Wemby Destroys The Pistons + West Playoff Race

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily

Episode: Wemby Destroys The Pistons + West Playoff Race
Date: March 6, 2026
Hosts/Guests: Dave DuFour, Esfandiar "Es" Baraheni, Hunter Patterson

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into a night packed with major NBA storylines, zooming in on Victor Wembanyama’s dominance over the Pistons, the evolving playoff race in the Western Conference, and the clear levels separating true contenders. The hosts are joined by Hunter Patterson to analyze Detroit’s recent struggles against San Antonio, dissect the Spurs’ supporting cast, and explore what the Pistons need to get over the hump come playoff time. The tone is fast-paced, basketball-savvy, and appreciative of the quirks and greatness of the NBA’s current stars.

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Main Segments, Topics & Timestamps

1. LeBron James Passes Kareem for Most Career Field Goals

[03:47–06:18]

• LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most made field goals in NBA history.
• Quote (Es): "I just didn't really think. I thought points was what we cared about. Made field goals, maybe not so much... But when you said, you know, it's kind of hard to pass Kareem, like it is with points and anything, that put it in better context for me. So, yeah, Shout out to LeBron." [04:18]
• The rarity and historic nature of LeBron’s accomplishment is emphasized: “Nobody's going to do this again.” [05:34, Dave]
• Kevin Durant is the closest active player but still far away.

2. Western Conference Playoff Race Updates

[06:18–13:16]

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

[06:18–09:40]

• Nuggets beat the Lakers; move up in the standings.
• Jokic had 28-12-13 but a striking 9 turnovers, largely due to Lakers’ zonal defense.
• Quote (Es): "The zone bothered the Nuggets... Jokic had nine turnovers... because of that Lakers defense. They went smaller... forced him to make a lot of tough passes." [07:18]
• Recurring issue: Jokic’s rim protection and risk aversion when in foul trouble.
• Hosts voice concern about Nuggets’ ability to defend the paint, projecting it as a playoff problem.

Minnesota Timberwolves Surging

[09:40–11:13]

• Timberwolves key win over Raptors; solidifying the 3-seed.
• Rudy Gobert delivered a signature Defensive Player of the Year game.
• New bench tandem of Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland praised for injecting speed.
• Es: “The tandem of him and Bones Highland together off the bench is like this, this like breath of fresh air for this Timberwolves group. I... feel like between them and the Spurs and... maybe the Nuggets, there’s going to be an awesome playoff series against the Thunder.” [10:35]

Rockets’ Meltdown & Warriors Upset

[11:13–13:14]

• Rockets lose to a Curry-less Warriors in overtime; Durant logged heavy minutes in vain.
• Alperen Sengun’s defense draws parallels to Jokic’s vulnerabilities.
• Brandon Podziemski ("Pods") lauded for a breakout 26-point, 5-offensive rebound game for Golden State.
• Dave: “Why is Steve Kerr playing him so much? ...26 points, goes 4 for 8 from 3, had 9, hit 5 offensive rebounds.” [12:32]

3. Spotlight: San Antonio Spurs & Victor Wembanyama

[13:16–15:47]

• Spurs defeat the Pistons again, dominating both ends.
• Wemby: 38 points, 5 blocks—“an MVP level performance.” [14:03, Es]
• Es: “What can you say other than you laugh when you watch him play... he makes you laugh because it's something genuinely you have never seen before.” [14:33]
• Steph Castle gets recognition as a top “point of attack” defender.
• Es: “Two of the five best defenders, fate of the universe on the line, are on the San Antonio Spurs.” [15:12]
• Spurs’ defense and versatility set them apart as a true contender.

4. Deep Dive: Detroit Pistons vs. Elite Competition

With Hunter Patterson
[18:43–33:51]

Takeaways from Two Straight Losses to the Spurs

• The games demonstrated the gap between an elite team (Spurs) and merely good contenders (Pistons).
• Hunter: “There are still levels to elite teams in the NBA. And the Spurs ... are, I don't want to say in a stratosphere of their own, but ... almost." [19:10]
• Steph Castle’s full-court pressure made life tough for Cade Cunningham in both games.
• Spurs offer different ways to win; Pistons’ options seem limited if Cade is neutralized.

