Most NBA analysts assumed that Oklahoma City would send its No. 12 overall draft pick, Steven Adams, to the D-League this season to get the 20-year-old big man some extra reps, but that may not be the case.
Thunder ‘not planning’ on sending Steven Adams to D-League
Contrary to initial expectations, the rookie big man might be spending the majority of his rookie season in Oklahoma City.
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Talking to reporters on Friday, Thunder coach Scott Brooks indicated that Adams will stay in the NBA for the time being (h/t Royce Young of the Daily Thunder):
“It’s something that we never talked about,” Brooks said of Adams and the D-League. “We just focus on what we do here. If players go down and play in the D-League in Tulsa that decision is made during that time. But right now, I’m not even going that way with any of our guys. We like to have our guys here because they need to understand what we do and how we do it and it’s great for them to have a chemistry with the new guys or the guys trying to make the team.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Pittsburgh product won’t spend time in Tulsa, but for now there isn’t a plan in place to send him there.
On Thursday, Adams registered 10 points and 15 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans. He was a bully on defense and displayed a nice touch on the offensive end. While it was just a preseason game, Adams looks capable of playing rotation minutes for small stretches.
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