[JoeWolf1]

 I caught the Pitt v Delaware game today, mainly because I haven’t seen Steven Adams play.  He is a lot more raw than I anticipated, but he is big, mobile, and has soft hands. He reminds me a lot of Myers Leonard, as a sophomore, but much stronger and more effective than Myers as a freshman.  

Adams was very impressive blocking shots, and posssessing good timing doing so. He is not the most aggresive player, especially on the glass, and despite his soft hands, his post game is still pretty remedial.  He did face up and knock a 16 footer down, and he’s good a decent stroke from the foul line.

I’m sure he’ll adjust over the duration of the season, but he looks like he has the foundation to become very good. It really depends on how quick he learns, because it’s evident he’s raw, but he still manages to softly flip hook shots with both hands.  He’s kind of a bizarre combination of raw and surprisingly skilled in some areas.

Because of this I’d be shocked if he fell out of the lottery, but it’s gonna hinge on his adjustment curve as to whether he’ll be a top 5 pick. 

Anyone else seen much of him? 

[BasketballJunkie224Participant]

he looks very raw…hes very tall but looks like a lil kids game..if i was picking in the draft i would NOT pick him

[SiggyParticipant]

I really like him and think he has tremendous potential as a defender, rebounder and shotblocker.  I expect uneven performance this season since he is raw, but he has all the physical tools you would want from a C.  Long arms, huge hands, strong lower body and overall body strength, good lateral quickness and he’s a quick leaper.  Despite being raw he does some good little things that a kid like freshman Drummond didn’t even do.  He boxes out well, stays tall and doesn’t bite on pump fakes. He sets very wide screens, doesn’t get pushed off his spot and clears out well on the interior.  

He’s very passive on offense though and is unselfish to a fault.  He doesn’t make himself available enough.  He’s raw but he does show good touch on the interior and he even hit a couple of face up jumpers today from mid-range.  He’s also a good passer despite being so green.

I think he’s a tremendous prospect just based on his physical tools alone.  He has some similarities with Meyers Leonard, but I think Adams has the advantage in terms of lower body strength, lateral quickness and being a quicker leaper.  If an organization has the patience to develop him I think he’d be a great pick.

[HitsterParticipant]

 The guy has size and he has an NBA ready body so he has the potential to be able to dominate the paint. But he is still very much a work in progress so his draft position is very hard to predict but his upside could be top 5.

I was interested to learn that his half sister Valerie Adams is the Olympic Shot Putt Champion so if he has the same genes as her he could be a monster.

[jwostrumParticipant]

adams game, size, length, and physical skills are very impressive. right now defensively he is nba ready in my opinion. offensivly he is not there yet. i think he should stay in school one more year, he has nothing to loose by doing so. he is not old for his year and he still has a lot of potential. also i beleive pitt is going to the ACC next year( i might be wrong on that one). if so he will improve greatly playing against better competition for a year in the ACC and he could sneak into the top 5 in the 2014 draft and be the first center taken. this year i think he will be top 10 pick if he declares, but not a top 5.

[SiggyParticipant]

 Does the ACC really have better competition than the Big East?

I do like him as well and I can see him staying another year.  He’ll be a much better player if he does since Jamie Dixon is a good teacher, but if he does declare I think his potential is too high to pass up for a team in the top 5, especially if there’s a team looking at a multi yr rebuild.  He’s not quite as athletic as Andre Drummond, but physically he really has it all for a C and you can tell that he’s coachable since he does a bunch of little things that big men are supposed to do fundamentally well.

[jwostrumParticipant]

yes i think the ACC is a little better than the big east this year, and in year it definatly will be far better with some of the top big east teams, and adams could go from 3-6 in the 14 draft if he comes back. he is very coachable like you said, and a year of off season training plus playing a year in the new ACC/Big east would make him much better offensivly. he will be going against joel james next year if he is back, and other centers in the the new ACC who may not be as talented as james, but are still servicable college centers. this year i think if he comes out he could go anywhere from 6-10 in the draft because of lack of offensive skills, similar to drummond, but next year with that extra year of better competition and additional coaching, he could go anywhere from 3-6, closer to 4 or five, maybe three depending on who has the third pick and how noah vonleh does next year. i think it would just be better for him developement wise and money wise to stay one more year.

[Official]

 Saw him a couple times. I dont know what people is raving about with Adams. 

I dont think he is as athletic as some are making him out to be. He is doing exactly what i thought he would do and is looking like a 2 year player like i’ve been saying.

… just a decent all around center with potential.

 

[r377Participant]

He is adjusting to the american game, i think he will stay in school and come out in the 2014 or 2015 draft

[Author]

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