The Importance of Steven Adams
Steven Adams, the third-year center from New Zealand has become an integral member of the Thunder team. He is a defensive machine who has his hands full every night with opposing big men and also being the last line of defense – along with Serge Ibaka – when the perimeter guys get beaten. Just how important is Adams to the Thunder? He might be absolutely vital to the team’s quest for a championship.
All I have to do is pull out the tape of a recent loss to Brooklyn and, through the tears, I can see what was missing. Adams was out for a second-straight game with an elbow injury; it did not cost the Thunder much in the first game he missed as Dallas lacks a dominant center. Enter Brook Lopez and his dominant (cough) Nets.
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Oklahoma City was playing against the third-worst team in the league, while having had the third-best record. Lopez torched the Thunder for 31 points that night, along with 10 rebounds. Lopez, who’s having a career year, was basically laughing at Nick Collison and Enes Kanter all night. Other players – usually Ibaka – frequently came to help, leaving Thaddeus Young to collect 14 points and 14 rebounds. Because Ibaka was not able to protect the rim enough to get his usual 2.4 blocks per game (he got just one), players were able to attack the hoop with greater confidence; Brooklyn shot 48 percent that night, as opposed to their usual field-goal rate of 45 percent for the season. And on the story goes.
This is when I saw that Adams is the glue of the starting lineup. Of the 14 losses the Thunder have suffered this season, one was against the Warriors, a common occurrence around the NBA. Among the team’s other losses, Adams missed one game and fouled out in two more, versus Memphis ,while guarding Marc Gasol, and against Cleveland, defending the hoop against one LeBron James. Most of the other losses have been against other teams that have amazing outside shooters or as a result of freakish performances (like Harden’s massive night, Roses’ 29-point masterclass, and Wade’s winning ways). All of these games take the defensive presence of Adams out of the game. In the recent loss to the Warriors, their shooters kept Adams from doing what he does best.
Kanter is averaging more points per game (11.9 to 7.2) and more rebounds per game (7.6 to 6.3) and yet there are no calls for him to start. The reason is because Adams limits opposing teams, changes shots and defends with an intensity Kanter does not possess.
Adams has developed into a serviceable big man for the Thunder since his rookie campaign. He now owns the starting center position which shows the growth of the man. He made Kendrick Perkins expendable, improving the team with a comparable defensive effort and offensive abilities that far outshone those of his former mentor. His understanding of the pick-and-roll is improving, as any of the sweet alley-oop passes he catches from Russell Westbrook prove.
His shooting percentage is up from last year, from .547 to .587, largely due to the fact he is taking his shots closer to the bucket with 74 percent of his shots coming from within three feet versus just 60 percent last year.
Adams is always going to have the pressure on him for being the main piece acquired for trading away James Harden. I believe Adams is handling the pressure well. While Harden is a high-volume scorer, the Thunder already have two in Westbrook and Durant. Westbrook took the scoring title last year and I would take Durant’s efficiency and floor spacing any day over Harden’s. Adams role as a complementary player, doing what Harden can’t and won’t do, is what makes him a better fit for Oklahoma City.
Over the coming years, Adams will only get better, becoming a defensive double-double machine that fits alongside Kanter’s offensive abilities. While he will likely never be a Patrick Ewing or Wilt Chamberlain – and perhaps never even an All Star – he will always make a team better.