Pacers Embarrass Knicks + Rockets Offensive Struggles

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily: Pacers Embarrass Knicks + Rockets Offensive Struggles
Date: February 11, 2026
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Esfandiar Baraheni (Es), Guest: Kelly Iko

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Episode Overview

This episode breaks down a dispiriting overtime loss for the surging New York Knicks against the Indiana Pacers, highlights Victor Wembanyama’s explosive night against an undermanned Lakers squad, and dives into the Houston Rockets’ offensive identity crisis, featuring expert insights from Yahoo Sports reporter Kelly Iko. The hosts analyze trends, raise concerns about playoff sustainability for both the Knicks and Rockets, and speculate on potential roster adjustments as the All-Star break approaches.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Knicks Suffer Letdown Overtime Loss to Pacers

[01:57–05:25]

• Loss Details: Knicks fall to the Pacers 137-134 in OT, snapping a hot 9-1 run.
• Fatigue & Roster Issues: Missing OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, their offense looked "lackadaisical" and lacked depth and rim protection.
• Overtime Fumble: Knicks failed to score in the first four OT minutes; late comeback fizzles.
• Defensive Troubles: Aaron Nesmith contained Jalen Brunson ("locked up" in key stretches despite Brunson scoring 40).
• Carl Anthony Towns Critique: Fouled out and home broadcasters openly criticized his play and persistent fouling complaints.
• Implications: Loss exposes persistent issues from last year—questionable late-game shot quality and over-reliance on individual heroics.
• Schedule Concern: First of a back-to-back, next vs. 76ers—rest plans now in disarray.
• Quote – Esfandiar:
  "A loss like this kind of reminds you of some of the flaws of this team in terms of the shot quality down the stretch." [04:58]
• Quote – Dave:
  "The Knicks are also on this sort of tightrope when it comes to their depth because when they lose OG and Mitchell Robinson, they lose their defense. Like, it is done." [05:28]

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2. Wembanyama's Electrifying Night vs. Lakers

[06:05–08:25]

• Game Context: Spurs beat a Lakers team resting all key players; Wemby still steals the show.
• Statline: Only 26 minutes, 40 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, a block, multiple assists.
• Historic Pace: 25 points in just 8 first-quarter minutes.
• Hosts Lament Reduced Minutes: Fun to think about Wemby pushing for a 60+ or 70-point game ("would be more fun though if we put up like 90 points" – [08:25] Dave).
• Quote – Esfandiar:
  "25 points in eight minutes. It doesn't make sense. He was a man on the mission." [07:44]
• Injury Caution: Hosts glad the Spurs exercised caution given Wemby’s prior knee issues.

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3. LeBron James' Historic Streak Ends

[06:15–06:31]

• Notable Moment: LeBron misses his 18th game of the season, making him ineligible for All-NBA honors for the first time in 21 years.
• Quote – Dave:
  "For the first time in 21 seasons, he's not going to make all NBA." [06:19]
• Brief nostalgia about LeBron's unprecedented consistency.

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4. Jason Tatum Injury Update

[08:25–10:09]

• Recovery Progress: Tatum practised five-on-five, but no clear return timeline.
• Playoff Speculation: Possible return ahead of postseason; hosts recall Dominique Wilkins’ swift post-Achilles comeback as a parallel.
• Quote – Dave:
  "I mean, it feels like we might be building up to a big coming back moment." [09:13]

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5. Houston Rockets: Beating Clippers but Facing Systemic Offensive Issues (with Kelly Iko)

[14:00–30:29]

a) Rockets-Clippers Game Insight

[14:00–15:45]

• Weakened Opponent: Clippers down key players; win doesn't transform Rockets’ fortunes, but any W counts before the break.
• Quote – Kelly Iko:
  "Frankly, this is not a good Clippers team on paper right now...but a win is a win in the Western Conference." [14:43]

b) Rockets’ Three-Point Shooting Problem

[15:45–18:02]

