Scouting Report: Steven Adams

Steven Adams came over from New Zealand halfway through the high school basketball season in his senior year, joining Notre Dame Prep School. From the beginning, it was very obvious that Adams' had a long way to go in terms of getting use to the level of competition, and it was even more apparent when he began play last fall at Pitt. Adams, a consensus top 10 recruit, didn't dominate right away - or at all even, in his one season of college basketball and for long stretches struggled to even make an impact. But as the season progressed, he showed considerable progress as a basketball player. That progress still hasn't put him anywhere close to contributing in the NBA, showing just how raw he was at the beginning of the season.

Adams background is very interesting. The youngest of 18 siblings, all of which are over 6-5 inches tall, basketball has ran in his family. His brothers are all at least 6-10 and 6 of his siblings played basketball for New Zealand. His half sister is an Olympic Gold Medalist in the shot put. When Adams was 13, he lost his father however and took to the streets. So while Adams had a good basketball background, he lacked the teaching needed to develop. It took his brother to get him back on track and set his down the current path he is on. Jamie Dixon discovered him early and quickly sold him on both playing basketball for Pitt and getting an education. Having seen his brothers struggle to make something of their basketball careers, Steven Adams went to Pitt with the goal of also getting an educational. However, with his family needing money, Adams decided it was best to declare for the NBA Draft after his freshman season.

Steven Adams is all about upside. He's only played organized basketball for 6 years and until recently, hasn't had a chance to play against the best competition like his American peers. Standing at at least 6-11 with long arms and a strong base, he has an ideal body for a center. And his ability to move so fluidly at that size is what catches a scouts eye at first glance.

Adams was able to earn minutes at first because of his sheer defensive presence, proving to be a major deterrent inside. He blocked nearly 4 shots per 40 minutes and showed the ability to not just sit by the rim and wait for drivers, but also get block shots away from the rim. Adams mobility is also valuable in defending the pick and roll, where he appears to be very comfortable guarding smaller players in space. Not only does he hedge well, but he also finds himself fairing well against guards when he is switched onto them. Adams isn't afraid to play up on guys and can move laterally to stay in front of them. He is also very good at staying on his feet, partly because he has the ability to block shots without even jumping. He fouled 3 times per 40 minutes, but most were not due to him being over aggressive on going for blocks. He picked up more fouls for shoves in the back and aggressive hedging.

Adams physical strength on defense also projects to be very good heading into the future. Along with the height and the length, Adams has a strong lower body built on genetically thick calve muscles (as seen here). As he learns to stand less upright on defense, he will be very tough to move around in the paint. Combine his strength with his patience on defense and he has all the tools to be an excellent post defender.

Adams will have to add more bulk to his upper body, but it is much easier to develop that then it is the lower body. Plus since defense is played with your feet - and he has the feet of a former soccer player - having a strong lower body is a lot more valuable. But the upper body is important and played a role in his some of his ineffectiveness on offense.

A key going forward for Steven Adams will be rebounding. Based purely off his physical gifts, Adams was a great rebounder this year - pulling down 11.6 boards per every 40 minutes (pace adjusted as always). Adams is also fundamentally sound in this area, always looking to put his body on a man. But moving forward, his sheer size and fundamentals won't put him in the top echelon of rebounding bigs in the NBA. Adams will need to show more aggressiveness and the ability to rebound outside his area moving forward. Right now, he gets a lot of rebounds but leaves a lot more on the table. You'd like to see him develop more of a mean streak and use his strength for. There shouldn't be any times where a player is able to rip the ball from him, but it happens with him far too often.

On occasions where Adams does safely secure a rebound, he shows the presence of mind to look down the court and find an outlet. The good thing about coaching Adams is he hasn't picked up any bad habits and is basically a blank slate for a good big man coach to mold. Thats why finding the right situation in the NBA will be pivotal for him. His first few years he may be overwhelmed by the speed and physicality of the game, but it will be important for him not to be discouraged and realize he has a lot of room to grow. During the interview process, talent evaluators will definitely look at his mental makeup closely and see if he has what it takes to deal with such struggles.

He has shown the ability and eagerness to want to learn and improve so far. Interviews like this one by Draftexpress, make you realize that he's still very much a kid and one that hasn't grown up around this atmosphere. Given that he didn't have a father figure or any guidance during his teenage years, there are additional reasons to question his mental aspect and will to be great. Kiwis generally are known to be laid back people which is not the personality you want to see from a defensive center. He'll likely have to be coddled during his early years in the league, and it will be important for his team to understand that and give him the attention he needs to thrive. If not, there is no sense in drafting him.

Offensively, Adams has a long way to go but shows some interesting things. Against Notre Dame in February, he had a steals and took it the length of the court through traffic and finished with a dunk over a defender. All while looking extremely natural at doing so. The less Adams thinks out there on the court and just does what comes naturally to him, the better he seems to do. The problem is he's still learning the game and trying to understand things, so he does think a little bit too much out there. But that will change once he gets more comfortable and he'll start relying on his instincts more - which seem pretty good.

