The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss the Houston Rockets climbing the ranks in the Western Conference (1:35), the Warriors' down year, and Western Conference teams with the brightest futures (21:22). Then, they talk through some Clippers confusion and whether they're ready to believe in the Bucks (48:18), before drafting the best NBA defenders (1:09:22), wondering if the Nets are in the worst spot in the league (1:27:16), and more. Host: Bill Simmons Guest: Ryen Russillo Producer: Kyle Crichton The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming, please checkout theringer.com/RG to find out more or listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices