Funaki Returns: What’s Changed For Steven Adams While He’s Been Injured?
Four weeks ago Steven Adams fractured his right hand. It happened in a win over the Clippers, competing for an offensive board, and you knew it was bad when the stoic OKC big fella darted straight for the locker room. Except that an instant later he was back – he had free throws to shoot, the injury could wait.
Adams had been told that if he didn’t take his free throws then he’d be ineligible to return to the game. It turns out that wasn’t gonna be an option anyway, a day later he was in surgery. Pulled from the Rising Stars Challenge at All Star Weekend, out of the lineup for the next 11 games.
He made his return this week in a win over Toronto to a rapturous ovation, but a month can be a long time in the NBA and plenty had changed by the time he got back. The roster was overhauled, his role has been flipped and, for the time being, he’ll have to wear this slick little punk rock accessory on his sore hand.
The Situation As It Was
When Adams got hurt, he was the Thunder’s starting centre. Averaging 24.3 minutes per game, with 7.4 points and 7.0 rebounds. Both considerably up on his first year numbers. He’d usurped the veteran Kendrick Perkins on the depth chart and was winning plenty of fans.
Yet while Stone Cold Steve Adams went from strength to strength to literal strength, the team had their problems. The balance of the side was completely skewed towards their two stars and so when both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook missed time with injuries, they stumbled to a 3-12 start. They relied on fringe players, they got hardly anything from their bench.
The first sign of what was to come happened thanks to their old finals rival, LeBron James. His situation in Cleveland had run into its own barriers, and as LBJ took a little rest, the Cavs shuffled their team. One of the moves that they made was a three-way trade between them, Oklahoma City and the New York Knicks. A move that sent Dion Waiters to OKC. A controversial guy and a difficult fit in LeBron’s Cleveland team, Waiters has averaged 11.1 points off the bench since joining. Not shooting a great percentage, and definitely not playing smart, but he at least gives them some aggression and scoring potential.
That Trade Deadline
And then things went proper crazy. A trade deadline like none ever seen before, so many teams out to make that last, calculated roll of the dice – and this is after guys like Rajon Rondo, Timofey Mozgov and Jeff Green had already been moved earlier in the season. Somehow the collective brains of the NBA managed to combine to trade guys like Goran Dragic, Kevin Garnett, Isaiah Thomas, Michael Carter-Williams, K.J. McDaniels, Thad Young and Aaron Afflalo. With all of that action, few teams could claim to have done better business that the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Out goes Reggie Jackson and Kendrick Perkins (plus some filler) and in comes Enes Kanter, Kyle Singler and D.J. Augustin. Steve Novak too but he never plays. Something about an appendectomy.
Jackson had already been replaced ahead of time by Dion Waiters. Perkins was replaced man-for-man by Enes Kanter. Singler brings another three point shooting threat to the lineup, and Augustin a ball-handler on the bench who doesn’t look for his own shot above others.
Kanter is the guy that directly relates to Stevie. A young, international centre, new to the NBA game but with plenty of raw talent… where have we heard that before? The funny thing is that now Steven Adams is the senior big man of the pair, after serving most of his career so far in the shadow of Mr Perkins (in the locker room if not on the court). Although he and the rest of his teammates were sad to see Perkins go, Kanter’s been welcomed openly. Adams was one of the first to reach out to him too. Enes Kanter’s a guy who’d been pushed further and further out of the way in Utah as The French Rejection, Rudy Gobert, made his name (and his nickname). This move to Oklahoma City was huge for him. Immediately he settled into the starter’s spot while Adams was hurt.
Back To The Bench?
Adams’ return to the court came off the bench. He played 16 minutes, logging 6 points/6 boards. He was always gonna be eased back into things to begin – he’d been back training for several days beforehand – but whether or not he reclaims his starting spot any time soon is up for debate.
Enes Kanter has been immense for the Thunder. Averaging 14.3 points & 9.3 rebounds, he has double-doubled in half of his starts. He’s the only Thunder centre in history with a 20/12 game, and he’s done it twice in his first eight. Kanter’s play down the stretch was vital in beating Toronto, he’s done everything he could be asked to in trying to claim that 5 spot on a permanent basis.
