The Quotable Steven Adams: 2021-22 Edition
The time has come for this beloved annual tradition to swing back around again. Another edition of the Quotable Steven Adams, an oral history of the season that was told through the words of Aotearoa’s lone active NBA baller (for now, at least).
It was a season in which Tips was traded once again, escaping a confusing fit in New Orleans and instantly finding a welcoming home with the Memphis Grizzlies. Adams would go on to set a career high in assists and break a franchise record for offensive rebounds. His senior leadership on a young and exciting team was instantly adored, it wasn’t long until he was established as a fan favourite, and eventually he found his way back into the playoffs after two years without postseason play. A tricky first round match-up and an untimely bout of covid limited his playoff efforts but he came back strong as the Grizzlies ultimately fell in six games to the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Semis – the first time Steven Adams has gone beyond the first round since 2016.
It was a beautiful experience. The whole season. Funaki and the Grizzlies went together like steak and cheese in a pie. A team renowned for a ‘Grit and Grind’ mentality and they went and scooped up Steven Adams? Yeah mate, inspired work from a franchise that had already drafted a core of hugely talented dudes to build their team around, Adams finding himself as the oldest dude on the second youngest roster in the NBA. No coincidence that general manager/executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman went on to win the NBA Executive of the Year award.
Anyway, have a geeze at the past versions for a trip down memory lane and scroll your way through this sucker for tales and quips about getting punched in the head, Peabody ducks, guitar playing, successful team culture, dairy products, nicknames... and maybe even some basketball too. Onwards.
“Hey bro we’re trading you. Well sweet bro, it was good while it lasted.”
The season began for Steven Adams the same way the last one did: with a trade. Hey man it’s a business after all, Steve-o ain’t gonna take it personally.
“It was eight less than twelve. All the cool numbers were gone... I didn’t want to be the guy asking to switch numbers. The bro Nick Collison rocked the number four. It’s just a bloody number.”
All his NBA career, Steven Adams has worn the 12 jersey. It was the position he was drafted in and that number followed him from Oklahoma City to New Orleans. But not only was 12 already taken when he got to Memphis... it was taken by Ja Morant, the team’s best player. Gotta choose a new one then and who better to lean upon there but his old mentor Nick Collison. Let that inspiration flow.
“It cuts me deep. Why did you say it, you bastard?”
Suddenly Steven Adams found himself as one of the senior heads in the locker room for the first time in his career. An acknowledged fact... but be careful not to call him old, a mistake that was made during his Media Day introduction – where as you can imagine Adams was an instant success.
“Sauna King? Jeezus, is that like the Tiger King? Nah I do love the sauna mate. I’m partial to it. Just because I’m not a big fan of the cold tub.”
Let’s keep going with Media Day, when Tips also had a great interview with Chris Vernon of Grind City Media, beginning with some clarification as to why Jaren Jackson Jr had dubbed him the Sauna King.
“I got punched and now I’m the arsehole. Okay, fair enough guys. My bad.”
Once upon a time, a rookie Steven Adams played against the Grizzlies in a first round playoff series. A key moment in said series came in game six when Zach Randolph, beloved Memphis power forward, lashed out at Adams as they ran back in transition. He’d be ejected and suspended for the decisive game seven which Oklahama City went on to win. Adams would be roundly booed whenever he played in Memphis for the next couple years... luckily all was forgiven once he actually joined the team – including getting the blessing of Z-Bo himself.
“Just what it is, bro. That I’m getting traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Just part of the job. I will say the first thing that came back to mind was that, ah, Zach Randolph punched me in the face and some people might still be pretty pissed off about it. So we’ve got some patch work to do mate. I’ll catch a vibe bro, we’ll see how it goes.”
Carrying on with the Grind City Media yarns: how’d it feel hearing you’d been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, Señor Adams?
“It was him [Randolph], Tony Allen, Mike Conley. It’s why I actually enjoyed coming to Memphis because its very much like a grindhouse, very hard working, gritty type basketball you know. It was always one of these games bro where you show up to the arena and you have to be mentally prepared. You cant just waltz in here thinking you’re gonna be like: yay. Nah dude. It is tough. It is grind the whole game. It’s why I was quite excited to come to Memphis because they like that kind of play and its a part of the DNA of Memphis. I’m excited to be here for that.”
