Steven Adams stands on the precipice of a widely anticipated breakthrough NBA season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and a mega contract that will glaringly reflect his rapidly increasing value to the franchise.

The new deal (an extension of his rookie contract about to enter its final year) would make him comfortably New Zealand's highest paid sportsman (ever) with a multi-year value expected to hit north of US$100 million (NZ$140m).

It's a goal he's had since he was a 17-year-old Scots College student in Wellington and said his dream was to make enough money to look after his entire family.

GETTY IMAGES The Thunder will need to share the scoring load this season after the loss of Kevin Durant.

"I know it's going to be hard, but what is easy in life?" he said back in 2010.

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The Thunder have until October 31 to complete a deal which now looks a no-brainer. Adams has taken a typically laissez-faire approach to his life-changing moment.

He has more or less ignored it (publicly at least) and told anyone who has asked that it's out of his hands, and all he can control is what he does on the basketball court.

That's Adams. He doesn't complicate things. In fact, he goes out of his way to deconstruct them down to a jokey one-liner, or a Kiwi euphemism. He doesn't feed the media machine with chest-thumping declarations of intent. More likely rib-tickling musings of humour.

But don't be fooled by the laid-back approach and overt use of comedy as a coping mechanism. Things are about to get decidedly serious for the 23-year-old Kiwi giant as he takes on the biggest challenge of his career.

After three seasons as a work-in-progress role player for the Thunder, consistently exceeding expectations with his off-the-charts effort and toughness levels, the time has arrived for the 2.13m Rotorua-bred, Wellington-refined hoops sensation to take things next level.

If he's anxious about that prospect, the shaggy-haired OKC fan favourite disguises it brilliantly. With his quirky expressions and determination to see the lighter side of everything, Adams has steadfastly refused to be dragged into anything resembling a serious discussion on his prospects for the season.

At the team's media day, after being repeatedly quizzed on his expanded role, he declared: "It's all just the same stuff, bro, I'm just going to show up and play, regardless. As long as we win the games, that's all it comes down to."

That's how he rolls. But don't for a minute think his competitive juices aren't flowing at the prospect of suddenly becoming a key part of the Thunder's offence as they figure out the best way forward following the off-season departures of superstar Kevin Durant and starting power forward Serge Ibaka.

Adams and the Thunder open the season with a visit to perennial strugglers the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday (1pm tipoff, NZ time), and much interest centres on Adams after a hugely promising pre-season where he hinted broadly at a readiness for what lies ahead.

Russell Westbrook needs help putting up the points the Thunder will need to win ball games, and everything points to Adams weighing in considerably. A pre-season in which he averaged 14.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg and 1.0 spg in limited minutes while dealing with ankle issues only fanned the embers of expectation.

Adams' mentor, Wellington-based Kiwi hoops legend Kenny McFadden, predicts giant strides: "I expect him to be an All-Star by year end. He's really going to step up. Over the last couple of years he's been sharing minutes with [Enes] Kanter, but with an expanded role he's going to play some big minutes and with that is going to come some good stats. There are not many big men left in the NBA who have a physical presence, and can get out and defend the on-balls like he can 35 feet from the basket."

McFadden is adamant Adams has the offensive tools to be the interior scorer the Thunder need him to be, either off the high pick-and-roll with Westbrook, or in the low post where he has added an effective one-handed floater to his repertoire.

"He's never pushed himself in trying to be a scorer or anything other than what they wanted him to be which was a hustle player," adds McFadden. "But to do what he did in the playoffs last year (averaging 10.0ppg and 9.5rpg) gave him a lot of confidence. Now they're looking at him as a second or third scoring option, he's getting the touches and the touches are getting more productive."

McFadden also understands better than anybody that appearances can be deceiving when it comes to the mindset and driven nature of his protege.

"He's a fun-loving guy but he's also all about business. He takes the game extremely seriously. Playing tough is who he is, something he doesn't have to work on, but he's able to control that aggression ... not many people would get kicked in the groin a couple of times without reacting. But with his fierce competitiveness he's also one of the hardest workers in the game. There's a lot more to come because he plays so hard, and is so internally driven."

So, what to look for in the opener, and beyond? Adams will continue to anchor the defence with his presence and those deceptively quick feet, and to sweep the boards. But more touches on offence, and more of the little one-handed shot he has previewed in the pre-season.

"A lot of times he's getting the ball in the pocket, at eight feet. That's a good shot for him. He's really kind of mastered that shot." coach Billy Donovan told the Norman Transcript.

McFadden says it's a shot he can continue to hit consistently.

"Mark Bryant has been working with him over the last couple of years on that little floater. He's ready for it. If they go inside to Steve he will use his quickness and mobility over other bigs. His footwork has got a lot better and it's going to be one of his weapons."

Three major media entities (CBS, Sports Illustrated and the Washington Post) picked Adams between 38 and 42 in their rankings of the NBA's premier individuals. That was ahead of such luminaries as Dirk Nowitzki, Marc Gasol, Kristaps Porzingis, Andrew Wiggins, Kemba Walker and Dwyane Wade.

That's a valuation the Thunder surely can't ignore, as that contract extension deadline looms. McFadden is cautiously optimistic: "We're hoping for good news, and he's focused on controlling what he can control, which is what happens between the lines. But we're pretty sure he'll get a good package and it will be an eye-opener for everybody."

Sounds like that sort of a year for Steven Adams.