Can Cade Cunningham Do It By Himself?

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – March 4, 2026

Episode Title: Can Cade Cunningham Do It By Himself?

Overview

This episode of The Athletic NBA Daily dives deep into the struggles of the Detroit Pistons with Cade Cunningham shouldering the offensive load, breaks down the Cleveland Cavaliers’ resurgence, and analyzes the limitations facing the Toronto Raptors. The hosts—Dave DuFour, Esfandiar (“Es”) Baraheni, and guest Tony Jones—also zoom in on the Philadelphia 76ers post-Embiid injury and the surging Charlotte Hornets, with additional insights into Victor Wembanyama's (Wemby) defensive dominance for the Spurs.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cavaliers vs. Pistons: Cunningham’s Heavy Burden

• Cavaliers edge out Pistons (Score: 113–109). Cavs were missing only Donovan Mitchell, while the focus was Cunningham's inefficiency (4-for-16 shooting).

  • Cunningham’s isolation: “When he isn’t able to get things going offensively, the offense struggles immensely for this Pistons team.” – Es, (04:29)
  • Thin shooting & support: The Pistons' lack of floor spacing and secondary creators was highlighted—Jalen Duren played well (24 points, 14 rebounds), but more was needed.
  • Pistons' math problem: Only 24 threes attempted (9 made), compared to the Cavs’ 46 attempts—“Math battle” (07:05).

• Asar Thompson’s Role:

  • Praised for defensive energy, transition play, and forcing turnovers—key to Pistons' playoff hopes (06:11-06:57).
  • “He is going to make or break this Pistons… chances of making a run.” – Es

• Cavs’ Depth & Trade Impact:

  • Dennis Schroder lauded for big bench minutes: “Dennis Schroder is going to win them a playoff game. I was just saying podcast. Did you say series?” (07:23)
  • Recent acquisitions (Keon Ellis, Jalen Tyson) and James Harden’s impact on shooters like Sam Merrill cited as crucial for playoff versatility.

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2. Toronto Raptors’ Ceiling Exposed

• Raptors fall to Knicks: Game tight until late, but Toronto falters in crunch time (09:02-10:29).

  • Struggling against top teams: “They have a problem when it comes to beating good teams. It’s just the point of the fact.” – Es (09:02)
  • Over-reliance on Brandon Ingram in isolation, not enough offensive creation or execution against elite defenses.
  • Mirrored Pistons’ issues: Poor three-point shooting forces them to win other margins (turnovers, transition, offensive rebounding).

• Historical Comparison: Echoes the old DeMar/Kyle Raptors—strong against weak teams, but limited vs. top competition (10:53).

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3. How Real Are the Knicks?

• Depth improved: “They’re deeper now… Mohamed Diaara and Jose Alvarado can get run… Shamet had a really good game… Carl Anthony Towns is playing better basketball as of late, and he is going to make or break this Knicks team this season.” – Es (12:05-12:31)

• Playoff expectations: Chemistry, lineup options, and Towns’ performance seen as difference-makers.

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4. Eastern Conference Playoff Race & the Charlotte Hornets’ Surge

• Hornets reach .500 (now 31–31, ninth in East):

  • Since Jan 21: 15–3 stretch after being 12 games under .500 (15:01).
  • “They have a top two offense in that stretch… and a top 10 defense.” – Es (16:06)
  • When fully healthy, starting five is 18–2.

• Potential as playoff spoiler: Hosts warn East contenders not to overlook the Hornets.

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5. Sixers’ Slide Without Embiid: Can Maxey Cope?

With guest Tony Jones

• Sixers lose by 40 at home to the Spurs:

  • “They are now 16 and 16 at home. So they have been decidedly a better road team… Didn’t have a lot of energy… It looked like their legs got drained.” – Tony (19:51)
  • Sixers have become too dependent on Embiid, with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe as only consistent creators (21:42).
  • Attrition of the season hitting them hard; earlier, they could “catch teams on any given night”, now teams are fighting for seeding (22:46).

• Embiid injury update: Out with strained oblique, status reconsidered after upcoming Jazz game (23:49).

• Schedule worries: Next up—Jazz, Atlanta, Cavaliers, Grizzlies (presumably Embiid rests B2B), Pistons. Sixers haven’t beaten some of these teams all season (23:49-25:17).

