Oklahoma City Thunder: Midseason Team Awards
By Jake Fielder
January 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) dunks the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Marreese Speights (5) and guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Most Improved Player: Steven Adams
Honorable Mention: Serge Ibaka
Ibaka has probably been the most dramatic overall transformation from last year to the current, going from being a very limited offensive piece to a deadly stretch in seemingly one summer. Ultimately though, Steven Adams transition from uncertain rookie into becoming a lynchpin in the starting lineup trumps Serge’s extended range. Just looking at the numbers, Adams has improved in nearly every conceivable category, including efficiency despite playing over double his minutes per game number as a rookie.
Furthermore, Adams is averaging a double/double in his per 36 line (10.8/10.8) and with every game seems to be becoming more and more of a force on the glass. This manifested itself most recently in an obscene 20 rebound effort against Washington on Wednesday night. Last season, Adams was viewed as purely “capable enough” of spelling Kendrick Perkins defensively. This year? It couldn’t be any more different.
Steven Adams Rookie Improvement
In fact, this could be the most important aspect of both Adams’ improvement and the Thunder’s title hopes. With Adams developing to the point that he can now be a starter and be the defensive force behind Ibaka, it allowed Oklahoma City to move Perkins to the bench. The reduced minutes have allowed Perk to stay rested and fill his defensive role to near perfection while Adams becomes the long-armed reinforcement that allows Serge the freedom to chase down blocks.
As for the offensive end, Adams is quickly becoming a pick and roll monster. He’s been absolutely crushing smaller guards with screens and then…well you can ask Matt Bonner and Tim Duncan about the roll aspect.
In an era where teams are still struggling to find one capable big man, Oklahoma City has to be feeling great about the emergence of Adams.
Next: Thunder Most Valuable Player