‘The Hoop Collective’: Episodes of Brian Windhorst’s NBA podcast

“The Hoop Collective” podcast, hosted by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, releases episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the NBA season. Windhorst and his guests break down what’s happening on and off the court, evaluating the trends you need to know and examining the latest news from across the NBA.

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Latest episodes:
March 6 | March 4 | March 2 | Feb. 27 | Feb. 25

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‘The Hoop Collective’ episodes

Brian is joined by ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill and King McClure to break down the top prospects in the 2026 NBA draft, including which players have the best chance to change a franchise’s future. They discuss the battle to be the No. 1 pick between Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa before covering the rest of the top five picks and which prospects could still rise in this draft.

Topics:

3:15 Jeremy Woo’s Latest Mock Draft
7:24: No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson: Health an issue?
12:57: No. 2 pick AJ Dybantsa: Best potential?
24:21: No. 3 pick Cam Boozer: Athleticism concerns?
32:17: No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson: Big draft riser?
37:04: No. 5 pick Kingston Flemings: Elite speed
39:45: Where is the talent line in this draft?
41:43: Keaton Wagler’s meteoric rise in draft stock
45:18: What prospect can make an immediate impact?

Goodwill on Peterson’s NBA ceiling: “This is a question that executives have posed to me, ‘OK, I want to talk to this kid and see exactly where his head is because his talent is a top level.’ I did talk to an executive this morning who said, ‘Now when you asked me, top level talent, are you saying multiple time All-Star or change your life?’

“And I said, ‘Change your life?’ And he said, ‘No, he’s a multiple time All-Star.'”

Windhorst on how BYU is preparing Dybantsa for the NBA: “The knock on him is the 3-point shot. It isn’t as good as it needs to be to be an elite NBA wing.

“And I’m sure that that’ll be something he continues to work on. But I’ll say about him, and knowing him and his family a little bit, they’ve been focused on having an NBA mentality for years now. And look, let’s be honest, he went to BYU because he got an enormous NIL deal. But part of the reason he selected BYU was that Kevin Young, the program’s coach, is an NBA coach.

“He was an NBA coach for many years, one of the top assistants in the league when he was in Phoenix.”

McClure on Boozer’s season at Duke: “He’s just destined for success. Because when you look at what he’s done in college for Duke, arguably he’s been the most consistent player in America. I mean, he’s averaging a double-double every single game. Every single moment they’re running things through him. He leads Duke in assists, which is a good thing, a positive. …

“I knew he was legit before (the Michigan) game, but when I saw him against Michigan, when the lights are the brightest: “How do you respond? What do you do? Do you step up?” And he did that. I mean, his ability to be able to pass and make everybody around him better, he raises the level because he is such a dominant force.”

Brian is joined by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss whether Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return truly changes the Milwaukee Bucks’ chances this season and what it means for his future with the franchise. They then move on to the Orlando Magic, including a back-and-forth between Paolo Banchero and coach Jamahl Mosley, before previewing Trae Young’s upcoming debut for the Washington Wizards. They close on Stephen Curry’s latest injury and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s plan to keep their stars healthy.

Topics:

1:37: Special NBA commitment moment
2:57: Giannis returns to the Bucks
5:25: What does the future hold in Milwaukee?
20:01: Interesting comments from Magic
27:59: Trae Young debut for Wizards
29:22: Steph Curry injury
37:34: OKC players resting ahead of game at MSG
41:56: A unique NBA coaching experience

MacMahon on the Bucks’ outlook: “It is completely hypocritical to be critical of the Bucks for going all in on a play-in. I will absolutely acknowledge that because I sit here and say the tanking epidemic is the biggest issue in the NBA right now.

“This is a team that could have gone the tank route and has gone the complete opposite. They’re trying as hard as possible to cling to that No. 10 seed and probably get bounced in the play-in. They’re in this pretend land where if they can just get the play-in, they can win a couple games and then they can beat a No. 1 seed and magically everything’s coming together.

“The reason there’s a tanking epidemic is because it is smart strategy for teams that aren’t any good. The Bucks aren’t any good.”

Windhorst on the Banchero-Mosley back-and-forth: “We have a guy on a $200 million contract and the head coach at open odds with each other. It’s not in the shadows anymore. It’s now wide out into the open.”

Windhorst on the Curry injury update: “Instantly there were people who were wondering (if) they are considering shutting him down for the season. I don’t think that’s what they’re doing.

“I think they’re evaluating where they are in the standings and evaluating where Steph is and trying to do do their own strategy play here. It is obviously a significant development that Steph is going to be out a few more weeks.”

Brian is joined by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the New York Knicks’ impressive win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday before moving on to the recovery windows for the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum. They then cover the Minnesota Timberwolves’ win over the Denver Nuggets, potential concerns moving forward for the Nuggets and the Lu Dort-Nikola Jokic spat over the weekend. The group closes on the Charlotte Hornets’ recent success and playoff hopes.

Topics:

2:04: Knicks get big home win over Spurs
13:14: Tatum return theories for Boston
16:10: Curry injury update
17:45: Timberwolves beat struggling Nuggets at home
26:14: Denver’s recent issues cause for concern?
32:46: Dort flagrant foul on Jokic reaction
43:18: The Hornets continue to stack wins
50:07: Could Charlotte be dangerous in playoffs?