Here for the rough stuff. No cut corners. Grindhouse basketball. Lesssgo.
“The rugged is probably more aesthetically I think mate. I think it’s how I look. Look at bit atrocious to be honest. It’s one of those things. The type of place I come from and just what’s required as well. I mean I’m just trying to do whatever I can to win. Usually if you dive on the floor a couple times people are like: yeah he’s a tough player. But it’s part of the game. You’re just trying to get an extra possession. It might be lack of skill – we haven’t entertained that. You’ve gotta do whatever you’ve gotta do. Whatever it takes.”
Seems there’s a lot that goes into cultivating a reputation as a rugged basketball player.
“Play guitar. I dunno if I’m good but I can play a few chords, mate. Keep the vibe going. I’m more on the acoustic side but I’ll do whatever. I try and do more hip hop now – it’s very easy, that’s why. There’s three bloody chords mate for all of them. So you play them now and you get much more of a reaction from say your teammates. But if you play, like, Fur Elise, some intense classical piece, they don’t even give a shit mate.”
Any interests outside of basketball?
“Oh I sing. I definitely sing. Yeah, no no no. But it ruins the whole song. I’m terrible. Look at how I sound, mate. I sound like a troll.”
The guitar goes good, the singing apparently needs some work. But The Great Funaki does have a trick for that issue: Sweet Caroline. Play the Neil Diamond hit to get everyone else singing in order to drown him out. Hey, if it works it works.
“Some reggae, some classical. My playlist is all over the place. Like, emotionally you shouldn’t be attached to my playlist because it might go to Enya, or Celine Dion, to Papa Roach. Just like that. Crazy. All over the place.”
Risky one on the road trips with Steve controlling the bluetooth, apparently.
“I usually just watch anime type stuff. Rick and Morty is a pretty good cartoon I like. That’s what I’m watching now. I did binge Peaky Blinders for a while. It’s good. It’s your typical gangster stuff. You kinda look at that as a dude like yeah I’ll do that in real life. Makes you feel good but you’ll never do it.”
Telly recommendations. Plenty to watch.
“It’s definitely changed a lot. Since analytics came on board, that was the main driver for a lot of these changes in teams. So yeah you see everyone shooting threes left and right and whatnot. Analytically it makes sense. You can justify it. I can try but I know what I’m most effective at, you know what I mean? I’m a dying breed, mate. Most of the boys, it’s good to do both. I’m sticking more to one side, bro. We’ll see how it goes.”
One more from the GCM chat, talking about the changing role of centres in the NBA and where he stands in that whole scenario.
“If they’re genuinely mad about it then I can’t do much about it. Fair enough mate, I’ll still play hard for your city and whatnot. Try to learn about the city as much as possible. Come on mate. Have a beer, aye? Calm down. You know what I mean? Have a tea, mate. Calm down.”
But just in case anyone still hasn’t gotten over the Z-Bo incident from 2014, here’s some advice
“Have a good game, mate.”
Handshakes all around for preseason, getting to know the lads.
“Ja, how fast can you run?”
Then came the real stuff. Proper regular season games. And tell ya what playing with Ja Morant must have felt a lot like playing with Prime Russell Westbrook back in the OKC days. This play had Steve & Russ vibes all over it. The answer to his question: very.
“Yeah nah getting more comfortable with the system and shit like that. Seeing the passing lanes. The boys are doing a good job cutting so that makes it easier on the passer. There’s not much talent needed from me, they just do a good job of getting open.”
Thus the chemistry began to come together. Funaki immediately showing the passing touch that would lead him to shatter his previous personal best for assists per game.
“I knew of them. I know of most players when they get into the league. Yeah dude, they’re good players. Don’t know what else you’re looking for, mate. Just talk about them more, I guess. That’ll help you out aye?”
From that same post-game interview, the fella was asked about how underrated Desmond Bane and DeAnthony Melton were... and he had a novel suggestion as to how they might get more recognition.
Alrighty. Let’s say you’re a new arrival in Memphis, a city with incredible culture and history, you’re gonna want a lowdown on the whole place as you get accustomed, right? Helpfully Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian offered exactly that as he gave a ‘crash course’ interview with Steve about his new city home. Here’s a selection of the best chat...
