Tatum's return + Wemby's ascension

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily – "Tatum's Return + Wemby's Ascension"

Date: March 9, 2026
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Cata, Esfandiar (Es) Baraheni

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Episode Overview

This fast-paced episode dives into the NBA’s biggest weekend stories, focusing on Jayson Tatum’s much-anticipated return to the Boston Celtics, Victor Wembanyama’s meteoric rise in San Antonio, shifts in the Eastern Conference hierarchy, and key insights from the latest Pistons, Nuggets, and Lakers games. Hosts analyze team identities, player impacts, and discuss how these storylines shape the playoff landscape as the season approaches its final stretch.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jayson Tatum’s Return: A Game-Changer for the Celtics

(02:21–09:43)

• A Dramatic Comeback:
  Dave celebrates Tatum's first games back, describing his initial struggles ("0 for 5 to start… even got hung up on the rim on a dunk") but quickly shifting to excitement as Tatum regains form.

  “When he hit that sidestep three, I popped for that, guys. I yelled about it. It was awesome.” – Dave DeFore (03:02)

• Boston's New Dual Identity:
  Zena notes Boston’s adaptability, with two distinct approaches—Tatum-centric mismatch hunting and dynamic schemes involving Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.

  “There are two established identities for this Boston Celtics team now moving forward… makes them… more terrifying heading into the playoffs.” – Zena Cata (05:28)

• Depth & Improved Roster:
  The hosts emphasize improved depth with new contributors (Ugo Gonzalez, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh) and key big men (Porzingis, Al Horford).

  “They’re a deeper team than they were last year. The one knock… was that they didn’t have options to go to.” – Zena Cata (07:33)

• Team Spirit & Narrative:
  Es flags the positive energy surrounding Tatum’s return, downplaying media-created tensions between Tatum and Brown:

  “There’s going to be a reintegration process… but their bigs are better, more athletic, they’ve got more depth—and their depth is bigger, which is crazy!” – Es Baraheni (08:18)

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2. Victor Wembanyama: Ascending from Phenom to MVP Caliber

(09:50–15:40)

• Another Level of Dominance:
  Dave marvels at Wembanyama’s video game-like physical gifts and emotional investment (noting his postgame reaction):

  "If you made this guy in a video game, everyone would call you a cheater." – Dave DeFore (10:13)

• Beyond the Stats:
  Zena highlights Wemby’s consistent stat line (24 pts, 11 rebounds, league-leading blocks), but says his growth as a leader and defender is what's truly exceptional:

  "He’s taken his game to another level… the best defensive player in the league, a shape-shifting defender… to have the emotional awareness, the ability to lead at his age already…” – Zena Cata (10:55)

• Spurs as Serious Contenders:
  Es underscores the team improvement and Wemby’s impact on team offense, especially when facing double teams and facilitating for shooters.

  “What evil do we want to handle? Do we want the Spurs shooting incredibly well… or Wemby finding his shot and passing?” – Es Baraheni (12:00)

• Physicality & Rapid Development:
  Dave credits Wemby for adapting to NBA-level physical play, seeing rapid improvement:

  “He responds now to physicality… that’s different than the first month of the season.” – Dave DeFore (14:01) Zena adds:
  “He’s moving at an exponential rate… adding things to his game the following game… just absurd.” (15:15)

• Upcoming Celtics-Spurs Matchup:
  Hosts tease the Tuesday game as a potential NBA Finals preview.

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3. Pistons’ Recent Slump: Defensive Risks and the Blueprint to Beat Them

(18:50–24:42)

• Losing Streak & Defensive Drop-off:
  Dave and Zena note the Pistons' four-game losing streak, attributed to missing key defender Ausar Thompson and leading the league in fouls, causing instability and forced rotation.

  “They foul a lot. They’re number one in the league in fouls per game… leads to guys being in foul trouble… playing deeper into your rotation.” – Zena Cata (19:39)

• Exposed by Opponents:
  Es details how the Spurs exploited Detroit’s aggressive style by drawing fouls and getting Jalen Duren in trouble, unraveling the defense.