• Low Volume, Occasional Accuracy: 14 makes on 28 attempts vs. Clippers. System won't shift to more threes.
• Personnel Issues: Shingun reluctant beyond the arc; double-big lineups remain central despite injuries.
• Mathematical Problem: Low 3PT attempts can create playoff “math problem” against high-volume opponents.
• Quote – Kelly Iko:
  "This is a math game now and I think for tonight you hit, what was it, 14 threes...But in terms of consistency, you have to play a system..." [17:15]

c) Failure to Modernize Offense

[19:22–21:25]

• Pace & Style: 25th in time to shot; deliberate offense, light on pick-and-roll usage, bottom 10 frequency.
• Possible Adjustments: More P&R with Kevin Durant as initiator; considering small-ball lineups with Jabari Smith at the 5; more aggressiveness from Reed Sheppard.
• Quote – Kelly Iko:
  "If you want to speed things up, get them a little bit more modern. You need high pick a roll and put the ball in Kevin's hands." [20:24]

d) Depth and Playoff Ceiling Doubts

[24:45–26:27]

• Rockets Not True Contenders: Labeled a "second round out" due to halfcourt and three-point issues.
• Quote – Kelly Iko:
  "Do I see the Rockets as real contenders right now? No. But I think they're very strong. Tier 2 and in the playoffs, anything can happen." [25:02]

e) Late-Game and Playmaking Woes

[26:27–28:15]

• Clutch-Time Offense: Regresses to isolation; desperately misses Fred VanVleet’s decision-making.
• Fred’s Health: 5% chance he returns in postseason, but team holds onto hope.
• Quote – Kelly Iko:
  "Fred is tough as nails and he understands that this team needs him...he's the organizer, leg games, he can get guys in those shots." [26:50]

f) Trade Deadline Inactivity & Buyout Market

[28:15–30:29]

• Reason for No Deals: Didn’t want to block development of Reed/Amen Thompson, but open to a buyout market addition (Chris Paul, Cole Anthony floated).
• Organizational Need: More shot creation and offensive organization, not just scoring.
• Hosts Express Doubt Over Buyout Help: "How often do buyout guys come in and help? Right? Like it's never." – [18:04] Dave
• Quote – Kelly Iko:
  "If you have someone that can come in...and get guys quick shots, I think that would be a help. Now, going back to the whole do bio guys actually help? That's, you know...what you're describing is Chris Paul, though." [29:00]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dave (on Wemby):
  "It would be more fun though if we put up like 90 points. Yeah...I need most history because I don't know if we can trust that 100 point game." [08:25]

• Esfandiar (on Knicks):
  "It looked like it was, hey, Jalen Brunson, please save us. Hey, Carl Anthony Towns, please save us. And some of the same offensive issues that we saw last year were rearing its head tonight." [05:12]

• Kelly Iko (on Rockets’ system):
  "This is a math game now...a low volume three-point shooting team, typically you have to be exceptional at everything else if you're not going to shoot a ton of threes." [17:15]

• Dave (on Rockets' prospects):
  "They're on a tightrope...they're a good second round out." [24:58, consensus with Kelly Iko]

• Kelly Iko (on Fred VanVleet):
  "Fred is tough as nails and he understands that this team needs him. And I know you heard Alpern talk about the difference between last year and this year was Fred and he's the organizer leg games." [26:50]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Knicks-Pacers review: [01:57–05:25]
• Wembanyama’s performance/Lakers: [06:05–08:25]
• LeBron All-NBA streak ends: [06:15–06:31]
• Jason Tatum comeback update: [08:25–10:09]
• Rockets’ Clippers win & three-point problem: [14:00–18:02]
• Offensive system/modernization debate: [19:22–21:25]
• Small-ball options & bench rotation: [22:14–24:00]
• Western Conference ceiling for Rockets: [24:45–26:27]
• Fred VanVleet's impact and playoff return hope: [26:27–28:15]
• Deadline inactivity, buyout speculation: [28:15–30:29]

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Tone and Style

The episode moves briskly, mixing sharp game analysis with witty banter and a dash of nostalgia. The hosts highlight concerning trends for both teams, with Esfandiar providing analytics-driven skepticism and Dave offering pragmatic, sometimes sardonic, insights. Guest Kelly Iko brings deep insider knowledge of Rockets' strategic hurdles and potential tweaks, with a tone both frank and hopeful about marginal improvements but skeptical about true contention.

