WAIT, WHO ARE YOU?
Hello PerSources readers, I’m Jordan. Nice to meet you.
A little about myself: I’m a 15-year old high school sophomore at Vanguard High School in Ocala. I love the NBA and all things basketball related (GO KNICKS), and I’m one of the newest PerSources writers. I plan on doing this weekly segment called Slept On, in which, I review NBA players who I think are getting slept on in the league. This can include a vital bench player, starter who isn’t getting covered, or a rookie who I think is exceeding expectations. The title is thanks to my friend Dustin, AKA ClutchDust, who wrote a song called Slept On in his second mixtape, CLUTCHSZN.
STEVEN ADAMS: THE BIG KIWI IS GETTING SLEPT ON
2017-2018 Stats: 12.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG
To start this segment off, I had to choose one of the MOST Slept On players in the NBA this season, Steven Adams. Amidst a season of despair and a LOT of question marks for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Steven Adams has continued to do what he does best, get second chance points, play defense, rebound, and put the ball in the basket when it seems like the Thunder’s “Big Three” cannot.
With OKC’s power forward being Carmelo Anthony (like come on OKC), and their small forward being Paul George, you know a decent number of threes are going to get put up. But nobody ever said shooting threes is easy. Even the best in the business miss 5 out of every 10 shots. With the amount these guys are jacking (also add the fact that Andre Roberson CAN’T SHOOT), that 50% miss rate is generous.
If you watch Steven Adams film, he scoops up a lot of offensive boards from these misses, and never (NEVER) does anything with the ball but go back up. He provides the inside presence that most teams need a 4 and a 5 to supplement. Half of that is because of his rebounding. The other half is because he’s a monster at 7’ and is one of the NBA’s strongest players. Add in his pick-and-roll ability to his relatively minimal, but effective, bag of tricks, and you have what looks like the most polished offensive weapon on the Thunder.
His rebounding efficiency is much more evident on the offensive side. This season, through the first twelve games, he’s picked up 50 defensive boards and 50 offensive boards. This 50% split is one of the highest in the league, and his OREB% (Offensive Rebound %) is ninth in the league at 14.2%. Although he is fourth in PPG for his team with 12.6, he’s first on his team in FG% with 66%, which places him second overall in the league. This combination of efficiency on the glass and efficiency with scoring is a bright spot on an OKC lineup that has no other players who shoot more than 50% from the field (except for Dakari Johnson, who has barely played this season).
Steven Adams is on a team with three other All-Star quality players, who are all struggling to put together a system which can win them games. Adams, however, has seen the struggling situation and has been trying to put his abilities on blast to be able to assist his team through this rough patch. So, there is no doubt, Steven Adams is
Wanna debate? Send in recommendations for who should be next? Hit me on Twitter: @JDavidsenPS