“Oh, yeah, 100%... The bro is a frickin’ legend. Here’s the thing. I can’t think of any Elvis songs because, well — they sound quite similar — but I keep thinking of the Johnny Cash song “The Ring of Fire.” But, short answer, no Elvis songs.”
Welcome to Memphis, bro. You know who Elvis Presley was? You familiar with the tunes?
“Oh, no. I have a beard, mate. He’s a good-looking dude, mate! I’m a bloody troll! I’d say his bouncer or his bodyguard or something. I could impersonate his bodyguard.”
Okay, not as deep on the Elvis deep cuts as you could be... but you reckon you could pull off the Elvis impersonator thing?
“That’s sick! No way. I want one. A Galapagos tortoise... I’m not sure if they have it but a Galapagos tortoise. I don’t know, they are just sick, bro. You could just sit on one and it would move around.”
Ja Morant has a giraffe named after him at Memphis Zoo. It’s called Ja-Raffe... although it did tragically just get sold to the Utah Zoo so hopefully that’s not an omen. Meanwhile Steve-o wants a tortoise.
“I drive an F-150”
Sneaky car chat there in case you were wondering what wheels the man rolls around in.
“No, is that an ice hockey team or something? Ohhhhh! I’ve heard about this! Yeah, when I first stayed here I stayed at the Central Station Hotel. They told me to check out the ducks. Yeah, that’s fucking crazy, that’s ducking crazy, mate.”
The ducks being the Peabody Ducks, a tradition of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis where a ‘duckmaster’ walks them through the lobby to a fountain in what’s become a ceremonial tourist attraction. Keep this one in mind because it’s gonna get a callback at the end of the season.
“That’s fine. It’s the dude’s building, mate. If someone came over graffitied my face, that’s fine mate. My mural is in their hearts. Oh, actually don’t say that, that’s way too cheesy.”
There’s been a very cool mural of Steven Adams on display on the side of a building in downtown Oklahoma City for a couple of years but it’s gone now. Replaced, removed, repainted. Yet it lives on the cheesy hearts of Thunder fans all over the world.
“Above ground. It’s good.”
Back on the Grind (City Media), this time chatting with Jessica Benson on their Grizz Files show. The yarns were immaculate as always.
“A lot of my family played. My family’s naturally a very tall family so it was like a natural progression to go into basketball. Played a little bit here and there and then started playing properly when I was 13. just playing in New Zealand. Didn’t think I would end up in the NBA. My goal was to be a dairy farmer. Was gonna do that but basketball ended up going pretty well so yeah. Turned out good and here I am.”
Say, Steven, where did the basketball affinity come from?
“Raw milk. Maybe not straight out the tit, maybe you just milk it first and get it from the vat. But just raw milk. A lot of people’s stomach, it’s quite hard on the stomach if you’re not used to it, you know? You can be on the throne for a while.”
Speaking of dairy farming, what’s you favourite dairy product bro?
“I never thought I was actually pretty good. Still don’t. I just like working. You know, working out, I like the process and all this sort of stuff. I like the team environment. And yeah whatever they tell me to do I bloody try and do it to the best of my ability. That’s pretty much all I’m going for. I mean I have my own goals, right. I want to win championships, do well and not disappoint teammates. Obviously we have all that. But right now it’s just sick. Enjoying the whole process.”
Embrace the process, children. If you’re lucky it’ll take you further than you think is possible.
“That was so fun. It was real special because my brothers ended up being able to come over and make it. My other brother who’s a farmer, I used to work on his farm and that’s why I like dairy farming, he was able to come over, and my other brother who I’m really close with, Sid. You know how it is when you’re with your family. You laugh about literally just stupid shit all the time. That’s all we were doing. Mocking other tables in the green room and stuff. Just cracking jokes. It was a good time. It was real fun.”
Draft night memories, good times. Will never forget the late David Stern fumbling his way around the pronunciation of Rotorua.
“Umm, what do I do. Play a little bit of guitar here and there. Play with my dog. Eat a lot. And just keep an eye on some stocks here and there. Try and become cultured. Bitcoin shenanigans, that’s going on.”
