Steven Adams has experienced his first taste of the NBA, making a limited contribution off the bench in Oklahoma City's opening night win over Utah today.
Adams enjoyed three shifts on the floor in the Thunder's 101-98 victory against the Jazz in Salt Lake City, collecting two points, three rebounds and an assist in 18 minutes.
After being chosen with the 12th pick in June's draft and excelling in the preseason, Adams defied initial expectations he would begin his professional career in the NBA development league.
The Rotorua product appears to have beaten out Hasheem Thabeet for the role of back-up centre behind Kendrick Perkins, though Thabeet was kept from today's game due to suspension.
That allowed Adams to officially begin life in the world's best basketball league with 3:21 remaining in the first quarter, and the 20-year-old's first contribution to the box score came in the form of a foul 10 seconds later.
