Steven Adams' underrated impact is critical to the Rockets' identity

Steven Adams is coming off an impactful season for the Houston Rockets. In only 22.8 minutes per game, he averaged 8.6 rebounds, including an outstanding 4.5 offensive rebounds per game. The problem? Adams only played 32 games after suffering a season-ending injury. Rockets fans should be excited about his return because Adams is critical to Houston's identity.

Houston needs Steven Adams

The Houston Rockets pride themselves on physical interior basketball. They have led the NBA in offensive rebounding for two straight seasons, and Adams perfectly embodies that style of play.

Last season, Adams rebounded 22.3% of his team's missed shots while he was on the floor. For comparison, Donovan Clingan led all qualified players in this category by recovering 17.7% of his team's misses. Even in his age-32 season, Adams remained one of the league's most dominant offensive rebounders.

This was especially important for Houston during the first half of the season. The Rockets were a team that struggled to consistently create offense, and Adams' ability to create extra possessions gave them more opportunities to score. His impact was reflected in his on/off numbers. Houston was 7.4 points better per 100 possessions with Adams on the floor last season.

Without Adams, Houston was still an elite offensive rebounding team, but it was not quite at the same level. That placed more pressure on the Rockets' two primary offensive creators, Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.

We saw Durant carry a significant workload throughout the season. He finished second in the NBA in total minutes played, and eventually, that responsibility appeared to catch up with him. Durant missed nearly the entire first-round series against the Lakers because of multiple injuries.

It is impossible to know whether a healthy Steven Adams could have prevented Durant's injury, but there is no doubt that having Adams available would have helped create a more balanced offense and reduced some of the pressure placed on Houston's stars.

Can Steven Adams stay healthy?

This is the biggest question surrounding Steven Adams at this point in his career. As previously mentioned, he proved last season that he can still be an elite player in his role.

However, he has not proven that he can remain healthy for an entire season. Over the last four seasons, Adams has played only 132 games. He has suffered two major season-ending injuries and has dealt with several other nagging injuries.

Perhaps most concerning is that Adams' role in Houston has already been reduced significantly. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged his fewest minutes since his rookie year. Further reducing his workload in an attempt to keep him healthy may not be a realistic solution. 

Another option would be limiting the number of games Adams plays. Preventing him from participating in back-to-backs and giving him occasional rest during difficult stretches could help preserve his health throughout the season.

The reality is simple: the Houston Rockets are a much better team with Steven Adams on the floor. He fits their culture, creates extra possessions for an offense that has struggled at times, and helps reduce pressure on the team's top offensive players. If Adams can stay healthy, he will play an important role for the Rockets this season.

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