The Rockets are benefiting from the resurgence of Steven Adams from injury

The Houston Rockets they see the best version Steven Adams for the most difficult part of his career.

At his lowest point, Adams wasn’t fighting opponents for rebounds; he fought with his own body. A knee injury sidelined him, cast doubt on his future and even forced him out of Memphis. But those lost months eventually redirected his career and took him somewhere even better.

Adams was the starting center for an up-and-coming Grizzlies team when he injured his right knee while diving for a ball during a game in January 2023. He experienced sharp pain and was diagnosed with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament.

The typical recovery time frame for that injury is three to five weeks. However, Adams continued to feel pain as the weeks passed. His knee did not respond to treatment, leading to a stem cell injection that cost him the rest of that season.

Adam’s knee was still unresponsive when he attempted to return to action the following preseason, prompting him to undergo PCL surgery, sidelining him for the entire 2023-24 season. until february Memphis moved on, trading him to Houston.

“There were times when it was shit. It wasn’t an easy road,” Adams he said during a conversation with The Athletic. “There’s a lot of pressure you put on yourself, and rehab gets really boring.”

The old cliché applies here: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And the grueling rehabilitation process for Adams certainly is.

“It’s about redefining winning and being happy with those wins when 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 gym 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?’ This way you can be sure to avoid certain cases where you are at risk of re-injury. It’s about moving properly.”

Not only did the injury, through the rehabilitation process, make Adams a better basketball player, but it also put him in the right place.

The Rockets have shaped their roster around height, relying on their double-big lineup, pointed out Adams. This transformation has culminated Adams gets a three-year, $39 million extension in June.

Opportunities he might not have found elsewhere had he stayed healthy (and) in Memphis.

“We knew this was going to be our identity,” Alperen Sengun he previously told Athletic. “We want to push teams, be tougher, physical. Having Stephen 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) to sign another good center. This summer, when we signed Steven, I was so happy. Playing with him and the way he brings toughness to this team … he’s huge for us.”

With Adams in the frontcourtThe Rockets led the league in offensive rebounding, which became a cornerstone of their identity.

“I have so much respect for Steven and the work he’s done to be a guy who’s still a valuable piece at this stage of his career.” Kevin Durant he told Athletic. “With his style of play, it’s not easy. He fights down there under the basket and throws his body around every play. It adds up after a while. But he puts in the work and really loves the game.”

“He really likes to sacrifice for the team,” Durant added. “Those are the guys you always want by your side when you go into battle.”

And the Rockets will have to rely on Adams even more now that Sengun is out for several weeks with an ankle injury.

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

“It’s a never-ending thing,” Adams said. “These are things that happen to your body; you have to manage it for the rest of your life. But I love playing. I love being part of this team. That’s just the price of it.”