Rockets benefiting from Steven Adams’ post-injury resurgence

The Houston Rockets are seeing the best version of Steven Adams because of the toughest stretch of his career.

At his lowest point, Adams wasn’t battling opponents for rebounds; he was battling his own body. A knee injury had sidelined him, casting doubt on his future, and even pushed him out of Memphis. But those lost months ended up redirecting his career and leading him somewhere even better.

Adams was the starting center for a rising Grizzlies team when he injured his right knee while diving for a loose ball during a game in January 2023. He experienced sharp pain and was diagnosed with a sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament.

The typical recovery timeline for that injury is three to five weeks. However, Adams was still experiencing pain as the weeks went by. His knee wasn’t responding to treatment, leading to a stem cell injection that cost him the rest of that season.

Adam’s knee still wasn’t responding when he tried to get back on the court the following preseason, leading him to undergo surgery on his PCL, which sidelined him for the entire 2023-24 season. By February, Memphis moved on, trading him to Houston.

“There were times when it f—ing sucked. It was no easy road,” Adams said when speaking to The Athletic. “There’s a lot of pressure you put on yourself, and the rehab gets really tedious.”

The old cliché fits here: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And the grueling rehab process for Adams certainly did.

“It’s about redefining a win and being happy with those wins once you get there,” Adams said of the slow, methodical rehab process.

That attention to detail carried over to the weight room, sharpening what was already a strength and part of the reason LeBron James called Adams the “strongest” player in the league earlier this season.

The process also helped improve his athleticism and awareness of how to use his body.

“You learn how to be more efficient with your movement,” Adams explained.

As he rebuilt strength in his core and legs, Adams also gained a new level of flexibility.

“For me, it’s more about pushing myself in the weight room to see the biggest difference,” he said. “It’s more like, ‘Can you get into this position? Can you get out of that position effectively?’ That’s how you can make sure you avoid certain instances when you’re at risk of reinjury. It’s about moving properly.”

Not only did the injury, through the rehab process, make Adams a better basketball player, but it also led him to the right place.

The Rockets have shaped their roster around height, leaning into their double-big lineup, highlighted by Adams. This transformation culminated in Adams getting a three-year, $39 million extension in June.

Opportunities he may not have found elsewhere had he remained healthy (and) in Memphis.

“We knew this was going to be our identity,” Alperen Sengun previously told The Athletic. “We want to push teams around, be tougher, more physical. Having Steven is a key part of that.”

“I’m the [starting] center for this team,” Sengun said in December. “Any other center in this league wouldn’t be happy [with the team] signing another good center. This summer, when we signed Steven, I was so happy. Playing with him and the way he brings the toughness on this team … he’s huge for us.”

With Adams anchoring the frontcourt, the Rockets have led the league in offensive rebounding, which has become the cornerstone of their identity.

“I got so much respect for Steven and the work he’s done to be a guy that’s still a valuable piece at this stage in his career,” Kevin Durant told The Athletic. “With his style of play, it ain’t easy. He’s down there fighting under the basket and throwing his body around every game. That stuff adds up after a while. But he puts the work in, and he really loves the game.

“He really loves sacrificing for the team,” Durant added. “Those are the guys you always want next to you when you go to battle.”

And the Rockets will now need to lean on Adams even more, with Sengun missing a few weeks due to an ankle injury.

Houston made a smart investment, buying low on an injured 30-year-old. And for Adams, the tough days of rehab helped turn him into an even better player and led him to the perfect place to thrive.

“It’s a never-ending thing,” Adams said. “This is the stuff that happens to your body; you’ve got to manage it for the rest of your life. But I love playing. I love being part of this team. That’s just the cost of it.”