NBA Articles
Get ready for the 2024 NBA Finals. Catch up on the latest from around the league, including basketball analysis and season previews.
February 5, 2025
Here we are, halfway through the season. Monitoring this list has included many injuries, healthy DNPs, and strange performances. Yet we push on. For those new to the series you'll...
January 6, 2025
It doesn't take an expert to say this rebuild is not going as planned for the Portland Trail Blazers. Yes, it's only year two of the post-Damian Lillard era. These...
December 9, 2024
Last season, I decided to express my interest in player development in writing at a scale I hadn't reached before. It was difficult to fully explore how stars become stars,...
December 6, 2024
Prior to this season, Ty Jerome bounced around the league for five years as a fringe rotation player. Then finally at age 27, something clicked. This year he’s been one...
November 25, 2024
Our own Charlie Cummings started Swish Theory's Finding a Role series at the start of last season, the title being self-explanatory: While much of our collective player-analysis brainpower goes into...
November 22, 2024
This season the folks at Swish Theory are targeting a handful of players they think will bring more winning impact than expected in their respective roles. These players might not...
November 20, 2024
October 29th, Dallas at Minnesota A tight game in the third quarter, this Western Conference Finals rematch is hotly contested. Luka, who was demoralizingly great against the Wolves in the...
November 15, 2024
What do you know about nothobranchius furzeri? If your answer is "Nothing, Charlie. What the hell are you talking about?" congratulations—you know as much as I did when I wrote...
November 8, 2024
Nearly a year ago, I wrote about Peyton Watson as an emerging rotation piece for the Denver Nuggets. If you're not inclined to read it first (though I would highly...
November 1, 2024
If you put up a cloud of words used to describe the 2024/25 Warriors through the offseason, preseason, and first five games, the range of terms would be astounding. Washed,...
October 31, 2024
A moment in time is a moment in motion. Even when halted frame-by-frame, basketball remains dynamic. In this series, I share a couple snapshots, and breakdown the available decisions within...
October 24, 2024
Sometimes you need to leave a talented group to shine brightest. When Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, confusion abounded. A highly successful band's frontman striking out on his own...
October 9, 2024
Star basketball players are often obvious from the get: you have your Victor Wembanyama's, your Anthony Davis's, even Nikola Jokic's, if you're looking in the right direction. But it's far...
October 7, 2024
While drafting good players and making winning trades have long been Sam Presti's avenues of expertise, he and the Oklahoma City Thunder organization made their biggest free agency splash in...
September 5, 2024
Folks, put down your magnifying glasses. Stop analyzing the Instagram bios—Laker fans, close that Photoshop window. Steph Curry isn't going anywhere. After signing a 1-year, $62.6M extension, the maximum allowable...
August 16, 2024
GG Jackson II might be the next star plucked out of the shadow realm that is the second round of the NBA draft. As a rookie, he averaged 15 points...
August 5, 2024
Despite being only 21 years old, Dominick Barlow has already secured his place in history. Okay, it's not the history you'll read in social studies class, or even on Basketball...
July 19, 2024
Well, this is a rare thing to discuss: a Warriors mid-level exception signing. Golden State finally wound down its heinous tax bill with the departures of Klay Thompson and Chris...
July 11, 2024
Great playoff scoring runs are some of the most exciting things in sports, but how do they stack up to each other? Comparing playoff stats has always been difficult. Players...
July 10, 2024
While watching the 2024 draft, a friend called me out of the blue with a thought: are the Jazz, his favorite team, running two timelines of tanking? And it got...
July 1, 2024
Depression is a strange thing. Those who know me are aware I've battled depression for as long as I can remember. It has its way of scaling up and down,...
June 30, 2024
When I was 18, I spent a summer working for Costco. Most of my job involved collecting shopping carts strewn across the parking lot, stacking them up, and pushing them...
May 26, 2024
This is a postseason rife with new themes and narratives. The youth are here to take over, yes. The old gods are dead and buried. There is no James, Curry,...
May 6, 2024
When Pascal Siakam was moved to the Indiana Pacers in January, there was much surprise for a multitude of reasons. Pascal being dealt was not a shock; the Raptors were...