Asked about the juggling act now that Adams is fit and ready again, we got this coded message from coach Scott Brooks:
The pair complement each other well though. Kanter has a much better offensive game, Adams has a much better defensive game. Each can be very productive in their own way. The difference here is that Adams’ offensive stuff is less of a liability than Kanter’s defence. In Kanter’s time on the court, he’s almost exclusively been handcuffed to Serge Ibaka (a wonderful defender, one of the best shot blockers in the NBA). In fact when those two have been on the court together, in an admittedly mall sample size, the Thunder average over 117 points per 100 possession, and concede an average of 98.1. So since Ibaka’s an important starter himself, it looks like Kanter will hold that fort for a while yet. Probably with something close to mixed minutes between Adams/Kanter. Even with the Perkins/Adams shuffle, Stevie’s 24 mins a game were basically a clean half & half. Whichever guy starts won’t be playing starters’ minutes.
Kanter rebounds, but he’s not great at challenging shots. His career numbers hover at less than a block and steal every two games. He gets mauled on the pick and roll and opposition bigs can bully him. Meanwhile all that defensive stuff has been the main priority for Adams since joining the league. Other guys in his position, they hate to play him. He’s rough and aggressive, great at contesting rebounds and much more mobile than people realise. The other day his coach said that he has the potential to be a “defensive anchor”, now that’s high praise.
But on the other end, Kanter has a lovely jump shot for a guy his size. He finishes like a champ and is a very good passer for his position too. Adams can only do that stuff sporadically, he’s not a player to be relied upon for points. Both know how to set a screen, however Kanter’s ability to roll out of one and hit a jumper from 15 feet is a big deal. Everyone talks about spacing these days, this is what they mean. When defenders have to guard a range of players, it creates more room for others. If one guy knows he has to stay tight with Enes, then maybe that leaves a lane for Russell Westbrook to get to the basket. Steven Adams simply doesn’t command that attention.
Although you shouldn’t underestimate the leaps he’s made at that end of the court. Even though he’s shooting on average four more times a game than in his rookie campaign, he’s hitting them at 55%, up 5% on last time. Part of that is in making more dunks, a part of Kanter’s game that’s noticeably absent. 60% of Enes’ buckets with OKC have still come within 3ft of the rim, so that’s a stylistic thing as much as anything.
It’s a nice luxury for Coach Brooks to have. Does he want the extra scoring on the bench or the extra defence? The starters, between Westbrook, Ibaka and a fit Durant take care of most things themselves. It could be that Kanter starts until Durant’s fit and brings his 30 points a game back into that top 5. Or it could be a matter of matchups. Kanter starts against the likes of Golden State, Houston or Dallas, while Adams starts against the likes of Memphis, Portland and LAC. That could mess with rhythms, who knows? Brooks has been known to stick with some weird rotations.
Single Minded Focus
Let’s be honest, the starting centre for the Oklahoma City Thunder isn’t gonna be a deal breaker. Only one thing matters for these players though and that’s a spot in the playoffs. The Western Conference is absolutely brutal this season, and a large part of that is seeing teams as good as the Thunder way down in eighth spot. But it’d be a big shock if they slipped out of that seed now. Especially with Phoenix already taking a step back in mind of next season with their trade activity. Hey, the Suns will compete to the end and they’ve already beaten the Thunder since the trade deadline, it’s just that if you think any team in the league would rather face OKC than Phoenix then you’re wrong. They’re 12-4 since the start of February and keep that up for long enough they could even climb up a few spots.
Don’t forget the Kevin Durant, reigning MVP, factor either. He’ll be back sooner rather than later and if OKC are healthy headed into the playoffs then they’ve every chance to topple a Memphis or Golden State – in the least it’d be an epic first round clash like we’ve never seen before. These guys are still aiming for a title and they believe they can win one in July. The problem is, so do seven other teams in the West (and a couple in the East as well).
But none of them have a seven foot tall kiwi in their ranks.