it. It's like hanging out with influencers that are famous for being themselves, and you bought all your followers. Sure, you might have the same amount of "followers" online, but something feels empty about you and not them. So, in the end, why would KD leave? Because you are there, holding the finals MVP trophy, big lights in your face. You look over and see Steph, Draymond and Klay holding each other and smiling. There is a joy and a deep brotherhood there. They are experiencing what you are supposed to be feeling. It's time to get out of the machine.

Why, in your heart, do you like Stephen Curry more than Damian Lillard? Why do you like Michael Jordan more than Lebron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell? Why does Giannis have 2 MVPs and James Harden only 1, when he can only score by dunking? In this short monologue, Jez explains one of the most overlooked parts of basketball, and how to tell if your favourite player is in it.

Chaotic Factory scorers are few and far between. They are players that don’t have a deep “bag” when it comes to scoring, but can score quite easily using a few reliable moves. They tend to score while being heavily guarded, and may utilise other skills like passing to create a difficult assignment for other teams to deal with. In today's episode, we look at the low creativity, highly technical beast that is the Chaotic Factory, and we look at what makes these 2 players similar in scoring style. Next week, I'll be comparing two Order Artists: Steph Curry and Larry Bird

When you think of 2 players that play in a similar way, I bet Tim Duncan and Trae Young aren’t your first thoughts. However, according to my Creativity in Basketball statistics, they actually play a similar role. Both can be hubs for the ball on offence, both have a couple of moves that are very hard to stop, and both like to get open to shoot, and not try too many new moves on the court. They both can function well on volume shooting, but both prefer to use their guile to get open, get to one of their patented moves, and get the basket. The Order Factory is on the low end of the Creativity and Technical Stats and is the first in our Creativity Archetypes series. Other players in this Archetype: Russell Westbrook and James Harden Hosted by Jez F.M

Did you know that Lebron and Steph score the basketball the same way? Well, according to my setup and utilising their use of creativity and style, they actually are both Order Artists.  In this podcast I break down my new way to categorise the way players play using their creative and propensity to get open to create "style quadrants". You may be surprised to see how KD, Dame, Harden and luka all fit into it, and which ones of them share a style!