Lost in the midst of the Thunder’s current surge, there was a recent article on Steven Adams and his unique character. Adams the seven foot center out of New Zealand has a thing to say that teammates should listen to. They may not share his accent or his upbringing, but he has something to say, and they are listening.

In a recent article by Maddie Lee, she describes Adams as “equally sweet, awkward and intimidating.”

“I think his words are gold,” rookie center Tyler Davis said at Blue Media Day last month. “ “Everything he says, no matter what it is, I listen to it and take it serious.”

Both Billy Donovan and Tyler Davis have taken notice. Adams gives off noteworthy advice and pays attention to detail.

Personal story: do guys from New Zealand have a different way to articulate themselves or does Adams just carries a presence around him that makes others want to glean from? I recall being at a conference where there were a panel of speakers with one of them being a man from New Zealand. On several occasions throughout the session, he would articulate something so well that he was asked to rephrase it because it went right over everyone’s heads.

Apparently, Adams just knows stuff:

If a player spends enough time around Adams, he’s bound to glean something. Blue guard Abdul Gaddy, who spent preseason with the Thunder, remembers watching Adams explain things in the weight room. “I was like, ‘Man, you just know stuff,’” Gaddy said. “ ... He’s younger than me, but he’s just a smart guy.”

For Adams he is only in his 6th year but carries himself himself like a 10-year veteran. His numbers have steadily improved each year and he’s enjoying a career best in 2018. But it is what Adams does in addition that make him a player OKC can’t afford to lose.