Brian Mahoney - Basketballs New Wave: the Young Superstars Taking Over the Game

Basketballs New Wave: The Young Superstars Taking Over the Game 2020 by Press Room Editions. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition

First Printing, 2019

Book design by Sarah Taplin

Cover design by Sarah Taplin

Photographs : Aaron Gash/AP Images, cover (center), 1 (center); Matt Slocum/AP Images, cover (left), 1 (left), 61, 9293; Jim Mone/AP Images, cover (right), 1 (right), 89, back cover; Craig Mitchelldyer/AP Images, 4; Nick Wass/AP Images, 12, 5253, 88; LM Otero/AP Images, 15; Rick Scuteri/AP Images, 20; Rick Bowmer/AP Images, 2425, 80, 8485; Elise Amendola/AP Images, 28, 9899; David J. Phillip/AP Images, 34; John Amis/AP Images, 39, 112; Gerald Herbert/AP Images, 42; Tyler Kaufman/AP Images, 4647; Tony Gutierrez/AP Images, 50, 72; Chris Szagola/AP Images, 58; Mark Blinch/The Canadian Press/AP Images, 66; Julie Jacobson/AP Images, 70; Mark J. Terrill/AP Images, 7677; Darren Abate/AP Images, 96; Bruce Kluckhohn/AP Images, 104; Andy Clayton-King/AP Images, 109; Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Images, 117

Design Elements : Shutterstock

Press Box Books, an imprint of Press Room Editions.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019937098

ISBN

978-1-63494-087-0 (paperback)

978-1-63494-088-7 (epub)

978-1-63494-089-4 (hosted ebook)

Distributed by North Star Editions, Inc.

2297 Waters Drive

Mendota Heights, MN 55120

www.northstareditions.com

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter 1

Steven Adams

A s the youngest of 18 children in his family, Steven Adams had to learn to stick up for himself. If not, his older siblings could make things hard on him. His brothers average 6 feet 9 inches, and even his sisters average 6 feet. So, from an early age, Adams had to figure out how to hold his own against big, strong competition.

They do teach me a lot of things, Adams said. I was more competitive because I was always the weakest.... Playing against my sisters and my brothers, the older ones would play really rough and elbow you. Plus, the younger ones did a little, too.

No wonder he became one of the toughest players in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Battling against opponents his own size is no big deal for Adams. While his Oklahoma City Thunder have had great scorers such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George over the years, Adams has never been one to worry about his points. The burly center instead takes on the tough tasks such as setting screens so his teammates can get open and being a rugged rebounder and defender.

Adams and His
Superstar Big Sister

Even with all his NBA success, Adams isnt even the most accomplished athlete in his family. His half-sister Valerie was the Olympic gold medalist in the shot put in 2008 and 2012. She also won the silver medal in 2016 and remains one of the best in the world. Representing New Zealand, she was unbeaten in major world events from 2006 through 2014. Competing with her when he was younger and watching her train as an adult helped teach Steven lessons he would need to be successful in his own career.

I thought I worked hard, and a lot of people say I do, as well, but seeing her work is on a whole other level. Its absolutely unbelievable. (Shes) the most disciplined person in the world and just the hardest worker, he said.

He can have a huge impact on our team, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said before the 201819 season. And the reason hes so valuable to us, he has such a big impact on our team by doing the things that are within his control.

Growing up, Adams played rugby, the most popular sport in his home country of New Zealand. But with his size and skills, it soon became clear that his future would be in basketball. An imposing presence, Adams is 7 feet tall and 265 pounds, with long hair and a thick beard. He possesses strength that is common among rugby players but sets him apart against most of his rivals on the basketball court.

That guy is the strongest, most physical guy in the league, said Scott Brooks, Adamss former coach in Oklahoma City.

But Adams isnt only just about force. He also can show finesse, with a nice shooting touch. During the 201718 season, he finished fourth in the NBA in field-goal percentage, making 63 percent of his shots. He even had one night when he couldnt miss from anywhere. He made all 11 shots from the field and was a perfect on his five free-throw attempts.

Adams also tied for the NBA lead that season by averaging 5.1 offensive rebounds per game. He not only is powerful enough to get good rebounding position; hes also adept at gauging how the ball is going to bounce off the rim so he can quickly pursue it.

Once he started to show those talents as a teenager, he became a promising prospect. Jamie Dixon, who was the coach at the University of Pittsburgh, had played professionally and later coached in New Zealand . He persuaded Adams to come play for him. After one season in college, Adams was taken by the Thunder with the No. 12 pick in the 2013 draft. That made him the first player from New Zealand to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft.

Unlike most players drafted that high, Adams wasnt going to a struggling or rebuilding team. The Thunder, already one of the best teams in the league, had traded for the pick. Oklahoma City needed Adams to be productive right away. In Adamss first season, the Thunder went all the way to the Western Conference Finals. They got back there again in his third season, falling just one win short of making the NBA Finals.

Adams would continue to increase his scoring average as the years went on, but he rarely made it a priority unless the Thunder needed it.

He just wants to win, and thats all that matters to him, Westbrook said.

That didnt always make Adams popular with his opponents. The Los Angeles Times polled players in 2016, and they voted Adams the second-dirtiest player in the league. But Adams is also the kind of player just about anybody would want on his own team. Every team has players who can score. Not all of them have someone who can also make a difference without scoring.

Team executives voted Adams the NBAs toughest player in the 201819 NBA.com GM Survey, after he tied for the most votes the year before. The toughness he had to develop as a child would serve him well years later.

Hes proof that you dont have to talk the game. Just be tough, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. I like him as a player. I like what he stands for.

Steven Adams At-a-Glance

Birthplace: Rotorua, New Zealand

Birth Date: July 20, 1993

Position: Center

Size: 7'0", 265 pounds

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

College: Pittsburgh

Drafted: First round (No. 12 overall) in 2013