It s hard to keep Adams? The Rockets still have a choice of center! At the age of 23, they can defend and grab, and they can be called the low-end version of Capela

In this season's playoffs, some teams with weak inside strength have been eliminated in the first round, such as the Lakers. In their center position, only Hayes can beat the other person, and the others are embarrassed. Although the Lakers have two superstars, James and Doncic, the weakness in the inside also made the Lakers eliminated by the Timberwolves 1:4 too early. Even the Warriors, their inside line is not strong enough.

Although the Warriors' outside ability is top-notch, in the seven playoff games, the Warriors' inside line is always beaten by the Rockets. Rockets coach Uduka is very targeted and often sends a double tower lineup, even a lineup of three centers. The three centers are Smith Jr., who plays No. 3, and Shin Kyung and Adams are in the inside. The double tower lineup is a classic lineup in the Rockets' playoffs: Shin Kyung returns to the power forward position, while the 31-year-old Gaota Adams will appear in the center position.

Two players have one offense and one defense, and Shin Kyung has the ability to score independently, which is the main attack point in the inside. Although Adams is not strong in scoring independently and does not have the ability to play back, his ability to cover pick-and-roll, defense, and protect the basket and rebound under the basket are top-notch in the league.

Unfortunately, the Rockets may be losing Adams. According to news, many teams lacking centers are following Adams this summer. Adams signed a two-year contract with the Grizzlies before. Now the season has ended and Adams' contract has officially expired. Now he has become a complete free agent. He is expected to be one of the most sought-after players in the free agent market this summer.

31-year-old Adams is not in bad shape, and he is experienced and has partnered with many superstars, such as Durant, Westbrook, Morant, etc. So it is difficult for Adams to be kept by the Rockets now. Moreover, the Rockets will have to deal with Van Vreet's contract this summer, and the major contracts between Shin Kyung and Green will also be executed. In addition, the Rockets will also sign new players in the draft. So, if the Rockets, which have tight salary space, cannot give Adams a significant salary increase, Adams is likely to bid farewell to Houston.

In fact, for the Rockets, they have an alternative center to use. Although Landail should be kept by the Rockets as much as possible, Landail is better at scoring and not at defense. The Rockets' fourth center forward is Dante from the Development League Vipers, who is actually a good player in the basket protection. The 23-year-old center is the Rockets' undraft this season and has almost no chance of playing in the playoffs.

But during the limited playing time in the regular season, Dante showed the ability of an excellent defensive center. Dante averaged 6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.3 steals per game in 12.8 minutes, and his shooting percentage was even as high as 77%. Dante can eat cakes in the inside, and is also an inside defensive expert. He dares to fight and grab at the basket and is very proactive! It has a bit of the meaning of Capela, the Rockets' "Piece King" back then. Although Dante's skills are relatively rough, the Rockets do not expect him to score independently in the interior. As long as he can catch the ball and grab the rebounds, it is enough to do dirty and tiring work in the interior.

Adams is unreplicable, but Dante is also a defensive expert, so once the Rockets cannot keep Adams, then keep Dante and give him a basic salary contract. I believe that the Rockets' inside defense ability will not decline much next season. This low-end version of "Capela" Dante is enough for the Rockets to trust.