Overshadowed by Russell Westbrook’s Brilliance, Steven Adams Has Emerged for OKC

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, 123-112. Once again, Russell Westbrook packed the stat sheet with 33 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists.

It’s a season-long phenomenon that tends to overshadow the efforts of his teammates on a nightly basis, especially center Steven Adams.

Westbrook has understandably attracted most of the attention for his gaudy numbers this season. But while he’s continued his statistical onslaught on the league, Steven Adams has quietly established himself as the team’s next most important player.

Adams scored 18 points and collected 12 rebounds against the Hornets. This came on the heels of a 20-point, eight rebound performance in Milwaukee. He’s posted four 20-plus point games this season.

He didn’t have a single one prior to this season.

Steven Adams starting to play like many thought he would at the beginning of the year. He’s started two straight games 8-8 from the field.

— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) January 5, 2017

The evolution of Adams as a player is as drastic as changes to his physical appearance.

He entered the NBA as a baby-faced backup whose primary task was to play defense and play it hard. Now in his fourth season, Adams resembles a lost Geico caveman who has developed into a fully functional offensive player as well as the Thunder’s defensive captain.

An early-season hand injury limited Adams’ effectiveness, hampering his ability to catch and handle the ball, leading to turnovers and missed easy shots. As is his nature, Adams downplayed the severity of the injury at the time.

“I don’t know if Steven’s hand is a problem or not,” head coach Billy Donovan said in mid-November. “If it is, he would never say that to me.”

The Thunder big man has looked much better lately, averaging 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in his last 15 contests. Adams has made 65.2 percent of his …

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