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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 25, 2019

Steven Adams

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. Steven, not as an excuse, but just as a reality, if you could explain to us Paul was hurt, was playing through it. He did miss some games, but his -- however limited he was, how much did that limit you guys as a team?
STEVEN ADAMS: I think any of the small details that you could think of probably more than likely affected the team in one way or another. Butterfly effect almost sort of thing, you know. Again, it's still one of those things where obviously it's not an excuse. If you say you're good enough to play, then you're still going to come out to play. That's just rule of thumb across the board. That's just like with you guys. If you say you're good enough to work, you've got to show up to meet the standard of what you're going to work at. That's just the reality of it regardless.

Q. Steven, you told us in the past you taking midrange or a three-point shot is a wasted possession. But is there a feeling that you have right now that you should be able to expand your game offensively at all, or is it still a wasted possession in your mind?
STEVEN ADAMS: Well, yeah, it's still -- because, again, it's still my role to do what I'm doing, if that makes sense. Midrange and three-pointers aren't in there. So I would say that it still is -- I could develop it, great, but then that's just for individual gain or whatever it is. Again, for the team, still have to just focus on what we think -- well, what your role is. I was really trying to just lock down on those things.

But if I get the word and they're like, hey, mate, jack a couple threes, and it's like no worries mate. Get in the gym, yeah.

Q. Steven, it's my understanding one of your roles is defense, obviously your role on the defense, and I asked something similar to Paul. The way the league is changing with so many teams shooting so many threes, how much more difficult is it to play a good defense in this league, and how tough did you see that go as the season went?
STEVEN ADAMS: How much harder?

Q. How much harder now with the three-point shot just becoming even more of a weapon in this league?
STEVEN ADAMS: That's tough. I think the tough thing is that when they -- when the league just brings out the new rules, and we have to adjust. I mean, I guess this year, like the grabbing thing, these will play a huge part in like just a three-point shot. These fouls that they're calling now if it's just this. Each of those little things played more of an effect than, I guess, just someone shooting a three because, again, that leads to fouls. They get on the free-throw line earlier, more points just start snowballing from there.

Q. You change guards, switches a lot. I mean, you do it, but that can't be easy, is it?
STEVEN ADAMS: No, it's not easy. I mean, with our defense, I've done it since rookie season. It will be a bit more so now. More people are hunting for threes. You don't really see the point guards who are just straight downhill, constantly downhill. So I'm doing more reps, and I guess like the workload is a bit more tougher, but it's still strategy remains the same, yeah.

Q. Are you feeling more comfortable about the ball coming to you directly and then becoming the facilitator or attacking yourself?
STEVEN ADAMS: Do I feel more comfortable?

Q. Yeah, like as time goes on in that role.
STEVEN ADAMS: Yeah. Obviously, the more you do it, you feel more comfortable and whatnot. But, yeah, I feel fine with it, bro.

Q. Do you have to push yourself more to do it because you've always done the other things? Is it to be more assertive on the offensive end? When you do get in the post, you have to remind yourself to go ahead and you can get yours, so to speak?
STEVEN ADAMS: I think I know what you're asking. You're basically saying like to go score or something?

Q. Like you set screens, you play the defense, but the offensive part of it, the offensive part, I mean, when you get in a low block, do you have to remind yourself?
STEVEN ADAMS: You're talking about to just go score it myself, yeah?

Q. Yeah.
STEVEN ADAMS: Yeah, I guess I do, but it's -- yeah, I like to just have a successful play. That's just the bottom line of it. Sometimes it is me scoring, but a lot of times it's like me kicking it out to whoever, guards cutting or whatever it is. That's all I'm trying to push myself to do is more just what is the right play as opposed to -- like I need to score this ball, you know what I mean? I don't think it's a confident thing. It's more just we're trying to get a successful play for that position.

English? Just gave me a nod of approval.

Q. I think Billy talked about the offense this season. It didn't look like you guys were getting the shots up earlier in the shot clock. Does that pertain to you too as well? If you get a ball in the post going up quicker with a move, is that something that plays into it as well?
STEVEN ADAMS: No. If you're talking about the rim runs, if I catch it, like if it's --

Q. Like if you have just a half-court set and they get the ball in the post?
STEVEN ADAMS: Half-court set, no. I think what they were mentioning more is just like us getting out on the break and kind of trying to take advantage of any sort of mismatches that we may have or even if they're not in load help or scramble situations. I think they're talking about that more so. You may be right, though, bro, but yeah.

