Have you ever wondered if your money could be doing more?Don't want to pay for investment advice?Want access to over 90 years of world-class investment expertise?Now is the time to stop wondering.
Wherever you are in your investment journey, Janus Henderson Investors is here for you. Just ask!Our free personalized investment advice can help you evaluate your investment strategy so you can feel confident about your financial present and future.
To find out more, visit janushenderson.com.That's J-A-N-U-S-H-E-N-D-E-R-S-O-N.com.Janus Henderson.Investing in a brighter future together.There are no additional costs for advice beyond the underlying fund expenses.
This episode is supported by Merrill.With a dedicated Merrill advisor, you get a personalized plan for your financial goals.And when plans change, Merrill's with you every step of the way.Go to ml.com slash bullish to learn more.
Merrill, a Bank of America company.What would you like the power to do?Investing involves risk.Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, registered broker dealer, registered investment advisor, member SIPC.
Oh, hear that? Uh, okay, uh, thank you.Etsy knows these aren't the sounds of holiday gifting.Well, not the ones you're hoping for.You want squeals of delight.Woo!Happy tears.How did you... And spontaneously written songs of joy.
I am so happy, happy, oh yeah, oh yeah. Hmm, okay, the song needs a bit of work.But anyway, to get those reactions, make sure everyone on your list feels heard with handmade, handpicked, and designed gifts from small shops on Etsy.
Gifts like personalized jewelry, custom artwork, cozy style items, vintage pieces, and home decor to celebrate all of your favorite people and their specific kind of special.For original gifts that say, I get you, Etsy has it.
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for November 1st, 2024.Coming up, Paulo Banqueiro is going to be out for a little while.The Bucs are just getting sad at this point.
And Kelly Eco comes by to talk about the Rockets after their victory over the Mavs. Good morning, everybody.Good morning, Zena.Welcome back to the show, everybody.Bad news to launch us off on our journey today.We got some news out of Orlando.
Paulo Banqueiro has suffered a torn right oblique.He's gonna be out indefinitely and be reevaluated in four to six weeks.He's had a great start to the season, Zena.This is a huge, blow to the magic in their quest to get back to the playoffs.
I mean, right now you have to start wondering, you know, he's 29 points a game, nine rebounds, five assists.He just had that 50 point game the other night.We got to start thinking, wow, who's going to pick up the slack for him while he's out?
This is not exactly the deepest team in the East.
Yeah, Paolo Bencaro is really at the core of everything that the Magic do offensively.
Not only is he a shot maker in his own right, being able to get dribble drives into the basket and find a shot outside, he also is a playmaker for his team, averaging almost six assists.
It's gonna be really interesting to see if Franz Wagner can finally have like an all-star campaign and make up for all of the usage that Paolo Bencaro has. Apollo's averaging about a 30% usage rate and Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner are both under 30%.
This is their opportunity to step up, start making some big shots, start taking and filling the gap, essentially, that Ben Carroll's leaving.
Yeah, and you know, they got to be happy with the way that Suggs has started out because hopefully his offensive production helps him weather the storm a little bit.The Grizzlies just slapped the buck silly, 122-99 and
The Bucs had no way to stop John Morant from getting to the paint in this game.He had a triple-double.Xena, we've been talking about the Bucs defense and we'll get to that in a minute.
I want to talk about the Grizzlies because they've had a weird start to the season.They've lost a few games.I mean, I understand the Brooklyn Nets look like a juggernaut right now with the way that they've been playing.
But John Morant only needed 29 minutes in this game because they just looked so good out there against the Bucs.
You know what's really scary, Dave? Seeing a John Morant walk back to his bench early in the third quarter, smiling, laughing, having a great time, having a ball.That's exactly what he was doing out there.
I mean, at one point in the game tonight, Dave, from his bottom, John Morant threw up an alley-oop to Zach Eady.Like, it was surreal how much fun and how quick-paced the Memphis Grizzlies were playing.
They just fully overwhelmed the Bucs with their athleticism.And not always is that going to work, but it did against the Bucs because the Bucs looked disjointed on offense and defense.
But it's it's nice to see that the Grizzlies are taking advantage of their youth and they're absolutely taking advantage of their their pace and their size.
That two man game, whether it was Aldama or Edie Morant being involved, they couldn't stop it.There was nothing you could stop.