Pistons’ Offensive Limitations & Potential Adjustments

• Discussion on the need for a true secondary creator next to Cade.
• A potential solution: more primary offensive reps for Ausar Thompson (injured, ankle tweak).
• Es: “We have talked pretty constantly about how if you are able to guard Cade Cunningham, send a lot of help... the rest of the options on the Pistons... leave a lot to be desired.” [21:21]
• Playoff concern: Who’s the No. 3 guy? Kevin Herder suggested as a lineup experiment; his gravity helps space for Cade.
• Hunter proposes using Ausar Thompson as a “Draymond-type” roll man to take advantage of 4-on-3s against blitzes on Cade.
• Emphasis placed on defense-to-offense transition as a possible playoff formula—“run and turn defense into offense,” similar to prior Bucks/Thunder teams. [29:50, Es]

Pistons’ Path to Improvement

• Post-All-Star defense hasn’t matched earlier season form; need to return to elite D.
• Kevin Herder’s minutes and shooting could “unlock” lineups and prevent double teams on Cade.
• End-of-bench options (Chaz Lanier, etc.) could be tested as playoffs approach.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On LeBron’s new record:
  “It’s easy to just ho-hum this, like, oh, LeBron broke another record. But nobody’s going to do this again.” — Dave [05:34]

• On Jokic’s defense:
  “If anyone gets downhill and Jokic is at the basket, it’s a layup line… especially like in a game like this, he had four fouls in the game so late. He definitely didn't want to pick up that fifth foul because that changes everything for them.” — Dave [08:14]

• On Wemby’s impact:
  “He makes you laugh because it's something you genuinely have never seen before. Wemby is that.” — Es [14:33]
  “If I had to, fate of the world on the line and you had to get one defensive stop, I'm picking one of these five point of attack [defenders]. By the way, we're talking about perimeter stop. Somebody's got to guard Jalen Brunson… Two of the five best defenders fate of the universe on the line are on the San Antonio Spurs.” — Es [15:12]

• On Pistons’ issues:
  “When you’re not... allowed to get out in transition as often, I feel like they are bogged down into Cade ISO ball… especially in the half court.” — Es [29:44]
  "Their defense is their strong suit... when they're not competing at the most extreme level defensively, they're not going to be the most competitive offensively." — Hunter [30:04]

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Key Takeaways

• LeBron’s record is historic and further cements his longevity and availability as unprecedented in the modern NBA.
• Nuggets and Rockets face serious questions around rim protection and defensive effort heading into the postseason.
• The Timberwolves have found a potent bench mix and are peaking at the right time, while the West in general is a “highlight show” almost every night.
• Victor Wembanyama’s evolution—both as an individual star and the centerpiece of an elite collective—is a driving force for the Spurs. Their defensive personnel are so good, two might be top-five in the league.
• The Pistons: Now exposed twice by the Spurs, the team must find reliable options beyond Cade Cunningham, experiment with lineups (especially more shooting), and lean further into their defensive identity if they want to survive in the playoffs.

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Section-by-Section Breakdown & Timestamps

| Section | Timestamp | Main Topics | |-------------------------------|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | LeBron’s All-Time Field Goals | 03:47–06:18 | Record, context, LeBron’s longevity | | Nuggets-Lakers Game | 06:18–09:40 | Jokic’s defense, Lakers’ strategy | | Timberwolves & Playoff Race | 09:40–11:13 | Wolves’ surge, bench play, playoff matchups | | Rockets Loss, Warriors Praise | 11:13–13:14 | Houston collapse, Sengun’s defense, Podziemski | | Spurs Dominate Pistons | 13:16–15:47 | Wemby’s performance, team defense, Steph Castle | | Pistons’ Struggles vs. Spurs | 18:43–33:51 | Playoff offensive limitations, lineup experiments, | | | | defensive identity |

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Final Thoughts

This episode delivers expert breakdowns on shifting playoff dynamics, the Spurs’ rapid ascent, and the urgent need for contenders like the Pistons to diversify their threat level as postseason play approaches. The mix of X’s and O’s insight, historical context, and candid humor makes it a must-listen for NBA fans seeking depth as well as entertainment.

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Transcript

[Host 1]

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[Dave Dufour]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily, presented by Amazon prime for March 6, 2026. I'm Dave Defor here with Esperaheny. Coming up, we had a big night in the west with huge impacts on the standings. We're going to hit that. Then Hunter Patterson joins us to talk about the Pistons losing to the Spurs.

[Ad Voice]

Foreign.

[Dave Dufour]

Good morning, everybody. What's up? S? Did you know it's Shaq's birthday?