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This summary captures the episode’s critical themes, discussion trajectories, and memorable quotes, ensuring a listener will understand both the content and spirit of this NBA Daily installment.

Transcript

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[Dave Defour]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for February 11, 2026. I'm Dave Defour here with Esperaheni. Coming up, the Knicks suffer an embarrass loss. Wy goes nuts. And Kelly EO is here to talk about the Rockets. Good morning, everybody. What's up? S thankful for Wemby and the spurs giving us a little bit of an earlier night. Yeah, blowing out the Lakers.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah, Nobody played for the Lakers, but Wemby just decided to make it his playground. It.

[Dave Defour]

It was nuts. Yeah, we'll. We'll get to that in a second before we get there. Let's go negative, man. The Knicks lost to the Pacers 137, 134 in overtime. And this is a stinker for the Knicks, who've been pretty good 9 and 1 in their last 10 coming into the game. It's just one of those. It felt like a game that was the week of the All Star break, but the Knicks, like, they just felt like they just didn't have enough steam to. To finish them off. And then we saw in overtime they went scoreless the first four minutes, I didn't think they were going to score a point before their little hectic comeback.

[Esperaheni]

I mean, honestly, it was, it was bizarre that they even forced it into overtime because it felt like the game was out of reach. Pascal Siakam missed a free throw. There was an opportunity. I think it was a two point game. Landry Shammon missed a shot. Then Carl Anthony Towns got filed on an offensive rebound, knocked down two free throws. They force overtime. But it was, it was bizarre that they even got to overtime because of how, to your point, lackadaisical the offense looked. I mean, they shot 30% from three last night. No Gianna Nobe, no Mitchell Robinson, which is important to note here. Like they were clearly missing some depth, which matters for them. But yeah, it was a tough game for the Knicks. And more, more than that was Aaron Neesmith locked up Jalen Brunson in that overtime. Like, yeah, don't get me wrong, Jalen Brunson still ended up with 40 points, but locked up is relative here.

[Dave Defour]

I would say the last like eight minutes of the game. Aaron NE Smith really, really like dominated that matchup to, to a certain degree. You know, again, Brunson looked like he was out of gas. Carl Anthony Towns, you know, look, you look at the stat sheet, you see 20, 22, 14, okay, had a decent gate, but the defense wasn't there for him. Right.

[Esperaheni]

Fouled out in this game too.

[Dave Defour]

He fouled out. You know, Mike Breen and, and Clyde Frazier not very happy with the way Cat's been playing.

[Esperaheni]

They were openly. That was surprising because, you know, obviously it's a home broadcast. Yeah. And to me that's always telling when the home broadcast is talking about a specific player. And it was, you know, Mike Breen saying that Cat should really stop with the complaining to the foul. Complaining on the foul calls. And then Clyde was talking about how he messed up on the offensive foul that forced him to get fouled out.

[Dave Defour]

Which little bit of a bad call, I would say, by the referee. But I, I at least understand the sentiment. Like, you know, you don't have to stick your leg out, you know, on the screen, but you know, the Knicks and they've got. This is the first game of a backtack. And so they've got the Sixers tonight. You, you lost the easy one. Yeah. You know, now you c. I don't know how you can you rest, guys on the second night of a back to back. Now, probably not. I don't know if that was their plan, you know, obviously. But now you like, you need to pick up this win.

[Esperaheni]

No, of course. And, and this, these are the type of losses that are deflating if you're a Knicks fan.

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Right.

[Esperaheni]

All of this momentum buildup you just mentioned, they were 9 and 1, they were looking good. Maybe they had turned a corner. And a loss like this kind of reminds you of some of the flaws of this team in terms of the shot quality down the stretch.

[Dave Defour]

It.

