Game Theory

Latest Episodes:

NBA Western Conference Win Total Over/Unders with Jason Timpf Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Sam Vecenie is joined by Jason Timpf of @HoopsTonight to go through win total over/unders for every team in the Western Conference with help from DraftKings Sportsbook. We talk Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Lakers, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets, whether Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball will work well together for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and more. (00:00) INTRO (03:50) Oklahoma City Thunder (15:35) San Antonio Spurs (29:35) Denver Nuggets (39:41) Minnesota Timberwolves (49:27) Houston Rockets (56:20) Los Angeles Lakers (1:06:58) Portland Trail Blazers (1:14:05) Phoenix Suns (1:18:05) Golden State Warriors (1:24:30) Utah Jazz (1:30:45) Dallas Mavericks (1:35:44) Memphis Grizzlies (1:39:45) Los Angeles Clippers (1:42:20) New Orleans Pelicans (1:51:22) Sacramento Kings (1:56:50) RECAP

NBA Eastern Conference Over/Under Win Totals with Es Baraheni Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Sam is joined by The Athletic's Es Baraheni to go through win total over/unders for every team in the Eastern Conference. (00:00) INTRO (04:18) Knicks (18:05) Celtics (30:10) 76ers (42:20) Pistons (51:05) Cavaliers (57:15) Raptors (1:05:45) Heat (1:11:00) Pacers (1:18:25) Hawks (1:24:50) Magic (1:31:35) Hornets (1:35:00) Wizards (1:43:20) Bulls (1:47:50) Bucks (1:53:03) Nets (1:59:35) RECAP

Jalen Duren Watch, Plus Future NBA Trade and Free Agency Lookahead with Grant Liffmann Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Sam is joined by Grant Liffmann of NBC Sports to discuss the ongoing contract battle between the Pistons and Jalen Duren. Then, they look ahead to some of the biggest players who could hit free agency after this season, as well as some potential trade candidates. Plus, they do a rapid-fire round covering the biggest question mark for every contender. (00:00) Intro (01:00) Jalen Duren saga from a front office perspective  (13:45) Brandon Ingram’s Achilles injury  (17:15) Jamal Shead’s $24M extension  (18:30) New team-building trends  (21:40) How will new draft lottery rules affect the trade deadline?  (28:15) Possible big-name future free agents  (31:40) Rudy Gobert  (34:00) Michael Porter Jr.  (42:10) Tyler Herro  (46:45) Are the Warriors big-game hunting at the deadline?  (52:40) LA Clippers  (1:02:00) Speed Round: Biggest question marks for title contenders

Biggest NBA X-Factors of the 2026-27 Season Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Sam Vecenie is joined by Bryce Simon to draft the NBA names that could totally swing their team's 2026-27 season, including Paolo Banchero, LaMelo Ball, Walker Kessler, and many others. We'll also talk some injuries to Charlotte Hornets' stars, a Buddy Hield for Rob Dillingham trade, and Stephen Curry's contract extension. (00:00) INTRO (03:35) Steph Curry’s extension (09:45) Buddy Hield / Rob Dillingham trade (17:45) Hornets injuries piling up (20:45) TOP 10 NBA X-FACTORS (23:50) LaMelo Ball (34:38) Paolo Banchero (40:10) Bam Adebayo (56:00) Fed Van Vleet (1:03:10) Tyrese Haliburton (1:10:10) Kyrie Irving (1:20:00) Jaren Jackson Jr. (1:26:30) Mitchell Robinson (1:35:05) Walker Kessler (1:40:30) Christian Braun

NBA Watchability Index, Plus The Jalen Duren Saga Continues, and KAT Extension Talks with Dave DuFour Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Sam is joined by The Athletic's Dave DuFour to discuss the tense contract standoff between Jalen Duren and the Pistons, and Karl-Anthony Towns' stalled extension talks with the Knicks, before creating the NBA Watchability Index where Sam and Dave highlight their 10 most watchable NBA teams for this upcoming season. (00:00) Intro (02:20) Jalen Duren saga continues (14:35) Karl-Anthony Towns stalled extension talks (24:30) NBA Watchability Index (27:10) Philadelphia 76ers (38:45) Minnesota Timberwovles (49:15) San Antonio Spurs (59:34) New York Knicks (1:06:08) Toronto Raptors (1:11:49) Utah Jazz (1:19:40) Indiana Pacers (1:25:25) Los Angeles Lakers (1:33:32) Washington Wizards (1:45:15) Oklahoma City Thunder

