Steven Adams Photo: AFP
Fit-again New Zealand centre Steven Adams is rediscovering his groove in the NBA as he hits a purple patch of form for the Houston Rockets.
Adams is showing signs of a returning close to his best form for the red-hot Rockets after being sidelined for 18 months due to a complicated recovery from knee surgery.
The injury ruined the end of Adams' tenure at the Memphis Grizzlies, forcing him to miss the entire 2023-24 season before being traded to the Rockets.
Steven Adams (C) in defensive action for the Memphis Grizzlies. Photo: Photosport
The 31-year-old made a ginger start at his new club but in recent weeks has shone off the bench as his minutes on court have increased, producing numbers that have made headlines in the US media.
As well as producing his usual unsung work under the basket, Adams scored 14 points in Monday's 135-131 win over Cleveland, his hightest points return in more than two years.
Three days earlier, he pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds against the same opponents.
"I was just trying to pick my spots," Adams said.
"It helped because we played them so recently, so I was familiar with what they were trying to do, defensively.
"I just tried to find the pockets and be aggressive in those areas. Sometimes they went zone, so I would take the gaps."
Since Adams replaced the injured Jabari Smith Jr as backup centre to standout Turkish big man Alperen Sengun in early January, Houston have won eight of nine games.
The 2.11m big man has provided key impetus as their season record improved to 30-14 - the fourth best in the entire league.
Steven Adams Photo: Supplied: Eleven PR
In those nine games, Adams is averaging 4.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 14.0 minutes, with Houston seeing off some strong opponents including the Cavaliers (twice), Memphis Grizzlies (twice), Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Sports Illustrated said Adams had shown he remains one of the premier rebounders and screen-setters in the NBA and had handed Houston coach Ime Udoka one the league's best centre rotations, alongside Sengun.
In a statistical deep dive, it was revealed that Adams sits second across the NBA for "individual net rating", which measures a team's output while that player is on court compared to when they are not.