  “If you want to find out exactly what to do to beat Detroit: watch that Detroit-Spurs game. Textbook—use their game against them.” – Es Baraheni (21:51)

• Offensive Concerns:
  The panel raises doubts about Detroit advancing in the playoffs without stronger secondary creators, unlike teams like OKC who paired defense with elite offense.

  “They don’t have that advantage… if their defense falls off it’s much harder for them to win games.” – Dave DeFore (23:36)

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4. Nuggets’ Injury Woes and Contender Status

(24:42–28:10)

• Injuries Disrupt Continuity:
  Aaron Gordon returns, but Jamal Murray suffers another setback. The hosts debate Denver’s resilience amid non-stop shuffling.

  “They get their starting lineup back for the first time since November 12 and it lasted eight minutes.” – Es Baraheni (25:17)
  Zena says:
  “The fact that they’ve been this good with that stat is kind of astonishing.” (25:35)

• Cautious Optimism:
  Despite setbacks, Denver’s continuity and adaptability give them hope (“If there's any team in the NBA that I can trust can figure it out on the fly, it's probably the Denver [Nuggets]." – Zena Cata, 26:49).

• Questions on Defense and Adjusting:
  Dave is concerned about Denver’s defense, especially with Jokic on the court, and how they’ll respond to increased playoff defensive pressure.

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5. Knicks, Lakers, and the LeBron Question

(28:10–32:06)

• Knicks: Surging Then Slumping:
  Hosts praise the Knicks’ Friday win—showing improved defense/offense cohesion—before a slip against the Lakers, possibly due to travel, time change, and early start.

  “When the Knicks scored, you thought it was Madison Square Garden… But ultimately, Luca cannot be denied and Austin Reaves cannot be denied…” – Es Baraheni (29:08)

• Lakers Without LeBron:
  Discussion shifts to the Lakers' success when LeBron sits (“They’re now 9-2 when Luca and Austin Reeves play without LeBron”). Dave provocatively asks:

  “Is there a LeBron problem for the Lakers… is LeBron holding them back a little bit?” – Dave DeFore (29:51)

• Roster Construction & Role Redundancy:
  Zena argues the issue may be more about salary cap inflexibility/roster construction than LeBron’s play, noting the overlap in playmaking between LeBron, Luka, and Austin Reaves.

  “His $54 million salary slot might be holding them back from team building… is that an indictment on 40-year-old LeBron James? No.” – Zena Cata (30:12)

• Defensive Leadership & Depth:
  Shout-outs to Marcus Smart’s defensive energy and the contributions of role players (“Rui Hachimura… Luke Kennard actually shot the ball…”).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you made this guy [Wembanyama] in a video game, everyone would call you a cheater.” – Dave DeFore (10:13)
• “There are two established identities for this Boston Celtics team now… more terrifying heading into the playoffs.” – Zena Cata (05:28)
• “There’s going to be a reintegration process… their bigs are better, more athletic, they’ve got more depth—and their depth is bigger.” – Es Baraheni (08:18)
• “What evil do we want to handle? Do we want the Spurs shooting incredibly well… or Wemby finding his shot and passing?” – Es Baraheni (12:00)
• “Is there a LeBron problem for the Lakers?” – Dave DeFore (29:51)
• “If you want to find out exactly what to do to beat Detroit: watch that Detroit-Spurs game. Textbook—use their game against them.” – Es Baraheni (21:51)

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Key Segment Timestamps

• [02:21–09:43]: Jayson Tatum’s Return & Celtics Analysis
• [09:50–15:40]: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs’ Rise, and Wemby’s Development
• [18:50–24:42]: Detroit Pistons’ Losing Streak & Defensive Identity
• [24:42–28:10]: Nuggets’ Injury Challenges & Playoff Outlook
• [28:10–32:06]: Knicks’ Ups & Downs, Lakers’ LeBron Dilemma, and Bench Contributions

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Episode Tone & Style

The hosts maintain their trademark blend of sharp analysis, casual camaraderie, and playful debate. There’s continuous banter and energy, but the underlying commentary is serious and data-driven, making this a vital listen for fans trying to pick up trends heading into the NBA playoffs.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode was a sweeping survey of the NBA’s most dynamic current storylines. With Tatum and Wemby both elevating their teams and changing the league’s power structure, the coming weeks promise massive shifts. Meanwhile, questions linger for once-stable contenders like the Nuggets and Pistons, while teams like the Lakers and Knicks continue tinkering with lineups and identity.