Yeah. Yeah, Jha had 26, 14 assists, 10 rebounds.And honestly, the 10 rebounds to me is kind of an indictment.He's so small and the Bucs, their calling card is supposed to be playing big.But you know what, Zena, they were not very big in this game.
Number one, no point of attack defense whatsoever.We know transition woes.They did not shoot the ball well.And that's what a lot of people are going to point to. But I thought their interior defense in this game was rough, too.
I mean, number one, yes, John Morant is getting two feet in the paint almost every single possession.But just two years ago, we watched when Giannis and Brooke were able to cover that up.And I just don't think these guys can do it anymore.
You know, look, they both maybe lost a step.Now, Giannis is still one of the best players in the world.Brooke has definitely lost a step.
They're going to have to figure out a way to improve the point of attack defense or this team doesn't again could be a play in team.They look so bad.
Absolutely.And I would I would say that it wasn't just it could have been just this game because yes, it is hard to track Morant and a Zach Eady in a pick and roll or an Aldama in a pick and roll, but we've seen this in their few games.
We saw this against the Celtics.We've seen this throughout the season already where they just do not know how to stop head down dribblers.And so I'm not sure what the adjustments are going to be, but Damian Lillard is going to have to pick it up.
Gary Trent Jr is going to have to pick it up.Got to make a shot.
Yeah, that's who Damian Lillard was one or 12, four points.And look, What is your job here?Like, what would you say you do here, Damian Lillard?Your job is to make shots.
You're not playing defense, and we know that no one's going to ask you to do that.You have got to figure out a way to make some shots.And Zena, speaking of making shots,
The Phoenix suns were pretty ridiculous last night in their game against the Clippers.Now the Clippers had a huge lead and I was thinking, okay, we got a blowout night.Now we lucked out because the Rockets Mavs, the Mavs came back.
Uh, the suns did come back, but in a ridiculous fashion, they were down 18 after the halftime 15 straight made shots, nine minutes and 20 seconds without a miss to start the third quarter of this game.And so they just tied the game back up.
And next thing you know, Devin Booker's got 40 points and they just ran over the Clippers who ran out of gas.
Devin Booker, 25 points in the second half and did it from all over the court. Mid-range, under the basket, outside, just found his shot.And it was surreal.
I don't know what the history books say on being able to make that many shots in a row while also down.Remember, this team at the half allowed Clippers to score 70 points on them.That can hurt the ego.That can hurt the ego.
So for them to come out that focused, that energized, that locked in to be able to hit that many shots, I mean, they deserved this win.Sucks for the Clippers that this is the second heartbreak.
that Phoenix has given them in their beautiful new arena into a dome.
Yeah.And, um, we got to talk about rookie Ryan done.I mean, just another nice game for him.Four of nine from three at 16 points.Um, and even use of Nerkich had a good game in this one.So now look, it's rough.I'll say it's rough.
Look, it's rough for the Clippers.They, you know, second night of a back-to-back, they had this, this game, uh, that, you know, they got pushed to the wire last night, obviously, and just threw up a dud at the finish.
So a bit of a rough room for them to have it on a back-to-back and also, you know, they've already seen Phoenix and that makes it even tougher.
Coming up after the break, we got Kelly Eco on to talk a little bit about the Rockets and what their season's gonna look like with all this youth, whether or not they're gonna have to make a trade or something.They just got so many guys.
The Rockets held off a late game surge from Luka Doncic and the Mavericks to hold them off 108 to 102.We brought on Kelly Eco, Houston Rockets writer for The Athletic.
Also, you write about a lot of teams, so I don't even know if Houston is really doing you your service.You're like our South, what do we call this?South Central America, Southwest division.
I'm not sure what we call you, but you know, my good buddy, Kelly Eco, welcome to the show.How are you?
Yeah, pretty good game tonight.Big lead, you know, for the Rockets.They had this big lead and then the Mavs started chipping away like they do, just hitting big shots.
I mean, it probably isn't a bad thing to give up a lead to a team like the Mavericks.They're going to do this to a bunch of good teams, better teams than the Rockets.
But I think the good sign for the Rockets is they held on and were able to close them out at the end.
