OKC Thunder: Steven Adams season and contract grades

Contract grade.

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Adams is in the third year of the four-year deal he signed back in the 2016-17 season. Sam Presti signed him to the extension after Kevin Durant left without allowing the franchise to get anything for him.

There were more than a few raised eyebrows as to the $100 million price tag but Adams has shown that he is worth it. His work ethic and willingness to put his body on the line for the franchise is proof of this.

He is an unselfish player who could easily average a double-double if that is what the coach asked of him. He has developed year on year, especially with his passing. This season he averaged a career-high 2.3 per game.

He will forever be judged by his output compared to James Harden due to being the pick in the trade which sent ‘The Beard’ to the Houston Rockets. This is very unfair as Adams is a different player and is performing his role incredibly well.

Contract grade: B

Season grade

Adams was a massive reason for the success of the OKC Thunder this season. Where so many pundits expected the franchise to languish at the bottom of the standings, Adams and the rest of the team had other ideas.

As discussed earlier, Adams was top-20 in the categories expected of him and this allowed others to focus on their roles. He did miss a number of games through injury, the worst being when Clint Capela fell across Adams’ leg in what could have been a horrific injury.

Season grade: B+