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Recommended for:
NBA fans monitoring superstar trajectories, playoff seeding races, and those interested in nuanced team-building debates—particularly around depth, injuries, and superstar integration.

Next Big Game:
Celtics vs. Spurs on Tuesday—marked as a must-watch finals preview by the hosts.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for March 9, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena K and Esperaheni. Coming up, Jason Tatum is back. We're going to talk about his return. Victor Wimanyama is morphing in front of our eyes and we're going to hit some of the big games from the weekend. Good morning, everybody. What's up, Xena? What's up, S? How you guys doing?

[Zena Cata]

First of all, happy International Women's Day.

[Dave DeFore]

You stole my joke. Stepped right on it. Good job.

[Esperaheni]

For those of you Listening. I am putting my hands in a prayer. Prayer formation to see.

[Dave DeFore]

You know what's funny? I purposely didn't put it in the notes so that you didn't know it was coming.

[Zena Cata]

I just saw LeBron me. The LeBron W was too much now that I, you know, we didn't talk about it before the show. We didn't say anything.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, this is a perfect right now.

[Esperaheni]

We had no idea it was coming, so thank you. That was great.

[Dave DeFore]

That's awesome. Speaking of lock.

[Zena Cata]

In all seriousness, though, Happy International. Yeah, really, thank you.

[Esperaheni]

I appreciate that, guys. Appreciate you guys having me on, being a part of this conversation.

[Zena Cata]

Of course, more than a part. You're the squad.

[Dave DeFore]

Seriously, people that watch on YouTube just showing up for Xena. So, speaking of showing up, Jason Tatum showed up, guys. He came back Friday night. It was awesome. It was great. You know, he went 0 for 5 to start, including getting hung up on the rim on a dunk. And after a really nice move to get there and, you know, I found myself. I kind of giggled at it, you know, because I was like, I was rooting heavily. Like, I was very invested in every single shot he took. And when he hit that sidestep three, I. I popped for that, guys. I yelled about it. It was awesome. It was great to see. And. And now after watching it on Sunday and seeing him play against the Cavs, I'm. I'm less excited. I'm more scared for the Eastern Conference, guys.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah. I mean, this is exactly what we imagined was going to happen with him back into the lineup, that the Celtics would become even more dangerous. And what's really, I think the most dangerous part is that Tatum has this luxury of not needing to be the guy for them. Right. Like, Jaylen Brown has been that person all season long. And there is going to be a little bit of a acclimation period as Jayson Tatum gets more aware of his surroundings and how he fits within the fold. But once Jayson Tatum comes back and he's hitting the shots inside, outside, getting inside the paint, folks like Derrick White who have been forced all season long to get put up threes that probably had a clip that he's not used to. And you're seeing it in the fact that he has the lowest three point shooting percentage that he's had in the last four years, you're seeing Jaylen Brown have to do way more than he's typically had to do. And his shooting efficiency has also gone down. All of those guys are now going to benefit from the fact that they're going to be able to slot back into where they were supposed to be in terms of their shooting efficiency, their shooting clip, what they're expected to do, and defenses are going to respond to that as well. And so that's dangerous for me that this guy that's coming in almost like a mid season acquisition at the trade deadline, which Joe Missoula said is going to be very similar to this situation. They get to benefit.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah. To me it looks like the Celtic. I mean, it's a slow roll for Tatum to figure out what this new look team is, but it feels like the Celtics have two different identities that they can go into. Early on against the Cavs, it was, hey, we're going to mismatch hunt. We're going to get Tatum in that mid post area he's going to create for us. And he started the game four or five and you're like, oh man, this is first team, all NBA. Jason Tatum. As the game progressed, you see them morphing into the same like Jalen Brown, Derrick White actions where guys are ghosting screens, they're popping out to the three point line, they're disguising a lot of actions with, you know, Garza or Cater, whoever to be able to get them to roll to the basket too. So I just, I thought there are two established identities for this Boston Celtics team now moving forward, which makes them, to both of your guys, point a little bit more terrifying heading into the playoffs because they can, they can adapt. They can see what defenses are reading and throwing at them and they can switch different things up. I also imagine that once we start to see Tatum ramp up even more, he'll be able to like acquiesce to that first identity and lean into what they're also doing with the ball movement and the off ball screening and the stuff that they found out this year. So it's just cool because Jason Tatum is what we thought he might be. He has been as advertised.

