The Caveman in the Paint: Steven Adams’ Gritty Impact on the Rockets’ Postseason Surge”

The Rockets are a +53 with Steven Adams on the floor this series, and -39 without him.

Fred VanVleet on Steven Adams’ impact:

“He’s like a big caveman in this era of small basketball. He’s one of the old bigs just roughing everybody up. … We’re gonna play him til he dies out there.

 

“The Caveman in the Paint: Steven Adams’ Gritty Impact on the Rockets’ Postseason Surge”

 

In an NBA increasingly shaped by speed, space, and perimeter shooting, Steven Adams stands as a rugged anachronism—an unapologetic bruiser in the era of finesse. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound center from New Zealand has never needed flash to make a mark. And now, in the postseason spotlight with the Houston Rockets, his brand of no-nonsense, smashmouth basketball is proving more vital than ever.

As of the latest playoff series, the Rockets boast a staggering +53 net rating with Adams on the floor, and a concerning -39 when he sits. Those numbers speak volumes—but perhaps not as loudly as his teammate Fred VanVleet, who summed it up in quintessentially gritty fashion:

“He’s like a big caveman in this era of small basketball. He’s one of the old bigs just roughing everybody up. … We’re gonna play him ‘til he dies out there.”

Hyperbolic? Maybe. But VanVleet’s sentiments capture the essence of Adams’ value to this young Rockets squad. In a postseason series marked by volatile momentum swings, Adams has been the steadiest presence—a grizzled veteran anchoring a team loaded with promising but unseasoned talent.

A Return to the Trenches

For Adams, the 2024–25 season has been a renaissance of sorts. After dealing with nagging injuries that limited his availability in prior seasons with Memphis and New Orleans, Adams has found a home in Houston—both literally and figuratively.

General Manager Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka targeted Adams not for his stat line, but for his intangibles: toughness, rebounding, interior defense, and leadership. In a locker room where voices like VanVleet and Dillon Brooks already ring out, Adams adds a different, quieter kind of leadership. His game does the talking.

“You don’t need to tell Steven what his role is,” Udoka said earlier this season. “He knows. He’s a tone-setter. He makes everyone more confident defensively, and he keeps guys accountable.”

That accountability has come in handy in a series that pits the Rockets against one of the league’s most athletic and offensive-minded teams. While Houston’s perimeter players—Jalen Green, Alperen Şengün, and VanVleet—have traded buckets with the opposition, it’s Adams who has tilted the margins in Houston’s favor with the kind of gritty, unnoticed plays that win playoff games.

The On-Court Impact

The on/off numbers are staggering. With Adams on the floor, Houston is +53 in the series. Without him, they’re -39. That’s a 92-point swing. In an age where advanced metrics can be dissected and spun in countless ways, this stat offers plain truth: Steven Adams changes the game.

His presence in the paint deters drives and forces opponents into midrange shots. He ranks among the series leaders in contested rebounds and box-outs per 36 minutes, metrics that don’t show up on traditional box scores but are central to Houston’s defensive success.

Then there’s the screen setting—an art form Adams has long perfected. In one key possession in Game 3, Adams flattened a would-be defender on a dribble-handoff to VanVleet, giving the veteran guard just enough space to bury a go-ahead three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. That kind of play won’t make highlight reels, but it’s the stuff winning is built on.

A Cultural Shift in Houston

When Adams arrived in Houston last offseason, he joined a franchise in transition. After several seasons mired in rebuilding mode, the Rockets made a concerted effort to pivot toward competitiveness. The addition of VanVleet and Brooks signaled a new direction. Adams was the final piece—a foundational presence in the middle.

For the Rockets’ younger bigs, particularly Alperen Şengün and Jabari Smith Jr., Adams has been both a mentor and enforcer. He’s taught the value of verticality, how to use leverage instead of reach, and—perhaps most importantly—how to play with physicality without picking up unnecessary fouls.

“Steven’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever been around,” said Şengün. “He talks a lot about timing, patience, how to defend without jumping. He’s made me better just by being here.”

