The Dunker Spot: Early-season observations, first impressions

Welcome to the debut episode of The Dunker Spot! This weekly podcast is hosted by Nekias Duncan (a writer and podcaster for BasketballNews.com) and Steve Jones Jr. (a former Brooklyn Nets assistant coach and Memphis Grizzlies video coordinator). New episodes drop every Monday!

In this episde, they discuss the NBA's COVID-19 outbreak and how this unique season has affected chemistry building, youth development and talent evaluation. They also break down which teams and players have impressed/disappointed them thus far. Time-stamps are below!

:10: Nekias and Steve introduce themselves and this new podcast.

1:50: How has this unique season impacted the on-court product and evaluation process?

4:50: Nekias believes contending teams should play their fringe guys and young talent more to see what they can do; Steve explains why coaches stick with the veterans they trust.

17:50: Which East team has impressed Nekias the most? 

27:20: Which East team has impressed Steve the most? 

35:30: Which West team has impressed Steve the most? 

43:50: Are the Phoenix Suns a top-four team in the Western Conference?

45:55: Which West team has impressed Nekias the most? 

58:25: Which East team has disappointed Steve the most?

1:06:15: Nekias has a bone to pick with Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, who has been calling out his players during the team's rough start.

1:11:15: Which East team has disappointed Nekias the most?

1:20:00: Which West team has disappointed Nekias the most?

1:25:50: Nekias breaks down Mikal Bridges' excellent play.

1:27:10: Steve breaks down C.J. McCollum's terrific start to the season.

1:28:25: Nekias and Steve discuss rookies who are shining (like LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton).

1:33:00: Which players have been the biggest disappointments so far? 

1:45:30: MAILBAG! Nekias and Steve answer questions from the listeners.

1:48:30: Is Julius Randle's recent production (and great facilitating) sustainable? 

1:52:30: With COVID-19 forcing teams to play against each other twice in a row (in baseball-like series), how does that impact coaches and their strategy?

1:58:40: Nekias and Steve share which games they are looking forward this week.

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