[Esperaheny]

I did not, but now I do.

[Dave Dufour]

I don't know why I know it.

[Esperaheny]

Shout out to the Happy birthday to Shaq.

[Dave Dufour]

I know Andrew Schleck definitely knows it's Shaq's birthday.

[Esperaheny]

He absolutely does. Yeah, yeah. Shout out to Shaq.

[Dave Dufour]

Speaking of Shaq, Lakers centers Kareem Abdul Jabbar. That's a segue right there. Kareem Abdul Jabbar was passed last night by. By LeBron James for the most made field goals all time in NBA history. Yeah. Fun.

[Esperaheny]

You know when you told me this like two hours ago, because he did it very early in the game. Okay.

[Dave Dufour]

He only needed three coming in.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah.

[Esperaheny]

I, I asked you. I'm like, this is a thing that we track because I didn't know that most field goals.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Esperaheny]

I just didn't really think. I thought points was what we cared about. Made field goals, maybe not so much. But when you said, you know, it's kind of hard to pass Kareem, like it is with points and anything that put it in better context for me. So, yeah, Shout out to LeBron.

[Dave Dufour]

Closest active player is Kevin Durant. And I think he's like 4,000 made shots behind.

[Esperaheny]

That's absurd.

[Hunter Patterson]

You know. Right.

[Esperaheny]

I don't think there is currently an active player. I mean, maybe a guy that we'll talk about a little bit later. But I don't think there's a current active player that even has a chance. Maybe Wemby.

[Dave Dufour]

I. I don't know if he's going to be able to play the number of games. Like, LeBron's consistency is really. This is. And this was the thing about Kareem. He just played every game.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

And LeBron has just played so many games in his career and been like, availability is a skill. And it's been one of LeBron's signature skills.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah.

[Esperaheny]

It's kind of weird to see him, you know, obviously he got Hurt at the end of this game with like an armor thing. Yeah, yeah. And obviously he started the season hurt, but it's. It's weird to see him like that. It's weird to see him hurt. It's a rarity considering me and you have both watched the entirety of his career and for the most part he's

[Ad Voice]

been on the court.

[Dave Dufour]

You know, and the thing is it's easy to just ho hum. This is like, oh, LeBron broke another record. But nobody's going to do this again.

[Esperaheny]

No, nobody is. You're right.

[Dave Dufour]

You're right.

[Esperaheny]

And look like I, I have to contextualize this. I have known basketball for as long as LeBron James has been playing NBA basketball.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Esperaheny]

So just consider that he is the only.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. He is the only really like, amazing player, like the great.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yes.

[Dave Dufour]

That you've ever seen. I mean, it's him. Steph and KD are the three greatest players. Oh, you saw Tim Duncan.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, Tim Duncan, Kobe. I saw those guys.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Esperaheny]

Absolutely. No, but you've seen his whole career. Respect me in my old age career.

[Dave Dufour]

You've seen the entirety of. I should say.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah.

[Esperaheny]

All right, that makes sense.

[Dave Dufour]

Anyway, the Lakers lost.

[Hunter Patterson]

They did.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, to the Nuggets. They're. They're in the six seed still. But the Nuggets, they. They pick up a little bit of steam trying to catch the Rockets. They're. They're basically in a dead heat. That four or five spot right now. The Wolves get a win over the Raptors and, And they, they now have a game up on the Rockets and the Nuggets for that, that three seed. Let's talk a little bit about Denver Lakers. Denver looked like they were running away early, but again, the. Their lack of defense, that lack of defensive intensity and the lack of rim protection from Jokic and the Lakers get back into the game and you know, down the stretch, I just wasn't sure that the Nuggets were going to be able to hang on. You know, Luca had a pretty ridiculous game. But. But the Lakers, I thought they were causing a lot of problems for the Nuggets. They created so many turnovers. Uncharacteristic for.

[Hunter Patterson]

For.

[Dave Dufour]

What were you seeing out of the Nuggets? But the Nuggets just look sluggish at the end of the game.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, it was really interesting because the zone bothered the Nuggets. You know, the Lakers ran this zone defense which JJ Redick has gone to pretty frequently here recently, and it was all with the intention to get the ball out of Nicole Jokic's hands, and they were. The Nuggets were running post ops consistently for Jokic, and Jokic had nine turnovers. Nine turnovers, like, obviously, 28 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists. He was glorious, usually as he is. But the nine turnovers is what sticks out because of that Lakers defense. And it's. It's a credit to them. They went smaller, they kind of scrammed everything, and they forced him to make a lot of tough passes. For what it's worth, I think the Lakers offense also kept up in a major way to your point, because of the Nuggets defense. Like when Luca is able to get whatever he wants at the point of attack, when Austin Reeves is crossing up anybody and getting to the hoop, when.

