Steven Adams Making an Immediate Impact for Rockets

It may not show in the box score, but Steven Adams is already making an impact for the Rockets.

Oct 7, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) rebounds the ball against Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets kicked off their 2024-25 preseason schedule with a road game Monday night vs the Utah Jazz. The Rockets and Jazz struggled to score in the first few minutes as both teams tried to knock off the off-season rust.

After an Amen Thompson dunk, the Rockets started to distance themselves from the Jazz in the first half. They took a double-digit lead into halftime, but the Jazz slowly crept their way back into the game as the Rockets started to empty the bench.

The Rockets played 16 players in Monday night's contest, and the Jazz pulled away for a 122-113 victory. Preseason wins don't mean much; it comes down to how the main rotation players perform, and the Rockets' starters and main bench players had a good game.

The Rockets had many standouts, from Jalen Green to Cam Whitmore, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson, filling up the box score. Another player who didn't show up as much in the box score but still had an impact in his first game was Steven Adams.

Steven Adams did not take the court for the Rockets last season after heading to the Rockets at the trade deadline. Tonight's game marked Adams's first action with the team. You look at the box score, and you may think Adams wasn't that involved, but if you go deeper, you immediately see Adams's impact.

Adams is known as one of the best pick setters and screen assist players in the NBA. In the play below, you can see how his effective pick gives Fred VanVleet plenty of room to maneuver and find an open Jalen Green for the corner 3-pointer.

No better video of the impact Steven Adams brings than this pick. That defender could not move at all around that pick until FVV was already at the 3 point line.

Not a screen assist but the end result is the same. pic.twitter.com/5ZThT746CA

— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) October 8, 2024

Adams' impact isn't just in the games. When asked about Adams talking to players during practice, Ime Udoka noticeably smiled when discussing Adams' encouraging words for his teammates and sometimes trash talk.

If you have watched Udoka for the past year or more with the Rockets, you know he rarely smiles, but he has smiled more than once when discussing Adams's impact, especially as a veteran leader. Adams brings toughness and experience to the Rockets' frontcourt, which will pay off as the season goes on.

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