OKC Thunder Offseason Improvement Series: Steven Adams
By Dean Turner
In the offseason improvement series, we’ll take a look at each player on the OKC Thunder roster and determine what they need to improve on. Steven Adams is up.
After performing well in the 2016 NBA Playoffs, Steven Adams was given a hefty contract by the Oklahoma City Thunder last offseason. This set expectations reasonably high for Adams coming into this year and it’s safe to say he under performed during the 2016-2017 season as he experienced decreases in a variety of advanced metrics such as true shooting percentage and box plus/minus.
This begs the question: What can Adams improve upon this offseason to ensure the Thunder get their money’s worth from his contract?
Rebounding
Adams averaged a career high in rebounds per game this past season at 7.7. This probably has many wondering why rebounding would be listed as an area that needs improvement. The reason being that Adams rebounds-per-game numbers don’t actually tell the full truth.
According to advanced metrics, Adams posted the lowest total rebound percentage of his career this past season. He also grabbed his lowest rebounds per 36 minutes of his career. When diving deep into the data, it actually appears as though Adams has regressed as a rebounder since coming into the league.
One of the main reasons Adams even sees the court for the Thunder is because of his supposed rebounding prowess. If he can’t even dominate in that area he may be worth trading.
Related: The Kiwi Bible
Defense
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Defense is another supposed strong suit of Adams but this may not be the case anymore. This past season, he posted the worst defensive rating of his career and the worst defensive box plus/minus of his career. That is a major problem.
Today’s NBA is unlike any NBA that has come before it. Positions are meaningless while small ball, shooting, and advanced metrics are paramount.
Adams represents a traditional big man who can score inside, rebound, and defend. As evidenced by the statistics in this article, he apparently isn’t all that good at the latter two of those three. Again, if he can’t even do the few things he’s supposed to be good at well, how can you even play him?
Conclusion
In an NBA where Adams doesn’t really fit to begin with, he’d better work on improving his defense and rebounding. This will ensure he’s still playable and a net positive for the Thunder.