[Dave DeFore]

See, that's not true, guys. I, I just want to say I didn't expect him to not just look like, oh, he's been out there all year. I mean, well, it's not like he's

[Zena Cata]

dropping 35 a night.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah. You know, absolutely has to reintegrate.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. No, the jumper is the only thing that, in my opinion, the only thing that's missing. And that's, that's like, you know, the last thing.

[Zena Cata]

But it's been shown everything else.

[Dave DeFore]

I did not expect him to look this good. I, I knew that he wouldn't come back if he was going to look like a bum. But I didn't think he was going to look this good out there. I mean his defense has been good. I mean the rebounding. I'm. I'm on a whole different planet now on the Celtics because I s. I think I'm with you, man. Like they might be better. They might be a better team than they were last year.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah, I was, I was going to bring that up. I totally agree with you that they are better than they were last year because Christoph Sporzingis was a non factor for them last year.

[Dave DeFore]

Al Horford is, you know, 45 years old or you know. Yes.

[Zena Cata]

And then on top of that like thank you. And on top of that, like Drew Holiday was giving them something. But I, I think what they've developed this Ugo Gonzalez, Sam Houser, Baylor Shireman, Jordan Walsh kind of quartet of wings that they can throw out there is just better depth. They're a deeper team than they were last year. And I think the one knock that you could have on last year's Celtics team is that they didn't have options to go to. They didn't have the depth to be able to plug holes everywhere else. So I think they are better than last year, truthfully.

[Esperaheni]

I'll say this too non basketball related, but I think still valid to the story of the Celtics. They did a tremendous job rolling him. Jason Tatum coming back out. Yeah, 100% that you could see how much he mattered to this team. Like I, I was trying to think as I was watching it, the last person to come back that was this high profile of an Achilles tear, probably Kevin Durant and still didn't feel one. Kevin Durant didn't come back with the same team. So I think that that probably had something to do with it. But the way that he came back, the commercial around it, everything felt like we're ready for this moment. And I think that also is going to help ride this wave into the playoffs of we want him back. As opposed to this tension that people are trying to create between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That's unnecessary. Of whose team this is and what. No, like this team wants Jayson Tatum to be a part of this and they're all going to. There is going to be an reintegration process for sure. But the reasons that you all laid out, their bigs are better. They're more athletic, they've got more depth and their depth is bigger, which is crazy. So they have more identities that they can throw out defensively and Offensively. And now you add Jason Tatum into the mix. Like, they're like at. Let's just load up the tool. Let's go. So I thought the rollout was really special too.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Zena Cata]

By the way, like, even before Tatum, this team was like the second best team in the NBA for the last two months, you know, for sure.

[Dave DeFore]

Which is they now have the second best betting title odds. I, I just took a look because I wanted to see, like, am I, am I crazy for feeling like they're so much better? But no, I mean, they. Tatum looks great. You know who else looks great? There's this guy in San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama. I don't know if y' all have had a chance to watch him at all.

[Zena Cata]

He is saying it.

[Dave DeFore]

This is, it's unfair. If you made this guy in a video game, everyone would call you a cheater. The spurs came back from 25 down on Friday night against the Clippers. You got this guy out there crying after winning a regular season game. You know, I don't look. He's built different. Guys.

[Zena Cata]

I love caring. Caring is cool.

[Esperaheni]

Caring is.

[Zena Cata]

NBA players caring is cool. Basketball players caring about their craft is cool. Anybody caring about their craft is cool. And victorious.

[Dave DeFore]

Podcast guys, we did a good job

[Zena Cata]

and we're gonna cry after this podcast.

[Esperaheni]

There you go.

