Steven Adams

Adams and Jonas Valanciunas were traded for each other last summer, and both succeeded in their new environments. With the Grizzlies, Adams continued to produce rebounds at a healthy rate (10.0) in fantasy despite playing just 26.3 minutes per game. He also added a new passing wrinkle to his game, averaging a career-high 3.4 assists. The veteran also posted 6.9 points on 54.7 percent shooting from the field and 54.3 percent from the charity stripe, not to mention 1.7 combined steals-plus-blocks. This resulted in Adams ranking 164th in per-game fantasy production - similar to his 2020-21 rank of 187. Adams has poor touch around the hoop and wasn't featured as much as a pick-and-roll threat he had been in the past because the Grizzlies had superior options. He generated most of his offense through nabbing offensive rebounds and tossing the ball back up, averaging a ridiculous 6.3 offensive boards per 36 minutes. It's understandable for fantasy managers to have some reservations about drafting Adams since he was used so inconsistently in the postseason, drawing four consecutive DNPs in the middle of the Grizzlies' playoff run and averaging just 16.2 minutes in his seven appearances. However, Adams' presence will be needed with Jaren Jackson (foot) out for potentially half the season. Xavier Tillman, Santi Aldama and other frontcourt players figure to see time at center as well, but Adams' ability to set punishing brick-wall screens and dominate the offensive glass will always keep him relevant during the regular season. He's a fringe standard league option at this point, but he's a justifiable late pick given the scarcity of serviceable centers.

After seven seasons with the Thunder, the team that drafted him, Adams was dealt to the Pelicans last season. He continued to start but saw a reduced offensive role alongside the likes of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Adams garnered 27.7 minutes per game and averaged 7.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and a combined 1.6 steals-plus-blocks. The result was Adams' worst fantasy season since 2014-15, with the center ranking 187th in per-game production. The 28-year-old will join another new team this season, as he was dealt from New Orleans to Memphis over the summer in exchange for, most meaningfully, Jonas Valanciunas. Adams will presumably start at center for the Grizzlies, where he should play the same role he always has -- being a devastating screen setter and a premier offensive rebounder. It's possible Adams reclaims some fantasy value since the team construction around him makes more sense with floor-spacing power forward in Jaren Jackson rather than Zion Williamson. Fantasy managers' main hope should be that Adams can start playing 30-plus minutes per game again compared to the 27.1 minutes he's averaged over the past two seasons. It may also help Adams to have a more dynamic point guard to run the pick-and-roll with in Ja Morant compared to Lonzo Ball last season. Optimistic fantasy managers can justifiably select Adams in the late rounds of a standard draft but shouldn't feel like he's a must-roster if he starts the season slowly.

Adams saw a reduced workload in 2019-20, playing 26.7 minutes per game -- his lowest mark since 2015-16. The big man was still effective and fantasy-relevant, averaging 10.9 points on 59.2 percent shooting, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 combined blocks-plus-steals. Adams also collected 22 double-doubles and three games with at least 15 points and 15 boards. During the offseason, he was dealt from the Thunder -- the team that drafted him -- to the Pelicans as OKC cleaned house. With the Pelicans, Adams figures to start at center and could see a similar workload and usage. New Orleans will likely try to bring second-year center Jaxon Hayes along, and Zion Williamson could see some action at center as well. However, given that the Pelicans play at a fast pace, it wouldn't be surprising for Adams to see a bump raw production. Ultimately, it seems like Adams can continue to be drafted anywhere from the fifth round on.

Adams improved his play once again in 2018-19, matching a career-high with 13.9 points and setting new career highs with 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.5 combined blocks/steals in 33.4 minutes per night. He produced 29 double-doubles in 80 games and showed that he could be a force on both ends of the court. His defense and rebounding give him a high fantasy floor, and his ability to score when needed (13 games of at least 20 points last season) gives him some upside as well. Adams' role and production have grown each of the last three seasons, and with Russell Westbrook gone, there's a good chance it could grow again in 2019-20 with increased opportunities for points and rebounds. The Thunder added Danilo Gallinari through the Westbrook trade, but as a stretch-four, he's not a threat to take work from Adams. Adams is likely to see heavy minutes in the frontcourt once again, and his risk of missing time is minimal, as he's missed just 25 games over his six-year career. The 26-year-old center still has room for improvement, and another statistical jump wouldn't be surprising. As the Thunder begin to rebuild in the post-Westbrook era, Adams should be a stabilizing force and a valuable fantasy contributor across multiple categories.