[Dave Dufour]

If anyone gets downhill and Jokic is at the basket, it's a layup line. Not going to attempt to block the shot. He may play the ball down low, but I mean, especially like in a game like this, he had four fouls in the game so late. He definitely didn't want to pick up that fifth foul because that changes everything for them because he's at risk of offensive fouls, too. And so, I mean, I just.

[Esperaheny]

Look, this is going to be a problem, a trend. I was going to say, like, if we've watched the last three or four Nuggets games very intently, the Minnesota game, you could see that, like one, the physicality that they were playing with, right. And his lack of defense really hurt them. The Utah game, we talked about his antics, right? And I think part of that actually goes to the fact that he can't get stops, so he has to play with the antic game. I. I don't know. That's a question mark.

[Dave Dufour]

I'm not going to say refusal to get stops, but I think that he plays the game of, I can't pick up cheap fouls on this layup that I'm probably not going to block because I have to be on the court. And I understand that, but also, I mean, Rui Hachimura catches a ball six feet away from the basket, and Jokic doesn't even step in front of him. I mean, just an easy, simple defensive play. And so, I mean, look, whether. Getting Aaron Gordon back, this coming back soon. Yeah, right. Whether that fixes this or not, I don't know. But, man, I. I know I said hold on to that stock. I. I'm getting a little nervous about.

[Esperaheny]

It is concerning, especially because, you know, if. If I were to flip this. The Minnesota Timberwolves look awesome.

[Dave Dufour]

They look great.

[Esperaheny]

They look great.

[Dave Dufour]

They're form just like they did last year when they really started to figure things out. They, they just seem this is the sort of game that they would, would lose three months ago. Right. The Raptors come in high energy. They're kind of tough. Okay, maybe our shots aren't falling tonight.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, maybe they back down from that. Right?

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Dante DiVincenzo had like this excellent defensive game, I thought, against the Raptors. But the Wolves. Yeah, they're looking great.

[Esperaheny]

No, they are. And, and I looked at it and I'm like, man, Rudy Gobert had a defensive player of the year type of performance tonight against the Raptors. Like the way he walled off the paint for them, they couldn't get a shot in the paint. And the Raptors struggle against really good rim protectors. That's sort of a Raptors issue. But I also love the addition of IO. Dsumu recently.

[Dave Dufour]

Great off the bench, the way he

[Esperaheny]

plays for them in transition. He speeds them up, he makes them play a little bit faster. And the tandem of him and Bones Highland together off the bench is like this, this like breath of fresh air for this Timberwolves group. I, I don't know. I'm very excited to see how this Wolves team finishes out the season because to me it feels like between them and the spurs and, you know, maybe the Nuggets, I, I can't count out the Nuggets too much yet.

[Dave Dufour]

Of course not. I mean, it's Jokic.

[Esperaheny]

But between the Wolves and the Nuggets, Wolves and the spurs, there's going to be an awesome playoff series against the Thunder. Like an awesome playoff series against them.

[Dave Dufour]

Well, I mean, I think any. Look, the West. One of the reasons why last night was kind of awesome was because every game we saw West. Yeah, yeah, it was a West highlight show. Every game kind of had implic toward the playoffs. Speaking of the Rockets inexcusable loss to the warriors, they were at home. Yeah, the warriors don't have Steph Curry and not only they lose s they lost in overtime. So like Kevin Durant plays 41 minutes in a loss. Yeah, this is bad. This is, this is an awful loss.

[Esperaheny]

This, this was like a disastrous Alper and Shangoon game, man. And I know you cooked by Al Horford. He got cooked by Al Horford.

[Dave Dufour]

67 year old Al Horford cooking him.

[Esperaheny]

It's sort of the same thing we talk about with Jokic, you know, where like you look at this game and you're like, all right, man, 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, eight of 20 isn't that inefficient of a game, but five turnovers, right. And the defense on the other side of the ball, he's not providing that contest. He doesn't want to get in foul trouble. It's very similar to what you see with Jokic in terms of like the effort level for Sengun on the defensive side of the floor and. And the other side, like for the Warriors. Shout out to Brandon Pajimski, who has been awesome.

