\u201cJust because you have to see how you are in the year. You have to come together. You know, even our team, we have to click, you know what I mean? Come together as a buy-in. New data comes out, do we have to change the play style? There\u2019s a lot of other variables. <\/p>\n
Steven Adams blocks a shot by New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. Photo \/ AFP<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean it\u2019s cool, but just for me, I\u2019m just like whoever\u2019s on the other team, cool. I have to worry about our team. Like, how we\u2019re going to do. So, all good. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s good that he got it done with though, because I think the commissioner just wanted to get the bloody schedule done, which I agree with because I want to tell the boys so then they can start booking their flights. Come over for a visit. So, I\u2019m happy he\u2019s done that, so thank you, LeBron. Thanks, mate.\u201d <\/p>\n
While the new season gives teams the chance to start fresh, it also offers players another chance to make their marks in what is widely regarded as the top level of the sport. <\/p>\n
Adams only made 32 appearances for the Rockets last year, his second season with the franchise, because of an ankle injury that required surgery. It was the fewest games he had played in a season in his 12-year career to date<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, his benefit to the team was evident as he was second on the roster in rebounds per game (8.6) behind young Turkish centre Alperen Sengun (8.9). He was also second in offensive rating (team\u2019s points per 100 possessions) at 125 and equal fourth in defensive rating (opposition points per 100 possessions) at 112. <\/p>\n The Rockets run a balanced roster of young talents such as Sengun, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith jnr, alongside league veterans like Adams, point guard Fred VanVleet \u2013 who missed all of last season because of injury \u2013 and former MVP Kevin Durant, and have made few new additions so far in free agency. <\/p>\n It means Adams takes on a mentoring role, something he was doing during his time in New Zealand as he hosted his annual camps and he had launched a strategic partnership with the New Zealand Warriors around a fundraising campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still exciting competing at that level and seeing the growth throughout the year,\u201d he said of his time with the Rockets. <\/p>\n \u201cNot just as an individual, bro, but as a team. You have to constantly change, seeing stuff click finally throughout the year, because it\u2019s tough, ups and downs … so, getting those at a consistent level, kind of mitigates the ups and downs a little bit.\u201d <\/p>\n The 32-year-old has made a career for himself as, among other things, a strong interior defender, offensive rebounder and solid screen-setter. <\/p>\n So, when Rockets legend and one of the all-time great NBA post-scorers Hakeem Olajuwon comes to do some work with the team\u2019s bigs, Adams joked that those sorts of sessions were not meant for him. <\/p>\n \u201cHe comes around and checks it out and all that, but that\u2019s for the scoring guys, bro. I\u2019m the rebound guy. I\u2019m a rebound guy, mate. I get paid to rebound and set some screens and all that, so I just do my own film and all this sort of stuff. But yeah, I\u2019ll jump on and have a little wiggle if he\u2019s around.\u201d <\/p>\n It\u2019s that attitude of knowing his strengths, what he brings to the team and what his role is that has seen Adams have success as a more traditional big man in a league where those types of players have a harder time making their mark. <\/p>\n \u201cI mean the game constantly changes, so you have to make strategic or tactical adjustments, personal ones. You try and stay in the league, but try and impact winning. That\u2019s all I\u2019ve been trying to do, just try and do the right things,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n One of those things is to stay as healthy as possible \u2013 though that isn\u2019t always something he can control. <\/p>\n For instance, the injury that ruled him out for the majority of last season was suffered when he landed on New Orleans Pelicans\u2019 forward Zion Williamson\u2019s foot after contesting a shot. <\/p>\n \u201cI usually try and highlight any of the chronic damages that you could have over a career, try and mitigate those as much as possible. The acute injuries you can\u2019t do too much [about]. Like, say mine, I landed on someone\u2019s foot, it\u2019s part of the game. Those are going to come from it. Those are fine, to be expected honestly. But as long as the rest of the body is relatively healthy, there\u2019s no damage over time or very little damage over time, you know? <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the main thing, staying healthy. You can try and do all this other stuff, bro, but if your body\u2019s a bit messed up, it\u2019s going to hinder you. I\u2019ve just been highlighting that throughout my whole career.\u201d <\/p>\n During his time in the NBA, Adams has been clear that he never had any expectations of what might follow when he declared for the NBA Draft in 2013. <\/p>\nSteven Adams made his NBA debut for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2013-14 season. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Houston Rockets centre Steven Adams is heading into his 13th season in the NBA. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n