That trickle-down effect has reshaped Houston’s identity. Once known for erratic offense and porous defense, the Rockets now grind out stops, dominate the glass, and hold their ground in the post. That’s Adams’ DNA stamped all over the roster.

The Caveman Mentality

VanVleet’s comparison to a caveman wasn’t meant as a slight. It was a badge of honor. In an era where many centers float to the perimeter, Adams operates almost exclusively in the mud of the paint.

There are no fadeaways in his bag. No pick-and-pop threes. He doesn’t need them.

He screens, he boxes out, he rebounds, and he punishes opponents with old-school post moves—shoulder-to-chest, hips to the rim. It’s as if Adams was airlifted from 1995 and dropped into 2025 with a singular mission: dominate the trenches.

And he does it without ego.

“Steven doesn’t care about touches, stats, or minutes,” Udoka said. “He just wants to win. He tells us when he needs a breather, and when he says he’s good, he’s good to go. We trust him.”

It’s that trust that fuels lines like VanVleet’s “We’re gonna play him ‘til he dies out there.” The Rockets know what they have in Adams—a throwback center who brings toughness that no stat sheet can fully quantify.

The Playoff X-Factor

In a league that often undervalues traditional bigs, Adams is the classic postseason X-factor. His game doesn’t translate as easily in regular season analytics, where tempo and shooting efficiency dominate. But in the playoffs—where every possession matters, and every inch of space is contested—Adams becomes indispensable.

He’s averaged just under 8 points and 9 rebounds in the series, but his screen assists and defensive win shares lead the team. He’s outmuscled opposing centers, baited foul calls with clever post positioning, and reset possessions with timely offensive boards.

His most valuable contributions, however, might come in the moments between plays: rallying teammates after bad calls, directing traffic defensively, calming young players in tense fourth-quarter situations. He is, in many ways, the spiritual engine of this Rockets team.

A Veteran’s Clock

At 31 years old and with a decade-plus of NBA mileage, Adams isn’t the fleetest of foot. He’s dealt with knee and back issues in recent years, and the Rockets have managed his minutes carefully during the regular season. But come playoff time, all bets are off.

“We’re gonna play him ‘til he dies out there,” VanVleet joked, but the sentiment is real. Adams knows he’s not promised another run like this, and he’s treating each minute like it could be his last.

“It’s the playoffs,” Adams said after Game 4. “You either show up or you don’t. I’m not trying to save anything for later.”

His body may not be what it was five years ago, but his mind is sharper. He sees the game like a coach, and the Rockets coaching staff leans on him like one. Udoka often consults with Adams during timeouts, not for motivation, but for tactical feedback.

“He’ll tell me if we’re giving up too many second-chance points or if we need to change a switch,” Udoka said. “It’s like having a defensive coordinator on the floor.”

The Bigger Picture

For the Rockets, this series is about more than just advancing—it’s about culture. For the better part of four years, Houston was viewed as a developmental team, not a competitive one. That perception is shifting, thanks in large part to the professionalism and presence of players like Adams.

He won’t be the team’s leading scorer. He won’t even be on the floor in some small-ball late-game scenarios. But his fingerprints are everywhere. From the improved defensive rating to the sharp rotations to the elevated focus in film sessions—Adams has changed the team’s wiring.

“You can’t fake toughness,” VanVleet said. “And with Steve, you don’t have to. He lives it.”

Looking Ahead

Regardless of how far the Rockets go in the 2025 postseason, Steven Adams’ impact will be felt long after the final buzzer. He’s helping lay a foundation that could carry Houston for years—a foundation built on grit, effort, and unselfish play.

In an NBA obsessed with versatility and shooting, Adams reminds us that there’s still a place for the specialist, the bruiser, the warrior in the paint. The Rockets, once the poster child for the small-ball revolution, have rediscovered the value of brawn thanks to a center who seems lifted from another time.

He may not dominate headlines, but for the Rockets, Steven Adams is the  between potential and performance. He is, in every sense of the word, the caveman holding the fort.