April 18, 2024
In this age of cinema, very few successful franchises have escaped the ignominy of a terrible reboot. Star Wars has the shameful second and third trilogies (Revenge of the Sith...
March 31, 2024
Brandin Podziemski is a rare player, for many reasons. Besides being a lefty who looks like the upper half of a centaur with a funky love of hook shots, his...
March 7, 2024
Some guys need a shot. So many NBA-level talents hardly get a chance, and second chances are even harder to find. Making the most of that chance can change the...
February 27, 2024
"Can you be porous defensively and win a championship? No, I don't think you can be. [But] can you be adequate and be able to ramp it up when you...
February 26, 2024
The Boston Celtics are in a strange form of NBA purgatory. On pace to win 65 games, they are running laps around the Eastern Conference. They hold the best net...
February 22, 2024
I will say the two unnameable words around the Golden State Warriors. No, it's not "fire Kerr", "trade Klay", "European bigs" or "affordable housing". It's two timelines. We know it...
February 21, 2024
Every ‘project’ is a handshake-deal with the NBA Draft Gods. There will be growing pains; it may look ugly for a few games or weeks, probably months, hopefully not seasons....
January 23, 2024
It has been a short, strange journey for Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the NBA. Taken 17th overall in the 2019 draft, NAW has been the "also, this guy" in three separate...
January 4, 2024
It has never been easier to be forgotten in the NBA than it is now. As more and more talent clamors for spots among the 450, leashes grow shorter. Patience...
December 24, 2023
DeMar has changed his shot diet to help this offense succeed, and that deserves some attention. The night of November 28th, the Chicago Bulls had just finished taking one of...
December 20, 2023
Quality basketball analysis isn't about being 'right,' judging the means by the end result, but we here at Swish Theory are frequently, let's say, ahead of the curve. Whether it's...
December 13, 2023
If you know anything about the Boston Celtics' Sam Hauser, you know what this article will be about. This will be a lot of shooting film, and I'm not talking...
December 5, 2023
Aptronym (noun): a person's name that is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation. Do you ever feel like names are a form of predestination? It's astounding how often athletes with a...
November 28, 2023
Losing will always make fans look for someone to blame. Someone to fire. Even if losing was part of the long-term plan, fans tend to lose sight of that when...
November 27, 2023
Basketball in October rarely matters. Except when you're Jalen Suggs. There was a moment at the end of the third Orlando Magic game of the season versus the Los Angeles...
November 25, 2023
In the Sasser family, basketball isn't just a means to an end. Basketball is a way of life. Marcus Sasser, the reigning Jerry West Award winner and a consensus All-American,...
November 21, 2023
After two years of missing the playoffs, Rick Carlisle slightly pushed the pace for Indiana's timeline by signing Bruce Brown after excellent playoff displays with the Denver Nuggets. Some were...
November 18, 2023
The Atlanta Hawks lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 126-116 on Friday night in quite ordinary fashion. Atlanta put up an admirable fight consistent with their talent level, but couldn't sustain...
November 16, 2023
On a recent episode of ESPN’s The Hoop Collective podcast, host Brian Windhorst quipped that “the Chicago Bulls are in a rebuild and they don’t even know it.” This sentiment...
November 15, 2023
On July 1st, 2022, Aaron Nesmith had a major change in his outlook. After being a lottery choice by the Boston Celtics and beginning to establish a rotation spot at...
November 9, 2023
The Denver Nuggets (specifically general manager Calvin Booth) made waves this offseason by being utterly indifferent to Bruce Brown's exit. This was followed by Vlatko Čančar tearing his left ACL...
October 25, 2023
Roshan: The Minnesota Timberwolves will be a top 3 seed in the Western Conference. Most NBA fans were down on the Timberwolves to start the year after the team had...
October 6, 2023
Overview So, here we are. The season hasn't even begun and the Dubs are scrambling to make up for injuries. Couldn't we at least have waited until January? Regardless, this...
September 28, 2023
It happens to all of us: you’re excited about a player and end up ranking him far too high, or dismiss a player too quickly who turns into a star....