• If Embiid remains out:

  • “Falls on Maxey and it falls on VJ Edgecombe. And speaking of falls, VJ Askam suffered a nasty one… with lower back soreness.” (24:37)
  • Playoff seeding is at risk: “They could be eighth really quickly…” – Tony (26:54)

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6. Wemby & Spurs: Defense Without Scoring

• Wembanyama’s unique impact:

  • “It’s kind of surreal to watch a guy just dominate a game without scoring a point… I’ve seen Rudy Gobert do it, but it’s different than what Wemby does… Wimby plays all over the floor.” – Tony (28:52-30:49)
  • Describes Wemby's blocks, rim deterrence, offensive fluidity (passing, occasional shots), and defensive gravity—alters shots just by presence.
  • Spurs surrounded by “six POA defenders,” making it even harder for opponents to generate efficient offense (31:09-31:52).

• Championship outlook for Spurs:

  • “Do you think they could win the chip this year, Tony?”
  • “Oh, absolutely. 100. This is not to say they will because, you know, Oklahoma City is really good. Denver’s really good. [...] But the Spurs absolutely are in contention.” (32:05-32:10)

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7. Cavs and Harden: New Playoff Ceiling

• Harden’s passing & shooter effect:
  • “That’s the James Harden effect. He’s one of the best passers of this era, maybe of all time… They don’t need him to go out and score 30.” – Tony (33:23)
  • Freed up shooters (Sam Merrill with “catch-and-shoot threes”) and overall offensive versatility and floor management (32:48-33:43).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cade Cunningham’s struggles:
  “When it isn’t Cade, who else is it going to be? And tonight I don’t think they found a consistent [option]… Jalen Duren was awesome… but it’s not enough…” – Es (04:29)

• Asar Thompson’s X-factor status:
  “What he is able to bring… especially in a postseason setting, is going to make or break this Pistons…” – Es (06:18)

• About Pistons’ shooting:
  “They took 24 threes. They hit nine of them. That’s 22 fewer threes than the Cavs took.” – Dave (06:57)

• Schröder “Honeymoon” Effect:
  “Dennis Schröder for the first like three or four months of whenever he’s on a new team, he just ignites something.” – Es (07:39)

• On Toronto’s flaws:
  “I just don’t think they have what it takes to score against these good teams in clutch situations.” – Es (09:02)

• On Sixers reliance on Embiid:
  “Now he becomes a security blanket for the remainder of the roster. So now the rest of the roster looks like a roster that really misses Joel Embiid.” – Tony (21:42)

• Wembanyama defense anecdote:
  “There were at least five to seven other times where guys went into the lane, saw Wimby, and just dribbled the ball back.” – Tony (30:40)

• Spurs’ championship chances:
  “Oh, absolutely. 100. This is not to say they will… but the Spurs absolutely are in contention.” – Tony (32:10)

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Key Timestamps

• 03:06 – Show begins; Cavs vs. Pistons breakdown
• 04:29 – Cade Cunningham’s shooting woes; Pistons lack of options
• 06:11–06:57 – Importance of Asar Thompson; Pistons playoff worries
• 07:23 – Dennis Schroder’s impact for Cavs
• 09:02–10:29 – Raptors’ clutch issues, struggle vs good teams
• 12:05 – Knicks’ improved depth and playoff outllook
• 15:01 – Hornets’ turnaround and playoff dark horse
• 19:17 – Tony Jones joins: Sixers’ 40-point loss to Spurs
• 21:42 – Embiid’s timeline/impact; Sixers offense w/o Embiid
• 23:49–25:17 – Sixers’ tough schedule ahead
• 28:52–30:49 – Wemby’s defensive domination (only 5 shots, 6 blocks)
• 32:05 – Can the Spurs win a championship?
• 33:23–33:43 – James Harden's effect on Cavs offense/shooters

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Conclusion

This episode encapsulates the current climate in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, with a focus on the Pistons’ over-reliance on Cade Cunningham, the Cavs' potentially game-changing midseason moves, and the Sixers' precarious playoff position without Embiid. It also highlights the resurgent Hornets and the Spurs’ rare defensive weapon in Wemby. As always, the hosts balance sharp analysis with candid conversation, prepping listeners for the playoff battles to come.

Transcript

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Foreign.

[Dave Dufour]

And welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for March 4, 2026. I'm Dave Defor here with Esperahenny. Coming up, the Cavs get one back on the Pistons. The Raptors just do not have it. And Tony Jones is here to talk about the Sixers after getting crushed by Wemby and the Spurs. Good morning, everybody. Good morning. S. What's up?

