You know, as a huge NBA fan for at least 10 years, I've always felt like the process of searching for scouts gets shafted by how the game itself is the only thing that matters. While NBA games are great and all, being someone dedicated to the NBA itself takes a lot more than just watching the game and commentating on how these players are on the court. Off the court shenanigans are almost as, if not more, influential to an NBA player's game because basketball is a major mental sport. People think it's just about physicality and all that, but if you look at how NBA stars compare to each other, it's almost like they're pretty much the same physically. And this applies to each and every era of basketball: Showtime Lakers, the Spurs in the 2000s, Jordan and the Bulls, etc. Obviously there are exceptions, like how some players cannot be stopped in general because they're just too strong, but the generality of it is still in place. Mentality is MUCH more important, and having the right mental state consistently is what turns a star player into a superstar player. Whether that mentality is being incredibly humble, incredibly cocky, or both, that's ALWAYS gonna be more important. And I feel like this movie captured that so ingeniously well.

Bo Cruz, a talented street basketball player from Spain, is discovered by Stanley Sugarman while he's in the heat of a battle with this nobody trash-talker from the streets (who shouldn't be talking trash if you're getting your shots blocked outside the paint). Stanley sees that Bo has incredible physicality and has room to improve his mentality while he trains him for the NBA. One of my favorite scenes is the NBA Combine, where you see how incredible Bo (played by Juancho Hernangomez who does a fantastic job for his acting debut), is physically. However, once Kermit Wilts (played by the #1 pick Anthony Edwards) gets inside his head mentally, Bo struggles and gets frustrated, proving to the NBA world that he has a lot to improve on with his game.

This setup is so good because it shows what the NBA truly is. All of these NBA star players or people who are prospected to be NBA stars all have that physicality, but the mentality is what truly shows it. Seeing the struggles with Bo and his mentality, getting easily swayed by trash talk and mistakes on the court, shows to the world exactly the type of mindset the NBA requires, being the best basketball league in the whole world by miles.

Additionally, I could go on about all of the NBA references made in the movie & all of the cameos made by NBA players, like my BROTHER DIRK WERNER NOWITZKI (my all time favorite NBA player #MFFL) having a hilarious FaceTime sequence with Sugarman and Bo, and Kenny The Jet Smith playing Leon Rich, doing an excellent job for his debut in acting as well. It was weird not seeing him on Inside the NBA when they had their cameo, but it is what it is. I also appreciated seeing all of the 76ers players like Thybulle, Harris, Maxey, etc (although a certain big man was missing from the scene). And of course, I loved seeing my boy Luka, The Answer, Middleton, Dan Patrick, Boban (we'll miss you man, the trade was worth it though), DR. J (Sugarland's daughter should be ashamed of herself for that comment she made), Flop Rivers- I mean Doc Rivers, and everyone else who made the tweets they showed for the Boa Challenge segment.

Now as far as how the film is as a, well, a film, it's nice. The shots are great and the acting is well done throughout, especially from Sandler, who does a great job coming off of the crazy shit Uncut Gems was. Sandler’s love for sports (especially basketball) really helps him here, as he's able to understand the basketball mentality both as an actor and as a fan of the NBA. I have lots of respect for him for doing this. But if I'm being honest, I wasn't really paying attention to any of that stuff. I was way more into how great the theme of the movie was for the NBA, and honestly, basketball fans in general. Mentality is everything.

There's still so much to this film I want to talk about, like how the training montages feel so damn realistic. My personal trainer and I do this stuff all the time outside in the morning. I also love how the beginning montage of Sugarland doing his scouting felt so realistic. Some players just don't have what it takes, whether it's being a bahawk, taking things too personally, getting injured too easily, not being able to stay in shape, etc. So much goes into all of this stuff and the movie, yet again, does a great job at capturing that.

While I can't give this film a perfect score, I'm damn well gonna give it a high score because that's what it deserves. It wasn't just another "underdog story," but also a true look into the world of NBA and basketball in general. And for that, it deserves a watch from all basketball fans across the world.

8/10