[Esperaheni]

It looked like it was, hey, Jaylen Brunson, please save us. Hey, Carl Anthony Towns, please save us. And some of the same offensive issues that we saw last year were rearing its head tonight, and it was against a familiar foe.

[Kelly Eco]

Right.

[Dave Defour]

Well, the Pacers in MSG is just something else.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Dave Defour]

But the, the Knicks are also on this, this sort of tightrope when it comes to their depth because when they lose OG and Mitchell Robinson.

[Pura Wellness / Mint Mobile / Ethos Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Dave Defour]

They lose their defense, like it is done. Their rim protection is gone. Obviously what Mitchell Robinson does as a rebounder is hugely important for them. So, you know, we, we can throw this one out. But again, they have struggled to keep these guys on the court, especially Mitchell Robinson. You know, they gotta hope that, that they can stay healthy. Speaking of healthy, Wemby looked good last night. Looked very healthy. He only played 26 minutes though.

[Esperaheni]

Sadly, this, this was an absurd game. Because you texted me and said go see what Wemby was doing.

[Dave Defour]

And because we weren't going to cover the game, the Lakers sat everybody. Nobody's playing for the Lakers.

[Esperaheni]

LeBron James is no longer eligible for any awards, by the way.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, that's right. He missed his 18 game last night. So for the first time in 21 seasons, he's not going to make all NBA.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Dave Defour]

Which is crazy.

[Esperaheni]

Crazy. I mean, it's basically for as long as everything.

[Dave Defour]

Every stat we say about LeBron now, we just, we add that little. Oh, it's crazy. That's just. Just drop that. We'll make a drop out of that. It's absurd. 21 years. S. Where were you 21 years ago?

[Esperaheni]

I honestly think the last time he wasn't an all NBA player. I didn't know what basketball was.

[Dave Defour]

You were in elementary school for sure.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah, yeah, I. Look, I came into. I came into basketball the same time LeBron James came into the NBA. You know, the NBA draft when he was drafted was maybe one of my first basketball memories. So that's how you know the all NBA. It's crazy. Let's go back to think of.

[Dave Defour]

Let's go back to Wemby. So we weren't Going to cover the game because the Lakers just didn't play anybody but Wemby kind of forced our hand here. Yeah, the guy is absurd. I mean, he had a great, great run in this game. 26 minutes, puts up 40 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, had a block, had a couple of assists. The spurs look good against nobody. Yeah, nobody, to be honest with you.

[Esperaheni]

40 on 20 shots in 26 minutes is impressive. But you know what's even more impressive to me, Dave? 25 points in eight minutes. That's what he did in that first quarter.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

25 points in eight minutes. It doesn't make sense. He was a man on the mission. On nine shots he did that and clearly it was against again, not the same Lakers team. I just wish we, I just wish he stayed in the game because I would have loved to see him go for 60. I would have loved to see him go for 70. And we never see that anymore.

[Dave Defour]

It would be fun. I will say this with, with how many times he's been banged up this year and the fact that he really hasn't, I don't think he's looked totally right since he had that, that little knee hyperextension thing, you know, over the holidays. I, I, I, I'm okay with it.

[Esperaheni]

You're being pragmatic. I get it.

[Dave Defour]

I understand. Would be more fun though if we put up like 90 points. Yeah, you know, I, I would love that. I need most history because I don't know if we can trust that 100 point game. Jason Tatum a little bit more Jason Tatum news. We told you yesterday that he got assigned to the main Celtics for practice. We scrimmaged five on five, full contact scrimmage. And the reports out of the gym are that Jason Tatum looks pretty good. Yeah. Now s after he said this doesn't mean he's coming back. I don't know, man. I feel like we're going to have a Gatorade commercial or something to set this up.

[Esperaheni]

Jordan Brand is cooking. Where were you?

[Dave Defour]

Listen, March 19, 1995, when Michael Jordan came back against the Indiana Pacers, like I remember that day.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Dave Defour]

And I'm not going to compare Jason Tatum here to that. I mean, that's a whole different thing. But I mean, it feels like we might be building up to a big coming back moment.

[Esperaheni]

I don't know.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, I'm hopeful.

