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Interesting article on a Tilmon counterpart
Posted on: January 17, 2019 at 16:05:21 CT
FIJItiger MU
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http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25779289/steven-adams-nba-world-strongest-man
There's no "NBA's Strongest Man" contest where players lift Jumbotrons or heave backboards onto the upper concourse, but among peers and people around the league, Adams is widely considered the NBA's strongman, a walking concrete wall of power and physicality.
"That guy is the strongest, most physical guy in the league," says Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who coached Adams for two seasons in OKC.
Says teammate Jerami Grant: "He is for sure, definitely the strongest guy in the NBA."
In a league trending toward speed, spacing, shooting and slashing, Adams is the counterpoint. Old school. A "throwback," as San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich calls him.
Adams is a bruising, physical relic of the past, a back-to-the-basket brute who will grind possessions in the post and overpower you to get there.
"That m-----f----- is strong. Like, I'm serious," Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler said last season. "He hit me with one screen and I thought my life was over.
"He is strong. He is strong," Gibson says. "He's also highly intelligent, he's extremely physical, he loves the physicality of the game, he loves setting screens. He's just a beast down there, man."
According to NBA.com/stats, Adams averages 5.6 post-ups per game, 12th most in the league. On them, he's shooting 54.9 percent, the best mark in the league of any player averaging more than two post-up shot attempts a game. Adams is second in the league in paint touches per game (behind only Houston's Clint Capela) at 13.2 and is shooting better than 50 percent on hook shots this season (on 87 attempts).
Adams gets excited talking about the intricacies of the low block, how it shifts defenses and compromises help rotations just by the ball moving there. He loves the strategy of basketball, obsessively studying film to locate the tiniest detail or tactical advantage. He'll linger on the practice court after shootarounds talking with Thunder assistant coach Mark Bryant, one of the best developers of bigs in the NBA, and someone Adams credits for much of his success.
It's all about angles and opportunity, and taking advantage of a lost art in the NBA.
"One of the reasons I've found a little bit of success down low is no one plays low-post defense anymore," Adams says. "It's so much easier in the post. It's so tough to score against [Marcin] Gortat, Nene [Hilario], the older guys. They've played it so many times, over and over again. They have their own little tricks, they know the balance, they know what to force you to.
"Back in the day, mate, you take one dribble -- I couldn't even back down [point guard] Derek Fisher. You know, it was just that old school, like, 'Boom! You ain't moving' type of thing."
Adams is athletic, with artful footwork, baby-soft hands and a certain finesse that can sometimes be a little jarring -- he has even flashed a Eurostep this season. One of his go-to baseline moves is a spin off the defender's forearm and shoulder that is so quick it catches them flat-footed.
It's the two-edged sword of Adams' strength; opposing defenders are loading up, bracing for the blunt force and then he hits them with the speed move.
Adams technically is an excellent midrange shooter, but they're really just one-handed push-shots from 8 to 10 feet out. Adams' floater is an offensive weapon because as opposing defenses brace for impact, he stops and gently places a teardrop over them.
"Yeah, if he wants," Westbrook says of Adams capability of taking 3s during games. "But that's not the strong part of his game. He's the most physical guy in the league, powerful, so why shoot the 3?"
Adams has noticed his big man contemporaries stepping out beyond the 3-point line. Adams has never tried a 3 in a game -- he's 0-for-6 officially, all buzzer-beating launches -- and there's a good chance he never will. Spacing is the rage in modern basketball, but while the NBA tries to play farther from the basket, Adams wants to get as close to it as he can.
"You don't have to shoot bloody 3s," he says. "Points per possession -- I get it. I get it. But it's not a machine. You can't just throw throw s--- in there and the product at the end should be, 'This, according to our calculation.' That's not how it works."
"But for our system and stuff, it's not like I'm picking and popping. Even though there's an opportunity there, it's more about understanding the value of that possession. Because the last thing I want is to shoot a 3 just to shoot a 3."
Shooting is currency in the modern NBA, but Adams is a retro revolution of sorts, pushing back against copycat standards. He's contemporary old school, both selfless and skilled, modest and monstrous. He's proving the "traditional" big isn't antiquated; it's a rare commodity when it comes in a unique package like Adams.
It's about playing to your strengths, and Adams knows his.
There's no "NBA's Strongest Man" contest where players lift Jumbotrons or heave backboards onto the upper concourse, but among peers and people around the league, Adams is widely considered the NBA's strongman, a walking concrete wall of power and physicality.
"That guy is the strongest, most physical guy in the league," says Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who coached Adams for two seasons in OKC.
Says teammate Jerami Grant: "He is for sure, definitely the strongest guy in the NBA."
In a league trending toward speed, spacing, shooting and slashing, Adams is the counterpoint. Old school. A "throwback," as San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich calls him.
Adams is a bruising, physical relic of the past, a back-to-the-basket brute who will grind possessions in the post and overpower you to get there.
"That m-----f----- is strong. Like, I'm serious," Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler said last season. "He hit me with one screen and I thought my life was over.
"He is strong. He is strong," Gibson says. "He's also highly intelligent, he's extremely physical, he loves the physicality of the game, he loves setting screens. He's just a beast down there, man."
According to NBA.com/stats, Adams averages 5.6 post-ups per game, 12th most in the league. On them, he's shooting 54.9 percent, the best mark in the league of any player averaging more than two post-up shot attempts a game. Adams is second in the league in paint touches per game (behind only Houston's Clint Capela) at 13.2 and is shooting better than 50 percent on hook shots this season (on 87 attempts).
Adams gets excited talking about the intricacies of the low block, how it shifts defenses and compromises help rotations just by the ball moving there. He loves the strategy of basketball, obsessively studying film to locate the tiniest detail or tactical advantage. He'll linger on the practice court after shootarounds talking with Thunder assistant coach Mark Bryant, one of the best developers of bigs in the NBA, and someone Adams credits for much of his success.
It's all about angles and opportunity, and taking advantage of a lost art in the NBA.
"One of the reasons I've found a little bit of success down low is no one plays low-post defense anymore," Adams says. "It's so much easier in the post. It's so tough to score against [Marcin] Gortat, Nene [Hilario], the older guys. They've played it so many times, over and over again. They have their own little tricks, they know the balance, they know what to force you to.
"Back in the day, mate, you take one dribble -- I couldn't even back down [point guard] Derek Fisher. You know, it was just that old school, like, 'Boom! You ain't moving' type of thing."
Adams is athletic, with artful footwork, baby-soft hands and a certain finesse that can sometimes be a little jarring -- he has even flashed a Eurostep this season. One of his go-to baseline moves is a spin off the defender's forearm and shoulder that is so quick it catches them flat-footed.
It's the two-edged sword of Adams' strength; opposing defenders are loading up, bracing for the blunt force and then he hits them with the speed move.
Adams technically is an excellent midrange shooter, but they're really just one-handed push-shots from 8 to 10 feet out. Adams' floater is an offensive weapon because as opposing defenses brace for impact, he stops and gently places a teardrop over them.
"Yeah, if he wants," Westbrook says of Adams capability of taking 3s during games. "But that's not the strong part of his game. He's the most physical guy in the league, powerful, so why shoot the 3?"
Adams has noticed his big man contemporaries stepping out beyond the 3-point line. Adams has never tried a 3 in a game -- he's 0-for-6 officially, all buzzer-beating launches -- and there's a good chance he never will. Spacing is the rage in modern basketball, but while the NBA tries to play farther from the basket, Adams wants to get as close to it as he can.
"You don't have to shoot bloody 3s," he says. "Points per possession -- I get it. I get it. But it's not a machine. You can't just throw throw s--- in there and the product at the end should be, 'This, according to our calculation.' That's not how it works."
"But for our system and stuff, it's not like I'm picking and popping. Even though there's an opportunity there, it's more about understanding the value of that possession. Because the last thing I want is to shoot a 3 just to shoot a 3."
Shooting is currency in the modern NBA, but Adams is a retro revolution of sorts, pushing back against copycat standards. He's contemporary old school, both selfless and skilled, modest and monstrous. He's proving the "traditional" big isn't antiquated; it's a rare commodity when it comes in a unique package like Adams.
It's about playing to your strengths, and Adams knows his.
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Interesting article on a Tilmon counterpart - FIJItiger MU - 1/17 16:05:21