Right now, his main source of offense is on the glass. Here Adams has a nose for the ball and does a good job coming crashing in for boards. He displays great touch and body control, allowing him to get many tip-ins near the rim.

Like his defense, Adams potential on this end of the court is intriguing because he can be good in both the pick and roll and in the post. Starting with the pick and roll, Adams uses his body well to set wide/effective screens. He rolls off these screens so fluidly and keeps his hands up, always looking for the pass. Adams seems to have a good natural feel how to get open off these plays and knows when to break off his route to the rim and when not to. At times, Adams will come off the roll and stop at the foul line for a ten foot jumper. His body control is so ridiculously good for his size that he makes this look way more easy than it is.

At other times, Adams will roll all the way to the basket and look to catch the ball on the run. He is able to catch the ball in motion using soft hands and avoids picking up charges. He does a good job of moving, catching, and scoring the ball all in one fluid motion.

The third option Adams uses in the P&R game is to get a smaller man on his back and look to establish easy post position. Adams has taken a liking to play with his back to the basket and has look comfortable doing so, which is a great sign moving forward.

Basically starting from scratch in basketball moves at Pitt, he slowly been molded into a post player - adding more moves to his arsenal as the season progressed. At first, Adams was extremely passive when catching the ball in the post. His first instinct was to pass. And that was if he was even able to handle the ball. While Adams originally does a good job establishing position, he caused many turnovers by failing to keep his defender on the back and allowing him to be more aggressive in going for the post entry pass. In time, Adams is slowly learning he has to go and get the ball - not wait for it to come to him.

It also hurts him that he appears a little shy to use his strength to bully guys at times. Its not to say he plays soft - it just seems like he feels it would be too easy to dominate if he fully took advantage of his physical tools. Instead, Adams has shown some emerging skill level in the process. That includes good patience in the post, passing skils, soft touch, quick post moves to either side, a step through move, and enough handles to take the necessary dribbles needed to complete a move. He also displays a good use of pump fakes.

When Adams does catch the ball in the post, he weighs his options, gives teammates time to make cuts to the rim, and if nothing comes open he then chooses to go to work himself.

Besides pick and rolls and post ups, Adams also does a good job moving in space and finding ways to get open. He is a very good cutter for someone his size, a skill that goes along with his ability to crash the offensive glass and score off rolling to the basket after setting a screen. Body control is one of his biggest assets.

Shooting wise, Adams only shot 44% from the foul line, but it seems to be a mental thing 100% of the way. In practice, he is said to be a very good foul shooter. And his mechanics look good - in fact, he almost shoots the ball like a guard with his elbow perfectly tucked in. Unlike most big guys, there seems to be a level of skill to his shot instead of just a flat footed attempted at the rim. He does a really good job getting squared up, as shown on his ability to shoot stopping on the dime while coming off setting a screen. His great mechanics likely go back to the fact that he had no bad habits when he started playing organized basketball.

There are times where Adams misses the rim badly though. He can hit shots all the way out to 15 feet, but does so with a lot of inconsistency. Again, it seems more of a mental things. The guy can shoot as long as he relies on his instincts and doesn't put too much thought into it. Thats a big part of his maturation level - as he learns the game, that will allow him to trust his instincts more.

As I said earlier, getting stronger in the upperbody may be more important to him on the offensive end and that is because he tries to muscle up too many shots right now. And he's usually unsuccessful of even getting the ball up through the rim via contact.

Even though Adams is known as a below average offensive player right now, he has a promising combination of physical tools, lack of bad habits, and willingness to learn the center position to be success. Adams can shoot and has some skill, but you never saw him trying to dribble the ball around or stretch his range out to the 3-pt line. Seeing a player eager to learn how to play in the post is refreshing.

Moving forward, there is no doubting Adams' potential and it is impossible not to see what he could bring to the table down the line. But teams are going to need to do their homework on him and understand what it will take to get him to reach his potential. In terms of sheer potential, Adams has as much of it as anyone in this draft and thats not an exaggeration. And if a team knows what they are doing with him, then I don't think it is out of the question to take him in the lottery or even closer towards the top 5. Patience, some coddling, and a pressure free environment will be key - but the dividends could really pay off in the end. Adams is not for everyone, but he could end up making every team that passes him up in the draft look silly.

