Steven Adams will talk basketball all day, and in intricate detail. Ask him about his health, however, and the 7-footer gets a little more guarded.
Adams is one of the most articulate, accommodating and thoughtful players in the league. Following the Thunder’s 107-100 loss to the Pacers on Wednesday, he was asked about the adjustment the Thunder made against Pacers big men Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis since Indiana drilled them by 26 in November.
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Adams took his time, explaining how in Wednesday’s loss he made a late contest against a big-time 3-pointer by Turner in the fourth quarter.
But when Adams was asked if there was a correlation between how he’s feeling physically and the success he’s had at the free-throw line in the past two weeks, he was less forthcoming.
“I want to say yes, but that sounds like a loaded question, mate,” Adams said politely, leaning in so he could hear the question delivered from the back of the media scrum.
“In that case, mate, just so you don’t go down the rabbit hole … yes.”
How thoughtful of Adams.
It’s no coincidence that in the Thunder’s past six games, when Adams has looked the freshest he has all season, he’s been his most productive at the free-throw line and in the field. Since a left knee contusion started giving him issues against the Rockets on Oct. 28, the Thunder have closely monitored Adams’ minutes to help him rest his aching body. But since the Thunder’s loss to the Lakers on Nov. 22, he’s been particularly active.
In those games, Adams has made 15 of 18 free-throw attempts, going 8-of-10 in the fourth quarter when a player should be most fatigued.
A commitment to lessening Adams’ workload — he hasn’t played more than 29 minutes since Nov. 15 against Philadelphia, an overtime win — coupled with the Thunder taking a new approach to rest this season, has seemingly paid off for a player who’s sacrificed his body to no end over his seven-year NBA career.
Adams had arguably his best game of the season Wednesday, making all eight of his field goals and four free-throw attempts for 20 points while adding nine rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.
“I think he’s just feeling better,” Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari said. “He had a couple of problems and injuries in the beginning of the season, where he was fighting and playing through pain, but he’s feeling better now.”
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You could tell it was going to be one of those Adams nights — not so much because he was scoring but the way he was scoring.
Adams had 10 points in the first 4 1/2 minutes on a variety of moves: a pick-and-pop floater, a left-handed bank shot over the smaller Jeremy Lamb, a baseline right-handed hook shot off a broken offensive set.
When Adams is at his best, he’s running the floor. He turned back the clock Wednesday, getting out on the fast break and putting his hip into the 7-foot Turner to seal him off before catching a perfectly weighted lob pass from Chris Paul for a dunk.
“He’s been great,” Gallinari said. “He’s been dominating the boards. Especially early in the game, we’re trying to feed the ball into the post for him.”
By the end of the third quarter, all of the Thunder’s starters had played 24 minutes or more, except Adams, who was under 20. He started the fourth quarter and was strategically staggered to where he was subbed out with 7:27 left, then brought back for the stretch run with 4:39 remaining.
In those closing minutes, Adams had three offensive rebounds, which turned into seven second-chance points. He even showed off that young Steven Adams athleticism, stepping out on the perimeter to block a Malcolm Brogdon 3-point attempt, then sprawling to the floor like he was back in the 2016 postseason.
“I’m not going to blame it on some of his dealing with the knee because I think it’s kind of beyond that right now,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said when asked what’s changed for Adams. “But I think it’s kind of getting back to where he normally was. For a while there, he was struggling, but he’s playing closer to the guy we’re accustomed to seeing.”
When the Pacers drilled the Thunder by 26 points in Indianapolis, Sabonis was dominating the Thunder’s front line. He had to work a little harder for his double-double this time.
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“He was a lot more aggressive from the jump ball,” Sabonis said of his former teammate compared to the first Thunder-Pacers meeting. “He came out and was aggressive in the post, trying to score.
“That really helps the team when he’s being aggressive.”
Adams was trying to be aggressive earlier in the season, but his body wouldn’t let him. Performances like Wednesday’s, however, are becoming more commonplace for Adams. And as the Thunder continue through this season of competitiveness short of championship contention, you can certainly believe other teams are paying attention to Adams, too.
(Photo: Zach Beeker / NBAE via Getty Images)