[Esperaheni]

I'm, I like the fact that he might be making it a surprise because if he's playing 5 on 5 with contact, it feels like he's pretty close. Right. I mean, if that's where he's at at this point. I was looking at this a couple of weeks ago, but Dominique Wilkins came back after 10 months, right?

[Dave Defour]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

And Jayson Tatum is, is basically reaching that 10 month threshold now. Dominique Wilkins, by the way, was an MVP candidate after he came back from his Achilles injury and all NBA player, all star player. I don't know if that's the version of Tatum we get back if he comes back this season for the playoffs for the Celtics. But just the, the timeline of return would be remarkable and unprecedented. So yeah, hopefully he comes back this season, man, be pretty awesome.

[Dave Defour]

Okay, guys, stick around after the break. Speaking of coming back, Kelly Eco returns to the show. You're not gonna want to miss it.

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[Dave Defour]

Hey, the Rockets got a win against a, well, I would say not quite the same Clippers, but they were doing pretty well there for a little bit. S our man. Kelly Eco, national reporter for Yahoo Sports. The ecosystem back in the house. What's up, buddy?

[Kelly Eco]

Hey, well, I miss y' all guys, man. How y' all doing, brothers?

[Dave Defour]

Miss you too, buddy. Good to have you here. You were at the game. Kawhi has been a monster recently and the Rockets, they, they figured out a way to pull out a win. You know, look, they're down a couple guys. What does a win like this look like for the Rockets in your book? Like, do you feel like this is a measuring stick game for them when they've been struggling a little bit?

[Kelly Eco]

I think yes and no. You know, if you're in Houston's position at this point, given your team's up and down, you know, in terms of consistency, any win at this point, especially going to the break, which is going to be the pivotal evaluation period, is important. Now, granted, this is a very different Clippers team than the one you faced previously, where they were one of the hottest NBA teams coming into the game. Now everything is going to be channeled into Kawhi. You can Easily put two on the ball and force them to play four and three. This is a much different looking Clippers team as you saw tonight. They're having to, you know, look for offense from, you know, John Collins, have to be more aggressive. They're trying to incorporate Ben Mather in, you know, now starting Brook Lopez, who's, who's a shell of himself. This is not a, frankly, this is not a good Clippers team on paper right now. So in terms of a measuring stick, I wouldn't say that this game really moves the needle for Houston, but a win is a win in the Western Conference. So I don't think there'll be any complaints for them, you know, after today.

[Esperaheni]

Kelly, we've talked so much, Dave and I, about the, the three point attempts for this Rockets team and the volume in general, and they took 23, 28 threes tonight. They made 14 of them. Right. And that helped them in a massive way offensively. But is there any hope that they change or maybe update their offensive system to shoot more threes?

[Kelly Eco]

Uh, I don't think so. And I think that's one of the biggest.

[Esperaheni]

Fair enough.

[Kelly Eco]

That's one of the, the telling signs of this team, I think, coming into the year. If you look at them on paper, there were, I wouldn't call them dreams that were sold, but there was this idea that if Alpern Shingoon shot more threes, if Dorian Finney Smith Jr. Came in off the ankle injury and was an effective floor spacer, then you could kind of see those, the three point rate go up. But as you've seen, you know, Alpern, he's more, he doesn't want to take those threes unless he really has to. He's more of a, in the pain around the elbows kind of guy. Dorian hasn't really found a rhythm since coming back from the injury and you know, for so long until Steven Adams went down, this team played to the identity of their double big lineup. So everything's going to be in the paint, everything's going to be in the mid range. They're also going to adhere to how Kevin Durant plays the game as well, which is he, he'll shoot threes, but he's more of a mid range operator. So in terms of what the math problem suggests, which is why I think it could be a problem in the playoffs. A low volume three point shooting team, typically you have to be exceptional at everything else if you're not going to shoot a ton of threes. This is a math game now and I Think for tonight you hit, what was it? 14 threes, I think you said.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, 14 is 14 for 28. Yeah.

