Hardwood Knocks: An NBA Podcast

Dan and Grant hold a draft "lottery" in which they alternate picking NBA players they're most intrigued by for the 2026-27 season. There's just one catch: Once a player is selected, nobody else from his team can be chosen! As you test-drive this AD-FREE content, consider supporting us on Patreon or our YouTube membership section. 

ALSO: DON'T FORGET TO JOIN OUR OVER/UNDER COMPETITION. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO
1:50 - Draft criteria
4:27 - Pick No. 1
8:41 - Pick No. 2
13:41 - Pick No. 3
18:39 - Pick No. 4
22:25 - Pick No. 5
26:17 - Pick No. 6
32:07 - Pick No. 7
38:20 - Pick No. 8
42:59 - Pick No. 9 
46:47 - Pick No. 10
51:25 - Pick No. 11
56:10 - Pick No. 12
1:02:32 - Pick No. 13
1:07:50 - Pick No. 14 + Honorable Mentions

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TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
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Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
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Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

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Dan is joined by Lazarus Jackson (@lazchance) who covers the Detroit Pistons and NBA at large on Substack to break down the—YOU GUESSED IT—2026-27 Detroit Pistons. Keep up with all of Laz’s work here: https://lazjackson.substack.com/subscribe. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO
2:36 - Takeaways from last season
5:43 - The offseason approach
8:26 - Jalen Duren’s return and continued development
23:36 - The Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson fit
26:41 - Ausar Thompson’s on-ball usage
31:27 - Ausar-plus-shooting lineups
32:48 - Daniss Jenkins’ development
38:29 - Early impressions of Eubuka Okorie
44:07 - Cade Cunningham’s turnovers
48:41 - Ron Holland’s continued development
53:04 - Isaiah Joe’s role
56:03 - Kevin Hurter’s role
57:18 - Javonte Green’s role
58:09 - Ugonna Onyenso, Tolu Smith and shifting big-man depth
1:00:41 - Isaiah Stewart’s exit
1:04:53 - Biggest needs + John Collins’ fit
1:09:12 - The Pistons’ high floor
1:14:12 - Top-10 rotation
1:14:39 - Go-to crunch-time lineup
1:15:03 - Weirdo lineups we want to see
1:16:37  - PREDICTIONS

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SUPPORT US ON PATREON 🫶

SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️
TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
Instagram: @hardwood_knocks
Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
Dan's Twitter: @danfavale
Dan's IG: @danfavale
Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️
hardwoodknocks@gmail.com

Dan is joined by Grant Hughes (@granthughes) from Bleacher Report and the world-famous Hardwood Knocks podcast to break down the 2026-27 Golden State Warriors. JOIN OUR ANNUAL OVER/UNDER COMPETITION: https://forms.gle/xC3p9vhGyEumrq8H7. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO
2:53 - Biggest takeaways from last season
7:03 - Offseason impressions
11:23 - The Stephen Curry extension
22:20 - Impact of Kristaps Porzingis injury
27:25 - Jimmy Butler’s timeline and future
28:41 - New offensive identity and Draymond Green’s role
34:07 - Early impressions of Yaxel Lendeborg
40:15 - Brandin Podziemski’s role and future
48:57 - Which starting lineup spots are up for grabs?
50:41 - Size, defense, secondary lineups, forcing turnovers
57:19 - The importance of Brandon Williams, Gui Santos and Charles Bassey
1:02:00 - Will the Warriors have a better offense or defense?
1:04:08 - Biggest needs
1:04:51 - Golden State’s unique franchise arc
1:06:27 - Top-10 rotation
1:08:41 - Go-to crunch-time lineup
1:10:14 - Weirdo lineups we want to see
1:12:07 - Steve Kerr’s return
1:14:49 - PREDICTIONS

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SUPPORT US ON PATREON 🫶

SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️
TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
Instagram: @hardwood_knocks
Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
Dan's Twitter: @danfavale
Dan's IG: @danfavale
Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️
hardwoodknocks@gmail.com

Dan is joined by Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) of DNVR and the All NBA Show with Tim Legler to break down the 2026-27 Denver Nuggets. Subscribe to the DNVR Nuggets Podcast AND the All NBA Show on YouTube. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO
2:07 - Takeaways from last season
5:57 - The Peyton Watson trade return
13:02 - Nikola Jokic’s commitment
14:54 - Christian Braun’s importance
20:17 - More players bringing up the ball
24:30 - Cam Johnson’s role
25:39 - DeMar DeRozan’s fit
30:00 - Denver’s ball pressure and offensive rebounding
34:13 - Alpha Diallo and Trevon Brazille
36:00 - Cam Whitmore, Bryce Hopkins and Ryan Nembhard
41:13 - Do the Nuggets have enough depth?
43:22 - Wrinkles in Denver’s rotation
46:34 - Biggest needs
47:55 - Aaron Gordon flying under the radar?
49:09 - Top-10 rotation and weirdo lineups we want to see
52:49 - Nikola Jokic’s MVP case
55:07 - The Dave Joerger arrival
56:08 - PREDICTIONS

JOIN OUR ANNUAL OVER/UNDER COMPETITION

SUPPORT US ON PATREON 🫶

SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️
TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
Instagram: @hardwood_knocks
Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
Dan's Twitter: @danfavale
Dan's IG: @danfavale
Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️
hardwoodknocks@gmail.com

Dan is joined by Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) of the world-famous “Basketball, She Wrote” blog to break down the 2026-27 Indiana Pacers. Sign up for “Basketball, She Wrote” here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/basketballshewrote. And Subscribe to Caitlin’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CaitlinCooperBSW. JOIN OUR ANNUAL OVER/UNDER COMPETITION: https://forms.gle/xC3p9vhGyEumrq8H7. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO
1:17 - Lessons from last season 
4:25 - Tyrese Haliburton’s return
11:32 - The Ivica Zubac fit
37:54 - Pascal Siakam’s continued adjustments
42:53 - Impact of Andrew Nembhard’s shot quality
45:56 - Can Aaron Nesmith scale up?
50:38 - Kelly Oubre Jr.’s fit 
55:15 - Obi Toppin’s passing
57:41 - The secondary big man rotation
1:03:01 - Jarace Walker’s role and future
1:10:05 - Johnny Furphy’s return
1:13:11 - Confidence level in the bench
1:16:37 - Most intriguing two-way contract
1:19:34 - Biggest needs
1:20:49 - How will the Pacers approach the possession battle?
1:17:48 - Top-10 rotation
1:23:54 - Go-to crunch-time lineup(s)
1:25:06 - Weirdo lineups we want to see
1:28:35 - PREDICTIONS

JOIN OUR ANNUAL OVER/UNDER COMPETITION

SUPPORT US ON PATREON 🫶

SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️
TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
Instagram: @hardwood_knocks
Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
Dan's Twitter: @danfavale
Dan's IG: @danfavale
Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️
hardwoodknocks@gmail.com