New Years Eve Preview

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh 12pm ESPN2

Finally, a chance for Pittsburgh to prove they are a better team than they are getting credit for. Pittsburgh has flown under the radar all season, but looks like a top 15 team to me. The are actually favored in this game against the Bearcats, who are coming off a close loss at home to New Mexico. The Bearcats will have trouble with Pittsburgh physical and deep interior - led by the much improved Talib Zanna. Joining Zanna down low are JJ Moore (their second best inside player), Steven Adams (Cincinnati may play too fast for him to play a lot of minutes), and Dante Taylor (despised by Pitt fans, but isn't too shabby as a backup big). Its a deep frontline even with Khem Birch transferring last year and Malcolm Gilbert leaving this week.

Zanna is one of the most underrated players in the country and his play so far should've been enough for analysis to consider him for one of the 3 All-American teams. But without a lot of big games yet, nobody is biting on Zanna's breakout year yet. He's had hot starts before, but this year is different. His game has evolved greatly on the offensive end.

Pittsburgh is back to its ways of tough defense and rebounding. The addition of James Robinson can't be understated either. He is replacing Ashton Gibbs who was a great scorer, but a terrible defender in his senior year. Robinson is a Dematha product and a winner at heart. He has excellent poise and suffocating defense. His impact has not only been felt at Pitt, but at Dematha as well - as Dematha is off to a 4-3 start to their season. That is more loses than Robinson had his entire career.

Michigan State at Minnesota 2pm ESPN2

Ahhh, Big Ten play. This is the best part of New Year's Eve. Its the sign of matchups like this happening almost every day. Two tough defensive teams going at it. The most intriguing battle here is Brandon Dawson against Rodney Williams, both of whom will get a lot of run at the 4 position. Neither are particularly skilled, but both stick to their strengths. For Dawson, it is being a terror on the offensive glass. For Williams, it is all about his defense and delivering timely highlight dunks. How will Dawson fare against a better athlete than him? And how will Williams match Dawson's energy and strength? The senior SHOULD have the advantage, but we will see. Also, the Andre Hollins watch is on. He is in Big Ten play now - can he keep up his impressive play?

St. Joseph's at Drexel 4pm

Classic Philly battle. Not full of any big prospects, but should be a close and intense matchup to entertain you between 4pm-6pm.

Gonzaga at Oklahoma State 6pm ESPN2

Gonzaga has had well documented problems this year keeping explosive guards in front of them. Marcus Smart is a explosive guard who knows how to score. He has cooled off a bit after a lightning hot start to the season and this is a chance for him to keep his name on the forefront of scouts minds. Another big matchup here is how LeBryan Nash handles Elias Harris' defense. Actually, this is a REALLY interesting battle. Nash isn't going to be able to bully Harris or blow by him easily. How will Nash adjust? Nash won't be expected to score all over him, but will he at least recognize this and play smart? Last year he struggled with forcing things. This year he has been better, but that is because he hasn't faced anyone like Harris. Harris, by the way, has played himself back into NBA Draft conversations. Oklahoma State is the favorite in this game - but I'll take the underdogs in a close one.

Nevada at Oregon 7pm Pac-12 Network

The Washington Huskies are the reason Deonte Burton and Nate Wolters both originally got put on the map. Last year Burton dropped 31 points on them and followed it up with a 29 point performance this season. Beating up on the likes of Tony Wroten and Abdul Gaddy on the defensive end isn't as impressive as the name makes it seem. Regardless, Burton is an intriguing player despite being prematurely thrust into draft conversations.  I think he has made strides since last season.

Oregon also has some prospects I want to get added looks at - Damyean Dotson, Tony Woods, Arsalan Kazemi, and Dominic Artis. Dotson has the greatest potential of the bunch.

North Texas at Middle Tennessee State 8pm ESPNU

I've written about Tony Mitchell quite a few times, including the other day. 

Introducing Glenn Robinson III

In the biggest game of the night, especially from an NBA draft perspective, Trey Burke led the way with 17 points. Steven Adams only played 10 unspectacular minutes. Hardaway was Michigan's second leading scorer with 16 points for Michigan, who won a close one 67-62.

But Glenn Robinson III will be the biggest mover on my big board after last night. Before last night, I had him ranked 27th. I hadn't seen him enough to feel comfortable moving him higher than that, but I had seen him enough for him to stand out to me.

After a early blocked shot in the first half, I acknowledged on twitter that I probably had him too low. I actually had felt that all along, but there is no sense is rushing things.

But now?

Now, I'm ready to move him up towards the lottery. At this point, finding holes in his game is simply nitpicking. Someone tweeted last night that GRIII is better than Shabazz and I surprisingly couldn't argue. I couldn't point out flaws in Robinson's game. There really aren't even many things to make you have the slightest doubt that he will be a great player.

Part of it may be expectations. Shabazz is expected to save UCLA while all Robinson has to do his pick his spots.

But Robinson has been excellent in that role. He was a late bloomer in high school and analysts questioned his aggressiveness on offense. He wasn't the player who would go off for 40 points like Shabazz. But Robinson was efficient and knew how to play on the offensive end.