Top 10 NBA Rookies We're Excited to See, Plus Keyonte, Ausar & Other New Deals Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Sam opens by talking about his move to team up with Russillo and Barstool and what people can expect from the new version of the show! Then, Bryce Simon joins to react to a bunch of guys getting new contracts, including Keyonte George and Ausar Thompson, before going through the top 10 rookies they’re most excited to watch this season. (0:15) Sam on teaming up with Russillo and Barstool CONTRACT EXTENSIONS (8:00) Keyonte George (18:48) Ausar Thompson (27:42) Jalen Duren (35:10) Pelle Larsson EXCITING ROOKIES (41:20) Caleb Wilson (50:48) Cam Boozer (57:30) Darryn Peterson (1:03:25) AJ Dybantsa (1:10:10) Keaton Wagler (1:15:03) Brayden Burries (1:20:37) Darius Acuff (1:25:02) Yaxel Lendeborg (1:27:52) Mikel Brown Jr. (1:32:38) Cameron Carr

Mock Rookie Extensions for 2023 NBA Draft | Miller, Wallace, Ausar, more | Game Theory Podcast Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie & Bryce Simon going through the 2023 Draft Class & prediction all potential rookie extensions for each eligible player ahead of next months deadline. (0:00) INTRO (1:00) Mock Rookie Extensions (Preview) (11:30) Brandon Miller (27:16) Scoot Henderson (37:18) Amen Thompson (reaction to his extension) (39:28) Ausar Thompson (53:25) Anthony Black (1:04:10) Bilal Coulibaly (1:15:27) Jarace Walker (1:19:46) Taylor Hendricks (1:21:24) Cason Wallace (1:36:20) Dereck Lively II (1:39:10) Gradey Dick, Jordan Hawkins, Kobe Bufkin (1:39:50) Keyonte George (1:53:43) Jaime Jaquez Jr. (2:01:10) Brandin Podziemski (2:11:39) Noah Clowney (2:14:30) Remaining Potential Extensions (2:22:23) OUTRO CHECK OUT THE ⁠⁠VIDEO VERSION⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY ⁠⁠YOUTUBE CHANNEL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LA Clippers Get LARGEST Punishment in NBA History for Kawhi Leonard Cap Circumvention | What Now? Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

The Pablo Torre Clippers investigation has come to a final conclusion, where the Clippers have received the worst punishment in NBA history. The Athletic's Law Murray joins the show to discuss what this all means, why the league came down so hard on the Clippers, and where the team goes from here. CHECK OUT THE ⁠⁠VIDEO VERSION⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY ⁠⁠YOUTUBE CHANNEL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Peyton Watson Traded to Cavaliers | Kuminga signs with Wolves | Klay to Heat | Mathurin to Pelicans | Game Theory Podcast Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Sam Vecenie, a Senior NBA Writer at The Athletic, talks all about basketball. From the NBA, to the NBA Draft, to college hoops and even some high school, Vecenie has you covered in this show. (00:00) INTRO (2:10) Peyton Watson signed & traded to Cavaliers in 3-team trade (Max Strus to LAC) (29:09) What's next for Denver after losing Peyton Watson? (48:04) Jonathan Kuminga signs with Timberwolves (1:07:30) Quince! (1:09:05) Shopify! (1:10:21) Josh Green traded to Jazz for Cody Williams & John Konchar (1:23:50) Klay Thompson signs with Heat (1:34:04) Bennedict Mathurin signs with Pelicans (1:43:04) OUTRO CHECK OUT THE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VIDEO VERSION⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OF THE FULL LIVE SHOW ON THE GAME THEORY ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE CHANNEL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TOP 25 DEFENDERS IN THE NBA! | Part Two: 12 to 1 | Game Theory Podcast Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

In this edition of the Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie is joined by Bryce Simon to continue their annual countdown of the best defenders in the NBA today! Here in part 2, they go from #12 to #1 (if you missed part 1 counting down #25 to #13, check out the previous episode that aired last Sunday).

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected