Steven Adams does a lot of the dirty work Houston wants at the center of its identity, and the Rockets felt that absence when he wasn’t on the floor.
In 22.8 minutes per game last season, Adams averaged 8.6 rebounds and a huge 4.5 offensive rebounds per game. That production came in just 32 games, though, because a season-ending injury cut his year short. Even with the limited sample, the case for his importance to Houston is pretty clear: the Rockets are built around physical interior basketball, and Adams is one of the best examples of it.
Houston has led the NBA in offensive rebounding for two straight seasons, and Adams fits that approach perfectly. Last season, he grabbed 22.3% of his team’s missed shots while on the court.
For context, Donovan Clingan led all qualified players at 17.7%. Even at age 32, Adams was still operating as one of the league’s most effective offensive rebounders.
That mattered early in the season, when Houston wasn’t always easy to watch offensively. The Rockets had trouble generating consistent scoring, and Adams’ knack for creating second chances gave them extra opportunities to get points on the board. The numbers backed that up, too: Houston was 7.4 points better per 100 possessions with Adams on the floor.
When he was out, the Rockets could still crash the glass at a high level, but they weren’t quite as overwhelming. That put more on Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, Houston’s two main offensive engines.
Durant handled a massive load over the course of the season. He finished second in the NBA in total minutes played, and eventually that workload seemed to catch up with him. He missed nearly the entire first-round series against the Lakers because of multiple injuries.
There’s no way to say a healthy Adams would have prevented that. But it’s fair to say Houston would have had a more balanced offense and a little less pressure on its stars if Adams had been available.
The biggest question now is whether he can hold up physically. Last season showed he can still be elite in his role, but the durability issue has not gone away.
Over the last four seasons, Adams has played only 132 games. In that stretch, he’s dealt with two major season-ending injuries along with several other nagging problems.
There’s also the reality of his workload in Houston. Over the last two seasons, Adams has averaged his fewest minutes since his rookie year. Cutting that even more may not be a practical answer.
The more realistic approach may be to manage his schedule, keep him out of back-to-backs, and give him rest during tougher parts of the season.
Either way, the formula is straightforward: the Rockets are better with Steven Adams on the court. He matches their style, adds possessions for an offense that has needed them, and takes some of the burden off Houston’s top scorers. If he stays healthy, he’ll matter a lot this season.
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Houston seems intent on helping him get there. The Rockets brought in Chip Engelland, one of the leagues most respected shooting teachers, to work with Thompson, and there is at least some encouraging evidence that improvement is possible after Thompson boosted his free-throw shooting last season. With more playmakers around him and a staff that clearly believes in the long-term payoff, the question in Houston is no longer whether Thompson can impact winning. It is how much more dangerous he becomes if the shot starts to follow. [Read more 🡒]