[Dave Dufour]

Why is Steve Kerr playing him so much? S. He's been good. And I will say this as someone who's kind of. I'm not a Pods hater, but I've been hard on Pods. I think that, you know, there are times when he's out there and it's like, hey, buddy, Steph Curry is on the court.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Do you know this?

[Esperaheny]

But now Steph Curry isn't on the

[Dave Dufour]

court and it's the pod show. And he. Look at him. 26 points, goes 4 for 8 from 3, had 9, hit 5 offensive rebounds.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

This is again, Houston. You're supposed to be the. The rebound monsters. You own the glass. I do not.

[Esperaheny]

I.

[Dave Dufour]

Man, I can't wrap my head around it. I'm starting to wonder if there's a vibes problem. I don't know, but it was bad.

[Esperaheny]

It's worth mentioning.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, yeah, it's. It was not good.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

And then before we go to break and we're going to talk to Hunter Patterson, after breaking very heavily about the Pistons and their big takeaways from the two games against the Spurs, I'd be remiss if we didn't talk about the spurs because once again, they showed that they're one of the best teams in the league. I mean, they beat the best team in the east now twice in two weeks. And this time was different than last time because they came out and it was almost like they wanted to prove a point. You actually can't dominate Wimby.

[Ad Voice]

You.

[Dave Dufour]

You can't bother him. He can do whatever he wants.

[Host 2]

He.

[Dave Dufour]

He just doesn't have to. And, and last night, look, 38 points from the dude, five blocks. You know, he's top 250 already in blocks. Which, you know, sounds impressive, but then you find out like, Alex len is also top 250 in blocks.

[Esperaheny]

And you're like, oh, man, alltime list. What a funny thing. Anyways, I agree with you. Wemby was absurd in this game. It was an MVP level performance. And like, I mean, what can you say other than you laugh when you Watch him play when he makes an absurd highlight reel type of moment, a sequence where he'll block a shot on one end, dribble down the court and have this absurd layup or finish or something along the lines of that he makes you laugh because it's something that you genuinely have never seen before. Wemby is that. And I also think, you know, he impacts everywhere else on the floor that we don't necessarily talk about. The supporting cast that has become honestly

[Dave Dufour]

absolutely perfect for him is Steph Castle. If he's not the best point of attack defender in the league, he's one of like five guys that alternate as the best.

[Esperaheny]

Look, if attack defender. If I had to fade of the world on the line and you had to get one defensive stop, I'm picking one of these five point of attack. By the way, we're talking about perimeter stop.

[Dave Dufour]

Somebody's got to guard Jalen Brunson.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah, yeah. I'm.

[Esperaheny]

I'm not necessarily taking Jay Rudy Gobert here in this situation. You know what I mean? I'm taking Victor Wembanyama. I'm taking Steph Castle. Among the five people that are there, two of the five best defenders. Fate of the universe on the line is on the San Antonio Spurs. The Oklahoma City Thunder also probably have a couple players. I'm not discounting that. Thunder fans don't kill me, but that's how good this spurs defense is.

[Dave Dufour]

It's amazing. Yeah. And if they shoot, if they shoot in the playoffs.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

I don't know.

[Hunter Patterson]

I don't know.

[Dave Dufour]

Wes is going to be awesome. Ace is going to be cool too.

[Esperaheny]

It's going to be a great playoff race.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

I'm really excited.

[Dave Dufour]

I think, look, we deserve it after getting through some parts of this season, like when the refs weren't on our side when they were actively working against us. But I do think the playoffs, we're going to get some great matchups. So it's fun when we get these nights like this. This is like gets me all excited. It's like a playoff preview. Anyway, guys, stick around after the break. We got Hunter Patterson and we break down if Kate Cunningham is enough for the Pistons to get it done.

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[Dave Dufour]

Two weeks in a row, the San Antonio spurs have handled the Detroit Pistons with very little problem. Hunter Patterson, you've seen both of those games. Thanks for joining us. Of course, last night, not a great game for the Pistons, but after these two games we've been we've been talking about the Pistons as the best team in the east for a while now, and they've been handled by the spurs two weeks in a row. What's your takeaway?

