NBA on TNT analyst and NBA great Charles Barkley thinks the Oklahoma City Thunder have an advantage against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs: Steven Adams.
Barkley thinks Adams can help lead the Thunder to a series victory.
“The Rockets got nobody who can handle Adams,” he said shortly before the first game of the series began.
“Steven Adams, to me, is one of the most athletic big men we have in the NBA,” Barkley said. “He’s going to get 20/20 a night.”
That’s right — Barkley thinks Adams can go off for 20 points and 20 rebounds every night.
While Houston’s small lineup can negate traditional, plodding centers, Barkley thinks Adams’ skill set will allow him to not just stay on the floor, but dominate.
Oklahoma City has yet to play against the Rockets since Houston traded starting center Clint Capela, so the Thunder will be waiting to see how Adams handles the different opponent, namely 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker.
In the fourth game of the season, Adams had six points and 12 rebounds in a Thunder loss to the Rockets. In early January, he had 15 points and eight rebounds against Houston. He only played a minute and a half of the third game due to injury.
The first game of the Thunder-Rockets series is on Fox Sports Oklahoma and TNT.