[Esperahenny]

Good morning. Yeah, man, living the dream as always.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, watching basketball for a living. Not too bad, not too bad, not too bad. You should do it in a place that has better weather than Toronto, though, man.

[Tony Jones]

I. I highly recommend it.

[Dave Dufour]

I got a tan and it's the first week of March.

[Tony Jones]

Very good.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, things are.

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We did.

[Esperahenny]

We did add some sunlight though this. This week, right? Daylight savings is out the window. He added an hour.

[Dave Dufour]

We will add it. Right. That's. That's coming up. I think we. I don't know. Are we schedule?

[Esperahenny]

I have no idea.

[Dave Dufour]

It's a silly concept. If anybody wants to do anything about that, please, you know, call your senator. I agree. Low on the list of things to do, but, you know, hey, throw that one in there. Hey, we got to talk about the Cavs.

[Tony Jones]

They.

[Dave Dufour]

They get one back on the Pistons. 113, 109. This time they don't have to play them without their two starting point guards. Only Donovan Mitchell missing the game last night. So, James Harden versus the Pistons, what was your biggest takeaway from the game?

[Esperahenny]

Man, Man, I. It's the Pistons really, from the person side of things, Kate Cunningham was 4 of 16 in this game, and he was 4 of 8 in the first half. He ended up being 4 of 16. I think when he isn't able to get things going offensively, the. The offense struggles immensely for this Pistons team. And it's part of what we talked about when it comes to the playoffs for them, right? Like, how are they able to counter a second option for Cade Cunningham and for the rest of the roster? Because when it isn't Cade, who else is it going to be? And tonight I don't think they found a consistent. I mean, Jalen Duran was awesome in this game. He had 24 and 14, but it's not enough when you're going up against the Cavs firepower, even without Donovan Mitchell.

[Dave Dufour]

Well, especially with the. The length that the Cavs can throw out There defensively, they just don't have. The Pistons don't have the shooting for. To withstand the. The nights where Kate Cunningham is not the best offensive player on the court. Yeah. And four of 16, I mean. Oh. Of eight in the second half. Didn't score or he went to the free throw line. Like he shot his first two free throws.

[Esperahenny]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

You know, close to the end of the game. But again, like he needs to get downhill more often when the shot's not falling. But, but ultimately they have to figure out who's going to help space the floor around that guy. I mean, it's Duran gets his. He's going to hit the glass. He, you know, he's get some on his own. There's nobody else out there creating outside of Cade. And if the shot's not falling, he's not as scary. All of a sudden, Asar Thompson, you know, look, he only took 13 and he was wide open for it. Right. We're going to see much more of that. You know, the 7 of 11 from the field, that's all fine and good, but those sort of shots are just going to dry up in the playoffs.

[Esperahenny]

You know, I will say, I think, I think Asar is going to be really important for this Pistons team in the playoffs because he's so much.

[Dave Dufour]

One way or the other.

[Esperahenny]

Yeah, totally. And like he's so much a part of like forcing turnovers. You talk about the, the three point margin. The fact that they can't shoot threes means they have to win the turnover battle, means they have to win the transition battle, means they have to win the offensive glass. And so there's a couple of guys that are important to that. One, Isaiah Stewart, who just came back tonight. And two, I think it's a Sar Thompson who can force turnovers for them. You saw that turnover in late in the clutch situation where he got the steal, kind of got out in transition as well. What he is able to bring to this team, especially in a postseason setting, is going to make or break this Pistons, truthfully, their chances of making a run.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, look, they, they took 24 threes. They hit nine of them. Yeah. That's 22 fewer threes than the Cavs took.

[Esperahenny]

Math battle, man.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, exactly. That's the thing that I think they've got to worry about. Let's swing it to the Cavs. I think the story of the game, Dennis Schroeder coming off the bench, 15 points. You texted me at one point when we're watching, you're like, Dennis Schroeder is going to win them a playoff game. And I was just saying podcast. Did you say series?

[Esperahenny]

I said series.

[Dave Dufour]

Gracious to you.

[Esperahenny]

No, look, I. Look, I know they have Honeymoon Harden right now.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Esperahenny]

But underrated is Honeymoon Schroeder.

[Dave Dufour]

That's right.

