You know what’s awesome? Pool basketball. It’s like water polo without needing to tread water or get pelted by a firm yellow ball. Everyone should hoop in a body of water at least once in their life.

Just throwing out some mid-week weekend ideas in case any of you need summer plans.

🎉 Happy birthday Xavier Cooks, Stew Johnson, Kendall Marshall, Mel McCants, Jason Miskiri, Keegan Murray, Kris Murray, Ricky Pierce, Roy Rogers, James Webb III, and Awak Kuier! 🎉

On yesterday’s pod, Mike shared his list of the 10 NBA players under the most pressure headed into the 2026-27 season. In his words, “Basically if you didn't meet certain expectations when something was on the line; whether it be reputation, contract, whatever. It could even be jokes about you on Twitter”

Let’s take a look down his list and more importantly, what each player can do to get off it.

10. Anthony Edwards

He’s ascending to the superstar tier with SGA and Wemby, but still looking for his first Finals appearance. The LaMelo Ball trade accelerates this timeline even further, while losing Naz Reid in the deal may put pressure on Ant to guard up to the 4 in certain matchups. Jaden McDaniels and Trey Lyles are the only listed Power Forwards on the roster via Spotrac.

Kenny and P pushed back, arguing that Melo is the All-Star in Minny with the most to prove. Ball still has yet to make it out of the Play-In Tournament heading into Year 7.

I’m inclined to agree with everyone here. Minnesota has made 2 of the last 3 Western Conference Finals, and they’ve lost to the WC Champs 3 years running. They’re a great team that needs to take that final next step. Pressure is a privilege!

For Ant and Melo specifically there really is no ceiling. This duo could be the most dominant in the league, playing with relentless force in transition while bombing away from 3 at will. Will there be growing pains? Absolutely. But I’m willing to bet on two of the league’s premier talents finding a way to work with each other.

9. Ja Morant

Portland has a bottleneck of talented guards. Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe all need minutes. Ja’s archetype as a scoring guard who likes the ball in his hands will have to evolve surrounded by such similar players.

Not only that, but Ja is in the final year of his deal and has not been able to stay on the court consistently. His total number of games over the last 3 seasons: 20, 50, 9. That being said, I believe Ja can separate himself from the pack in with his off-ball movement.

His Free Throw % climbed up to 89.7% on 5.9 attempts a night last season. Not only does that demonstrate the pressure he’s able to put on the rim, but it’s an encouraging sign for his growth as a shooter in general. While Ja has never been consistent from 3, he’s also never been given very many open catch and shoot opportunities. Imagine Ja flying from the baseline to catch a lob, then dummying a cut and popping to cash a corner three. Pretty sweet. I’m not willing to sell my stock yet.

8. Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel

This is a twofer so Mike is kinda cheating but we’ll let it slide. With no LaMelo Ball to lead the way, these former Top-5 picks will have to carry the star burden. Melo assisted on 38.5% of Charlotte’s TOTAL made shots, the 10th highest AST% in the league.

There’s also the burden of carrying a hopeful fanbase. Charlotte’s incredibly fun run in the second half of last year raised the expectations. While a playoff appearance isn’t a requirement, you can bet the team that currently owns the longest playoff drought in the NBA (10 years) is itching to get back in the dance. It won’t be easy, this Eastern Conference is one of the best in recent memory. Fortunately, they won’t have to do it alone.

Charles Lee proved himself as one of the premier young coaches in the Association, and the Hornets roster around them has some juice. Keep an eye out for first round rookies Hannes Steinbach and friend of Enjoy Christian Anderson in particular. Miller and Kon will also be another season older and more experienced. They’ll be the captains of the ship, but this is a team truly built to win together.

7. Jalen Duren

A prolonged contract negotiation and below-standard playoffs for Jalen Duren soured what was a dream year for the 22 year old. He averaged 10.2 PPG and 8.5 RPG over 14 games, a stark contrast to the 19.5/10.5 he was putting up in his first All-NBA season.

I’d like to draw your attention to Duren’s age and the sample size. He turns 23 in November and is somehow entering his 5th NBA season. Also- 14 games simply isn’t enough to define a career, especially not for a player as young and talented as Duren.

