What will Steven Adams’ place be within the Houston Rockets this season?

The Houston Rockets have a valuable veteran center in Steven Adams after acquiring him at the trade deadline from Memphis. The 2.08m tall New Zealander has always been a hitter for playoff teams, and now finds himself replacing Alperen Sengun in Houston for a team that hopes to return to the playoffs.

Adams averaged 8.6 points and 11.5 rebounds in 2022-23 before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in October, forcing him to miss all of last season. Despite those injury issues, Adams has been a force when healthy, starting regularly in Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Memphis throughout his decade-long NBA career.

For the Rockets, he’ll bring experience and dynamism as a backup, fitting right into their defensive scheme. Rebounding was an issue for Houston last season, and hopefully Adams can fix that.

The 31-year-old, while not a valuable piece to the Rockets, could be traded for a bigger player if things don’t work out. He’ll be in the final year of his contract, making $12.6 million this season. With most of the Rockets’ players on more modest entry-level contracts, Adams allows Houston to swing for another player to improve its roster.

The knee injury doesn’t coincide with his 2026 free agency, but there’s reason to be optimistic about his ability to bounce back for the Rockets. Adams is a tough player with valuable experience and a presence in the paint. He can certainly be useful to Houston, whether it’s on the court as a backup or as part of a trade.

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