Copyright yardbarker
Steven Adams has helped many non-shooting point guards thrive Getting Thompson free to use his athletic ability is a huge part of Adams' value. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Adams might be the hardest screen-setter in the NBA, making it very tough for defenders to stick on Thompson when the big Kiwi gets in their way. Even if Thompson's man can navigate his screen, Adams is great at finding angles to get his guard an extra step, which is all Thompson needs. Adams started his career playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder with Russell Westbrook, another hyper-athletic guard who wasn't much of an outside shooter (30.6 career three-point percentage). But Adams cleared space for Westbrook's forays to the hoop, as well as helping Westbrook's triple-double numbers by blocking out the other team's rebounders. When Adams was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, he linked up with another athletic guard with a shaky jumper. Ja Morant went from 19.1 PPG to 27.4 PPG after Adams arrived in his third season, winning Most Improved Player and finishing seventh in MVP voting. Memphis went from 38-34 to 56-26. The other benefit of having Adams is his incredibly offensive rebounding. He led the NBA in offensive boards in 2021-22, and while he's not playing as many minutes, his offensive rebounding rate has been increasing every season since 2019-20. That's why missed shots aren't as costly for the Rockets as they are for other teams. Houston would love to see Thompson become a shooting threat. Until he does, pairing with Adams will give him a nice boost.
