Houston Rockets big man Steven Adams has emerged as a major thorn in the Golden State Warriors' side during their first-round matchup in the 2025 NBA playoffs. Adams continues to provide a world of difference for the Rockets, with his mere presence on the floor being a huge threat to the Warriors' small-ball approach. On Friday night, with the Rockets' backs against the wall in Game 6 against the Warriors, Adams was a +15 off the bench in a 115-107 victory.

Simply put, Adams is proving himself to be a difference-maker for the Rockets, prompting Fred VanVleet, who has come alive over the past three games, to shower him with some wild praise.

“He's the ultimate man. He's just an enforcer down there. He's like a big caveman in this era of small basketball. An old big just roughing everybody up. He's impacted us on another level, a historical level honestly. Made his free throws tonight. We're gonna play him until he dies out there,” VanVleet said in his postgame interview with ESPN SportsCenter's Scott Van Pelt.

Adams is causing major problems for the Warriors on the interior on both ends of the floor; not exactly known as a premier shot-blocker in the NBA, the Rockets veteran swatted three shots in an elimination game and was a bruising presence on the glass, allowing Houston to control the paint game on both ends of the floor. Not a big time scorer, Adams scored 17 points in Game 6 (he hasn't scored that many points in the playoffs in nearly five years).

It's quite impressive to see how Adams has managed to bounce all the way back from a serious knee injury that forced him to miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season. He looks to be as spry as ever, and the Rockets have managed to force a Game 7 thanks in large part to the way he's able to survive in today's NBA despite having the skillset of a throwback big man, as VanVleet hilariously alluded to.

Steven Adams is such a perfect fit for this Rockets team

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) battles for position with Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) in the fourth quarter of game six of the first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center.
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Steven Adams, like most other traditional big men, struggle to guard the perimeter. But this Rockets team provides so much cover for him on that end of the floor, and it helps that Adams is able to sag off of a Warriors non-shooter, such as Draymond Green.

While Adams is deservedly getting plenty of credit for his impact for the Rockets this series (Houston is a +53 during his minutes for this series and is a +46 over the past three games), the veteran big man said that he is simply doing what the coaches are asking of him.

“What difference do I make? I'm not sure. I just follow the game plan bro. Defensive game plan, we communicate,” Adams said in his postgame presser, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter).