Twenty-one months after suffering a PCL sprain in his right knee that required surgery, Steven Adams was back on the court Monday night making his debut with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Adams, who sat out all of last season due to concerns about the stability of the knee, was traded in February from Memphis to Houston. He missed the first three games of this season because of a calf strain, along with the medical staff’s emphasis on protecting the knee, so he was relieved to be playing again.
“It was just good to be back. It’s been a long journey,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s just fun to be out there with the boys, especially on a new team. Getting traded mid-injury, mid-rehab, it’s just good to actually play with the team, it just hits a bit differently when you speak to your team when you’re playing.”
Feigen notes that even though Adams only played 14 minutes, he totaled 16 screen assist points to take the league lead in that category. That’s one of the ways that the veteran center can contribute to the team, even though his playing time will be restricted for a while. He’s currently limited to five-minute stints and a maximum of 15 minutes per game.
“Typically with surgeries that’s why they call it a two-year process, because physically you’ll heal in the first year. The second year is the mental part, getting the connection back,” Adams said. “So it’s just that mental part now, but then also the mental part of the game: flow, timing, reading the body language, stuff like that.”
There’s more from Houston:
- Alperen Sengun doesn’t mind the increased expectations that come along with a new contract, Feigen states in a separate story. Sengun agreed to a five-year, $185MM extension shortly before the deadline on October 21. “That’s a good pressure,” he said. “That’s a pressure the stars can take it, you know. That’s what I’m going to go through the rest of my life. I’m one of the best players in the league. I have to get used to it. I have to take that pressure all the time. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable. It makes me feel great.”
- Coach Ime Udoka singled out Jalen Green‘s decision making after he scored 36 points in Monday’s win at San Antonio, Feigen adds in another piece. Green only had two assists, but Udoka said he did a great job of reading the defense. “He’s been phenomenal all year as far as that,” Udoka said. “I think he really grew toward the end of last year. Now it looks like he’s getting whatever he wants, whether it’s for himself or others. Some of those that he used to miss at times and kind of rush into a crowd, over-penetrate, he’s (now) making the right reads.”
- Fred VanVleet had a verbal confrontation with Jeremy Sochan after the game (Twitter video link). VanVleet refused to comment on the exchange, per Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire, but it appears to have been prompted by a derogatory comment Sochan made about Houston when asked about the rivalry between the two teams.