Non-basketball interests. Our dude here is a proper renaissance man.
“The dog is a Belgian Malinois. I know, it sounds like a dessert. But it is a terrifying little dog. You’ve probably seen then, they’re very similar to Shepherds. A bit smaller. Military’s switched over to them but you’ll probably see a lot of the police dogs now, they’re most likely Malinois. Mellies is the nickname.”
Man’s best friend.
“Number one: probably an English breakfast. That, and bangers and mash. With a pint of Guinness.”
The ideal meal, as per Steven Funaki Adams.
“Ah, Jesus is probably top of the list. I’ve had Jesus a few times. Oh, amazing. I was just like, wow, there you go. That shit’s top of the list. The Messiah.”
Seems like you’re probably doing at least one thing right if people are comparing you to Jesus.
“What did we do? Ah fuck I don’t know mate.”
Those postgame telly interviews are tricky. Been running around for ages, you’re exhausted, now you’ve got a microphone in you face on a live broadcast and you’ve gotta both summon up intelligent thoughts about the game and also not swear. Sometimes you don’t manage either of those things.
“Who cursed? Me? No? Just tell them that’s our language in New Zealand.”
But if you do happen to swear on live TV, there’s always the old ‘that’s just my language’ excuse. This was coming after a win over the LA Lakers, by the way. Bouncing back the day after a loss to Dallas had snapped a five-game winning streak. From a 9-10 start, the Grizzlies then suffered an injury to Ja Morant but somehow at the exact same time they turned the corner in their season. That Lakers win would be the first of five more in a row. They had five different 5+ win streaks over the course of the season.
The chunky part of the season didn’t involve as many Adams chats as we’re used to. Ordinarily these Quotables get to dig into the ebbs and flows of the season a lot more but covid has led to far less mingling between media and players, and therefore less access outside of team-facilitated stuff. So it goes. Adams himself got stuck in the covid protocols for a bit during the season. Twice, including during the playoffs. Suffice it to say that once the Grizzlies started winning, they kept winning. They went on a streak while Ja Morant was hurt and then Ja Morant returned and won Western Conference Player of the Month as they continued winning. The aura was glowing. The lads were buzzing. Case and point...
“[Guttural Roar]”
Happy days as the Grizzlies moved to 40-18 and began thinking about potentially finishing as high as the second seed in the West. Steven Adams’ own personal numbers continued to rise as well – in particular his assists and rebounds.
Now here’s Steve-o popping up on Memphis Grizzlies podcast duty...
On his nickname...
“Steve-o’s fine. It’s been a staple ever since I came to America. I’m pretty hard to find a nickname for, I think. Steven Adams is such a default name, you know what I mean? Nothing special. Nothing too fancy about it so adding an O and taking away the N seems to be maximum coolness... although my Maori name back in New Zealand is Tipene so people used to call me Tips.”
On what makes this team so good...
“I’m still learning the ropes. I know I’m more than halfway through the season and that but it’s hard to give a proper analysis yet, if that makes sense. But face value, from what I’m seeing, the culture in terms of how positive and fun everything is, and that’s the main thing and the main focus and that’s the key. We all have the same goal in mind, trying to make it as far as possible and win championships. Stuff like this. Obviously we have that in sight but we don’t dwell on any of the small things. We’ll tidy them up, we’ll acknowledge them to the finest detail, but then to move on from that and just progress is quite special here. It’s being pushed from the management, pushed from the coaches, and also pushed by the players. Everyone is on the same page which is amazing. And that’ll give you the best chance of success in whatever you’re trying to do, if everyone’s on the same page and everyone’s singing the same song.”
On communication amongst teammates...
“Honestly is quite ugly sometimes. It’s not always going to look pretty. Some people might yell it. Something crazy. However it gets across, as long as the message is received well and it’s efficient.”
On the similarities between Ja Morant and Russell Westbrook...
“Well they’re both amazing attackers. That’s the most similar, like they’re really good downhill attackers. It’s tough to guard. And also I guess just the highlight stuff. It’s just one of those things when it happens you’re like: what the... They’re just amazing. They have that same energy. It seems quite effortless for them but then for us mere mortals we’re just like: oh my goodness.”
