For most, the decision of Oklahoma City Thunder’s coach Scott Brooks to continually start Kendrick Perkins over rookie Steven Adams boggles the mind.
Could it be that Brooks, the two-time All-Star coach, sees something in Perkins that most simply don’t? Or does Brooks instead question something in Adams, hence restricting him to just three starts this season?
Experienced centre Perkins endured a groin injury last week before today’s revelation that he’ll be out for up to six weeks after undergoing surgery.
Adams, who was promoted to the starting line-up this past Sunday, has already surpassed all previous expectations.
Since being picked up by the Thunder as the 12th overall draft pick after only having one college season at Pittsburgh, Adams still divides opinion. Many still cite Perkins as the right man for the job.
There are still many who believe some time out will be good for Perkins. He’ll be expected to return with greater force, hopefully one more favourable than the one we’ve seen of Russell Westbrook.
So what way will the Thunder defence swing? Clearly an injured Perkins is not going to impact their place at the top of the Western Conference leader board, but can Adams sustain the current momentum?
While Adams does offer more versatility on the offence, his role remains as is– block and rebound. Only now, he has an opportunity to carve his name in the starting line-up during the playoffs.
“Steven’s going to get opportunities and he’s developed at a pace that we’re very happy with,” Coach Brooks said today.
“There’s going to be games where we can go with smaller line-ups, games where we can go with different guys in that centre spot, but I think he’s done well in the minutes that he’s had.”
If Adams wants to be tested, he’s going to be.
With the prospect of potentially starting around 20 games, he could go head to head with the most prominent names in the league. In the next few weeks alone Adams is set to meet Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan.
While we’re yet to see a repeat of his best performance of 17 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, Brooks is confident in the New Zealand native’s future.
“There’s a big learning curve with him. I think every minute as a starter is almost like triple the minutes coming off the bench,” Brooks said of Adams after Sunday’s game.
Despite the praise, Adams is for some still the big kid who fumbled his way through Summer League and conned his way into a superstar team.
Time will ultimately tell. Having grown up in New Zealand and being familiar with the tough Kiwi mindset, I believe Adams will come out the other end a certain starter on the court.
He’s done the ground work; if he can control his temperament and escape silly foul trouble, there’s no reason why Adams can’t become a starting fixture in the OKC line-up.
From Perkins’ perspective, you’d assume he isn’t looking over his shoulder just this minute. But for a guy who will be hitting 30 years old in November, he’d be a fool not to have concerns.
Still, with his big game finals experience, Perkins could still be Brooks’ first choice if they meet Indiana or Miami in the finals.
If Adams doesn’t prove he has the durability for longer spells and the patience, he could find himself missing out on making further history.
For Adams, the ball is now in his court.
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