[Esperahenny]

I mean, can we talk like last year?

[Dave Dufour]

Wish they had that guy. Exactly.

[Esperahenny]

Last year the Pistons had him in that postseason run. He was huge for that in that Nick series. If you think about like before that, the Raptors, at least to start the year, Schroeder was a big part of what they were doing. Yeah, Dennis Schroeder for the first like three or four months of. Whenever he's on a new team, he just ignites something in whatever the team requires, whether it's point of attack defense, whether it's getting to the line. And truthfully, if they are going to end up resting Donovan Mitchell or kind of nursing James Harden with this thumb thing for the rest of the year, having Schroeder as a backup, that's just going to step in and be feba. Schroeder is not a bad deal.

[Dave Dufour]

Hey, listen, if I'm the Pistons, I've got a little bit of Schroeder Freud right now.

[Esperahenny]

Nice watching.

[Dave Dufour]

Watching him. Sorry, I had to get that one in there. Okay, we got to talk raps. They got. They got smoked by the Knicks. It was close. Late.

[Tony Jones]

Yeah. And.

[Dave Dufour]

And as I'll like I'll tell you what happened. I had to go back and re. Watch the end of this game because I don't know, it was a weird league past night and the game went off for me. I had to reload the app. You know, it's always an app. And it was a four point game and I turned it back on. Yeah. And it was over. What, what, what happens for this team down the stretch of games where they just can't seem to put together any kind of offense outside of the guys that you do not want to shoot Shooting.

[Esperahenny]

Yeah, it's. Look, it's a thing against good teams, especially for this Raptors team. They fall to 4 and 16 top 10 teams in the NBA. They've lost 5 of their last 6 against these teams and 14 of their last 15 against the top 10 teams in the NBA. They have a problem when it comes to beating good teams. It's just the point of the fact. And if you look at their numbers. So overall The Raptors are 15th offensively, seventh defensively against those top 10 teams. They're 24th offensively, 10th defensively. And to your point about execution in the clutch. I just don't think they have what it takes to score against these good teams in clutch situations. It's a lot of Brandon Ingram, it's a lot of over reliance on him in isolation situations to score for them. And overall I thought they had a lot of mistakes in this one, both defensively and in the turnover battle. You talked about the margins. I mean, to a lesser degree the Raptors have similar issues when it comes to the margins because they're not a good three point shooting team. And so they have to win the turnover battle, they have to get out in transition, they have to crash the offensive glass. And I just repeated that twice in seven minutes because it applies to the Pistons and it applies to the Raptors. So this is a team that's struggling to beat good teams, truthfully, because against good teams it doesn't matter if you have one great defender and Scotty Barnes, you need to have multiple great defenders.

[Dave Dufour]

But also that's a harder way to win, especially against good teams. They don't turn the ball over as much as they're better at rebounding. You know, they usually shoot it better.

[Esperahenny]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

And so those opportunities just aren't there. And if you are a team that is, is used to taking risks, you do run the risk of getting into foul trouble or just, you know, getting having a disadvantage, you know, because you, you jump a steal and you miss.

[Esperahenny]

Now look, I will say that like taking care of business against bad teams and mid tier teams, that's important especially for a team like that. Has bucked expectations as we've talked about. Gives me big vibes of the 2013, 2014 Raptors, if you remember them, they had that big midseason turnaround. It was the first year of Kyle and DeMar. They were also 5 and 17 against the top 10 teams in the NBA. So very similarly couldn't beat the good teams. Took care of business against the worst teams in the NBA. So I wonder if that's just like

[Dave Dufour]

winning a title in 2019, is that what you're trying to say?

[Esperahenny]

I'm not trying to say that because I don't think the cb, CBA and cap environment today can allow them to keep a team from 2014 to 2020. Not possible.

[Dave Dufour]

Definitely not with the Knicks. With the Knicks, we're not really learning much about this team until we get to the playoffs. It's more just. It's consistency. Okay. They get the big win against the spurs, they handle business against the Raptors. You know, what's it look like over the course of the next five, six weeks, you know, when. What do their losses look like? I think is going to be the big question with them. Is there anything that you saw out of them that. That you. That stood out to you, that you thought was a positive for the Knicks moving forward?

[Esperahenny]

I just think they're deeper now. Like, I really like Mohamed Diaara and I like Jose Alvarado for them. I'm not sure how much they're going to end up playing in the playoffs, but those are guys who can get run.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean, his defense at the point of attack, I think is going to be important. Yeah.