On his legendary diet...
“Yeah I eat the vast majority of food. Everything but... vegetable are tough for me. Because it takes too long. I feel like when I order a salad I’ll be eating the same salad for half an hour. It just takes awhile, all the chewing and whatnot. I’m a bit of a caveman savage, give me a steak and I’ll take care of that in thirty seconds... I mean I still do veges, I just blend it down... you have to hit the greens, it’s part of the injury prevention.”
On whether he’s ever met actor Jason Momoa...
“No I haven’t. People have been trying to link us up but I’ve always found that quite awkward, you know what i mean? If you meet someone just like: hey meet this person they look like you! It’s like, oh hey we look like each other. And then that’s it. That’s as far as that conversation goes.”
On his iconic and unique sense of fashion...
“My rule of thumb for my teammates is if I really like it, the fashion that they’ve got going on, usually if I give a super good compliment then I tell them to do the opposite. I have no idea what I’m bloody talking about aye? I like colours here and there.”
“It’s good bro. Overall energy is just like, the culture here is one of growth. Very positive. You just feel like you can develop and have a lot of fun. The fun part I think is the main thing, and that’s not just through the players it’s through management and coaches. Which is something you rarely see. Everyone’s just having fun, man. I mean we’re getting good results which helps out as well, right, but even still if we choke up a game we’re still locked into the important factors which matter. All good stuff mate.”
Post-game after a 116-110 win over the Chicago Bulls a couple games after the All Star break. Adams had 12 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 assists and thus earned his first aftermatch interview since the preseason.
“Yeah unfortunately bro I’ve seen too many of them. Kinda boring now, aye? Nah it’s just one of those joints bro where he’s such an amazing player... 360 tonight was tough though. That was special. That was insane. And I got the assist so it feels even better.”
Steven Adams spent the first bulk of his career playing alongside prime Russell Westbrook so getting a front-row seat for the basketball majesty of Ja Morant is nothing new to him. Too much gloriousness and it all kinda blends together, right? Nope, of course not.
“Yeah I mean, my job’s pretty easy bro. Just get in their way and umm, yeah, he does his thing. That’s pretty much it bro. I’m grateful he sees some value in it but... just getting in their way, mate.”
Definitely do not regret to inform you that the Screen King was at it again. Despite the humility he was, yet again, the NBA’s leader in screen assists for the season.
“A lot of the progress that you’re seeing individually is speaking more about how we are as a team. A lot of our defence relies on scramble situations, and that's the toughest thing to do but a lot of our players are so good at just moving on to the next play, anticipating a lot of passes and stuff like this, we get a lot of deflections, but then it kinda brings them into off shots that they don’t really want to take and so helps out Jaren on the timing of blocks and it helps out me so I can rotate over. Stuff like this. It’s definitely special, especially because they’re bigs. I’m biased. I like bigs. Five men. We’re not dying. We’re still around.”
A clinic in basketball defence from a fella who always pays attention to detail and has an incredible knack for explaining complicated insider tactics to the rest of us plebs in words that we can understand.
“Where are you from bro? Oh that’s a sick accent. I haven’t heard that before, that’s awesome dude. That’s sick. That’s amazing. Cheers mate, sorry mate, go ahead.”
It is a very cool accent, let’s be honest.
“Run.”
This one’s not an exact quote, more of a paraphrase, but that’s what Steve-o told Ja Morant before the pair combined for one of the plays of the entire NBA season: Adams hurling a quarterback style inbounds pass all the way up the floor for Morant to catch and shoot off-balance for a stunning buzzer beater against the Spurs in February.
“Just throw it and hope for the best mate, really. Seems to have worked out a couple times. Don’t really practice it too much. I mean, their part’s the tough part. I just throw it in that area and they just go catch it, you know what I mean?”
As for what he had to say after the game about that pass, it was your typical understated she’ll-be-right-ness from the big fella.
“It was beautiful, mate. Nostalgia. Yeah it was good. It was a good feeling, bro. A warm welcome back, you know what I mean? I missed the place. I came back last year but it doesn't feel right without the fans. Doesn’t make the place. Awesome coming back, bro. Awesome”
Funny thing, Steven Adams had played several times against the Thunder and for two different teams since being traded by OKC but this meeting in March was the first time he’d been back in Oklahoma with fans in attendance. She was a special day, that one. That’s for sure.