So I think, you know, one of the bigger signs of growth from a young team like the Rockets is how to figure out those ugly games, you know, late in the fourth quarter where you see you have to withstand a Kyrie and Luka Doncic onslaught and you're on the road in a tough crowd and the offense is sluggish and stalling out.
You have to figure out a way to crank out a dub.And I think for the Rockets and especially for Jalen Green, You're seeing that late in these games, they're putting all of their trust in him to figure things out on the fly.
And in year one and year two, he might have taken some bad shots here and there, and he might not have had the most efficient night overall.
And even tonight, it was still a tough night because Dallas set their defensive game plan around Jalen Green slowing him down.
But you saw what he made it in the fourth, going small, opening up the driving lanes for him and allowing him to attack angles, you know, with the man Thompson as a small ball screener.
So I think this is a good, the process of the game might not have been great, but from a viewer perspective, that's kind of, it was kind of like, Oh, it was fun.It was fun, man.The Rockets.In-season tournament.Yeah.In-season tournament kind of game.
So it was, it was a good experience.
I'm happy you brought up Jalen Green.We're going to talk about the decision to go small in a second, but Jalen Green has been a topic of conversation in terms of making the leap.Is he making the leap this year?
Because it's one thing, sure, you're averaging 28 points, et cetera, your team isn't winning, but now you're averaging those points, you're closing out games, you're making the big shots, and you're getting big wins for your team.
Is this the year for Jalen?
I think so.And this goes back to a lot of the work he put in over the summer to improve his overall efficiency.Now you're seeing, I think he's averaging the lowest turnover percentage he has in his career.
I think it's like 7.5% compared to a 31.5% usage rate, which is telling you that, you know, this guy is taking care of the ball and they're giving him the lion's share of the offense.
And obviously you can go back to the three-point shooting and shooting over 12 threes a game and he's hitting like 40%. the fish, the effective field goal percentage is up.The true shooting is up and he just looks like the game is slowing down.
And you want to see that for going from year three to year four, everyone compares it to Anthony Edwards and the leap he took, you know, in year four.Now, obviously it might not be the same because no different circumstances, but Jalen is a guy that
When you put everything together, you kind of see exactly why he's the sort of player that the Rockets pinned their rebuild hopes on, because he's so electric.He's a three-level scorer.You can get from end to end.
And you see now he's playing engaged defensively.That was one of the biggest pressures of his career.Was he going to be a defensive liability for all these years to come?And you're seeing him engage.
I think Imei has really gotten through to him in that respect.And then he's turned it out and been efficient at the end.
Feels like every night he has some sort of a highlight block.He had a nice block in this game.12 rebounds too, by the way, for a small guard.We talked about how skinny he is, right?Like 12 rebounds.That's a big deal.
I've been very impressed with him.Also, I've been impressed with Alperin Shingun.He was plus 10 in this game.
points 12 rebounds you mentioned earlier the decision to go small and that paid off like a men Thompson He you know, he hits that fadeaway that kind of ices the game But talk a little bit to me about the decision-making here because Alfred Shingoon is the franchise He's the cornerstone again plus 10 in this game with him on the court Talk to me about the decision to go small like what did he may have to say or what are your thoughts there?
So, you know In a game like this in the fourth quarter where the game kind of slows down and gets bogged down, it's really possession by possession.Alfred wants to set up on the low block.
He wants to try and attack either Gafford or Lively or whoever's on him.But at the same time, the way the game was going, Jalen and Amanda were finding success going downhill.
Now it gets kind of, if you go back to, think of when the Rockets had Klinkapel and Russell Westbrook, right?It didn't work for a reason because Late games, Rebs wants to go downhill, Clint's in the way.
It's kind of a similar thing, only that Alperin is most effective on the block.
But going small is like a tool in Emay's kit, where even if you don't play the whole game that way, it's nice to have a strategy to go to switch things up when you want more spacing, when you want guys going downhill.
And the key here really isn't really Alperin, but the key is Emay Thompson.
When he's that small ball destroyer in terms of rolling to the rim, downhill force, you saw late in the game, he hit that tough mid-range floater in a time where they actually needed that bucket.
Just being able to go small, EMA talked about he needed to get more space, and he needed to give Fred and Jalen as much room to navigate as possible.And the only way to do that is by taking off and out the game.
