Ben DuBose

Like the last two games that Steven Adams has missed, the win over the Spurs and then the Timberwolves game that Steven set out because it was night two of a back-to-back.

Clint only played 12 minutes.

So this is not going to be a situation where the Rockets turn Clint Capella loose and say, you're a great value, Stephen Adams.

Just go and try to give us, you know, 80% of what Stephen did, and we're going to go on with the same formula.

No, that's not going to be good enough.

This team just doesn't have that level of firepower, especially if you're playing, at times, the double big, the way the Rockets did with Stephen and Alpey and Amin Thompson.

That's three of your five players who are non-spacers.

This is going to force Ine Udoka to go back to the drawing board to get enough points.

And so he's going to have no choice but to sink or swim with guys like Reid and Jabari, and especially Reid.

You know, Jabari typically gets the benefit of the doubt because he always provides at least some value with his defense and as a connector.

With Reid, there's been games where he just hasn't played much if the threes aren't going in because of the potential defensive issues.

Well, now that you don't have that offensive rebounding superpower, Ime Udoka is going to have no choice but to trust Reed Shepard.

And he got rewarded for it against the Spurs.

And when Reed made the shots, I also thought it brought out a better version of him defensively.

But he got in more rhythm.

We saw the huge block he had on a three late in the game from Champagny.

So...

I think in the big picture, assuming Stephen gets back, and it's not a given, but the average return timetable, Stephen Adams' stats put this out on Twitter, is a little over two months for a great three-ankle sprain.

That's still a decent bit of buffer before the playoffs.

Stephen's going to do what he does.