[Kelly Eco]

Which is good. But in terms of consistency, you have to play a system where you're getting Jabari shots early, you're getting read shots early, you're getting target shots early, and that can oftentimes take away from what your, your best attributes as a team are. So I think the, the tricky thing for IME in this group over the break is to figure out can we raise that level, that three point rate while also keeping our identity as a, as a basketball team. So I think obviously if you look at options on the market, the buyout market, maybe some more things come in in the next couple of weeks. But frankly, this is the group that, that's going to be there, you know.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

They're not making any changes.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, yeah. Also, come on, figure it out. How often do Bible guys come in and help? Right? Like it's never, it's gonna be like tracy. Is Tracy McGrady gonna get, you know, come and come and sign for the Rockets again? I, look, I, I will say this about the three point volume and with Shingoon especially like he can be like a release valve guy and I just think what his ability to drive and then, and then kick. I'm not as concerned about him being low volume. I think everyone else though, they got to get the shots up because I, I know it's tough to play, you know, four round one or even like five out with kd. And ideally what they had with Steven Adams and Shingoon worked well because KD has all that room to operate and you were getting kickouts to open shooters, right, like on a KD miss, which you know, is pretty rare, right? But with Shangun, you know, and we saw it a few times in the game against the Clippers, right? Almost always if he's guarded by the, the opposing big, he's got a foot speed advantage. He can get by him and get to the paint. Like we saw him get a couple dunks and I. So I don't think that his volume needs to go up. Everybody else, I mean even Reed shepherd, like he only took six threes in the game. He needs to just be gunning because he is the, the guy that outside of KD is, is really going to be drawing the attention out there.

[Kelly Eco]

So.

[Dave Defour]

Okay, I want to swing it back and stay with this offensive thing because their identity was. We were gonna, we were gonna crush you in the mid range and we were gonna crush you on the Glass. And so they were just gonna win. They were gonna win the math problem on twos.

[Pura Wellness / Mint Mobile / Ethos Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Dave Defour]

Which is, which is tricky. So what's the pivot since they don't have Stephen Adams? Because I'm sorry, but click capella and Operation Goon, that's not going to get it done.

[Kelly Eco]

Yeah. So I actually talked to Kevin about this a couple of days ago. But if you go back and look at Kevin's history the last couple of years, he's always been a proficient pick and roll player. And I talked to him about putting the ball more in his hands and allowing him to be in an initiative. He talked about how everyone understands why he's on this team to make shots. But sometimes, as opposed to being a play finisher, he can be a play initiator. Put him in the ball, let him run pick and roll with Alperna. Let him run maybe inverted picker roll with a smaller guard.

[Dave Defour]

They've done that with Reed. Reed. Reed runs that little ghost flare screen. I mean, he just, you know, so.

[Kelly Eco]

They'Re bottom 10 in terms of pick and roll frequency, which is, you know, in terms of high octane, you know, optim modern offenses, which is one of the Rockets calling or the, the, the things against them that's been over the last couple of years is that they've had an outdated offense. Right. If you want to speed things up, get them a little bit more modern. You need high pick a rule and put the ball in Kevin's hands. I think what would happen is that this is a Rockets team that's the 25th in time to shot. They take a lot of time off the shot clock. They're very patient with it. But if you put the ball in his hands, maybe you can speed things up. Maybe you can get Reed or Dorian or Jabari more looks early to open things up and then you can go to your, your two man game with Alin and have that, that high, low balance. So I think if you want to pivot and you want to find a new and another branch of your identity, I think it's a smart idea to lean on one of the greatest scorers of all time and say, hey, let's put the ball in your hands and allow you to create and see what happens after that.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, I saw that. He's got a thousand twenty plus point games now.

[Esperaheni]

It could be a million and I would believe you.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, he's 4 4th on the all time list. I mean, it's.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah, no, Kevin Durant's incredible. You know what's funny? About kd and I watch a guy in Toronto and Brandon Ingram who tries to replicate what Kevin Durant does. And both of those guys, there's a quality that's, that's difficult to get the ball to them, which is they're both skinny dudes and it takes a while for both of them to fight through screens and get into the post. And the post entry pass itself, it feels like it's a lost art to actually get the ball into their hands quickly. And I think that's something the Rockets struggle with. It's like the timing of getting the ball into KD's hands a lot quicker compared to having him be the trigger guy in certain actions.

