Steven Adams

[...] Per the above, the core of the team is the quartet of Westbrook, George, Adams and Roberson. That foursome is a fearsome defensive group - Westbrook can do it, even if he so often chooses not to, while the other three are among the league's best at their positions. Roberson in particular provides invaluable help all over that half of the court, as seen in the team's second-half struggles last season without him before Corey Brewer provided a patch-up job to close things out.

That quartet, however, is also terribly spaced. George is a plus outside shooter as long as he is not in a three-point competition, but the rest are not at all. Adams leaves the paint on offence only to screen, Westbrook has never been a good outside shooter (perhaps because he jumps so high and does not hold onto his follow-through), and Roberson is infamously a non-shooter. [...]

Steven Adams
C, 7’0, 255lbs, 23 years old, 4 years of experience

Right as the league as a whole decides it wants to go away from the traditional post player towards stretch bigs who can defend other stretch bigs, along comes Steven Adams blossoming into an excellent roughly traditional centre. Assuming a bigger offensive share this year and showing off a new regular hook shot dented the efficiency slightly, but only slightly, and it will improve again if the free throw stroke does. A slight dip in rebounding mattered not on (and was readily explained by) the best rebounding team in the league, and the combination of nimble pick-and-roll defence alongside interior physicality makes for a strong all-around player that will be part of whatever the core is for some years yet.

Player Plan: Begins four year, $100 million this summer, and is locked in indefinitely.