[Zena Cata]

We've put in a long day. I 100% agree that Wemby is on a different level. And he's taken his game to another level over the last couple months too. His averages are basically the same throughout the season. It's like 24 points per game, 11 rebounds, couple of assists. He's leading the league in blocks. Like, that's kind of the baseline for what you have from Victor Wanyama. On top of him being the best defensive player in the league, a shape shifting defender on any given night, and to have the emotional awareness to have the kind of like ability to lead at his age already, I'm kind of. I just don't know what to expect from this spurs team because they are bucking every expectation. It just doesn't make sense to me anymore that a team as young as they are has legitimate title contention aspirations. They, they've been the best team in the NBA for like 20 games now. And a lot of that is because of Victor Wembanyama and him being healthy and him caring.

[Esperaheni]

When we saw that Clippers comeback, they were down 25, which was tied for the biggest deficit comeback of the season. You see Victor weminyama put up four threes in that game. End up with 27. And then you flip to the Houston Rockets game on Sunday. And this is the part that answers to your point of s. Of like, how. How are they getting to a point where they could be in finals contention, not just playoffs like finals contention? Wemby scores the first eight points of this game. And I was watching this in the airport, and I'm. People that are kind of just like, paying attention and kind of paying attention, they're looking and they're like, oh, wow, he's really, really good. And I guess these are people that don't pay attention to basketball. But what you saw was he scores those points and Houston sends the double team. And as soon as they start stunning the double team, everyone else is spotting up, and it is wide open shots on the perimeter for Devin Vassell, for de' Aaron Fox, Julie Shampeni. All these folks get on the perimeter. And this is the problem and the math problem that every team that goes up against the spurs all season, but particularly while Wemby has been locked in, has. Has had to face. What evil do we want to handle? Do we want to handle the fact that the spurs can shoot incredibly well when they're in rhythm? Can. Do we want to handle the fact that Wemby is insane at not only finding his own shot, but also as a passer? Like, what. How do we want to attack this?

[Zena Cata]

And the willingness to pass. Right.

[Esperaheni]

The willingness to pass as well. And you saw it a little bit with the Clippers, but particularly with Houston and both of these teams going from the Pistons to the Clippers to the Rockets, these are all very physical defensive teams who tried to knock Wemby off of his balance and off his spots, and there was nothing you could really do, especially considering the rest of the cast was capable of hitting and knocking down those shots when he was getting all the attention. You just. You can't.

[Dave DeFore]

The way he responds now to physicality.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Is different than the first month of the season.

[Esperaheni]

I agree.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, we just don't see him get. His is beat up. I think his conditioning looks excellent right now. You know, there's been much to do about can he play 40 minutes in the playoffs? I think so. They're not going to be playing back to backs in the playoffs. Physically, the issue for him is just being 7 foot 6 and the disaster of, you know, bodies falling on the floor. Right. Like, that's the kind of stuff that we worry about with him. But, you know, the. The morphing comment that I made, like, leading into the show I mean, Xena, I stole that from you. You said we're watching. And that's the thing about him, is that physicality. We're catching it on both ends. And you mentioned pick your poison. Do you want these guys shooting? Warm up three point jumpers. They were 52% from three. They had 21 threes against the Rockets. Do you want them doing that or are you going to try to guard Wimby one on one? This is why, like the Thunder, I think are kind of fascinating if we get this matchup in the playoffs, because they've got guys that, they've shown that, you know, like Alex Russo, they trust him to do it. But by the time we get there, what if Wimby's not guardable by those smaller guys anymore?

[Zena Cata]

I mean, this is. Yeah, this is the thing. It's like he's moving at an exponential rate that just doesn't make sense for what we've seen before. Like I. I really can't even put a comp to it as far as how quickly he's processing things on the floor and adding it to his game the following game. That's just the absurd part. By the way, we just talked about the Celtics. We just talked about the Spurs. Those two teams play on Tuesday.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Zena Cata]

Could be a finals preview, which I'm very excited for. Yeah, that out there, we got Jake.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, yeah. All right, guys, stick around after the break. We're going to talk about the Pistons and what the heck, four straight losses.

[Esperaheni]

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[Zena Cata]

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[Dave DeFore]

It seems like there might now be some debate about which team is the best in the east and especially look Jason Tatum coming back for the Celtics. Huge. The Pistons losing four in a row including back to back losses to the Brooklyn Nets who aren't even trying and the Miami Heat who who plays for them right now. Guys

[Zena Cata]

playing Goodbye. I agree they're a weird team Xena. They are a strange basketball team but they play well.