[Kelly Eco]

Should Reed shepherd start for what this team needs? No, I think it's he's more effective as a change of pace guard. Now if you're looking at a situation where and this has been something that's very confusing to me since Stephen Adams went down, they've only played like their small ball group. The most minutes they've played is like 35 or 36 and, and I thought that because IME had said that he was going to lean more on small ball, you know, in the wake of Stephen Adams season ending ankle injury, we haven't really seen that much small ball from this group since then. I mean there was a couple games early on after Stephen got hurt where you saw, you kind of saw, you know, KD and Jabari at the four five and Josh and the man in Tari and the ball's moving but we haven't really seen that much since then. So going back to your earlier point about another way to pivot or another wrinkle in their offense potentially, I think going back to small ball could be an option that's always there. I know Jabari has always talked about why he can be effective as a stretch 5. He can handle the ball a bit shot, create a bit. You pair that with a KD and a smart player in the back roller like in a man or Reed and Tart, now you might have optionality versatility on both ends of the floor. So for Reed, he's more effective coming off the bench being aggressive. Going back to what Dave said, if he's taking six threes a game, that's not really why you're there. That needs to be closer to 10 the double digits to at least force the defense to have to react. Like if defenses know that you're going to be passive and you're going to try and defer to Alperna Katie, that's not why they drafted you, brother. Like they brought you in to shoot the leather off the ball. So I think just him being more aggressive and confident is what can be a real bench weapon and that could be really effective in the playoffs.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, it's tricky with his height, but sometimes he, he might need to take some bad ones. Do you know what I mean? And it's beyond just like. Yeah, exactly. Just keep him. Honestly, Con canipple has been really good at this as a rookie already. I mean, you know, you watch him and he's just gunning. I think that Reed could probably learn a lot from that. Also that small ball lineup with a men that gives you another screen role guy. I mean, you know, that's more vertical spacing. Also another way to get a men going downhill, which is when he's a little bit more dangerous. They do have options. So I'm really curious to see after they've got some time out of the break, you know, what this looks like when they kind of reassemble. Where do you, where do you see that they stack up in the west, you know, do, do they have a shot, in your opinion, to, to come out and make it to the finals.

[Kelly Eco]

To come out of the Western Conference?

[Jonathan Fields]

No.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, I, okay.

[Kelly Eco]

I, I, I mean I have them.

[Dave Defour]

In like they say, I'm hating on the Rockets.

[Esperaheni]

You hear that? Dave's ears. Because Dave has been a Rocket skeptic for the last month.

[Dave Defour]

It's a heart. They're on, they're on a tightrope. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kelly Eco]

And I think, I think the reason for that is not, it's just the way they, they operate as a unit. Offensively they're 25th, I think in offense over the last two weeks. And, and I'm seeing kind of similar things to last season where, you know, if you struggle in the half court and you struggle from, from the three, once teams understand that, have that data on you and that film, we'll see what the warriors did last year, which was they're just going to go zone and they're going to say you have to shoot 45 threes to beat us. And if you can't, it's going to be a very long series. So yes, I think in the playoff series you could see Kevin Durant raise the ceiling of this team, but you could also see the weaknesses of this team be, you know, magnified in terms of like shot creation, you know, control, pace. Those slow playing teams in the playoffs, everything slows down. So it's not as if you can just Rely on. We're a patient, you know, team that's going to probe the defense and get the best shot. You have to have a plan B, a plan C, a plan D. So do I see the Rockets as real contenders right now? No. But I think they're very strong. Tier 2 and in the playoffs, anything can happen. That momentum. If you steal a game on the road, you come out. Anything can happen. But as currently constructed right now, I think they're a good second round out.

