Oklahoma City Thunder had very good representation on Bleacher Report’s rankings of the top players at each position in the league.
Chris Paul was named the third-best point guard. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was called the seventh-best shooting guard. Danilo Gallinari was labeled the sixth-best power forward.
Steven Adams joined them Friday, being ranked as the 10th-best center in the league during the 2019-20 season.
Andy Bailey and Dan Favale, who created the rankings, wrote:
Adams, despite his lack of a jump shot and highlight-reel handles, has an impact on games as wide as his shoulders. He does a bit of everything. And his basketball IQ makes him an ideal gap-filler.
…
Adams always appears to be in the right place on the defensive end. He’s a good roller in half-court sets, with a points-per-possession average that ranks in the 79th percentile on those plays, even without the top-of-the-backboard athleticism of players like Jarrett Allen or a prime DeAndre Jordan.
They also noted his intelligence on the court by quoting an interview that former Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter had with Forbes‘ Nick Crain.
“I [don’t] think people know how smart he is,” Enes said. “I think he is one of the most influential, educated and smart people. He is probably the smartest basketball player I have ever played with or against.”
Adams averaged 10.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals over 27 minutes per game. Though those numbers don’t particularly stand out, his presence was clear with advanced stats, and he his 3.2 box plus/minus was 25th overall in the NBA, according to Bleacher Report.
With his presence down low, the Thunder have exceeded expectations this season. They enter the Orlando bubble tied for the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
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