[Dave DeFore]

Tyler Hero was hooping on Sunday so had nothing for him. They've now lost four in a row. Detroit has. And look as when we talk about this team the first thing we talk about with them is their defense and it is, it is kind of fallen off a cliff here the last few games.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah look they have cooled down on both ends of the floor. Not to mention obviously after that San Antonio game they don't have a Sar Thompson right now and he is their best wing defender, best turnover machine guy to get them out and Running. And I think that's really hurt their bottom line because they can't get out in transition as often. But they're also. They foul a lot. They're number one in the league in fouls per game. And so when so much of your defensive philosophy is, hey, we are going to beat you up as much as possible, you're going to have these stretches where fouling leads to free throws, leads to guys being in foul trouble. And now you're playing deeper into your rotation and it's a little bit harder to beat the Miami Heat on a random Sunday night. Like that's the, the predicament that they come across. I will say that Brooklyn game. No Cade Cunningham. Sure. So like we can, I guess, chalk it up to that. But they lost a huge lead, which

[Esperaheni]

forced 23 point lead.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah, it was massive, which is absurd in its own way, but they are going through something right now. They're. They were the number one or number two defense for most of the season. Over the last month and a half, they've been about eight. So they have dropped off a little bit. And I think that's just wear and tear from the level of physicality that they play with and the fouling, truthfully.

[Dave DeFore]

And they've had some big games too, right?

[Zena Cata]

Like, yeah, the Cavs games.

[Dave DeFore]

These big Cavs games. And I think that maybe, maybe there's a little bit of just general fatigue. Xena.

[Zena Cata]

Right.

[Dave DeFore]

Like they haven't really been. They've not been a good team very long and you gotta, you know, this is where the Thunder is so impressive.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Because I'm not worried about them losing a game on a random Sunday.

[Esperaheni]

Exactly. And this is why when you're looking at the two number ones in different conferences, like Detroit's lead in the east now is just two and a half over Boston. And that was something even last year. When you're thinking about what the Thunder were doing, you were never worried about the gap between them and the rest of the West. The fact that that is now a factor with Detroit, that Boston could overtake them. That's where you're at.

[Zena Cata]

San Antonio's coming along.

[Bill.com Advertiser]

I mean.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah, don't get me wrong. I'm talking about particularly last year.

[Zena Cata]

You're right.

[Esperaheni]

This year.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

I'm not putting nothing past San Antonio.

[Zena Cata]

Let's just be real.

[Esperaheni]

But this is where you're like any sort of. Oh, no, Detroit's got it this year. This is what festers a little bit of insecurity about that thought 100%. If you want to find out exactly what to do to beat Detroit. Watch that Detroit spurs game. That game was like textbook. Use their game against them. The spurs did such a good job of taking exactly what Ash just laid out. This is the number one fouling team in the league. Draw fouls. Other teams have not done that well enough. They have not exposed the fact that they are so physical. You can get to a point where the refs cannot deny the fact that you're getting fouled. And the spurs did that incredibly well. They also got Jalen Duran in foul trouble early. So that compromised everything on the back line. And the spurs were just able to get into the paint and be able to get what they wanted done. The other thing is they attacked at more angles. There wasn't a lot of high ball picks that were just at the top of the key. They did a lot of things on the side. And once you boss Assar Thompson, the switchability was no like.

[Bill.com Advertiser]

Right.

[Zena Cata]

Exactly.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

And you need that. And the. And the spurs needed. Excuse me, the Pistons need that. And so I looked at that game and I was like, oh, spurs figured it out. Shout out Mitch Johnson. Shout out this team like. And I think that's now going to be the game plan. Get Detroit and foul trouble early because Kate Cunningham, there's a string of games that he was getting four, five fouls. Having to sit at the end of

[Dave DeFore]

games like I mean fouled out the Cavs game that they almost lost. You know that wound up in overtime without Mitchell and James Harden. It is. That's a real thing. I mean very astute observation there.

[Zena Cata]

I will just say Miami Heat playing good basketball.

[Dave DeFore]

They have been playing better.

[Esperaheni]

I know.