[Hunter Patterson]

Realistically, I think this was almost a visual representation that there are still levels to elite teams in the NBA. And the spurs are, I don't want to say in a stratosphere of their own because there's still OKC out there. But I will say this was one of those games where you have a primary creator in Wimby. You have De' Aaron, who almost went for 30, he had 22 in the first half. And on nights like the first matchup, roughly almost two weeks ago now, Wimby was contained as much as you can kind of contain him with air quotes. And they came out tonight and they were adamant that he wouldn't be. So it was kind of a mix of him getting to his spots in the paint as he usually does. Him knocking down some threes. Obviously goes without saying the amount of shots that he alters and just the amount of times that opposing players see him in the paint and don't even look toward the basket. So it's tough when you have champagne, able to spread the floor the way he does. Devin Vassell doing what he does as well. And you, you just have a complete team. Stefan Cassel is someone who just is elite at being a two way player. I'm so sorry about this noise in the back. I know we all hear it.

[Esperaheny]

There's like a lottery machine going on behind you.

[Hunter Patterson]

What's on going.

[Dave Dufour]

I have no idea.

[Hunter Patterson]

I didn't. It'll be all right.

[Dave Dufour]

We can, we can, we'll. We'll work around it.

[Hunter Patterson]

Okay.

[Dave Dufour]

It's like a Zamon.

[Esperaheny]

It sounds like a. It sounds like you won a casino thing. Like a slots machine is going crazy.

[Hunter Patterson]

I definitely hit the. Just didn't know, but essentially just go.

[Dave Dufour]

Just fight through it.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah. It's Stefan Castle.

[Esperaheny]

He's.

[Hunter Patterson]

He's a two way player. He was the one who was responsible mainly last week and this week for picking K it up full court, making life difficult for him.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Hunter Patterson]

And they just have so many pieces that fit well together and majority of those guys are able to play both ends of the floor.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Esperaheny]

I mean, I, I hate to kind of beat the same point out like every week for the Pistons, but we have talked pretty constantly about how if you are able to guard Cade Cunningham, send a lot of help at Cade Cunningham. The rest of the options on the Pistons roster, like leave. You leave a lot to be desired. You know, how do they do that? How do they fix that problem with, I don't know, six weeks left in the regular season? Can they fix that problem with six weeks left in the regular season?

[Hunter Patterson]

I think the, the biggest option is allowing a Sar Thompson to be a primary initiator. But we saw he went down in the first few minutes of the game. He. He tweaked his left ankle and never returned. So when you do have him help.

[Esperaheny]

Did we get an update on that, by the way?

[Hunter Patterson]

JB didn't have any updates post game. He, I mean, Asar was in the, in the locker room. He didn't have a walking boot on. He was walking under his own control. So we'll prop. They're off tomorrow. They don't have practice. We'll likely get an update on that ahead of their game on Saturday against the Nugget or not Nuggets, the Nets. So. But Asar, he, he looked to be fine. He, he didn't have a walking boot. Like I was saying, he was walking under his own power in the locker room. So the, the key though is allowing him to usually be the primary creator and having K come off off ball actions so he's able to kind of space the floor a bit. But I mean, other than that it is challenging when Tobias doesn't have it going or Jaylen Duran was in foul trouble like he was tonight.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean, listen, I want to, I want to go back to the levels comment that you made because I think that, that that's true. Number one, the, the spurs are a better basketball team right now. The west is tougher and they're the two seed.

[Esperaheny]

I was going to say maybe that level is the Western Conference, right?

[Dave Dufour]

It's the Western Conference for sure. But also I just think that they have more good players than the Pistons. I mean, the talent that the spurs have, it's just a different level of talent. It, it's why they're the 2 seed in the West. You know, they are a better basketball team on a talent level team as well. But the level is really that the spurs can play more than one way. Like you mentioned in the first matchup, they kind of got the, not the best of Wimby, but they really did limit him and other guys had to step up. Tonight the spurs come out and it's very much about Wemby, very much about Fox and everyone else is filling in the gaps. And I think that's one of the things that when I'm starting to think about the Pistons, I'm only thinking about the playoffs, right? We know that this is a regular season. This is gonna be a top four team in the east for the next five years, period. That's just who they're going to be with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duran, but I'm thinking about the playoffs. That third guy has to reveal themselves. I think for them to maybe get out of the first round. If it's the Charlotte Hornets or if it's a team like that that can score and play defense, I think that they've Got some serious problems come playoff time. So that to me is the level difference. It's the ability to have a fastball is great. Detroit's had a good one all regular season and that gets you a lot of wins. You play hard the way they do. It's very much like the Oklahoma City Thunder. They're going to chew up regular season wins just from the effort level that they compete with on defense. But man, that offense, we see it sometimes when it goes dry and it's hard in the regular season. In the postseason, you'll be playing so much more half court basketball. Who's that guy gonna be? Is it Dennis Jenkins? Like, does he just need to be out there way more with Cade? I mean, he's another guy who can get stuff done off the dribble. I'm just spitballing here. I know it's not Caris Lavert. I don't believe it's a Sar Thompson because the jumper is going to be problematic come playoff time. Like, you're just gonna be able to sag in the pain on him. So Hunter, like, like spitball with me here.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

