Big bucks spell new pressure on Adams
The NBA honeymoon is finally over for Steven Adams. Life, as he knows it, is about to change dramatically.
For four years the 23-year-old Kiwi centre with the Oklahoma City Thunder has been operating under the financial restrictions, and managed expectations, of the NBA’s rookie scale contract. But no longer.
Next season the 2.13-metre colossus will rock up at the Thunder as, almost certainly, the club’s second highest paid player, as his four-year, US$100 million (NZ$146m) contract extension kicks in.
It is the largest deal ever by a Kiwi professional sportsman, and a serious investment from an OKC organisation desperate to add some key pieces around superstar Russell Westbrook to return the club to the sharp end of the Western Conference pecking order.
But with Adams’ upgrade comes a new responsibility. A new set of rules to play by.
Suddenly what was good enough through the first four years of his NBA development will no longer be acceptable to the army of critics who will assess his every move.
A new existence is about to unfold for Adams, who will bring Stache brother Enes Kanter with him to New Zealand this offseason, that comes with a lot more accountability, a lot more scrutiny and, more than likely, a lot more criticism.
The big challenge for the defensive-minded big man will be continuing to advance his game at a rate that will satiate not just the outside forces, but, more importantly, the coaches and front-office staff at the Thunder.
They are paying him the big bucks that his strong growth through his first four years in the league probably deserves.
But they are also going to want to see a return on that investment. Some bang for their buck.
Already there have been murmurings Stateside around the New Zealander’s lack of productivity in 2016-17 to reflect his looming new deal.
That type of talk will only grow more voluble next season unless Adams is able to make another significant step up in offensive productivity.
The Thunder exited the playoffs rather ingloriously with that 4-1 first-round Western Conference defeat to the Houston Rockets, capping a wild ride in the first season after the surprise exit of superstar forward Kevin Durant.
And Adams’ contribution through that series was mixed, to say the least.
But dig a Adams’ value
In the plus/minus stats (how the score moves while the player is on court) the big Kiwi had a positive return in four of the five games and over the series the Thunder were plus-16 while he was on the court.
Clearly Adams’ upside is at the offensive end.
He still doesn’t have a jump shot to speak of after four years in the league, relying on dunks, hook shots and a tidy one-handed floater-come-push shot for his main scoring plays.
At his exit interview Adams indicated his off-season work would be led by the messages he receives from his coaches.
‘‘It’s all the same stuff, still trying to improve at the defensive end mainly,’’ he said.
‘‘Other than that it’s getting with the coaches and seeing what direction they want me to go. I’m willing to do whatever they say.’’
Adams was asked if he’d thought about his ceiling as a player, and the improvements he could make to work in that direction.
‘‘There’s no prediction really, the only thing is I’m still pretty young, I’m willing to work at whatever I have to do,’’ he added. little deeper becomes more and evident.