After spending a year and a half on the sidelines with a knee injury, it was unclear if veteran center Steven Adams would ever make a meaningful impact in the NBA again. He decisively answered those questions while helping the Houston Rockets grab the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference last season. He is now reaping the rewards of those stalwart efforts, courtesy of a three-year, $39 million contract extension, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
The Rockets are moving with purpose, making a swift deal ahead of what many expect to be a highly active summer in Space City. While a $13 million average annual salary admittedly seems expensive for a player who averaged 13.7 minutes per game during the regular season, those who watched the playoffs are fully aware of the noticeable impact Adams still provides inside.
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If not for the 31-year-old big man, Houston would not have pushed the Golden State Warriors to a Game 7 in the opening round of the postseason. He averaged 5.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 block in 22.1 minutes per contest during the series.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints, providing a unique writing voice due to his in-depth knowledge of New York sports. Alex resides in Connecticut after receiving his journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island.