What would you do more? Yeah, don't put me coach hat on. I don't want to get you in trouble.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah, no, I'm, I'm by no means anywhere near the way we're discussing levels. Like, there's, I'm tons of levels away from jb, so by no means am I saying that I have the solutions. But yeah, I think last season in the, in. In the postseason against the Knicks, they were able to kind of utilize Asar in the dunker spot pretty well. And Asar is a really intuitive cutter. He has a good feel for when he needs to slash. He understands that defense is playing a certain way to try to allow him to shoot because he's not the most comfortable with it yet. But having him in the dunker spot, having JD at the high post, and sometimes if you can have Dennis be the initiator, maybe Charis be the initiator. If you can stick Kate at the high post and kind of sink the defense in. Catch us are in the, in the dunker spot. But it's something they're definitely going to have to get creative with. I, I actually do like the Pistons matchup against the, the Hornets just because of kind of like a personnel thing I think no one on that team had. I mean, it's not even to be funny about it, but like, I don't think Musa is, is really equipped to guard Durin. I don't Think they.

[Dave Dufour]

I think I agree with that.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah. I don't think they have like a answer for Cade. So personnel wise, I think I do still kind of like them in that. Not kind of. I do like them in that series, but I mean, the Pistons are gonna.

[Dave Dufour]

In the chat right now. I'm just letting you know they're showing you in the chat.

[Hunter Patterson]

I'm so sorry.

[Dave Dufour]

We're all in on the Hornets being scary. Okay.

[Hunter Patterson]

I know. I.

[Esperaheny]

All the bullies, especially because of the beef that happened.

[Dave Dufour]

Right, right.

[Hunter Patterson]

You know, it would be a really fun series.

[Host 2]

Hey.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, you mentioned, you mentioned the way that Wemby kind of changes the game. I mean, he's such a. He's such a freak, right?

[Ad Voice]

He actually.

[Dave Dufour]

He scared Isaiah Stewart out of a three on the wing that I. Isaiah Stewart catches the ball wide open on the wing and Wemby's underneath the basket. And on the closeout, he's just like, nope, passing out of this. I mean, that's how affected they were. I actually think he should have taken that shot. But anyway, I'm getting us off the rails here.

[Esperaheny]

Back.

[Hunter Patterson]

Like, I see the transition when we

[Dave Dufour]

look at the Pistons, but when we look at the Pistons, it's, It's. Where does that offense, like, what's that offense gonna hang its hat on come playoff time?

[Esperaheny]

And I just.

[Dave Dufour]

I just don't know what it is.

[Hunter Patterson]

They're. They're gonna have to really be reliant on a three point shot that isn't the most effective. They were 12 for 28 last night in, in against San Antonio. But yeah, I think, I mean, really, the shooting splits weren't terrible. They were 40% from the field. They were not effective in the paint. They're usually one of the most dominant teams in the paint, obviously because Wimby was in there. They only scored 36. But I, I think it really. I mean, there's. It's undeniable that Cade is going to have to assume a ton of responsibility in the postseason. He understands that teams are gonna load up on him. They're. They're gonna send two at him. He was getting at one point in this game. They had two people meet him before he even got to half court. So teams are going to be extremely

[Dave Dufour]

creative every possession in the playoffs.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah, they've. They've mentioned though, like Cade says he invites the double because he trusts his teammates to play four on three. And I mean, they're just going to have to find ways to.

[Esperaheny]

That's a great thing to hear as a teammate.

[Hunter Patterson]

Right?

[Dave Dufour]

Honestly, this could be, this could be where Asar might be pretty useful. Right. If you think about him as Draymond Green. Right. If Kate is your staff, I mean he's not because the shot. He's not going to draw the defense the same way. But at least if you're giving up the ball and it's a Sar as the guy four on three. Yeah.