“I think we’re on the track. It’s just a bit more focus around it. All the boys know what’s going on and how important it is to get the type of seed that you wanna get for homecourt advantage, et cetera. The boys are talking anyway. Natural dialogue between us. We know what’s at stake.”
Old mate had a ripper in a 123-112 loss to the Houston Rockets, putting up 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. The points were a season high for him – the only time he scored 20+ this term... although we know it’s absolutely not about the points for this dude. Off to the zoom call podium in reward for more media chat... as the lads tried to lock down that second seed in the West.
“I don’t know if any of that made sense. But, make it make sense. Cheers mate.”
It’s the writer’s job to make the quotes work, aye?
“It’s a culture of growth. Very much like far ahead, the bigger picture. So we’re not really dwelling on these small little things. But there is a lot of attention to detail. Clear this up and then move on. It isn’t like they’ll hold it against you or it kinda drags you back. I mean, that sounds good on paper but for every person to be participating and actually enforcing it, that’s another thing. That’s crazy.”
More lessons in emerging team culture. Again that supportive attention to detail. Clearly one of the themes for this 2021-22 Grizzlies unit.
“Yeah don’t do that. Don’t do that. Don’t do what I did.”
Nothing like a bit of mic’d up mid-game advice from a veteran. Do as I say, not as I do.
“Nah not at all. I don’t think anyone expects that from the start of the season. But it’s been amazing. Just the ups and downs that we got over, especially early on. It’s been amazing.”
The Grizz locked up that second seed with five games to spare, going beyond any expectations from when Adams was first traded to Memphis. This one from a Sportscenter feature.
“I asked him to release my point guard, and he wasn’t releasing my point guard. So, you know, I told him I’m gonna have to take you away now mate... and off we went. Kinda diffused the situation.”
Right, yeah, so earlier on in the season there was an incident. Bit of a flare up on the court in a game against the Chicago Bulls. Ja Morant and Tony Bradley getting entangled. Some biffo ensued. Steven Adams then literally picked Tony Bradley up and walked him away from the kerfuffle... it was iconic. Probably the moment when Funaki officially became a beloved Memphis Grizzlies player. Read all about it over here. But while everybody else was chuffed to talk about it, it was a few months before we heard the story told from the horse’s mouth. Though when it happened, it did not disappoint.
“I’m not sure. I have experience in the playoffs so I know about the preparation itself, it’s very very microscopic and it’s very fine-tuned. It takes a lot of discipline and you’ve gotta learn a lot of stuff quickly. So there’s that part of it, I’ve got experience there and I can give advice. But most of this stuff you actually have to just experience it. You have to go through it. So I’m not sure how much my advice, apart from being like: oh this is normal... you still have to go through the hard yards. It’s a completely different game though.”
One more on a serious note from that Sportscenter spot-up. Steven Adams entered this season with 59 career playoff games. Kyle Anderson had 35 playoff games. The entire rest of the Grizzlies had 48 playoff games combined.
“Kenny McFadden was not just a coach. But a father figure for a lot of us who had the privilege of being coached by him. First impressions of him were always positive because of his contagious smile and swag. I'm one of many who have benefitted from him changing my life. Whether it was academics or on the court. He was always armed with a story/legend to keep me on my path. He will live on through the memories and values he has given us. Thank you for believing in me.”
A sombre, reflective note here as Steve-o fired off a rare tweet in tribute to the great Kenny McFadden upon his passing. A mentor to a young Tips and to so many others around the Wellington and wider Aotearoa basketball community. One of the best. Rest in peace Kenny Mac.
“Yeah it’s good. I mean, I’d prefer not to get as many because it means that we’re missing too many bloody shots, mate. But it’s pretty good stuff, mate. Feels good.”
Guess who set the Grizzlies franchise record for offensive rebounds in a single season? Zach Randolph had the previous mark of 330 back in the 2009-10 season. Adams ended up with 349 of the bad boys in 2021-22.