I'm wondering if Alperin can potentially become a new Nikola Jokic in terms of being able to be a great passer.Because you talk about him being on the block.You want to have an inside-out game.He has the ability to pass.We saw it tonight.
He averages about four assists a game.Do you think he can make that jump?
Yeah, I do.I do.Obviously, the key to assist is your teammates have to make the basket.
Facts.And sometimes he gets robbed.
And there are about five or six passes every game where he makes a killer pass and they either miss the shot or they weren't expecting it.But in terms of Al Prince's processing speed, I think he could definitely reach those goals.
It might take some time just because You know, the biggest thing now for Jokic, he still has that three-point shot in his bag, right?Even though it's not his, he won't rely on it, but he'll do it.He'll shoot if he has to.
And you may try to get Alperin more comfortable with spacing the floor, taking those threes, even if it's only like two a game.As long as the defense knows they can't just, you know, wall up in the middle, knowing that you're able to step out.
and hit a three, that's going to be a big thing for him.In terms of the passing, I think his passing is already pretty advanced for his size and his experience.But in terms of the overall package, for example, this season,
Imei has hampered down on him to become more of a screener.And I think last season, the Rockets scored about 10 points off of his screen assist.That number jumped to almost 17.
And adding Steven Adams, which is arguably the best screener of all time, is going to help a lot in that respect.But Alperin, he lost weight over the summer.He got stronger.And he really dug into the film and saw
why screening is such an underrated skill in the half court and the angles he can create for all those guys.
So to your point, even if you were to go late in the game, you could still go small with Alperin if he's facing the floor and cutting as hard as he can.So it's really give or take depending on the nightly basis, but I think he's in a great spot.
Yeah, I mean, they've got a lot of options.The other thing is improved offensive rebounding from this team overall, you know, just see more of a concerted effort there.And certainly having Steven Adams in the house, it's not going to hurt with that.
Kelly Eco, go and read him over at The Athletic.He covers the, I don't know, the Southwest Division for us over there.I mean, he really is just covering everything for us.So go and read him.
After the break, we're going to talk about Victor Wiminyama's ridiculous 5x5 game.
The Acura ZDX is more than just 100% electric, it's 100% Acura energy.With nearly 500 horsepower and an impressive range rating, the ZDX Type S delivers 100% excitement and brings unprecedented performance to the Type S family.
And it's 100% loaded with innovative features like an 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen premium sound system, available hands-free cruise, and Google built-in.Test drive the Acura ZDX and unlock electrified performance today.
This episode is supported by Merrill.With a dedicated Merrill advisor, you get a personalized plan for your financial goals.And when plans change, Merrill's with you every step of the way.Go to ml.com slash bullish to learn more.
Merrill, a Bank of America company.What would you like the power to do?Investing involves risk.Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, registered broker dealer, registered investment advisor, member SIPC.
Victorinox, the makers of the original Swiss Army Knife, have been a reliable companion for life's everyday challenges, mastering functionality, innovation, iconic design, and uncompromising quality with its products.
The Victorinox Swiss Army Knife provides you with all the things you don't think about until you need it.Tweezers, a screwdriver, and even a corkscrew.With the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife, you can be prepared to master everyday life.
You can find Victorinox Swiss Army Knives at Dick's Sporting Goods.
Now in case you guys haven't figured it out yet, this segment is where I try to unpack something that these guys are doing in the group chat or in our conversations.
I'm just like trying to figure out what are their motivations when they're watching basketball.But with Zena, it has been so obvious to me.
And so I start picking your brain and it's like, you know, I know, you know, you played, you played in college and you played in the post.So it's super obvious to me that that's why you're always talking about these bigs.
And I was thinking, you know what, what if we took a little time and we just talked about a couple of the bigs that showed out because you're so big.
On Biggs.Yes.Oh, I like it.Big on Biggs.Zena is big on Biggs.Yes.This is going to be like a love letter to Biggs because I feel like there's such an underappreciated part of the game these days.
If you're not passing like Nikola Jokic or shooting outside like Joel Embiid or taking the ball up the court like Giannis Attentacumpo, it feels as if they get forgotten. And you don't know how important a good screen being set is, Dave.
So yes, big on bigs.Let's talk about my favorite bigs of the night. Starting out with Wim Benyama and not just because he's French and I'm also French.No, no, no.But my Frenchman showed up tonight and he did not the previous night.
