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Steven Adams made his debut with the Houston Rockets on Monday, but it wasn't just a debut with a new team for the big Kiwi, it was his return to an NBA court after more than 600 days away.
Back in January 2023, Adams suffered a PCL injury in his right knee. Initially thought to be an injury that would sideline him for a month or so, it became a much longer, more serious road back to playing. At the time, Adams played for the Memphis Grizzlies, who held onto hope that Adams would be able to avoid surgery and be ready to go by the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
But Adams' knee did not recover how he nor the team expected, and shortly before Memphis was set to tip off their season last October, the team announced Adams would undergo a procedure on his knee. In February, ahead of the trade deadline, the Grizzlies traded Adams to the Rockets, with whom he made his return Monday against the San Antonio Spurs.
After the win, Adams spoke to the media about getting back to playing after nearly two years on the sideline.
“It was just good to be back. It’s been a long journey,” Adams said [h/t Houston Chroncile]. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s just fun to be out there with the boys, especially on a new team. Getting traded mid-injury, mid-rehab, it’s just good to actually play with the team. It just hits a bit differently when you speak to your team when you’re playing.”
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He also added: “Typically with surgeries, that’s why they call it a two-year process because physically, you’ll heal in the first year. The second year is the mental part, getting the connection back,” he said. “So it’s just that mental part now, but then also the mental part of the game: flow, timing, reading the body language, stuff like that.”
The 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Adams began his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After seven seasons with the Thunder, Adams was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he spent a season before being traded to the Grizzlies. Adams helped lead Memphis to back-to-back Southwest Division titles and second seeds in the Western Conference.
The 31-year-old New Zealand native is in the second and last season of the 2-year, $25.2 million contract extension he signed with the Grizzlies in October 2022. He is set to make $12.6 million this season and become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Adams logged 6 points and 3 rebounds in 14 minutes vs. the Spurs after not playing in any of the first three games of the 2024-25 season.