[Esperaheny]

He'll be your Draymond type of thing. Yeah, I get what you're saying. You know, I will say Hunter to that point. Like I wonder if, I wonder if the formula for them in the playoffs is just to lean on defense even more. And I know that sounds really simple to say, but they didn't turn the spurs over tonight. Like the spurs had eight turnovers. They weren't able to get out and transition as often. And when you're not, when the Pistons are allowed to get out in transition as often, I feel like they are bogged down into Cade ISO ball cade pick and roll stuff with Duran, especially in the half court. So you have to run and I feel like we've seen teams do that in the past. The 2021 Bucks, that was a championship team that ran a lot. I feel like there's a formula there. Even the Thunder last year.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Esperaheny]

Defense into offense. And I don't know, do you feel like maybe that's something that they can try to lean on more identity wise is is how we can even be good defensively against these top tier teams?

[Hunter Patterson]

I think so. They, they're aware and JB has said all season long that their defense is their strong suit. And last last game when they played against the Cavs, he mentioned that defense has been their superpower and they're well aware that when they're not competing at the most extreme level defensively, that they're not going to be the most competitive offensively. So it's a combination. Obviously in the postseason the game slows down. It's a lot more half court as opposed to up and down. But I think that this is a team that is extremely confident in their defense. I know they're not hanging their heads after this loss. They still feel as confident as they did coming into this one. So another, another thing too is Kevin Herder got more minutes tonight than in the past and traditional stats like won't necessarily tell the the story unless you watched. He only had seven points, two assists, five boards. But he was a plus 15 and plus minus gets gets tricky sometimes. So it's not an end all be all stat. But I thought he he played well. He, he's still someone who. Opposing teams respect his jumper because of the things he's done throughout his career. And if he can continue to get reps, he might be a potential solution in not allowing teams to load up on Cade the way that they have.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean, they've needed just another shooter. Right. Duncan Robinson has not been just having him as the only option. You think about end of games now you've got another guy that you can stick out there that you have to guard, is going to create some space. So I, I actually have been surprised that he hasn't been able to get into the rotation, but I, I agree with you. I. And by the way, that single game plus minus thing, it absolutely can give you an indicator of a guy has been effective. And for the Pistons, especially when they're plugging someone new in, that's a shooter. I, I, you see the difference immediately.

[Hunter Patterson]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

So I, I actually felt like he did create the, the gravity they were looking for. Looking ahead, they don't really have anything to prove. What do they need to improve in the next six weeks?

[Hunter Patterson]

Just the defense hasn't quite been the same as it was before the All Star break. I believe it's only eight games at this point. So getting back to the principles that made them as dominant defensively as they were ahead of the All Star break. And then I think it's really just lineup experimentation. Like, I think you need to see more of Kevin Herder. You. But I mean, Chaz Lanier, he hasn't really gotten much of an opportunity, but he's Chaz Lanier. Minutes.

[Esperaheny]

Let's go.

[Hunter Patterson]

I mean, at this point, it's like you, I think they need to get creative before the postseason gets here because you just can't allow teams to load up on Cade the way that they want to. And like I said, he invites it. He's confident in his teammates. The team as a whole is still confident. This isn't like a the world is ending moment type type situation for them, but I would think, I would think it's just experimenting with different lineups. Kevin Herder, I believe, earned himself likely more minutes and more opportunity moving forward. So just kind of seeing what you have on your bench still.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. By the way, gotta point out a star. Thompson played two minutes, had a block that, that was missing her 36 is

[Hunter Patterson]

crazy at that point.

[Dave Dufour]

His defense, the reason, like, part of the reason they didn't turn it over for the spurs was a star. So I will, I will say they missed him.

[Hunter Patterson]

Yeah, it was late in the game, but Ron ended up leaving with a left eye injury. JB mentioned post game his vision was blurry. He just didn't feel it was right to put him back into the game when he can't even see straight. So I mean Durian was out.

[Dave Dufour]

Definitely not. The Pistons fight too much for that. Man. You can't have. You got to have both eyes.

[Ad Voice]

All right.

[Dave Dufour]

Thank you Hunter Patterson for hanging out. Man, everybody go and read him at the Athletic Athletic For Hunter Patterson and Esperahenny, I'm Dave Dufour. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for hanging out with us.

[Esperaheny]

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