To your question, though, no, it doesn't affect me if I'm trying to like, oh, he said to score it within this many seconds. Let me throw this up really quickly. I think it's more than, yeah, just attacking any mismatches. Kind of get them in scramble or load, whatever. I think it's more so that.

Q. Do you feel like there was a hesitance on your part this season when it came down low because of the free-throw situation? You didn't shoot free throws particularly well this year. Did you feel like there was a hesitance on offense in terms of going up, absorbing contact, and getting to the free-throw line?
STEVEN ADAMS: No, I don't think so. You're going up -- it's still -- even though I missed them, there's still a huge benefit of getting fouled, which is being -- the team fouls and whatnot, even if you shoot a bit. I mean, people are looking at analytics too. It's still a points proposition. It still works out relatively well. You see a lot of teams not actually fouling, doing that whole foul thing anymore. I'm not sure. I'm just going by what I'm seeing when I'm playing. They're not -- they don't seem to be like targeting a player and just fouling them. I'm not sure if it's to do with that or not.

With me, mate, I'm just trying to go up regardless of the free throws because, again, it's a huge benefit. It would be even more of a benefit if I made it. When I make them, that's like the best thing, but there's still some good benefit as opposed to me just not being aggressive. Now, if I'm not aggressive and whatnot, then, yeah, that's a bad thing. I didn't think I was doing what you were saying. Like I was trying to go up and get contact and whatnot.

Q. What's your goals in the offseason? I know you just finished up, but what do you want to work on this summer and back to next season?
STEVEN ADAMS: Make free throws. There you go. Good question.

Q. What's your summer going to be like?
STEVEN ADAMS: Honestly, it's just same stuff, get with them, still figure out roughly what the role is -- not figure it out. Sorry. Just like go into detail what to work on, watch some film, going into it. And then just develop it from there, if that makes sense, for the team, team role.

This guy's approval is amazing, every time. (Laughter).

Q. If that's all it takes.
STEVEN ADAMS: Just give me a nod, mate.

Q. Earlier in your career, and even recently, you look like a guy who's constantly getting in-game feedback from the coaching staff and getting instruction from the coaching staff, and you appear to be really technical at it and trying to do exactly what they tell to you do. Is that something you've always done? Is that something you thought continued even to this season?
STEVEN ADAMS: Yeah, I think I've always been like that just because, again, the perspective of what I'm seeing is a lot different from what even you guys are watching. You know what I mean? Obviously, I always try and just get the advice, see what they're saying. I mean, I can feel -- I can think, oh, this is what I look like, and this is what I'm feeling, but, again, what is actually happening is I might not even be doing that if that makes sense.

So that's why I always try and like talk to the coaches. I feel like I'm up on the pick-and-roll. Am I back too far? He's like, yes, you need to be higher. Just the littlest details, and that's all I try to get.

Or if there's a play, I go to the scouting dude. Make sure that, if I heard a call, just relay it back to them, like what is that? No, just tell me whatever it is, and I'll try and relay it to the boys just so they can kind of anticipate it, help out with the play.

Q. How common is that throughout the league? I don't see a lot of guys actually doing that.
STEVEN ADAMS: I'm a genius. I'm a genius. No, no, everyone bloody does it, mate. It really depends on just if you guys are looking for it. It looked like you had a keen eye for it, so you spotted it, but if you watched another team, you'd probably see a bunch of them do it too, but I'll still take credit for it.

Q. What about the same thing with officials? It seems like you have a similar approach to talking with officials and figuring out? Obviously, I could be hearing the wrong thing, but what is your approach when you're talking with officials?
STEVEN ADAMS: Just seeing what they see. Just because -- I mean, it's the same exact thing. I felt like I was in a said legal position. He'll tell me what he saw and how he interpreted it, and it's like, okay, I'll try not to do it again. That's pretty much always been my approach. I wouldn't say always. I was a bit of a rager before. A bit of a rager. But I decided to just change it because they're trying to call the game how they see it, and I'm just trying to figure out -- because every ref is different, and they're in different positions. So I'm just trying to not make the same mistake. So, yeah, try to get advice from them too as best I can.