[Esperahenny]

Like, I think depending. Those are probably like back of your rotation type of guys, but overall, I think those guys can give you something in the playoffs, and so they're a little bit deeper. Shamet had a really good game, Ton.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice or Guest]

Right.

[Esperahenny]

And I do think Carl Anthony Towns is playing better basketball as of late, and he is going to make or break this Knicks team this season. Like, of course we know what Jalen Brunson can do in the playoffs, but Cat playing better equals the Knicks playing better, and that's the recipe for this team moving forward. I will say we. We got a chance to watch a lot of Eastern Conference playoff teams tonight.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Esperahenny]

Do. Does anything change? I know. One game and one night, man, I feel.

[Dave Dufour]

I feel good about the Cavs, but I have since they made the. All the moves really, at the deadline. It wasn't just the Harden trade. I think getting Keon Ellis and. And Dennis Schroeder is going to be huge for them. We've talked about how they just had no bench. Yeah. You know, there was no one coming off the bench that you could.

[Esperahenny]

And Jalen Tyson, man.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Yeah. Jalen Tyson. I mean, I'm. I was about to say found money, but I mean, they drafted the guy. He has been excellent. Elite defender, maybe and. And might be an elite shooter. Has been this season has been very good. And then what James Harden's done for Sam Merrill, I think that the floor is going to be so open for that guy. Playoff time, I just. I think that they're going to have lineup combinations we haven't thought about yet. Whether that's just Mobley at the five or just Jared Allen at the five. With Tyson and Merrill, it's worth noting.

[Esperahenny]

By the way, Jared Allen did get hurt in this game.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Esperahenny]

Knee to knee, didn't come back. We'll see if that ends up being a thing for the rest of the season. Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

But, yeah, I do. I do think. I don't know, they, they made the moves that, that make them what, what could be a powerhouse offensive playoff team. The defense. You know, with them it gets tricky because sometimes they just tend to get soft come playoff time, it feels. But offensively, I do think that they're going to score.

[Esperahenny]

I, I do like this matchup for them against the Pistons. And if they end up playing the Pistons in the playoffs, I, yeah, I kind of like the Cavs in that series just because of, again, offensively they can score.

[Dave Dufour]

Offensive consistency is. It's the hardest thing about the playoffs.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice or Guest]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

Like it gets, you get into that half court game and do you, you know, do you trust James Harden and Donovan Mitchell or just Kate Cunningham? And I think that that's a question that the Pistons, you know, this is what they have to answer. It's process.

[Esperahenny]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Hey, speaking of answering questions, Charlotte Hornets have been, I don't know, they've been doing pretty well on the test, I think lately. They moved to.500, now 31 and 31 on the season. Beat the Mavericks last night pretty easily by 27 points. It's kind of what they do now. S. They do talk about the run that they've been on here lately. What's the record that you were just telling me?

[Esperahenny]

So look, January 21st, they were 12 games under.500. They were 16 and 28. They were 12th in the Eastern Conference. They have now went 15 and three since and are now 31 and 31 in ninth in the Eastern Conference. So they've jumped up a few spots. I think they have a chance to get up to sixth. I know we've kind of talked about this, but Philly obviously struggled tonight against the Spurs. Orlando is dealing with injuries. Miami is basically like a whatever team.

[Dave Dufour]

You don't know what they're doing.

[Esperahenny]

You don't know what you're doing. Exactly. So I, I truthfully think the Hornets can make a run here and with the way that they're playing, I don't know if I'm like a top team in the Eastern Conference. I want to face that in the playoffs.

[Dave Dufour]

I'd be scared. I mean, again, look, I keep, I keep picking on the Pistons just because of the offensive stuff. And I do think, you know, they've clearly been the best team in the east this season. But it would be scary, I think, if I was Detroit to have to face the Hornets with the way that they've been playing. Because let's not act like they haven't been playing defense. Right. They have been playing excellent defense.

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Yeah.

[Esperahenny]

No, they have, they have a top two offense in that stretch that I just mentioned and a top 10 defense. So they're locking up as well like that.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Esperahenny]

We have to give them credit and also obviously that starting five, we mentioned this a couple nights ago, but 18 and two, when they're starting five is fully healthy. It's a good team, man.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean, look, again, not saying they're going to win first round playoffs, but

[Esperahenny]

it would be entertaining.

