An Inside Look At The Thunder's New Center: Steven Adams

Here's a breakdown of Steven Adams' strengths, weaknesses, and how he'll help the Thunder moving forward. <br />

Thursday, June 27th 2013, 9:13 pm

By: News 9

An Inside Look At The Thunder's New Center: Steven Adams

The Thunder has selected Pittsburgh's Steven Adams with the 12th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.

The 19-year-old New Zealand Native averaged 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a freshman last season.

Here's a deeper look at the Thunder's new center:

Steven Adams

Center

Freshman, Pittsburgh

19 years old

Play style comparisons: Enes Kanter, Ian Mahinmi, JaVale McGee

Strengths:

Well, he's huge. Adams is a 7-footer with a 7-foot-5 wingspan that moves very well for his size. He can rebound and block shots and basically just be big. He's extremely raw, but only 19 years old, so there's plenty of time to improve.

Weaknesses:

Pretty much anything and everything offensively. A native of New Zealand, Adams didn't start playing ball until a late age, and he looks it. He shot 57 percent at Pitt last season, which looks good, but he didn't try much outside of layups and dunks. Adams shot just 44 percent from the line and is likely two or three years away from making an offensive impact in the NBA.

How he will help OKC:

Not very much – at least not immediately. Down the road – now that's a different story. Adams' athleticism and size means his ceiling is certainly high. He'll probably spend much of next season playing for the 66'ers, but if he develops well, he has starter-type potential in a year or two.