Oklahoma City Thunder: Why Steven Adams Was the Right Choice

Heading into the 2013 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a couple of positions to address, with the center spot being one of the most glaring.

OKC took care of the 5 position with the No. 12 pick of the draft, selecting Pittsburgh center Steven Adams to bolster their interior defense and rebounding. The 7’0″ big man averaged two blocks per game for the Panthers and will join an interior defense that already includes two-time NBA block leader Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins.

The NBA’s official Twitter account tells the tale of Adams’ 2012-13 campaign.

While Adams most certainly does have a decent amount of work to do on his offensive game, Oklahoma City already has enough offense in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. In fact, the Thunder ranked third in the NBA during the regular season this past year in points per game, averaging better than 105 per contest.

While OKC did surrender only 96.5 points per game last season, their defense will only be better with Adams on the court. The New Zealand native posted 11 games of at least three blocks last season at Pitt and could be a real force on the interior of the defense alongside Ibaka.

Adams’ offensive scoring may not be polished, but he can play a huge role for the Thunder on the offensive side in terms of hitting the glass and setting screens for his teammates, which is something ESPN’s Dick Vitale touched on.

There was one position that I thought the Thunder could have upgraded with their first pick in the first round and that’s the shooting guard spot.

With Kevin Martin being a free agent, Oklahoma City has to plan on not having him next season, which is why I thought the Thunder might go SG at No. 12. The idea of trading up and taking Andre Roberson doesn’t make much sense to me—I thought that was the position in the draft where OKC needed a shooting guard.

Ultimately, the Thunder nabbed one of the best shooters that Spain had to offer, drafting Alex Abrines with the No. 32 overall pick. I think it’s going to be a few seasons before we see him really make an impact at the NBA level, but it was a solid future selection for Oklahoma City.

In the end, it’s hard to argue with the Thunder’s selection of Adams at No. 12.

OKC needed to get younger at center and required more depth and that’s exactly what they got in Pittsburgh’s Steven Adams. 
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