[Dave Dufour]

They're going to win a game. Yeah, for sure. They're, they're not going to get swept that and, and we can hang that banner for this team. They've been bad for a long time. All right, guys, stick around after the break. We got Tony Jones here to talk about how sad the Sixers are right now and when Joel Embiid is going to come back and save the day.

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[Dave Dufour]

Oh, man. Tony Jones is joining us to talk about the Sixers, the man who's been haunted by French centers for, I don't know, at least the last decade. Tony, 40 points.

[Tony Jones]

Haunted is haunted is crazy.

[Dave Dufour]

Thanks to Wimby and the spurs. And Wemby barely did anything, man. Not a lot you can take away from, from a game that didn't have Joel Embiid. And you know, there's all these reasons that we can make for the Sixers getting blown out by 40 points, but at the end of the day, it's a 40 point loss at home, man.

[Tony Jones]

Well, I mean, and it's not the first 40 point loss at home of the season for the Sixers. They are now 16 and 16 at home. So they have been decidedly, decidedly a better road team than they have been a home team this season. You know, they didn't have, they just came out without a lot of energy. You know, it looked like their lanes legs got drained a little bit in Boston. You know, that was kind of a knockdown drag out that kind of got away from them late. But they had chances to, to kind of steal that one, you know. And I mean, this, this is the thing right now, every game that Joel and B doesn't play, you're putting that much more pressure and responsibility on Tyrese Maxey and Vijay Edgecombe because without Joel Embiid in the lineup, those are the only two guys that can, that can create shots and create offense on a regular basis. So, you know, the Sixers are in a bad spot. They're in a bad place. The schedule's not kind to them. I think more importantly, the schedule was kind to some of the teams that are around them. And you know, they, to me, the, the solution for, for me right now is that, you know, they have to get healthy and they have to stay healthy if they're going to keep a top six spot in the Houston Conference.

[Esperahenny]

Feels like they're always stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to Joel Embiid because they clearly need him to win every single night. And yet you don't want to rush him back from injuries given his injury history. And so what's the timeline for Embiid to come back here after that strain and, and, you know, get back to playing basketball for the Sixers?

[Tony Jones]

The, the irony of this is they didn't need him early in the season to win.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice or Guest]

Right.

[Tony Jones]

Every night because they were playing, you know, extremely well without him. And the irony to that is, you know, we didn't know how Joel was going to be like, we didn't know whether Joel was going to be washed or anything. And so when he came back and he's actually Joel Embiid again, the irony of him being Joel Embiid again is that he becomes a security blanket for the remainder of the roster. So now that you, you take away the security blanket, now the rest of the roster looks like a roster that really misses Joel Embiid.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

And, you know, so it wasn't that way earlier in the season, but now it is that way now, especially because the attrition of the season is caught up with the rest of the roster. I think in, in, in October and November and December, you know, your legs are still fresh. You know, you can go out and you can play hard and you can play with gusto.

[Esperahenny]

You can catch teams on any given

[Tony Jones]

night, October, November on any given night. But now, you know, we're in March and teams are like, teams are fighting for stuff, you know, these, you know, and you need your guys. So, you know, MB Is going to miss tomorrow night against the Utah Jazz with the strained oblique that he suffered, that he suffered in a win over to Miami Heat last last week. And you know, they're going to reevaluate him following that. But you know, they need him back because after the Utah Jazz, you're at Atlanta, who you haven't beaten this season, you're at the Cleveland Cavaliers, who you haven't beaten this season. You're home on a back to back against the Memphis Grizzlies. Presumably, Joel Embiid doesn't play that game because he doesn't play in back to backs. And then you're at the Detroit Pistons, who you haven't beaten this season. The schedule is not kind to the Philadelphia. Kind of reminds me of the Raptors a little bit.

[Dave Dufour]

And you got the Charlotte Hornets just like flying up the standings, chasing, breathing down their neck. And they're younger and can score and defend. I mean, I, I think it is scary time for the Sixers in their playoff hopes. I mean, how do they make do if Joel's gonna, gonna miss any of these big games coming up? I Mean, there. I guess there is no making do.