[Esperaheni]

I think one of the biggest questions I have for them in the postseason in general is like their fourth quarter execution, which is exactly what it was last year. Like the clutch time offense starts the down again and it's, it's a lot of one on one ISO and it's. You're not generating a ton of good looks and Fred Van Vliet plays a huge part in that. I think getting him back would be massive. Is there any hope that Fred comes back for the postseason?

[Kelly Eco]

I. I think they're hanging on to any thread. Even if it's like a 2% chance like Fred, you know, he has these personal benchmarks that you have to clear. Yeah, I know you've seen a kind of similar thing with Jason Tatum in terms of you want to see how your body feels. Obviously your brain is telling you one thing, but physically you might be somewhere else. So getting to those benchmarks will give you a better sign of where you're feeling in March, April, like that if you're trying to come back. Because he doesn't compare to. Fred is tough as nails and he understands that this team needs him. And I know you heard Alpern talk about the difference between last year and this year was Fred and he's the organizer leg games. He can get guys in those shots. I know he was. It's killing him to not be out there being able to play with Kevin because of all the things that they discussed in terms of schematics and get guys open and that inverter pick and roll with him as a screener and, and just being. Being a veteran presence on the floor. So is there a chance I, I guess like if you want to put it on a number, maybe like a 5% chance, but as long as there's not zero, I think they'll always operate with that in their back pocket that, hey, we might get Fred back for a second, you know, if we make it past the first round, you come back in, in May or late April and give us the boost that we need. So that's kind of how they're. They're moving with things right now, you.

[Dave Defour]

Feel like that played a part in them not making any moves at the deadline to go gout and get a guard. Okay, yeah, yeah.

[Kelly Eco]

100. Because if you think about it, bringing in a guard is like a shiny new toy, and that would have helped things a lot. But if you're where the Rockets are, you have to find the balance of bringing in somebody that's not going to hurt the development of Reed and them in, while also understanding that once Fred comes back, you might be on the out. So it's like, how do you find that right player like Kobe White? Wasn't that because he's expecting to play? Like, that's right.

[Dave Defour]

And he's expecting a contract. And I'm assuming that whoever they were bringing in, they're looking for something short term and they're back to the buyout market. You know, maybe Chris Paul, you know, if.

[Kelly Eco]

If they work something out, like, there. There are players, there are these guards, and I think what they need most is if you were to go bring somebody in is just someone that's an organizer. Like, I think their biggest issue sometimes is a ton of the reason why they take so many shots late in the shot clock is because they're looking for the right shot. And like, it takes them a while to process things in the half court when defenses are rotating and you're trying to look from Alp to Kevin Atari. Like, it's a lot of stuff going on. And if you have someone that can come in to. To give those guys a break, a breather or two and get guys quick shots, I think that would be a help. Now, going back to the whole do bio guys actually help? That's, you know, what you're describing is Chris Paul, though.

[Esperaheni]

Like, if there's one thing that dude can do is organize an offense, you know.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah, but man, I just am not sure if you can have that personality come into that locker room. I don't know. I mean, maybe. Maybe with email.

[Kelly Eco]

That's a lot.

[Esperaheni]

That's a lot.

[Kelly Eco]

That's a lot.

[Dave Defour]

You never know. I mean, I will say, at least, you know, you look at the Houston Rockets, it seems to be everybody's pretty serious. And I think that the issues that Chris Paul had with the Clippers, that was a pretty unserious time in their season. So I don't know. I. I'm not sure who. Who they can get that can actually help, but I'm certainly interested to find out. Chris Paul would be fun.

[Kelly Eco]

Chris Paul would be fun.

[Esperaheni]

Cole Anthony would be.

[Dave Defour]

Cole Anthony.

[Jonathan Fields]

Yeah.

[Dave Defour]

Interesting.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Dave Defour]

Yeah. All right, well, we're gonna see where that goes. Guys, go and follow Kelly Eco. He's not with us anymore. He's with Yahoo Sports. One of the best the ecosystem. Thanks for hanging out with us. Yeah, love you too, man. Really glad you could hang out with us tonight. And I'll see you out at allstar this weekend. Kelly Eco and Esparaheni. I'm Dave Defor and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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