[Dave DeFore]

You know I gotta make fun of him a little bit. You know the thing about the Pistons and this is why I'm nervous about these defense first teams. Right. The Boston Celtics have an offensive philosophy that kind of gets them. It keeps them in a lot of games because the math Detroit does not. They don't have that advantage. So they're going to drop games. Right. If their defense has a fall off it is going to be much harder for them to win games.

[Zena Cata]

I'll just, I'll say this like there is a blueprint to that with what OKC did last year. But OKC also had the mvp. They had sga. They had an all NBA.

[Dave DeFore]

They got way more guys.

[Esperaheni]

They got way more offensive capable guys.

[Zena Cata]

100 like I think that's the big difference. If you want to go like defense minded. Are you going to be able to win with the defensive Approach. OKC did it, but they also had probably one of the best scorers in NBA history.

[Esperaheni]

If you are, if you have secondary creation and your defensive first team, but you have secondary creation, it balances itself out.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Esperaheni]

Which is what Detroit does not really have.

[Dave DeFore]

They don't exactly. Once you shut off the water for Cade Cunningham, water's just off. The Nuggets, guys, Friday night they got Aaron Gordon back. Finally, the Nuggets get healthy and they lose Jamal Murray to an ankle sprain during the game. They got blown out by the Knicks. I, I just don't know. You know, we've now for a few weeks we've talked about the Nuggets and how we still believe when it, when it comes playoff time, they're going to be fine. Getting blown out at home by the Knicks like that, I, I, that just doesn't make me feel very confident about these guys.

[Esperaheni]

I just feel so bad. Yeah, they get their starting lineup back for the first time since November 12th and it lasted eight minutes. I mean, I don't want to make y' all laugh about that.

[Dave DeFore]

It sucks. Yeah, it sucks.

[Zena Cata]

The fact that they've been this good with that stat is actually kind of astonishing.

[Esperaheni]

It, it's, it's, it's unfortunate for Denver and they're going to have to find a way to be resilient once again. We still don't really know where Jamal Murray's injury.

[Bill.com Advertiser]

Right.

[Zena Cata]

I will say I did see a report that it's day to day, so it might not be as serious as, you know, like a multi week thing. Sure, we'll see.

[Dave DeFore]

You know.

[Esperaheni]

Okay. Well, they're playing OKC this week.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

So we know that that is the game that is the always the measuring stick between these two teams is how they match up against each other. It feels like Denver, Dave, you said that has their number, OKCs number. But yeah, it, I don't know, I just feel like you really cannot judge the Nuggets too much in the midst of this like stretch of time where they haven't had any sort of consistency. Even though I feel like, yes, a lot of teams haven't had their full starting power or starting five or their full health. The Nuggets, I feel like, feel, feel different. Do they feel different to you all?

[Zena Cata]

I, look, I will say this. The Nuggets have the most continuity in the NBA.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Esperaheni]

Okay.

[Zena Cata]

Like more than the Celtics, more than maybe a little bit more than the Knicks. Obviously more than the Knicks. You know, the Knicks have been at it for a little bit but still, the Nuggets have more continuity. If there is any team in the NBA that I can trust, can figure it out on the fly, it's probably the Denver.

[Dave DeFore]

They did it last. They did it last year. Remember, they fired their head coach going into the playoffs. It was kind of a mess.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

And they were a game away from the NBA Finals. I mean, this is where. This is why the Nuggets are such. They're hard for me to count out. Right. I can't count them out. I just don't love what I'm seeing right now. And, you know, I kind of felt this way about them a little bit last year and then they, they made some changes, but there are no changes to make now. It's just they got to get healthy. And then I, I just. I really think they got to figure out how they're going to defend with Jokic on the court. Like, what. What is that defense going to look like? I think getting Aaron Gordon back. Yeah, that'll be huge.

[Esperaheni]

And what are they going to do when teams turn up the defensive pressure on them? Because that's what the Knicks did. And they, the Nuggets lost spacing. They went 2 of 25 from the floor. Like, they did not look good when they got a little bit of pressure on them. And that's concerning.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

Especially when you have somebody like a Jokic that should be able to handle that pressure and then you all space out around him. That didn't quite happen.

