The subtle salience of Steven Adams

It’s hard for a 6’11”, 265 pound man with long, flowing hair and tattoos to be able to go unnoticed. But that’s the thing about Steven Adams – when he’s on the floor, he blends in with what helps the Memphis Grizzlies win. And when he’s not there?

It’s very, very noticeable.

This past season was a tale of those two realities. It was almost a complete 50/50 split – Adams played in 42 games for the Grizzlies this season, meaning he missed 40 (and of course the postseason) due to injury for most of those absences. Adams’ presence was felt in the 42 contests he participated in – he was once again one of the league’s best screeners (1st in screen assists, 2nd in screen assist points) using that “Big Kiwi” frame to provide spacing for his teammates.

Not “spacing” as in shooting prowess. “Spacing” as in he’s really freaking hard to get around on a screen.

That’s two screens on one Ja Morant drive to the basket. And this was a common occurrence – not just a one-off highlight.

While his assist numbers were down compared to what he was in his inaugural Memphis season, Adams was still above average for a big as a creator of offense (10.8% assist percentage, 67th percentile per Cleaning the Glass).

And his greatest value to the Grizzlies this season was as a rebounder – he had the best season of his career in that area, snagging elite amounts of boards both offensively (17.5%, 99th percentile) and defensively (22.5%, 83rd percentile). That mattered immensely for a Grizzlies team that, beyond Adams, only had average rebounding bigs like Xavier Tillman Sr. and Brandon Clarke.

John Konchar and Ja Morant are good-to-great rebounders for their positions. But Adams was elite. And that was missed – whether it came to gaining more scoring opportunities for a middling half-court offense or limiting second chances for opponents.

Adams’ sheer existence also made life easier for Jaren Jackson Jr. defensively. No disrespect to Xavier Tillman Sr., who actually performed admirably filling in for Adams more often than not. But “X” is undersized compared to Adams, and his frame at and around the rim lends itself to allowing Jaren to thrive as a weak side rim protector.

Without Adams, Jaren is asked to be more defensively. Which, as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, he is capable of doing. But still – Adams assists Jaren with his physical presence and is an above-average “stocks” player (66th percentile in block percentage, 70th in steals) while being quite strong at defending without fouling (2.7% foul percentage, 93rd percentile per Cleaning the Glass).

“Steve-O” is pretty darn good at most everything that basketball involves, especially as a true, traditional “big”. And his lack of scoring is inconsequential on a team where you’d rather have the likes of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane take those shots anyway.

He’s almost a perfect role player fit for the Grizzlies. So his absence this season hurt this year – even if few outside of the Memphis fan base noticed it.

And Adams, on one of the NBA’s youngest teams (and the best one), also did his best to be a veteran presence during a tumultuous time in the season – even while out due to injury.

It’s not easy to say such things, even indirectly, to the superstar on your team as a role player. But Adams is confident in who he is as a player and what he has to be at times as a leader, and while his words could be heeded better moving forward he at least was willing to make the statement.

He’s hopefully earned some credit with Morant and others by proving he’s willing to stand up for them. Even in unlikely situations.

Whether its against an opposing player or a radical fan, the players on the Memphis Grizzlies can depend on Adams to have their backs. To hold them accountable. That holds value.

And it was missed, both during the regular season and especially in the playoffs.

Only Jaren Jackson Jr. posted a better net rating, per Cleaning the Glass, than Steven Adams this past regular season. That level of productivity would have made a massive difference against the Los Angeles Lakers, especially with how Anthony Davis was so dominant at times. Offensively his screening would have forced Davis to come and defend in space/away from the rim. His rebounding would have negated that advantage to an extent. And his defensive ability would have matched the size that the Lakers utilized.

Of course Los Angeles would’ve countered. And Memphis may have still lost. But to undersell the absence of Adams is a mistake. Combining his loss with that of Brandon Clarke negated the front court depth that was lauded entering the season, and forced players outside of the role they were supposed to play.

But it was Adams who produced at an elite level. It was Adams whose ability to blend well with the Grizzlies stars amplified what they did well and helped minimize what they didn’t. And it was Adams who, in the absence of veteran star power, attempted to fill that void as well.

His health is paramount to the short and long-term prospects of the Memphis Grizzlies. For even if Memphis is able to add a OG Anunoby-type wing, they will still need someone willing to be the afterthought, the good soldier. Focused not on scoring, but on the other aspects of winning basketball.

If you don’t watch Steve-O play, you’ll miss why Adams matters. But to those that follow the Grizzlies, his value is understood. And his availability to open next season is a major storyline entering an offseason full of them in Memphis.