An Inside Look at What Steven Adams Brings to the Memphis Grizzlies
Steven Adams made his Memphis Grizzlies debut on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers and played like he has been with the team for years. He made an impact on both ends of the floor and had great chemistry with Ja Morant. Adams is known as a tough interior player, but he showed off his skillset in a few other ways as well.
One area the team utilized him on the offensive end was in the high post area. He set some good screens to help create open driving lanes, but he also showed his ability to facilitate from that area as well. There were a handful of plays where he would find a cutter on the move to the basket, and on some occasions, it led to a kick-out jump shot. He only finished with three assists, but offensively it’s a team effort for the Grizzlies when it comes to sharing the basketball, and Adams contributed to that in a big way.
He had a solid all-around performance finishing with eight points, fourteen rebounds, and three assists on 4-7 shooting from the field. There were a few plays that jumped off the screen and displayed the high basketball IQ he’s known for. Adams was in a jump ball tip-off on the Memphis end of the court where he and Morant were in sync. He wound up hitting the ball past half-court, which Morant was able to collect and finish for an easy two points. It’s a simple example, but the little plays like this exemplify how quickly these two have gelled in the season’s first game.
Last year Memphis relied heavily on Jonas Valanciunas, a low post scorer, so the trade that swapped him and Adams this offseason surprised many people. They have very different skill sets, but they are two of the more underrated players in the league. The Grizzlies are confident that they have the pieces around Morant to still be a good offensive team despite the loss of Valanciunas.
Steven Adams is a guy who will finish well inside the paint, but he’s not someone who’s going to catch the ball on the low block and give you 20 points a night as Valanciunas would. He’s a reliable two-way center and is precisely what the Grizzlies need out of that position. With Jaren Jackson Jr. expected to be a focal point of the offense and such great depth on this team, they no longer need a go-to scorer at center.
Adams has a lot of things he does well, but he’s not without his flaws as well. The point about his offensive game being limited compared to Valanciunas’ isn’t super important because of how much better the Grizzlies offense as a whole is expected to be in 2021-22. And that’s a big reason why Memphis was comfortable making this deal in the first place.
One major area of concern is his pick-and-roll defense. This is an issue for many centers in the NBA, including one they dealt with when they had Valanciunas, so it can be managed.
Adams is a guy who lacks quickness which was on display as he didn’t hedge hard when the Cavaliers were running their offense. It was a part of the game plan, but some of that likely had to do with Adams’ skillset. Good defensive communication will help with this, and just allowing him to get more reps and gain familiarity with his teammates will hopefully limit its impact. Steven Adams does lots of little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. This is his 9th season in the league and he has proven to be a valuable veteran center throughout his career. He does whatever it takes to help his teams win, and that’s what he’ll bring to the Memphis Grizzlies every single night.
-Chris Kern
Twitter: @Chriskern11