Episode 41: Steven Adams

The Old Man and the Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter

​Steven Adams is a great player, no doubt. But his talent on the court almost pales in comparison to his salt of the earth personality. It's hard not to be impressed with his approach to basketball and life in general, and he accomplishes this by utilizing three simple words: keep it simple. Whether it's intentional or just the manner in which he is wired, Adams has little trouble putting all the craziness of the NBA lifestyle in perspective. In this interview, he delves into topics ranging from his early days of playing youth basketball in New Zealand, where his minimalistic life approach comes from, to taking the court as a rookie with two of the biggest generational NBA talents in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. It's an interview you simply need to hear. And don't forget about the TOP 5/Draft, because everyone needs a holiday. RUNDOWN On the exhausting pace of this season and the general feeling around the project of an All Star Game On what his game day prep in a normal season as compared to this year Discusses some of the unique exercises he practices in the weight room Was there ever a time he was too into weight lifting and had to scale it back Discusses why he wasn't a fan of college basketball On his feelings during his draft not even thinking he was going to be picked What were his aspirations growing up playing basketball in New Zealand Who were the NBA players that he tried to emulate as he first started getting into hoops Did he play rugby and did his size translate at all What is it about New Zealanders that helped them accomplish such a successful coronavirus response Steven breaks down the beauty of his farm in New Zealand and his love of soil On the billionaires buying 'doomsday' plots in New Zealand and is there any pushback by the natives What's his impression of Zion Williams Was it overwhelming to be thrust onto a team ready to win the championship coming out of college Claiming the game 7 win against the Grizzlies as his own because Z-Bo punched him in game 6 and got ejected What was Russell Westbrook like as a teammate Was it hard to perform with the strong personalities on the Thunder What his impression of Kevin Durant was like when started playing alongside him Where does his minimalistic approach to life come from On the culture shock of the NBA world On the sobering prospect of becoming irrelevant Looking back at the 2016 series against the Warriors​ How great the people of Oklahoma were during his time there Breaks down his incredible Hail Mary pass to Dennis Schroder Weighs in on some of the highs and lows of his eating habits TOP 5/Draft To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.