The Houston Rockets have been linked in trade rumors to Portland Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams III. Williams’ fit intrigues because of his relationship with Houston head coach Ime Udoka. But do the Rockets need another big? It’s time to assess the performance of Houston 2024-25 backup center, and all-around great bloke, Steven Adams.
Steven Adams and the Rockets’ Center Trade Rumors
Rockets’ Center Trade Target
Williams is the rare case of an undersized center known as one of the best rim protectors in the league. While listed at 6-foot-9, he plays much taller than his listing. Not only does he have a 7-foot-4 wingspan, and jump-over-the-gym athleticism, but he maximizes his functional height by wasting the absolute minimum number of inches in his neck and head. Williams was such an effective rim protector that Udoka nearly coached him to a DPOY award with the 2021-22 Boston Celtics. Ultimately, an untimely injury would snatch it away and hand it to teammate Marcus Smart. The potential was shown though. Unfortunately, further injury struggles would keep it as just that, potential.
His health remains a bubble-font question mark and he has only played 16 games this season. In those 16 games, his remarkable athleticism has still been on display, he’s averaging 6.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 17.1 minutes per game. He’s perfect for an impact role off the bench. Williams’ value is probably a few seconds and matching contracts. At that price, the Rockets won’t be the only team possibly looking to trade for the center.
Williams’ Potential Fit In Houston
Still, if Williams had any say (which he probably wouldn’t), playing for Udoka again might be his preference. Despite the contrasting physical profiles of Williams and Rockets star center Alperen Sengun, Udoka still uses a similar defensive system with his current starting big man. Sengun is kept out of defending as many pick-and-rolls as possible so that he can stay in position to help protect the rim. Sengun is far from a DPOY candidate, he does enough to help the team achieve a fourth-ranked defensive rating.
While some double big enthusiasts might speculate over the viability of a Sengun-Williams front-court, realistically, Williams would serve as strictly a backup to the young Turk. However, the Rockets already traded for a center last year. In limited action, he’s done exactly what’s been asked of him.
Year-One Rocket Steven Adams
Adams’ numbers this season appear almost trivial. He averages 2.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game. But his impact has never been best represented by his actual averages. Widely recognized as one of the best rebounders in the league during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he didn’t average double digits in that category until he got to his third team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Indeed, per 36 minutes, Adams leads the team in rebounds at 15.8, a whopping 7.8 of those being offensive.
There are signs of a decline for Adams. His free throw percentage remains in the doldrums it had entered in his last pre-injury season with Memphis. He’s also averaging a career-high in turnovers per 36, fumbling passes from Houston’s admittedly inexperienced playmakers. Nonetheless, Houston has been winning its minutes with Adams on the court. His plus/minus averages out to +2.0 per game. What’s particularly interesting about that is that, per 100 possessions, it actually comes to slightly above the plus/minus of possible All-Star Sengun. Adams is at +8.6. Sengun is at +8.4.
Clearly, Sengun is the more impactful player, but Adams is holding his own and making his 11 minutes per game count. Teammates love him. He’s steady and more than anything else, just knows how to get in opponents’ way (on offense and defense). Watching Adams play is like a lesson in how the littlest things (done by the largest of men) can help a team win a basketball game. It’s a noticeable difference from the team’s other backup center option, Adams’ Australasian rival, Jock Landale.
Jock Landale
Landale has only played 21 games this season, and he has a brutal -7.0 net rating. The expediency of a potential Williams trade could hinge upon the premise that Landale’s minutes are the ones that need to be upgraded, not Adams’. But that’s 193 minutes over the 43 games the team has played this season.
Extra depth never hurts, especially when the depth is injury-prone. Adams certainly hasn’t reforged the Ironman credentials he had in his youth, even if his availability has steadily increased as the season has gone along. And if you wanted to have Williams as the primary backup, then a solid secondary would be essential.
Based on how Landale closed last season, it seems likely that his play would improve with more minutes. He played significantly better after the injury to Sengun put him in a larger role as the primary backup behind Jabari Smith Jr. Even with his versatile skill set, though, he’ll never impact a game the way a healthy Williams can. His and Jae’Sean Tate‘s would be the most likely contracts to facilitate a trade to bring the springier center to the Rockets.
The Last Word
Realistically, Williams would be an upgrade on Adams and a perfect primary backup to slide Adams to a reserve role. However, a bidding war for a luxury item might not be the best use of Houston’s flexibility. Particularly since Adams has been a valuable steadying presence in Houston’s rotation. Whether any deal materializes remains to be seen. In either case, Houston fans will be thankful for the big Kiwi’s contributions to a phenomenal season.
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