Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams has become an above-average starting big man in the NBA. He isn’t on the All-Star caliber level, but belongs in the tier just below that thanks to his excellent defense, rebounding and ever-improving offensive skill set.
However, Adams, like many big men, struggles from the free throw line. For his career, he’s shoots 57.9 percent from the charity stripe, but is in the midst of a career year, shooting 65.9 percent from the line. That improvement hasn’t made it any less frustrating for the New Zealander when he misses, and on Sunday night against the Pelicans, Adams let the rim know exactly how he felt after bricking a free throw late in the fourth quarter.
The microphones on the court cut off, but you can read Adams’ lips as he says “I f*cking hate you so much” at the rim after the ball caromed away.
Adams is one of the league’s funniest guys off of the court, but he’s one of the great antagonizers on it. Adams regularly finds himself tangled up with other centers and has been on the receiving end of plenty of elbows (or in the case of Draymond Green, kicks), and no one has been able to figure out a way to get under his skin, as he even said he doesn’t have a problem with Green despite the swift kick to the groin.
Kicks and elbows might not do it, but it appears that we’ve finally found that the thing that can rattle Adams on the court is an unkind rim.