September 7, 2023
The humble rebound. The Mach-Hommy to basketball's Griselda: underrated, ever-present, and thoroughly engrossing. Despite being one of the more critical parts of the game, rebounds are too often treated as...
September 1, 2023
In the doldrums of summer it can be easy to let the narratives run away with themselves. With no new NBA basketball, imaginations run wild, and there is none more...
August 25, 2023
For many, the Washington Wizards are an afterthought: fluctuating between rebuilding and contending, constantly retooling and doubling down on a roster unlikely to win. It is, however, within these teams...
August 11, 2023
This current iteration of the Golden State Warriors is loaded with outstanding defenders. Draymond Green has arguably been the preeminent defensive player of the whole league for the past decade....
July 20, 2023
Shooting has a way of presenting itself in the strangest ways. No matter how many indicators we identify and traits we look for, it comes out of left field all...
July 18, 2023
In the Vegas heat, it can be easy to see things that aren't there. Summer League stat lines pop and crackle, games sizzling in the excitement of new NBA basketball....
June 7, 2023
Setting the Stage The basketball gods must love breakfast tacos. The San Antonio Spurs struck gold in the lottery once again, where their record is somehow even more impressive than...
June 5, 2023
The Miami Heat managed to steal a game in the infamous altitude against the Denver Nuggets and even the NBA Finals at a game apiece. I'm sure you heard about...
May 20, 2023
The Los Angeles Lakers taking Anthony Davis off of Nikola Jokic and instead put a smaller yet sturdy forward on him, like LeBron James or Rui Hachimura, allowing AD to...
May 16, 2023
A rematch of the 2020 “Bubble” Playoffs. A duel between the #1 playoff offense vs the #1 playoff defense. A heavyweight bout between two of the league's best big men,...
May 5, 2023
If an alien with a baseline understanding of basketball had descended from the heavens just in time for the 4th quarter of Monday’s playoff bout between Phoenix and Denver, they...
May 4, 2023
Anthony Davis is undeniable. That it seems possible, if not likely, that he will end his career without a Defensive Player of the Year award is solely made tolerable by...
May 2, 2023
Few good ideas come from conversations in the back of a Lyft post-midnight. A few weeks ago, while going from bar to apartment to inevitably discuss cryptids and antigravity technology,...
May 2, 2023
Western Conference Semifinals Preview Stephen Curry vs LeBron James. A rivalry that defines this generation of the NBA will potentially have its last dance and like the infamous football/soccer coach,...
April 26, 2023
Just like they were as Kentucky Wildcats, six years ago. In the present day, their Sacramento Kings are tied 2-2 with the Golden State Warriors in a vigorous, nationally broadcasted,...
April 25, 2023
Click here to see guidelines, full team write-ups and strategies! Conference Semifinals East Round 2, Series 1: Team Gannon vs. Team Josh A. #1 Seed - Team Gannon The pitch:...
April 24, 2023
Every season during the NBA playoffs, from April to June, we argue. All of us do. Not just who's the best team, but who is responsible for their team's flaws,...
April 20, 2023
Following the Los Angeles Clippers’ shocking 115-110 Game 1 win over the Phoenix Suns, Clips head coach Ty Lue was…giddy. When asked about starting big man Ivica Zubac’s performance guarding...
April 20, 2023
I don't want to take anything away from the Kings, who are incredibly talented and play a beautiful brand of winning basketball. But the first two games felt like the...
April 17, 2023
As the season comes to an end, plenty of people look to hand out grades. However, that rarely truly conveys how the season was for a given player. Expectations are...
April 17, 2023
In a much-anticipated matchup between the new-look Lakers and the two-seed Memphis Grizzlies, the purple and gold had rough patches in between but were mostly dominant, surging to a 128-112...
April 15, 2023
Does that thought scare you? It should. The Warriors will play the Kings in their first-ever playoff matchup between division rivals. Both sides are laden with stars: Sacramento boasts one...
April 13, 2023
A Scheme and Strategy Breakdown of the Cavaliers Offense and New York Knicks Defense The upcoming series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks is projected to be...
April 12, 2023
What's in a Title? A General Manager in the NBA is a subtly complex title, with an array of duties that are much deeper than they appear at first glance....
