Five Thunder Takeaways from the Christmas Day Dub
By Tony Heim
2. When Steven Adams eats, the OKC Thunder eat
Approximately 95% of Thunder fans will tell you they want Steven Adams to be a bigger focal point in the offense. The $100 million man will never be worth that money if he doesn’t become an offensive force; he can’t develop if he isn’t getting fed the ball down low.
Tonight The Big Kiwi finished with 22 points on 9-12 shooting from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe. The double-digit shots are what’s important; when Adams reaches 10 attempts the Thunder are 7-3 this season.
The big reason for this starts and ends with the overall offensive gameplan. When the Thunder make it an emphasis to pound the paint, they win. Oklahoma City isn’t a good three-point shooting team, yet they tend to fall in love with the shot in some games.
Adams isn’t the low-post threat that Enes Kanter is, but he’s a match made in heaven for Russ in the pick & roll. The play is almost unstoppable, especially when Russ has it going like he did tonight. Adams’ man is forced to shade Russ, giving the 23-year old a clear opening to the rim. Like this:
The more Westbrook and Adams run that pick & roll, the better off the Thunder are. It brings the opposing team’s center away from the rim and mobilizes two of the best athletes at their respective positions into open space.
Even if it isn’t in the pick & roll, it’s important for the Thunder to give the ball to Adams down-low. Like I said earlier, Adams needs to become a more consistent offensive force in order to be worth that large contract, so giving him more touches will only help his game in the long run.