What We Learned From Steven Adams on 2016 Thunder Media Day
Oh what’s that, New Zealand’s finest sporting ambassador is taking the stand to answer a bunch of abstract questions about basketball and facial hair? Yes, please.
We’re now only about a month away from the resumption of the NBA, which must be music to Steven Adams’ ears. His breakout performance in the playoffs back in June won him all sorts of admirers (and one mortal enemy) as well as putting him on the verge of a tasty new contract extension but his personal emergence has come at a crossroads for the Oklahoma City Thunder as a franchise, with Kevin Durant leaving for Golden State in free agency. You may have heard about that whole thing. All goods though, Russell Westbrook doubled down on the Thunder and now he and Kiwi Steve, Victor Oladipo, Enes Kanter and the rest of them are ready to show the world that they can still ball without KD.
What this all adds up to is a fascinating season for Adams where he’s no longer just a defensive stalwart or a project player: he’s arguably their second best player and that’ll come with all sorts of new responsibilities. Suddenly six point games are gonna be looked upon not as a handy contribution but as a disappointment. Of course, that increased role brings scrutiny. It also means more opportunities to shine though, both on and off the court. Let’s not forget that this is the man whose dry humour, flat kiwi accent and casual demeanour have already made him a guaranteed quote machine.
So as the Oklahoma City media converged upon the team for the day that many consider like an unofficial two minute warning for the new season, Steven Adams took the mic and dished out his usual mix of wit, wisdom and whimsy. Here’s what we learned:
Yes, he’s become more of a leader, but that doesn’t mean he feels older:
“Being around Nick [Collison], you always feel young”.
With his new responsibilities as a more senior player, Stevie reckons he’s becoming like a father to Thunder 2016 rookie Domantas Sabonis. Which is saying something, because the 11th overall draft pick’s actual father is Arvydas Sabonis, the Lithuanian legend and Hall of Famer himself. The younger Sabonis is a power forward who can play a bit of centre and could even be an outside chance at starting this season. He was a standout at Gonzaga. OKC picked up his draft rights along with Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova in the Serge Ibaka trade. So… congrats to Kiwi Steve on the newly acquired progeny.
Adams might be the second best player on this roster now. Even if he is, that won’t change his outlook on things (predictably):
“It's all the same stuff, bro. I'm just going to show up and play regardless. As long as we win the games, that's what it comes down to, aye. Just keep that same mind-set.”
He hasn’t cut his hair in about a year and a half. More importantly, the OKC media care enough about his hair that it was the subject of the third major question he was asked. Bro, but he saves a lot of money not going to the barber and that’s the main reason he grows it.
There’s an excitement and an energy around this team right now and despite the players turnover that chemistry in the squad is still there. Good dudes, solid dudes and dudes that really get after it:
“There's a lot of excitement just because there’s different players on our team and stuff like that, and yeah, what's brilliant is that they are cool off the court … that actually helps a lot for on-court performance.”
Russell Westbrook’s leadership hasn’t faltered. Everyone loves and respects him. He holds high standards. Nothing new.
Despite his efforts in the playoffs, Steve-o still doesn’t rate himself as a so-called defensive anchor, like his former mentor Kendrick Perkins, for example:
“I've made some progress. That's what you strive for, no matter how big or small it is. Just whatever progress it is. If I'm close to what Perk is, that's still a long ways away. He's on another level with the defensive stuff. I've still got to do a lot of study. Read some books.”
Yeah, read a bloody book, mate.
Adams doesn’t really care about rushing through his contract talks:
“If it gets done, cool. If not, I'm still with the team right now, and so that's all that matters. With the group of guys that we have right now, I'm still a part of them and we still have to go out and do work every night.”
Enes Kanter’s twitter activity isn’t a ‘rampage’, he’s just an extrovert. All hail the Stache Bros.
They were very well prepared for their media day appearances too:
Speaking of which, of all the new lads coming into this team, it sounds like Frenchman Joffrey Lauvergne is the one most likely to join that illustriously follicled crew. Also, his nickname appears to be “The Big Croissant”, which is something close to outstanding:
“Some haven't said anything, but the Big Croissant, I think he's keen on being one of the bros.”
Stats still don’t bother Kiwi Steve:
“I'm not one to look at numbers apart from the old scoreboard.”
Radio might not be the best post-basketball career, as brilliant as an Enes Kanter/Steven Adams Breakfast show sounds in theory:
Times are changin’:
The menacing glare is spot on but the roar needs some work:
As good as he may be at snatching up rebounds, Steven Adams takes no offence at the suggestion that he isn’t really baby-holding material.
Ahhh, but look at its wee little feet, its wee little toes. Lesley McCaslin, the mother journalist in question here, is the same one that Adams once confused the hell out of when he asked her (while heavily pregnant) when she was dropping. Fair to say the phrase needed some translating before it made any sense in the American parlance.
Also of note is that Adams presses the case for New Zealand almost as much as the rest of us do, chucking Andre Roberson on the grill immediately about his great summer in NZ. For the record, Dre calls it “one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. People were nice, all have a sense of humour. Overall great time, great place”. Enes didn’t go, but maybe next year.
Last year’s playoff experience is gonna be massive:
“Playoffs put a lot more value on each possession. So having that mind-set, especially people that have been through the playoffs, they can understand that from a season’s standpoint every single game really actually counts to the end. Having that experience helps us mould the team and help those that haven’t been in playoffs to take every possession quite seriously, and every game. And, uh, hope for the best.”
And, yes, there’s a bit of a transition getting into the new season after the big break:
“All basketball players go through the same thing, it’s just getting back on the court because you’re away from it for so long. It’s just that urge of competitive nature.”
Media day = a birthday: