\u201cPretty confident in the position I\u2019m in right now but still got to take the time with it. It\u2019s one thing getting back from an injury but getting back to NBA level, it\u2019s a different ask. There\u2019s different phases of it, so we\u2019ve still got to take every phase very seriously and make sure we don\u2019t miss anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adams was injured in a January 18 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans<\/a>, coming down awkwardly after rising to guard Zion Williamson at the basket. Surgery on his left ankle ruled him out for the rest of the season having played 32 games, averaging 5.8 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. At the time the Rockets were the league\u2019s top-rebounding team with 49 per game.<\/p>\n Two years ago Adams missed an entire season because of a knee injury and he said he learned a lot from the rehab process. <\/p>\n \u201dBecause that was my first significant injury, that one prepped me because I knew what to expect. You have to redefine what a win looks like. Usually when you play basketball you think \u2018did I do my job well, did I guard this person correctly, did I do this many pick-and-roll coverages?\u2019… but for rehab, it\u2019s like \u2018did I achieve more dorsiflexion today or was I able to do this many reps of toe movements?\u2019. It\u2019s really boring stuff. But you have to use those as wins because it\u2019s pretty easy to slip off and feel sorry about yourself. But I find that stuff kind of fun \u2013 the very detailed minute stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year the Rockets finished as the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record before going down to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs. That was after losing point guard Fred VanVleet to a torn ACL on the eve of the season.<\/p>\n Like Adams, VanVleet also returns from a rehab stint while the roster features former MVP and future hall-of-famer Kevin Durant, playing in his 20th season, off-season veteran acquisitions Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marcus Smart with a strong cast of young talent in Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith and Reed Sheppard.<\/p>\n \u201cSteven and Fred looking good out there, gives us lots of optimism,\u201d coach Udoka said today.<\/p>\n In his third season at the franchise, Adams said the key to success will be the team\u2019s abilities to adapt. <\/p>\n \u201cObviously I\u2019m confident in our team\u2019s abilities. Every year is different. It\u2019s always tough. You just need to play the season, the referees come in and the league might want to emphasise different calls so that alone means it\u2019s not the same as last year. Really what I look for is the team\u2019s abilities to adapt to whatever problem there is. There will be a lot of problems and how the team adapts and solves those issues, that\u2019s all you can ask for because it will change throughout the year…I\u2019m pretty confident with our group we\u2019ve got a lot of good veterans here, the young guys are a little bit older, not sure if they\u2019re smarter, but they should be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n One key factor that might affect not just the Rockets but the entire NBA is the release of PlayStation game Grand Theft Auto 6<\/a>, Adams said. <\/p>\n Adams joked the highly anticipated game will see production drop on the court.<\/p>\n \u201cYou guys should anticipate November, the performance of the league, league-wide GTA is dropping. Look at NFL, look at all the leagues and watch them plummet. Just for the month of November, performance should go down it will come back up though most of the boys will get it done but hopefully they finish the game. Coaching as well. The coaching scouts are going to be horrendous,\u201d Adams quipped. <\/p>\n