Tuesday Bolts – 11.12.13
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider: “Conventional wisdom had it that Adams, who spent a single season at Pittsburgh before entering the NBA draft, was a long-term play for the Thunder as the 12th overall pick. Instead, the New Zealand native is contributing far ahead of schedule after beating out Hasheem Thabeet for a spot in the rotation. Amazingly, Adams ranks second among rookies in wins above replacement (0.5 WARP) in just 20.2 minutes per game off the bench. One factor in Adams’ success might be playing next to veteran Nick Collison, whose defensive positioning helps complement Adams’ raw game. Indeed, Adams’ worst performance thus far came Sunday night, when Collison missed Oklahoma City’s overtime win over Washington because of a bruised left hip. At this point, Adams’ strongest attribute is simply his activity. He’s been relentless on the offensive glass, pulling down 17.6 percent of available offensive rebounds while on the floor — more than three times the league average. Those second chances and cuts to the hoop have produced easy scoring opportunities. Adams also has proven valuable as a shot-blocker, swatting a higher percentage of opponents’ 2-point attempts (5.7 percent) than teammate Serge Ibaka (4.7 percent), the reigning league leader in blocks per game.”
Marc Stein of ESPN.com has OKC sixth: “Things have loosened up nicely for Durant since Westbrook’s return despite the fact that Russ isn’t close to his best yet. The 3 ball, though, hasn’t been dropping all that often even for KD. His triple forced OT in Sunday’s eventual win over the Wiz, but OKC is hitting a mere 27 percent from deep.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com has OKC fifth: “You know what would help a team jump 10 spots? Getting Russell Westbrook back and then going on a rampage. And here we are.”
Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com in a 5-on-5 on surprises: “Few expected much from Steven Adams, but the Thunder rookie looks like everything Cole Aldrich was supposed to be. Actually, that could be selling Adams short. In addition to awesome per-minute production, the burly kid absorbed a Vince Carter elbow as though it was a dollop of shaving cream.”
Zach Lowe of Grantland on Steven Adams: “The Thunder kiddies have shown some intriguing glimpses of late. Steven Adams had two straight solid games before coming back to earth Sunday, and the Adams/Jeremy Lamb/Nick Collison bench trio has scored a robust 108.3 points per 100 possessions for the season. Lamb is shooting well enough, and hit a couple of big ones in the Thunder’s silly comeback against the Wiz on Sunday. Adams especially intrigues, since the Thunder’s starting center is, um, not exactly an All-Star. Adams isn’t the smoothest cat, and he has been a bit tentative and awkward negotiating larger distances with the ball. But he’s also smart about sliding into the right space at the right time, he’s a killer on the offensive glass, and he sports a soft touch on hook shots with both hands. Again: These guys are young, and things could go south, fast. But the Thunder all of a sudden don’t look so shallow.”