[Tony Jones]

Well, I mean, you have to make do by, you know, Tyrese Maxey going out and kind of proverbially emptying the clip. That's what happened against Boston. You look at Boston and, you know, I thought, you know, you see a lot on social media, oh, my God, Tyrese Maxey's, you know, he shot 12 for 34th in the field against Boston. You know, how else were they going to win? How else are you going to give yourself a chance?

[Esperahenny]

Yeah, totally.

[Tony Jones]

You know, especially without Embiid on the floor. So, you know, every game that Embiid doesn't play, this falls on Maxi and it falls on Vijay Escomp. And speaking of falls, Vijay Askam suffered a nasty one right before half, and he missed the remainder of the game with low. With. With lower back soreness. So, you know, that presumably puts the status of, you know, tomorrow night for him in jeopardy or at least in question. And even if he doesn't play, you know, how loose is he going to be with. With. With. With the lower back that, you know, he fell off?

[Sponsor/Ad Voice or Guest]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Hey, I know you didn't include them in the list of tough games. Utah is not, Not a bad, bad team.

[Esperahenny]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

They've been in it against a lot of good teams here lately and, and late. And even without Jaren Jackson and Lowry Market and all the guys that have been sitting out. So it's not even. Even Utah. You can't just put that one in the win column.

[Tony Jones]

The Jazz are forcing themselves to tank 100%.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Tony Jones]

If, if. If the Jazz wanted to be a playing team this year, they could be a playing team this year rather easily. And you know, my thing for, you know, Philly, you know, if. If they play Keante George, that's. That's not an easy game tomorrow night. So, you know, we'll see if, If. If the Jazz play Keante George. But, you know, my feeling with the Jazz is the game that they really need to lose this week isn't tomorrow night. It's Thursday.

[Esperahenny]

Dave, do you like that? Do you like that he said the game that they really need to lose? Dave hates the tank race, by the way.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, I'm out on tanking.

[Tony Jones]

I know you hate the tank.

[Esperahenny]

It is what it is.

[Tony Jones]

But listen, man, I think it's fascinating. It's fascinating on the other end. Like, listen, you know, the, The Sixers need to win tomorrow night because they're a half a game above the Orlando Magic. They're a half a game above the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat have another game this week in hand against the Brooklyn Nets. You know, so if, if, if the Sixers don't win tomorrow night, they could be eight.

[Esperahenny]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

They could be eighth really quickly, you know, so, you know, just like the. The Sixers need to win tomorrow night, the Jazz need to lose on Thursday night.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

So it'll be interesting to see. It'll. It'll be interesting to see exactly, you know, how the Jazz play it, whether they do play Keonte. Because if they do play Keonte, as we saw Monday night against the Denver Nuggets, could be trouble. That's. They're not a. They're not an easy mark.

[Esperahenny]

Yeah. No.

[Dave Dufour]

For the record, Tony did try to tell me about Keonte George, and I didn't listen.

[Tony Jones]

There were.

[Esperahenny]

So I asked Dave about Keonte George, and I said, would you. Would you think Keonte George is more Cam Thomas or Damian Lillard, you know, at the start of the season?

[Dave Dufour]

Cam Thomas.

[Tony Jones]

Yeah, but see, a lot of this is funny that you say that, but a lot of this is mental, right?

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

Like, how do you think Cam Thomas reacts if Will Hardy benches him?

[Esperahenny]

That's a good point.

[Tony Jones]

And doesn't start him for the last 25 games of the season. Which way does Cam Thomas go? Yeah, he goes this way. He did that to Keonte last year, benched him for the last 25 games of the season. Said, if you're not going to play any defense whatsoever, if you're not going to pass the ball, then I'm not going to play you. And Keonte said, okay, watch this. And spent every single day in the facility working with coaches.

[Esperahenny]

That's a really great point. Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

Probably took one of the biggest, bigger leaps that I've ever seen a player take.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Massive.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice or Guest]

From.

[Tony Jones]

From one year to the next.

[Dave Dufour]

Speaking of massive, you got, you know, you got eyes on Wemby at the game last night. He only took five shots, and he dominated this game. What is that like? I mean, you know, like, you've watched a lot of basketball and you've seen. You've covered a lot of really good big men. Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid. What's it like being in the building for this?

