Ben DuBose

I thought against the Pelicans, he showed some really promising signs, not just faking a three, but attacking the closeouts.

Tari Eason is now back from his ankle sprain.

So other than Steven Adams, it does feel like they're getting healthier.

And so hopefully that'll give Ime more options if that's what he needs to sit Shingun down for a sequence or two in the upcoming game to try and get him in the right headspace.

And hopefully Shingun's ankle continues to improve as well.

I think that's, while not everything that's going on, it's at least a small part of it.

So I would say with Shingun, there's some hope there.

But I will say that last night, even with those issues and even with the Spurs, look, I don't care if you're just shooting against air.

What they did from three in the first half of that game was insane.

The Rockets took so many punches, and yet because you had Reed Shepard and to a lesser extent Jabari Smith Jr.

making those shots in the final 18 minutes of that game,

it didn't matter.

And if there's a blessing in disguise to this Stephen Adams injury, and I mean this in the big picture, because certainly it's going to hurt your win-loss record.

I feel confident in saying that you'll lose some games that you would have otherwise won if you had Stephen Adams.

He's that important as a floor raiser, most certainly on defense, the data shows it, but also with his offensive rebounding presence.

But in the big picture,

Ime Udoka is going to have no choice but to trust Reed Shepard and Jabari Smith Jr.

because you need the shot making.

You need the spacing.

You're going to need those Jabari at the five lineups.