Bontemps on the Spurs having to rely on Wembanyama inside more: “This is all part of the growth that’s going to be required from the Spurs to get where they want to go and the stuff they’re going to learn about their team. And those same goes for Victor (Wembanyama). We all know how insanely competitive Victor is. And you know, he might want to win with style points.

“But at the end of the day, he’s going to want to win. And I suspect if the way to win is to play in a different style than the way he has been, he’ll play in a different style.”

MacMahon on another injury impacting the Nuggets this season: “But the injury that’s not even on the report that they’re really concerned about is Joker’s wrist, not the knee that kept him out a month.

“He’s been dealing with this wrist thing for years off and on. And it’s kind of like a day-to-day type of thing where some days he wakes up and it’s not bothering him, and some days it’s stiff as hell. He’s been under 50% from the floor six times during these dozen games, which for most guys like OK, (but) for Joker, it’s shocking.”

MacMahon on the source of the Hornets’ success: “You’ve got to give LaMelo Ball credit. The question was can LaMelo Ball, this Harlem Globetrotter type of dude, ever really drive winning in the NBA and, fellas, he’s shooting at 40% from the floor. His net rating is plus-9.6. They are a -2.3 without him. That’s about a dozen-point swing. Even with him not shooting great.

“Their offensive rating when he’s on the floor is 120 3.5, historically elite, and it goes all the way down to 109.3 when he’s off the floor — over a 14 point swing offensively. Now they’ve got talent around him (as well).”

Brian is joined by ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill and Anthony Slater to preview Friday’s matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, including the Pistons’ outlook for the rest of the season and what to watch for in the game. They then move on to discuss Kevin Durant’s commitment to Team USA basketball for the 2028 Olympic Games and what the roster could look like. They close on the Denver Nuggets’ recent struggles ahead of a big game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Topics:

1:14: Pistons looking to send a message to the Cavs?
9:47: What are the expectations in Detroit?
17:53: What to watch in Cavaliers-Pistons
25:19: KD’s comments on the future of Team USA
37:01: Team USA’s 2028 basketball
43:14: Nuggets struggling heading to Oklahoma City
49:46: Big Hawks promotion night

Goodwill on the James Harden injury: “From what I’ve heard, he’s going to see a specialist to see if playing on it will be will make it worse. And that to me says, ‘I want to play. I just need to make sure that I’m not doing further damage to it,’ which means he’s going to play. There’s a lot of things that people can say about James Harden, and a lot of things will be true.

“The one thing that you can’t really say is that he doesn’t play. You can wonder if he shows up, but he plays. Remember that series [against the] Milwaukee Bucks, he had a hamstring that was really bad. And Kyrie [Irving] was already out with the ankle that he sprained in Game 3. And, as opposed to leaving Kevin Durant all by himself, Harden strapped it up and went out there. Now granted different situation is the playoffs. It was a dire situation. But Harden shows that he plays.”

Slater on the Team USA 2028 roster: “I would be stunned if [Stephen Curry] plays. He’s already said he’s highly doubtful. I think he’s checked that resumé box and he’s not feeling quite the way that that KD is.”

Brian is joined by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to cover the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday, including what the game said about each team moving forward. They then move on to the San Antonio Spurs’ statement win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday and cover questions on the Pistons’ offensive concerns. The trio closes the podcast with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jaylen Brown’s season so far in Boston and the Denver Nuggets’ struggles in close games.

Topics:

1:42: Jason Kidd story time
3:52: Cavs’ big win over Knicks
6:42: Which team does this say more about: New York or Clevland?
15:04: Spurs make statement in win at Detroit
17:05: Pistons concerns highlighted by San Antonio?
22:34: The Spurs have two elite defenders
29:18: Injured Thunder continue to win
30:12: A lot of summer decisions coming for Thunder
33:33: Oklahoma City’s depth could be huge in playoffs
40:42: Is Brown underrated or properly rated?
46:03: Nuggets struggles in clutch time
48:22: Jonathan Kuminga shines in Hawks debut

Bontemps on potential Pistons concerns: “This game highlighted all of the concerns that a Pistons fan highlighted or anyone who has studied that team closely would have about them in the playoffs. Like Cade’s going to have better games than this, he’s he’s a terrific player. He had a bad shooting game, that’s fine.

“Part of the reason he had a bad game is the entire Spurs defense was loaded up on Cade Cunningham in part because Jalen Duren, while a fantastic player, is not spacing the floor. So, Victor Wembanyama just hung out in the paint and if (the Pistons are) playing some other team with another center, they could just hang out in the paint and clog up the lane and clog up any ability for Cade to really get to the basket. And that made life very difficult for him. And there wasn’t a Plan B for the Pistons to go to.”

Bontemps on the Thunder’s offseason outlook: “I’m not saying that the Thunder are going to get broken up. I’m not saying they can’t afford to keep most of (the roster). Maybe they’ll have a hold on the team next year.

“But I could promise you that teams around the league are looking at the Thunder and saying, “What are the Thunder going to do with their roster this summer?’ Because they have a lot of awesome players and they’re going to have decisions to make on who to keep and what to do with their team.”

MacMahon on the Nuggets’ problems in clutch time: “It’s been baffling clutch misery for (the Nuggets) and they’re 4-6 since Joker returned, including 1-5 in clutch games. [Coach] David Adelman said this afternoon that they’re hoping to get Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson back for the last 20 games.

“It’s been a wonky season for the Nuggets, but I still would say that they’re going to be right there in the thick of things if they have a healthy roster come playoff time”