The Memphis Grizzlies got their 2023 started on the right foot on Sunday, defeating the Sacramento Kings 118-108. Among the standout performers for Memphis was Steven Adams, who had a double-double with 11 points and a whopping 23 rebounds. He was particularly strong on the offensive glass, hauling in 13 offensive rebounds.
So, why was Adams so good on the offensive glass against Sacramento? Was it a good matchup? Was he doing something different in the paint? Not exactly. Adams had a blunt, yet hilarious reason for his strong offensive rebounding.
When asked how he got so many offensive rebounds, Adams said (per John Hollinger, the Athletic) “We sucked at shooting.”
Steven Adams on how he got so many ORBs: "We sucked at shooting"
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) January 2, 2023
It’s true. You can’t get a lot of offensive rebounds if your team is shooting at a high rate. It’s impossible. NBA fans loved this response.
“He ain’t lying lol,” one Grizzlies fan said.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet, meanwhile, felt that Adams is playing for the wrong team. He tweeted “Adams played for Raps he’d be Wilt.”
He ain’t lying lol https://t.co/AWwPeWpdyn
— GrizzCompanyMane (@GrzzCmpnyMane) January 2, 2023
Adams played for Raps he’d be Wilt. https://t.co/A2pERXpVLZ
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) January 2, 2023
This, of course, begs the question. Were the Grizzlies shooters really off on Sunday? Yes — and no.
Memphis was below its season shooting averages against Sacramento, but not by much. The Grizzlies shot 46% from the field (46-for-100) and 31.3% on threes (10-for-32). Those numbers are both slightly down from their in-season rates of 46.7% on field goals and 34.3% on threes. The 100 field goals attempted, though, vastly exceeded Memphis’ season average of 92.2.
So, Adams’ humor is not off base.
[John Hollinger on Twitter]