Q. Assuming that the Jazz have sent you something, have you responded to any trash talking texts?
STEVEN ADAMS: Trash talk? No, no trash talk. I think for the most part it was all love. Unless there was some weird hidden English name that I didn't know about, so just like hidden joke. Seemed pretty decent, yeah.

Q. What do you think about introducing Enes in Turkish?
STEVEN ADAMS: It's nice. It's just a good little thing. Again, when you -- I don't know, just speaks it a little differently. May not mean anything to anyone else, but for him I know it's a huge, huge thing for him. I'm not sure if another team did that for him. It's really cool, and it's cool to hear, but it's cool to change it.

Just like when we do it with Spanish, it says El Thunder when they introduce us in Spanish. It's cool. Feel pretty great. Josh Huestis is still the best one, though. Like Josh Huestis. (Laughter). Gold, mate. Gold.

Q. As you guys exit the season, do you think you guys leave thinking you let it sort of get away from you post All-Star break, playoffs, or maybe Paul's hurt, kind of dealt a bad hand, gave it your best shot, between those, or another story? What's the narrative?
STEVEN ADAMS: I don't know, amongst the lads, I'm not sure. For me, pretty much all of the above. Mostly the first one. The whole objective right from the get go is to win a championship. Anything short of that is kind of like, oh, we did okay, but that's just for me personally. Because like, you know, you set out, this is the objective, you didn't get the objective done. That's how I see it. Now I guess how people could be different. I'm not speaking on their behalf. That's just me.

Q. Was the team in a good place internally through those trials? Were you guys still together? And was the locker room good, those sorts of things?
STEVEN ADAMS: Yeah, absolutely. We're sticking together. And, again, you've always got to go in there and just try to figure out a solution. Everyone is trying to do the right thing. That's what's good with top players we have. Good locker room guys. When you go out there, they're not trying to be selfish. They're not trying to do bad or whatever. They're really actually trying to represent Oklahoma quite well. So then they go out there and try and play with a really good mindset and try and figure out how we're going to win as opposed to how I'm going to get mine. We don't have that problem at all, which is nice, you know. That's good.

But, again, if you still feel all that, you've still got to solve the problem. It's good being nice guys and all that sort of stuff. You've still got a job at hand, you know.

Q. In your mind, given that achievement is the goal every year and you have guys that want to win, what's preventing it in your mind? What's the next step for you guys?
STEVEN ADAMS: I don't know, mate. There's no one answer. There's too many answers. So, yeah. There's just too many answers, mate. I'd rather not because then you put too much emphasis on it. It's not one of those things. They all each play a role. Even if it's the smallest piece that's affecting it, it still has just as much of an impact as any other reason, if that makes sense. That'll do, mate. That'll do.

Q. Do you have a little -- we talked a little to Paul and Ray specifically about Terrance in his move year two to year three, and they said for them that's an important year. In your experience, was two to three a big year for development? For you.
STEVEN ADAMS: Oh, for me? Oh, so you're saying for them two to three was a big year? Yeah, I think so. Was it a big year for me? I think so, but I think every year. It's one of those weird ones. You can look back and be like, yeah, that one was pretty cool, but it's one of those weird ones where like the first year, if I hadn't gone through any of that, I may not have done this, yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.

Q. So not any more than the others?
STEVEN ADAMS: Not for me anyway, maybe some of the other fellas.

Q. I think Billy went small in that fourth quarter against Portland when you were on the bench. What do you think about scenarios like that where Jeremy goes to the five and you've got to watch your guys basically lose the series while you're on the bench?
STEVEN ADAMS: That's fine. Again, I thought he put us in a position to win the series. We have a saying, just because I'm in the game doesn't mean we're going to win. It still could have had the same outcome. It's still -- Billy thought that was the best decision for the time. I thought it was actually working really well, to be honest. So that's just how it was.

It wasn't a real disappointment, apart from, obviously, losing the game, but it ain't like this weird thing like I should have been playing. It's not that at all. Again, your time on the court, it's not a given, and it shouldn't be expected, you know what I mean? The coach needs to feel like he can put whatever piece he feels is going to win us the game.

So I didn't go in there expecting to play. Whatever time he does give me, you've got to go in there and just give it your all in that time. So I think, since we lost the game, it's more how I could have done what I could have done better with the time I was already on there, as opposed to, oh, I would have did this better. Yeah, there you go.

See that, mate. That's the approval.

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