[Zena Cata]

I was honestly going to say that, like, this weekend was a big testament to the Knicks and how good they've been playing basketball recently. Friday, they look great.

[Dave DeFore]

It was, it was everything coming to fruition. It was a team that has been defending much better.

[Esperaheni]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

We saw their better defense on Friday and the offense that we've been promised from that team. And then on Sunday it seemed like, I don't know, maybe they had a Saturday night out in LA. Also, the time change. And it was a 12:30 local time tip.

[Zena Cata]

Fake game.

[Dave DeFore]

I. I'll call that a fake game, but they lost one 1097.

[Esperaheni]

Y' all ain't giving the Lakers that game.

[Dave DeFore]

I'm. No, I'm giving the Lakers the game. The Lakers also had these same things. They, they live in la. The time changed on them too, and they won the game.

[Esperaheni]

You can't call it a fake game for the Lakers. They showed up. They did what they're doing.

[Zena Cata]

They did show up.

[GNC Advertiser]

I was.

[Dave DeFore]

You were there.

[Esperaheni]

There were a ton of Knicks fans in the building, by the way.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, Yeah, I believe that.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah, absolutely. Like when the Knicks scored, you thought it was Madison Square Garden. It was kind of crazy. But no, they looked so off in that first half. Like some of the passes were the definition of telegraph. Like you turn the page in the dictionary, here is a Knicks player throwing it directly, a Lakers player going in and them going in transition the other way. But ultimately, Luca cannot be denied and Austin Reeves cannot be denied. And I'll say this too, the Lakers turned up their defensive pressure as well, and it's impressive that they were able to do all of this without LeBron. And Dave, I know you have some

[Dave DeFore]

thoughts on that, so more I've got questions here.

[Esperaheni]

Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

For you guys. Okay. Because they're now 9 and 2. When Luca and Austin Reeves play without LeBron, is there a LeBron problem for the Lakers is, is there a world in which. And I cannot believe these words are going to come out of my mouth, but they're a question. This is not my opinion. LeBron holding them back a little bit.

[Zena Cata]

I think his $54 million salary slot might be holding them back.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Zena Cata]

From team building and actually building something proper. I mean, like for. We all agree that the Lake just don't have a chance to win a championship this year. They might not even have a chance to win around this year. And like, I don't know how much LeBron being available versus not being a bit available changes those chances for me. Now, is that an indictment on 40 year old LeBron James? No, I don't, I don't necessarily.

[Dave DeFore]

It's more about the redundancy of the role, honestly, with LeBron. Because you've got Luca. I mean, it's Luca's team. Like he is the best player on the team. Also, like, I, I think you need some other guys.

[Zena Cata]

To your point, Rui Hachimura today, three of eight from three. He's actually been playing better recently. Luke Canard actually shot the ball. Shout out to you, Luke Canard, three of seven from three.

[Esperaheni]

I mean, he kept passing wide open shots.

[Zena Cata]

He always does that.

[Esperaheni]

I know he does. He's good for that. But yes, continue.

[Zena Cata]

So like you're getting opportunity from some other wings that can knock down shots and take threes and not necessarily consume usage, which is what LeBron, which is what Luka and Austin Reaves need. They need to have the ball in their hands. And to your point. Yeah, there's some redundancy with that. I agree with that.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

And you're not seeing LeBron be a defensive stopper. Right? And yeah, shout out to Marcus Smart because he he's starting to look a little bit more like what he looked like when he was with the Celtics, making really smart defensive plays and also leading the energy from the defensive end for the Lakers. But yeah, that's a good question. It's a good question, Dave. I'm very curious what our listeners have.

[Zena Cata]

I wonder how LeBron feels about this conversation.

[Dave DeFore]

I wonder how LeBron feels about Shout out to Marcus Smart when he was 1 for 10 from the field. I said that defense is carrying weight there.

[Esperaheni]

There you go.

[Dave DeFore]

All right, that's gonna do it for the show, folks. Thank you guys for listening. Don't forget, you can leave us a 5 star review anytime you've got a minute because you do it on your phone like and subscribe over on YouTube. Hang out with us on Wednesday morning for the shoot around. You guys know the drill. For Esperahenny and Zena Cata, I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for hanging out with us. Foreign.

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