And boy is that evident now. Robinson has shown a terrific feel on offense - his awareness and ability to pick his spots is off the charts. Its early, but I have yet to see him out of control or force up a shot. His points come so effortlessly. Everything he does reminds you of a prototypical SF.

Right now, Robinson is shooting 64.5% from the field and hitting 3s at a 50% clip. His jumpshot looks very good and he always displays perfect balance when going up for a shot. He has shown the ability to put it on the floor for one or two dribbles to either side. He's hitting his jumpers at an exceptional rate, as thats where a good percentage of his field goals are coming from.

But only 25% are from long range. Robinson is far from a spot up shooter. He uses his mind to get shit shot attempts. He also does a nice job cutting to the hoop and hitting the offensive glass. His body has come a long way to the point where it is actually a strength. He can finish through contact and has the potential to be a great rebounding wing.

His game is just so mature for his age. And he's only 18.

No need to jump the gun, but as the season goes on Robinson's hype should increase dramatically. His numbers may not stay the way they are, but even a 18 year old SF with a perfect frame and great touch on a top 5 team....

posting a line of 14ppg on over 50% shooting and 40% from 3? With 6 boards per game and a positive A/TO ratio?

There will come a point when more people start to ask what Shabazz can do that Robinson can't. And once that happens, maybe Robinson could even push himself into the top 5.

Honestly, the sky is the limit with this kid.

Is Pitt Legit? + Plus More Thoughts on Adams

Pittsburgh just finished up beating Lehigh in an impressive fashion and it begs the question of just how good Pittsburgh is. Expectations were tempered after last year's struggles, but Jamie Dixon has a history of winning and winning his way. This team is back to the mold of the past, with strong interior play and aggressive guards who know how to score. They are back to controlling the boards, bullying their opponents  and doing the little things that don't show up in the stat sheet.

The poster boy, or should I say manchild, for their reemergence is Talib Zanna, a junior who has shown flashes in the past but seems like he's ready to be a consistent performer. He gives Pittsburgh scoring inside and teams with Adams on defense to form a tough lane to penetrate. Zanna plays with a great motor and has been able to score efficiently simply by outhustling the opponents down the court. He's showcased an improving jumper as well. Also sporting a slimmed down frame, he is able to give the Panthers more hard played minutes than in the past.

While Zanna provides post scoring and defense, Steven Adams is the shot blocking presence on defense. Together, the form one of the best frontcourt defenses in the country. With the frontcourt depth they are able to bring off the bench - Durand Johnson, JJ Moore, and Dante Taylor - they can control the glass against just about anyone. Dixon has been able to keep everyone fresh and Zanna and Adams have rarely committed fouls.

The frontcourt does all the little things and you can add small forward Lamar Patterson into that mix. Ever since I saw him in high school, I pegged him as a swiss army knife type of role player. He doesn't need the ball but gets after it on defense and passes well for a forward.

Zanna and Adams have been able to fit well together. There may have been a lingering concern that they could have went the way of the Oriakhi/Drummond situation in UConn last year. Instead, they play off each other. Adams likes to occupy the low post and set screens while Zanna has been able to step out to the high post thanks to his improved offensive game. They have proven early on that they can be on the court at the same time. That may have not been true if Zanna was at the same weight and skill level as in years past.

The biggest concern was how Pitt was going to score and the frontcourt isn't the answer for that. Transfer Trey Zeigler is a known scorer and should have his moments, but senior Tray Woodall has been huge for them so far. He's going to need more help from Zeigler and they lack the depth, although freshman Robinson has shown a steady hand on the ball. Scoring has been good thus far, but it will remain their biggest issue. Can they knock down threes? Thats another issue.

For now, their frontcourt has been the reason why they are cruising to victories. And really, should that be a surprise from a Jamie Dixon team? It seems as if the Panthers are back to their old tricks.

Notes on Steven Adams:

Adams chipped in 6 points on 3-7 shooting, but only came up with 4 rebounds. He was the weakest rebounder statistically among their big men but was able to tip a few balls to keep them alive. He has to do a better job being strong with the ball after he gets it. He got stripped at least once tonight.

Offensively, Pitt tried to work him the ball more than they did in the first half last game. He was able to get deep post position and he does a nice job presenting himself as a target. He shows nice touch around the rim and Im sure more aggressiveness will come. He already looked better than last game. He's gonna improve. On few occasions though, Adams has looked to pass the ball before even thinking to score - this when he gets good position. Adams just needs to go up and finish strong in those situations. He did make a few solid passes to go along with a bad forced pass to Zanna. He even stepped out and took a 15 foot jumper that almost went in. Good form.

Defensively, he was a force yet again. Early on he was able to step out of pick and roll defense and hedge on McCollom well. He sent one shot hard into the stands and got a piece of another one. He does a real good job maintaining position down low and not biting for fakes. He has a big body and allows it to do the work for him.