I know you and S talked about this against Chet Holmgren.Everyone had their eyes on that performance and he didn't perform.What I love about this game tonight against the Utah Jazz in which this Spurs got their win.
He came out and had a redemption game, a five by five game.Folks, five scored against points, rebounds, steals, and blocks.25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five blocks, five steals, and four made threes.
He is only the third person in NBA history to have multiple five by five games.This is a big impacting every level of the game.Of course, I'm going to pour out my love to him.Yes, he had an off night, but he bounced back.
And no, his talent did not disappear overnight, folks.I've seen the comments. No, I absolutely have to give Webanyama his props.He showed up as a tremendous big.And yes, it's against the Utah Jazz that don't really have a big presence.
But hey, doesn't matter.He showed up, did what he needed to do for his team.
You know, he he shot.He's shooting a lot of threes in general.
He shot 13 last night.I think part of this is to counteract the way teams are guarding him.They're guarding him with smaller players, right?Yes.
He's out there, he's got a couple of non-shooters, so they'll stick the opposing big on that non-shooter, and against OKC, they bothered him with just some of these bigger wings that they've got.Alex Caruso was just elbowing the ribs.
It makes sense.It makes sense.When you're that big, you want someone trying to throw off your center of gravity, and that's exactly what Caruso is doing, being so low to the ground.And it makes sense.Sohan is not a shooter.
So they're putting their center out on him and making Wendy have to handle ball, you know, ball pecklers right under him as he's trying to dribble.And he's dribbling five feet high because he's so tall.
Yeah.Who else stood out to you last night?
I know they got the loss. But Avisa Zubac.And he's been standing out to me.I think that's what you probably picked up in our group chat.Yeah, he's been great this season.He's been great.Just an amazing pick and roller with James Harden.
You can see they've got their connection really going strong right now.He's a great finisher inside.You know, you actually pointed this out to me.He screens well on the inside as well.And just a really clean,
solid, typical post player back to the basket.Nice moves and also really well conditioned.He plays a lot of minutes and is always efficient throughout the entire game.
He runs hard, too, and that's half the battle for for bigs.And finally, guys, as we. go out last night was Halloween and some of the costumes around the NBA, you know, some of them are insane.
I mean, LeBron James every year, it seems like he has like a much higher budget on his Halloween costume than I have on like my automobiles.But these were pretty fun.
Zena, did you have any favorites? I have to go with Pascal Siakam and he's been pretty good.He always like chooses like a musical act this year.I know he did 50 Cent previous years.This year he did Andre 3000.
The wig was wigging, had the full outfit, also did like a music video to go with it for Hey Ya.I loved it.
I don't know if you saw Jay Huff, but he dressed up as Kyle Kuzma with the pink sweater and just made me think it actually made me a little bit sad because Kyle Kuzma has lost his dinosaur and he's dressing business casual now.
What did Kyle Kuzma wear for Halloween? I don't even know.
Because we didn't see it, because now he's just wearing khakis, I guess.That's going to do it for today's show, folks.Thank you guys for joining us.Don't forget to shoot us those emails at NBADaily at TheAthletic.com.
For Zina Kada, I'm Dave DuFour, and this has been the NBA Daily.Thanks for waking up with us.
As you've probably heard by now, we've teamed up with BetMGM this season.We'll be using BetMGM lines to make all of our picks, and we'll have special offers for our listeners each week.
If you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code THEATHLETIC and you'll get a one-year subscription to The Athletic, plus up to a $1,500 first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM.Here's how it works.
Download the BetMGM app and sign up using bonus code THEATHLETIC.Make your first deposit of at least $10, place your first bet on any game, and claim your voucher for a one-year subscription to The Athletic.See BetMGM.com for terms.U.S.
promotional offers not available in D.C., Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico.Gambling problem?Call 1-800-GAMBLER.Available in the U.S.Call 877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY467369 in New York.Call 1-800-NEXTSTEP in Arizona.
1-800-327-5050 in Massachusetts.1-800-BETS off in Iowa.1-800-270 7117 for confidential help in Michigan, 1-800-981-0023 in Puerto Rico.First bet offer for new customers only in partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.
Don't forget, if you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code THEATHLETIC and you'll get a one-year subscription to The Athletic plus up to a $1,500 first bet offer on your first wager.
