An analyst recently spoke about Steven Adams’ draft in a recent interview. Steven Adams has established himself as a respected veteran big man in the NBA. Despite his successful career, he didn’t initially anticipate making it to the league.
Steven Adams has had an impressive decade-long NBA journey, proving his value and relevance to various teams. However, before his debut with the Thunder, Adams shared his early challenges in the league. Speaking on “The Old Man & The Three” podcast with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter, he recalled his surprise at being drafted and how he wasn’t expecting it.
“I didn’t have NBA dreams or anything like that. I was just playing basketball, and some dude offered me a scholarship. I thought, ‘Oh sweet, this will be great.” Steven Adams stated this on The Old Man & Three podcast. “I threw my name in the NBA Draft, averaged six and six, and went No. 12, bro. It was cool. Oh, bro, I was just there for the ride. I didn’t even know I was going to get drafted. I had no expectations of even making the NBA, to be honest. I just threw my name in there, and whatever workouts I could get, I took.”
Steven Adams remembered submitting his name for the NBA draft after averaging just 6 points and 6 rebounds in college. To his astonishment, he was chosen as the 12th overall pick. He mentioned that Rick Carlisle, an NBA coach, was the only one candidly telling him that his college stats weren’t compelling for a draft selection. Despite this, he was drafted relatively high.
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Steven Adams didn’t have NBA dreams; he was just playing basketball
After a significant tenure with the OKC Thunder, Steven Adams played alongside Russell Westbrook. Later, he joined the New Orleans Pelicans for a season before becoming a part of the Memphis Grizzlies, where he has been crucial for the past two seasons. While Adams isn’t a star player, he has gained popularity for his powerful screens and resemblance to Aquaman.
Adams faced an injury in the 2022–23 season, causing him to miss a substantial number of games. Unfortunately, this occurred during a critical playoff series against the LA Lakers, impacting the Grizzlies’ performance.
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Looking ahead, Steven Adams’ role will be even more essential due to Jaren Jackson Jr.’s participation in the FIBA World Cup 2023. Concerns about Jackson’s health and fatigue might necessitate Adams stepping up for the team.
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After spending just one year with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Memphis Grizzlies made the move to acquire Steven Adams in 2021 with the expectation that he would offer a level of maturity and consistency to the otherwise dynamic and youthful Grizzlies squad.
Even though throughout the past two seasons, Steven Adams has finished in a tie for second place in the NBA in screen assists, this statistic does not adequately convey how vital he is in that role. Because the Grizzlies rely so heavily on on-ball and off-ball screens to free up their guards and set up their offense, they look to Adams to assist them in penetrating opposing defenses.