[Tony Jones]

It's. It's kind of surreal to watch

[Sponsor/Ad Voice or Guest]

a

[Tony Jones]

guy just dominate a game without scoring a point. I've seen Rudy Gobert do it, but it's different than what Wimby does. Yeah, because Wimby plays all over the floor. I've seen Rudy Gobert do it in terms of blocking shots, protecting the Rim and, you know, rebounding. One of my most vivid Rudy Gobert memories is in his second year when they played at Memphis, and Memphis was really good at the time, and he dominated all NBA level. Marc Gasol had, like, five points, but he had, like, 17 rebounds. Five, six block shots. And that was the game where everybody knew that the Jazz had to trade Ennis Canterbury no matter what. So, you know, I've saw that game, but, like, I saw Wimby tonight. You know, he's blocking shots. He's recovering the block shots like he's Bill Russell. He's dribbling the ball down the floor. He's catching people in the corner for threes. You know, just kind of just playing all over the place. And, you know, the. The points of the game where he's shooting, it's like, all right, I'm wide open. I'll just go ahead and take this shot, or I'm wide open or I'll take. Take this dunk, or, you know, this guy's challenging me. Let me just back him up one time off the dribble and hit a three, which is what he did to. To Andre Drummond, you know, but the block shots, the rim protection there were, you know, he. What, he has six blocks?

[Esperahenny]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tony Jones]

There were at least five to seven other times where guys went into the lane, saw Wimby, and just dribble the ball back.

[Dave Dufour]

Oh, V.J. edgecombe had one. That should turn into a meme. I mean, it was just. Nope, not gonna do this one.

[Tony Jones]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

Let's start again.

[Dave Dufour]

Well, and, you know, you brought up Gobert, and Gobert was like this, too. The rim deterrence. Yeah. Is as much of a thing as the blocks and. And, you know, rebounds.

[Tony Jones]

Yeah, it's the. It's the rim deterrence. And the. The thing that, you know, Gobert never had that Wimby has. Now he's got, like, six POA defenders on this team.

[Dave Dufour]

Oh, my God.

[Tony Jones]

Like Steph Castle, de' Aaron Fox. Dylan Harper works hard. Carter Bryant. I mean, these guys are legitimately point of attack defenders where it's like, there were so many possessions where Maxi had to go into multiple actions just to get a foot in lane. And then when he gets the foot in the lane, oh, my God, there's Wimby.

[Dave Dufour]

And then Devin Vassell's jumping all the passing lanes and turn those into buckets.

[Tony Jones]

Jumping the passing lanes. Julian Champagne is, you know, has been a terrific defender. They didn't even have Harrison Barnes tonight.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Esperahenny]

Iron Man. I mean, lost the streak. Do you think they could win the chip this year, Tony?

[Tony Jones]

Oh, absolutely. 100. This is not to say they will because, you know, Oklahoma City is really good. Denver's really good. I think the Boston Celtics are really good. I think the Detroit Pistons are really good. And speaking of really good, I think the Cleveland Cavaliers are really good right now. I think James Harden has done some things to unlock Cleveland that I think is going to really, really help them in playoff time.

[Dave Dufour]

That's perfect.

[Tony Jones]

We were just talking where they were last year.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, yeah. We were just talking about how much it opens up a lot of options for them. And then Dennis Schroeder and Keon Ellis. I mean.

[Tony Jones]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Playoffs are going to be fun, Tony.

[Tony Jones]

I mean, I said, listen, before they made this trade, you watch how hard Sam Merrow had to work to get his shot off, right? You know, running around, you know, working screens with the big, playing catch with the big, doing dhos with the bay, then coming off and taking shots. I saw multiple times where Sam Merrill just took catch and shoot threes.

[Dave Dufour]

That's it.

[Tony Jones]

Never saw. Just have never seen that with. With him in Cleveland.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice or Guest]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

And you know, that's the James Harden effect. He's. He's one of the best passers of this era and maybe of all time. And you know, and I think that he fits really well with this Cleveland team because this Cleveland team has Donovan Mitchell that's going to go out and score 30. They don't need him to go out and score 30, right?

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. They just need somebody to help keep the offense organized when Donovan Mitchell's not out there. Tony Jones, guys, go and read him over at the Athletic. Thank you, Tony, for hanging out with us. Thanks.

[Tony Jones]

I. I had nothing left to do after this, this game.

[Dave Dufour]

I don't think you. Look, we probably could have recorded during the fourth quarter and saved you. You know, we could have done it live after the game.

[Tony Jones]

Oh, my God. Another dunk

[Dave Dufour]

for Tony Jones at Esperahenne. I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for hanging out with us.

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