Adams, who has been Oklahoma City’s starting center over the past four campaigns, cracked 30 minutes per game for the first time as a pro last season. He set career highs nearly across the board, averaging 13.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and a combined 2.2 steals/blocks. Notably, he ranked second in the league in total offensive rebounds (384), fourth in field-goal percentage (62.9) and collected 28 double-doubles across 76 appearances. In addition to his quality play, Adams’ Fantasy value gets a boost due to his nearly spotless health, averaging 77.4 games played through his first five seasons. General Manager Sam Presti opted to improve the Thunder’s extremely thin bench over the offseason, bringing in free agent Nerlens Noel. However, the move isn't expected to affect Adams’ playing time, as Noel hasn't quite lived up to his potential and signed a deal just worth under $2 million per year. Overall, Adams’ Fantasy stock should remain similar to last season, though improvement is still feasible considering he just turned 25 years old.

Adams enters the first year of his four-year, $100 million contract extension as one of the league’s up-and-coming centers. The contract and high praise seem to be warranted from a basketball perspective, but not as much from a Fantasy perspective. Still only 24 years old, Adams compiled career-best averages of 11.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals last season. That made him valuable across just about every format, but 28 other players outrebounded Adams on a per-game basis while 34 other players blocked more shots per game -- Adams averaged exactly one block per game last season. Granted, he’ll have a chance to surpass those career-best averages yet again this coming season, but the ceiling is low considering that Russell Westbrook and Paul George will seemingly dominate every Thunder possession.

While his value largely comes on the defensive end, Adams was able to shore up some of his offensive deficiencies in his second season as a full-time starter, averaging a career-high 8.0 points per game while shooting 61.3 percent from the floor. Despite the increase in scoring, he saw his playing time remain nearly the same as the year before, receiving 25.2 minutes per outing. However, Adams could push for additional time during the upcoming season after his coming-out party in the playoffs. Over 18 postseason tilts, Adams averaged 10.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 30.7 minutes per game, providing the Thunder with a dependable anchor at the back end against some of the Western Conference’s top teams. With Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka no longer with the team, Adams will have ample opportunity to raise his outputs on both ends of the floor in 2016-17. Adams is bound for restricted free agency arriving next summer, and since a breakout season could make him a hot commodity on the open market, he’ll have every incentive to take on a more increased role for the Thunder.

Adams averaged 7.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 0.5 steals in 25 minutes per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from the line last season. He beat out Kendrick Perkins for the starting job last season, starting 67 of the 70 games he played. With Billy Donovan taking over the coaching reigns for the Thunder, it's unclear whether Adams or former Jazz big man Enes Kanter will earn the starting center spot. Kanter was the starter at the end of the season while Adams recovered from a broken hand, but no one knows what Donovan is thinking in regard to the Thunder's rotation. While Adams is extremely limited on offense, he has proven to be a defensive anchor for the Thunder. At age 22, he is still very young and has room to develop his game beyond the paint. Although the 7-footer will split time with Kanter this season, he could have sleeper value in most formats if he develops more on offense this season and sees enough minutes.

The 12th overall pick from the 2013 draft played in 81 games as a rookie, making 20 starts in all. Adams played 15 minutes per game and averaged 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, and 0.5 steals during the regular season but saw his role grow come playoff time. He averaged 22 minutes in the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers and 23 minutes per game in the Western Conference finals versus the San Antonio Spurs, with the seven-footer's athleticism and high-energy play consistently earning him more minutes than starter Kendrick Perkins. Only 21 years old, the potential is certainly there for Adams, though he'll need to work on his free-throw shooting after connecting on only 58 percent of his attempts in 2013-14. Regardless, we believe there's a strong possibility the young Kiwi will take over as the team's starting center sooner rather than later, giving him some sleeper appeal in most formats.

The rookie from Pitt impressed NBA cognoscenti with his measurables and upside enough to be a lottery pick. The native of New Zealand did not put up numbers as a college freshman and will require a great deal of seasoning to become Nick Collison 2.0.