April 4, 2023
A Development Story from defensive instincts, shooting touch, and two-way versatility to NBA Superstar “A boat's a boat, but a mystery box could be anything; it could even be a...
March 31, 2023
Everyone has their own pet archetypes of players they target for their platonic ideal of a basketball team, especially as you move beyond the superstars and into role players, with...
March 26, 2023
With Andrew Wiggins bound to miss his 19th straight game tonight, questions abound in Golden State as the playoffs close in. What is going on in his life is clearly...
March 23, 2023
The damning loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on LeBron’s record-breaking night brought forward the trade that has changed the Lakers’ trajectory in a snap of a finger. The bulk...
February 20, 2023
Why the Chicago Bulls owe Patrick Williams a legitimate chance at being more than a role player. In 2020, the Chicago Bulls selected Patrick Williams as the fourth overall pick...
February 15, 2023
James Wiseman was a smart gamble for the Detroit Pistons. It needed to be said because media and fans alike have done plenty of joking and stressing about the move...
February 11, 2023
With the trade dust finally settled, things are looking up in Golden State. The rocky, possibly suspicious, return of Gary Payton II (which I covered here) all but solidifies their...
February 9, 2023
The prodigal son returns. Minutes before the deadline, the Warriors finalized a trade to bring Gary Payton II back to the Bay. This was made possible by moving James Wiseman...
February 7, 2023
It's been nearly ten years since the Golden State Warriors flirted with trading for Kevin Love, stopping short of including Klay Thompson in a potential deal, leading to his move...
January 28, 2023
WHERE HE AT?? WHERE HE AT?? WHERE HE AT?? https://twitter.com/kendra__andrews/status/1618694239126437888?s=20&t=TX9KlRsrFKVUKRpvoNosZw NOW THERE HE GO, THERE HE GO, THERE HE GO!!! (sorry, I really couldn't help it.) Terrible jokes aside, it...
January 13, 2023
In November, I set out to explore what's been happening to Klay Thompson's shot post-injury. I had my hunches and needed the data to tell me what my eyes were...
January 5, 2023
This is the third part of a monthly recap covering all rookie-scale deal Warriors players, looking at the stats, film, and everything in between. To catch up on the first...
December 20, 2022
The Sunday matinee showdown of the Warriors and Raptors felt like two cars swerving off the road into each others' paths. Toronto was reeling, on a four-game skid and 2-6...
December 2, 2022
This is the second part of a monthly recap covering all rookie-scale deal Warriors players, looking at the stats, film, and everything in between. To catch up on the first...
November 26, 2022
So much has been made of the Golden State Warriors' bench unit and "youth movement," as the two are largely synonymous. Figuring out who gets a nightly rotation spot beyond...
November 16, 2022
We're now 43 games into the post-Achilles/ACL tears-era of Klay Thompson's career and he has yet to find his legs, both literally and figuratively. The time off and physical changes...
November 15, 2022
Why San Antonio Should Keep Their Veteran Big Through the Rebuild Heading into the season, few knew what to expect from the San Antonio Spurs. A Gregg Popovich-coached team is...
November 3, 2022
How G League Ignite Are Revolutionizing the Pre-Draft Space In Henderson, Nevada, the G League Ignite team looks to enter its third season as an organization. The development program has...
November 2, 2022
This will be the first part of a monthly recap covering all rookie-scale deal Warriors players, looking at the stats, film, and everything in between. Keep an eye out for...
October 19, 2022
The 2022-2023 NBA season has arrived with every team emerging from the offseason after looking for ways to improve and adding new wrinkles on both sides of the ball. As...
October 18, 2022
Swish Theory's strongest asset is its people. All from different locations, professions, academic backgrounds and rooting for teams across the league, but all thinking critically about the sport they love....
October 17, 2022
The Process of Building the Next Great Spurs Team The date is October 31st, 1986. The Oprah Winfrey Show had just begun its first season on television, gas was $0.89/gallon,...
October 17, 2022
How some teams have mastered the art of the NBA draft and player development The NBA draft may be over, but for teams across the league, the development process has...