“When my old man passed, when I was 13, he filled that role. He was a major father figure when I was 13. He got me into the whole basketball path and believed in me from the start. It’s all good stuff, man. I’m not the only one that he’s helped out. It’s sad but it’s also a pretty good celebration of his legacy. What he left behind amongst the kids that he’s helped. It’s good stuff.”
More love for Kenny Mac.
“The change, the shift, you’ll see in the NBA in general, is most teams are going towards more handoffs. Pick and rolls are still very much a thing but you’ll see the bigs have the ball in their hands a lot more. Just because it gives a different look for the pick and roll coverages. So I think it’s a bit more of that and then we play split actions, you see that a bit more around the league than back in the day.”
Fascinating insight into some league-wide trends when prompted about his rising assist numbers. There’s absolutely no doubt that the Grizzlies made a concerted effort to bring out more of Steve’s playmaking though. Career high assists, mate. Doesn’t happen by accident.
“Shit, do I? That’s not good. You’re gonna make me self-conscious, mate. A complex. I’ll try and smile but it’ll be real awkward though. Real weird. Yeah I dunno dude. Like it’s good because we completed a good play, but then it’s also like yeah we’ve still gotta win the game. So I’ll be happy in the locker room afterwards.”
Apparently Mr Adams has the same expression on his face whether his team wins or loses, as opposed to fellas like Morant and Jackson and Bane who love to show their emotions on the court after a big dunk or an important three or whatever.
“Just stand on the opposite side that they’re shooting. That’s basic enough. Typically the ball will bounce that far, that’s as basic as it goes. You can go into the Dennis Rodman, fricken, he’s major science. He’s talking about like the rotations of the ball. He’s wild bro. Different level. I’m too stupid for that, mate, not enough brain cells for that one, brother. I just stand there, mate.”
Offensive rebound schooling from the man who led the league in O-boards per game, total O-boards, and offensive rebound percentage across the entire season.
“We have them. I think we got them from Australia. We prefer them to Australians, though.”
The story here, pretty much, is that a wallaby escaped from Memphis Zoo and somebody asked Steven Adams about it.
“Man, we just wanna win. Whatever you’ve gotta do to win. I’m here for you coach, whatever you need.”
The Grizzlies were destined for a playoff spot for a large portion of the season. Once they started winning they never stopped and it got to the stage where we were just waiting for the playoffs so they could prove themselves when it truly mattered. However when those playoffs arrived... a tough match-up against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves led to Adams being benched early in game two and he was barely a factor for the rest of the first round. Not how he would have imagined it. Yet Steve-o responded with grace and humility to being benched. His coach called him the “ultimate pro”. Huge mana.
“Ah I can’t disclose that information, mate. Keep it under wraps. But it’s not like a complicated thing. It’s not something that we can’t do, put it that way. I know I gave you nothing but make those words work, alright mate?”
Then to make matters worse, on top of being benched for that first round series (the Grizzlies won 4-2 against the Timberwolves), Adams caught covid and missed the first few games of the second round against the eventual champs Golden State Warriors. The Dubs moved into a 3-1 lead with a close win in Adams’ return to the starting line-up (in which he supplied 10 points, 15 rebounds & 3 assists). They were on the brink... but other than a 30-point hiding in game three they’d all been close. Only minor adjustments would be needed to tip the scales. Can’t tell you what the fixes were though as that’s classified info.
“What do you mean by big, mate? Are you saying I’m fat? Bloody wanker. Watch yourself.”
Say, Steven, you’re a big guy...
“The coaching staff and Taylor [Jenkins] have done a really good job with the system. We’ve seen it throughout the year. You can insert players, take players out. The system itself is very efficient. Obviously Ja is a big piece but again the players are ready. They’re no doing something that they’re not used to or comfortable doing. That’s pretty much it, man. Everyone wants to win. We’ve got hella competitors out there. Nothing changes like that, brother.”
Steven Adams made his return to the court, still undercooked in his recovery from illness, straight after Ja Morant went down injured. Morant would miss the rest of the series – meaning Morant and Adams never shared a single second together on the floor vs GSW. Having said that, the Grizz won a lot of games without their all-star during the regular season so confidence remained... but the playoffs are a different beast.
