What exactly is the defensive level of Thunder center Adams?

I don't think Adams' ceiling is more than just a senior blue-collar worker, and his ability on the offensive end is often overlooked. In addition to the dunk and the second offensive rebound, Adams was able to complete a back-to-back hook and jumper in the three-second zone, both of which were shot above 50% last season. The 2.13-meter Adams weighs in at 116 kilograms, and his strong body is enough to ensure the quality of the team's pick-and-roll, and next season Adams will be a beautiful sight for the Thunder inside after blocking and picking up with Willis or George in the high post.

In the west, where there are many strong players, if the Thunder want to go further, it is not enough to rely on Wei Shao and George. I still stick to my opinion: Adams is now a blue-collar center, but his ceiling is not just a blue-collar center, he does lack the ability to attack independently, and his assist rate was as high as 70% last season.

But if he wants to break through from the Wild West, Adams will have to contribute more to the team on the offensive end, and judging from the current trajectory of his career, Adams, who has improved one step a year, is not without the possibility of becoming the Thunder's big three.

When faced with one of the league's most important offensive pick-and-rolls today, the Thunder typically send the team's starting center, Adams, out to delay or even pinch the ball carrier. Even if Adams' mobility isn't at the top, the Thunder continue that strategy. As for his replacement, Noel, who is more mobile than Adams, can also do the job.

According to the data on Synergy, the Thunder have limited the percentage of pick-and-rolls to the fourth-lowest level in the league, and there is no shortage of Warriors and Rockets in front of them. In contrast to pick-and-roll, the initiator of the hand-to-hand is generally a big player.

Therefore, the Thunder's center will be more actively involved in defense rather than sticking to the paint; At the same time, the Thunder's defensive resources on the outside are also good enough, and George, who rarely defends point guards with the ball, has a strong ability to squeeze and cover on the off-ball side (whether the referee blows for George to foul when squeezing the screen is another matter). A similar scenario can also be applied to defending another "system ball" off-ball screen. In short, the Thunder limited the opponent's hand-to-hand ratio to the 5th level in the league and the opponent's off-ball coverage to the 10th lowest level.

Thanks to their defensive pick-and-roll, hand-to-hand and off-ball screens, the Thunder limited the percentage of non-corner three-pointers to the eighth-lowest in the league.

It can be said that the start of this season has not been good for the Thunder, because they have had a lot of injuries from the beginning, and even now, they are persisting with an incomplete roster. Not only Robertson's long-term absence, but also Wei Shao's injury and suspension. At the moment, the Thunder are arguably one of the best defensive teams in the league, but there is still room for improvement, as their defense has not lived up to everyone's expectations, after all, there are so many players on the team who are excellent defensively.

Now we're looking at what they're doing, what they can improve, how they're showing 100 per cent. The stats is steals, the Thunder are currently ranked first in steals, and so far this season have an average of one steal per game, which is their strongest advantage, and the second place may be hard for everyone to think of, that is the inconspicuous Grizzlies, who average one steal per game. Steals are definitely a very important part of defense, and they can also be used as one of the indicators of a team's defense.

They can make mistakes by pressing on the steals, and in the game against the Thunder, other teams may average turnovers per game, and the team with the highest number of turnovers in the league has fewer than 20, which shows how much trouble their defense can cause opponents.

It's not that Adams was blown up, but the Thunder team was blown up, when Noel was there, Adams could have a good rotation, a good rest in physical strength, and it was okay to come out and top one or two, to be honest, I couldn't understand Donovan, I felt that he was too step-by-step, no matter what level of the opposing guard, it was delayed, and it was passed by a simple block, Noel's mobility ability was above Adams, but the strength was not enough, Adams was top in terms of strength.

Adams is the most underrated player, he is the core of team basketball, leading the Thunder players to show selflessness, all the dirty work is done by him, if Adams is not there, it really feels like the Thunder do not have that needle.

The defensive level is very high, the rim protection ability is top-notch, but the defensive options are not very good