Paul Reed is the only other non Two-Way center on the Pistons’ roster. There will be given ample opportunity for Duren exorcise his playoff demons as he and Cade Cunningham continue to develop as one of the best pick and roll duos in the league. Duren’s interior scoring took a massive leap last season- there’s no reason he can’t take another and get another crack at postseason hoops.

6. De’Aaron Fox

Like Duren, Fox underperformed relative to high playoff expectations. Between the OG Anounby block heard ‘round the world, the big contract, and Dylan Harper nipping at his heels for a starting spot, certain narratives have begun to form.

All the guys agreed (and I second) that Fox’s nagging high ankle sprain limited his mobility in the playoffs. For a player that warps the game with his burst, it’s easy to understand how that would be a major factor. Don’t forget; Swipa dropped 38 PTS in his playoff debut, tied for 2nd most All-Time. He was an All-Star last season!

It was Fox who buried the game sealing jumper in Game 3 to give San Antonio life. The Spurs have publicly backed him, now Fox just needs to stay healthy to remind everyone who he is.

4. Nikola Jokić

For years the Joker was the unanimous best player in the world. Not so much anymore. On the Enjoy100 he’s been usurped by Victor Wembanyama for the #1 spot, with Shai close behind. Last season featured rare bouts of inconsistency as well, as Jokic recorded a career high 3.7 turnovers a game. Combine that with some inspired Rudy Gobert playoff defense, and all of a sudden the 3 time MVP as a lot to prove.

The good news? Nikola Jokic is really, and I mean reallyyy good at basketball. A “down” season saw him average 27.7/12.9/10.7. The guys put most of the pressure on Denver’s front office to maximize Jokic’s prime. With the Thunder, Spurs, and Timberwolves ascending, the Nuggets need to assert themselves atop a crowded West.

3. Victor Wembanyama

Now here’s a name that drew a lot of controversy. Kenny especially argued that Victor is “damn near pressure-less”, which I find hard to disagree with. At 22, Wembanyama has already won DPOY, finished 3rd in MVP voting, and made an NBA Finals.

Mike does make an interesting point though- this dude is literally nicknamed “The Alien”. Once your chasing best ever status, the pressure is permanent. Every season that isn’t a DPOY or deep playoff run will now feel like a step backwards.

Kenny’s point is what the perception should be. Mike’s feels more accurate to how the current basketball landscape. Was LeBron under a fair amount of pressure? I believe we can acknowledge the heightened expectations of generational players while still allowing them room for growth. We’re all only human.

Want the other 3 names? It’s a secret 😉

Jump to 1:24:00 in the pod for the in-depth discussion and reveal of the #1 spot on Mike’s list…

Diana Taurasi's No. 3 went into the Phoenix rafters Sunday night, and the tribute was as singular as the player: 20 former teammates, one for each of her 20 seasons, walked out carrying white roses. The Mercury set up a literal goat petting zoo. A sellout crowd of 16,513 watched as #3 was raised into the rafters in honor of perhaps the greatest WNBA player ever.

Taurasi retired in 2025 as the WNBA's all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points, a record built over two decades entirely in Phoenix after she went No. 1 overall out of UConn in 2004. The White Mamba won three WNBA titles (2007, 2009, 2014), the 2009 regular-season MVP and Finals MVP, five scoring crowns, and six Olympic gold medals. An unmatched run of sustained excellence at the highest level of the sport.

But the numbers undersell what she meant to the game's trajectory. Taurasi arrived when the WNBA was fighting for relevance and left it ascendant. She played with a swagger and edge that gave the league a genuine superstar personality. She’s a competitor stars a generation younger, from Caitlin Clark to Paige Bueckers, cite as the template. She bridged the WNBA's survival era and its current boom, staying loyal to one franchise the whole way.

A legend in every sense of the word. Thank you, Diana.

This was a different newsletter than usual, really appreciate you for reading all the way through and giving it a try. Please let me know what I can do better!

Congrats on making it to the middle of the week. If there’s someone you love and haven’t spoken to in a while, give them a call today. You’ll both appreciate it.

Ben Gordnier