To discover Adrien’s impact, look past the box score.
Disregard statistics for a moment, and instead think about a player who makes an impact primarily from the bench and the locker room. His size and skills are limited, and he may not play for weeks, but when his name is called can step in a make a positive impact. That is Jeff Adrien.
At 6’7” he is an undersized power forward with limited offensive ability, but possesses great strength and tenacity on the defensive end. He may be small for his position, but Adrien’s stocky shoulders and massive body frame makes up for the lack of height (his faux hawk adds a couple inches as well). And while he will never be called fast, he moves well on defense and puts himself in good positions to defend and rebound.
Offensively his limits catch up to him. His career high is only 14 points, which came last season against the Bulls. He’s a career 45 percent field goal shooter, taking mostly shots from inside (his average shooting distance is 3.3 feet), and has a career free throw percentage of 62 percent. His limited ability on this end certainly factors in to how much playing time he receives. If there is one silver lining, he typically has good shot selection, never playing outside his abilities on offense.
This season, Adrien had found a niche on the Bobcats’ bench after joining the team last season. He only played in 25 games for the Cats, but when called upon provided energy, defense, and strong rebounding. While only averaging 2.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a game, he shined on occasions, including an early season eight point, 13 rebound game against New Orleans last November, along with two 10 rebound performances in three games in wins against Milwaukee and Brooklyn. Performances like these are reminders of the value a player like Adrien can provide, despite being far down the depth chart. Often his inclusion into the rotation came as the result of foul trouble from other front court players or during games when Bismack Biyombo was having an off night.
Adrien also made an impact as a team leader. In our interview with Chris Douglas Roberts, CDR spoke of how the team will miss Adrien’s leadership on and off the court:
Believe it or not Jeff was one of our leaders. He was the energy. He was the bench.
What often gets overlooked is how a player fits with the rest of the team. A strong locker room presence can build a positive working environment, and having players who create such an environment are valuable, even if they don’t contribute often on the court.
During this year’s trade deadline, Adrien was sent to Milwaukee as part of the deal that sent Ramon Sessions to the Bucks in exchange for Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour. While Buck’s motivation was to acquire two expiring contracts, Adrien has found an increased role with the Bucks. Since the trade, Adrien has had at least 10 rebounds in three of the four games he’s played in, including a six point, 11 rebound performance in just 18 minutes of play during his first game for the Bucks. He also had three assists, including this alley-oop to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Asked about his performance, Adrien replied:
“That’s what I bring to the table,” Adrien said. “I try to bring it day in and day out. Practice, games, whatever it is. I just try to get my teammates to match my physicality, my energy.
For a Bucks team that has lacked so much this season, Adrien has provided a bit of life for them off the bench. Whether or not he is in the Buck’s long term plans, a strong finish to the season could earn him a similar role for a team next season.
Such a scenario is big considering where Adrien’s career has gone to this point. After three seasons at Connecticut he went undrafted in 2009. He spent a year in Spain before he was invited to Golden State’s training camp after impressing in the 2010 Summer League. He would make the Warrior’s roster out of camp, but was waived in December of that year. He would play in the D-League from that point, playing for both the Erie Bayhawks and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Warriors would sign him again in 2011, but once again waive him that same year. During the lockout he played in Italy before signing for the Rockets briefly. Then it was off to Russia, and then back to the D-League before finally sticking with the Bobcats in 2012.
At 28, he’s not young but still far from retirement. Hopefully he has many years left in the NBA, even if it is for a number of teams. It may not seem important, but there is value to a player who is prepared every night to contribute, even if their name isn’t called for strings of games in a row. Being able to maximize one’s limited abilities is a strength as well, along with providing a positive impact in the locker room. Adrien embodies these traits, and deserves credit for his impact, even if it rarely shows on the box score.
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