“Ankle’s still there. Try to make it work. Yeah dude, it was pretty shit going out but I tried to get it fixed up and then come back in. During it, you’re in the battle. You’re in that mindset like whatever type of situation you’re in, you’re just trying to get the job done. Because the job is the only thing that matters. Not, like, personal health.”
Memphis went back home and absolutely smashed the Warriors in game five... but got dropped in the sixth on the road to meet elimination. Adams in particular, whose physical presence had helped even out the rebounding stats and restore Memphis’ points in the paint advantage, found himself on the wrong end of some rough treatment. Nothing he couldn’t handle... the loss would’ve stung more than a rolled ankle which caused him to briefly leave the game late in the second quarter. Alas the season ultimately ended with the bitter taste of what might have been.
(Should also mention that Adams had the best plus/minus of any dude on his team for the GSW series. Best offensive rating too. Was the leader in boards despite playing less than 30% of series minutes. Definitely stamped his authority back after the first round benching).
“The year has been amazing. When I first had a meeting with coach, you hear the same thing. Like, we’re trying to build something, blah blah blah. It’s overused. Playing here during the season you really get an understanding of literally from the front office, medical staff, coaches, players... everyone sings the same song. Everyone’s on the same page. Everything works really really well and there’s a genuine care for one another. Along with that, everyone’s having fun. There’s a really fine balance between fun and work and this organisation plays that really well. If you’re in the locker room after a win or a loss, you couldn’t even tell. Very special group, man. Very special organisation. Thumbs up. Smile. I’ve gotta smile more, apparently, you bastard. Read my face better, mate!”
Still getting held up about his lack of emotions but bottom line was a hugely positive experience over the season. Welcome to the always iconic Steven Adams Exit Interview.
“Apparently they call me Aquamane now, which is sick. That’s sick.”
More nicknames.
“To get the championship? Whatever the outcome is I’m not sure. But the attention to detail on the process, this organisation is doing a really good job at honing in on those details. Whatever the outcome is, that’s the outcome. Can’t focus on it. I know that’s the goal but to get the favourable ones you really need to microscope on the process of it. Next year is a completely new season for the whole league. You can’t really pick out one particular thing but you can focus on your values, building your habits, getting better each day. It sounds vague but it’s pretty much that. Working towards something on that answer. Is that a good enough answer, bro? I dunno, yeah, I saw it on Twitter before. Was reading, trying to remember it.”
Where to from here? How do the Grizzlies take the next step? What defines a contending team? Who says there isn’t good basketball chat on Twitter?
“Are these those little marching guys at the hotel? Yeah, no, I haven’t done it yet. I guess I’ve gotta go see it. Gotta go see it. Do young people do that? Yeah but is it like, grandpa and then really little kids? Coz I’m in between, I don’t wanna be the lame guy, what’s this lame dude doing. This is for boomers, bro. I could be a duckmaster? Is that a real thing? I thought you were bloody bullshitting mate, you can be a duckmaster? Put that on the tinder profile, aye mate. Everyone’ll be swiping right on that. Duckmaster. Sexy stuff.”
Told ya way back that we’d return to the Peabody Ducks eventually.
“Each individual is different. They’ll interpret it in their own way. the main thing is the experience of it and hopefully you want the group to realise that every possession matters. All these little ones, you’d think a little possession in quarter two, three, like you don’t run back this one time because you had a little lapse. All of them matter. You look back on the film and everyone goes to the last possession and you lost by one point, two points. All those things matter a lot.”
Lessons to be learned from a genuine playoff run, particularly for the younger dudes.
“Just enjoy it, dude. You earned that position, that opportunity to play in the postseason. A lot of teams don’t play so it’s something you should be really proud of. And obviously everyone’s gonna try their best and work very hard and whatnot. It’s a very special opportunity. You just don’t know when the next opportunity is gonna come.”
Yep, nobody’s an automatic for the playoffs. Even LeBron James missed out this season. Steven Adams was back in the postseason for the first time in three years. Always count those blessings. Wise words to finish upon, indeed.
If you rate the chat on TNC, please support the mahi on our Patreon page
Also whack an ad to say cheers, sign up to our classic Substack, and tell your mates about us
Keep cool but care